Gareth John's Blog

Chasing Pavements (Part 9)

Crept on me, this one. Looked at the calendar this morning and suddenly realised that the Marathon is now EXACTLY one month away. Huuuuge wake-up call!

So, with this in mind, I reckon it’s about time to take stock & draw up a check-list of:
a) how things are shaping up ahead of the big day
b) how things compare to this time last year

Here goes...

1. Legs – both still there! However, right calf remains VERY sore & a lot more wobbly than the left one. May find myself doing a bit of a `limpy-run’ as opposed to the `walky-run’ which I had to do during last year’s Marathon
2. Toe nails – only one at risk of falling out so far, (left foot second toe in case you were interested!)
3. Nips – Taking a battering from the training, but Vaseline is still my best friend.
4. Inner thigh chafing – see `nips’!
5. Amount of training – this is the really positive bit. I’ve already managed more training runs (particularly the REALLLLLY long ones that you need to get under your belt before the big day) than this time last year. Two big 20-milers to go & then I can start to wind the training down.
6. Risk of being beaten by Rhinos/Pantomime Cows/Bernie Clifton’s Ostrich – Tricky. Certainly, having suffered fewer injuries this year, I’m feeling a little more confident when it comes to keeping ahead of these cheeky customers. However, Scooby Doo did beat me to the line at the Reading Half Marathon two weeks ago. And, trust me, anyone brave enough to attempt the Marathon in costume has to be SUPREMELY fit (and just a little bit mad.)
7. Diet – pasta, pasta, pasta, rice, rice, pasta. Dull, but essential!
8. Fundraising – Donations still coming in to my appeal for the Stillborn Baby Charity SANDS. Received pledges during the last 24hours for a further £250 which all helps immensely, so hopefully we’ll get pretty close to my target of £2000 – who knows, may even beat it!
9. Nervous? Hell yes! But I think a few nerves aren’t really a bad thing. Stops complacency setting in and, let’s face it, with Scooby Doo hot on my running-shoe heels, I’ve got to keep my Marathon wits about me!
10. Would I do it all again? Never. No way. Not a chance. But then, I seem to remember saying the same thing last year... d’oh!

Good luck to you too, if you’re one of the 40,000 or so runners taking part this year, or if you’re going to be supporting someone along the route, or if you’re helping out in any way on the day. It’s an amazing event – enjoy it (even the painful bits!)

Big love

Gx

Read about the Stillborn Baby charity SANDS which I’m supporting, here:
www.uk_sands.org

See how I’m getting on with the fundraising, here:
www.justgiving.com/gareth_john

Posted by Gareth John on March 13, 2008 at 09:25AM

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