Be seen be safe

or run where there's street lights?!

Never to miss a marketing opportunity I have been inundated with emails recently trying to sell me high viz running gear to keep me safe this winter, and I found myself the other evening filling up my virtual basket with various items 'guaranteed' to do just that!

By the time I had finished there was a thermal top, snap wrist band and beanie all in a delightful shade of fluorescent yellow just waiting for me to hit 'purchase'. The old free delivery if you spend over a certain amount trick saw me return to the shop to see what other items I could possibly need.  Thankfully this delay was enough time for me to message sisterofMG750 (rarely to be seen out of black and certainly never in any kind of brightly coloured sports kit!) and I began to see sense -  firstly I don't have thirty pounds to spend on running gear and secondly I managed to run quite safely last winter without it, so I'm not sure why I was allowing myself to be sold to this year. My basket was duly emptied and I have deleted all such emails since!

I am glad that I did.  Today's visit to the audiologist has resulted in me being fitted with a hearing aid. I have no idea what the purpose of the consultant commenting on my reluctance to one on my referral was other than to prime the audiologist! When I arrived the unit was ready and waiting for me, and her opening gambit was "you need a hearing aid". No offer of counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, or tinnitus support group (all of which I'm quite relieved about) but apparently I need to increase my hearing in an attempt to let the tinnitus calm down, but it will be a long process and I may well have run my marathon before it does!

I think I'm OK with it. The National Health Service Hearing Aid and Battery Issuing Record Book looks like something out of the 1950s but thankfully the unit itself looks much more modern and is fairly discrete. Luckily I can hide it underneath my hair and if it encourages me to make a bit more of an effort with my appearance, perhaps it won't be a bad thing. I'm thinking maybe contact lenses, or eyelash extensions (my friend had them recently and looks good!), a long over due haircut or even a new hat... but on no level is it going to be enhanced by a belisha beacon running outfit!


M - 563
Brighton Half - 121
Glasgow Half - 345
Total Distance covered      303.5 miles