18 December 2011 Pisa marathon

 This is of course interesting timing for a marathon and is a fairly radical way of avoiding the hassle of weekend Christmas shopping. It’s also the last main marathon in Europe before year end, and for Dean, 47, it has extra significance as he is desperate to finally break 3 hours before each added year of age makes it just that bit harder to achieve. With a PB of 3.00.28 and a commitment of juts 3 or 4 runs per week it’s a tough ask, but on the day he gets everything just right –with the course and weather absolutely ideal – and he comes home in 2.57. he had initially said that once he broke 3.00 he’d immediately wind down a little and become less structured with the training, but, quel surprise, by early January he has booked into two 2012 marathons and is keen to see if 2.55 is doable.