In common with most of the rest of the runners in Leeds, I haven’t trained much this week. I’ve spotted a few hardy souls trying to negotiate slippery and uneven pavements, running on the road and generally risking injury or worse. The unpleasant running conditions fit in well with my need for rest so I’m not too frustrated by the inactivity. I enjoyed a good club intervals session on Tuesday in the underground car park so that will do for me.
There’s going to be a charity aspect to my London Marathon 2011 run. I must confess I feel a bit of a chancer about this. I’ll be running for Age UK, the same charity that Liz is supporting. She has to raise £1,500 for the privilege while I just have to show up so I’m not trying to get anyone to sponsor me – give it to Liz!
My motives are less than honourable; primarily, it’s the massage and being looked after following the run. I stiffened up almost as soon as I crossed the line last year; by the time I’d retrieved my bag and wandered over to the meet and greet area I was virtually immobile. After a quick snack and a photo session, I stumbled off for a couple of pints. The walk to the tube station was horrendous; all the kerbs seemed unnecessarily high and the roads dangerously wide.
An instant massage and some TLC and I should be ok for cheering Liz in at the end of the race and bundling her into a taxi so she can have a kip. If I play my cards right I might be able to swing a second massage when I wander back in with Liz.
The charity aspect is what makes the race, but it’s the emotional side of it that’s also a bit scary. When running a mass participation event it’s best not to look at the photos/messages on the backs of runners in front. If they’re wearing a charity T shirt chances are it’ll have a photo of some much loved family member who has died from some horrible illness before their time. These events tend to be highly charged and it’s not easy to keep your focus if your skriking and blubbering about someone you didn’t even know. Some people can push this a bit too far though. At the Great North Run this year I was running behind someone who had a photo of what must have been a nonagenarian Yoda-type on their back and a message about missing a recently departed Gran. I initially chuckled at this apparent act of postmodern irony before realising that they were probably serious. Come on people, missing Gran is perfectly understandable but do we really want a cure for dying of old age? Nobody wants to live forever do they?
In order to qualify for the post-race rub down I won’t be able to run in my club vest which will make me impossible to spot. It seems like little old bald guys have been cloned and sent out to run marathons, there are thousands of us. I’ll be doing my own Yoda impression on the way round. May use one of his expressions when the going gets tough, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try”.
So here’s a link to Liz’s Just Giving page http://www.justgiving.com/LizJones1. May the force be with you.
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