Roller Coaster

Just in case you missed Tuesday's announcement...

I'VE GOT MY PLACE ON THE 2016 LONDON MARATHON!

It's real.  It's happening.  It's soooooo exciting and yet and the same time it's more than a little overwhelming!  (Especially when after running only twelve miles yesterday my legs are a mess!).

In truth I can't quite believe it.  I am actually going to be part of something that I've wanted to do for such a long time.  I have a distant memory that's stuck with me of seeing my friend's dad's marathon medal proudly draped over a photo from the finish line, I think it was the Glasgow marathon so it must have been early 80's (for the benefit of Al, my sis and schoolfriendofMG750 I'm talking about MM - Sarah's dad, and STV reporter).  By 1987 I was prepared to say out loud that I wanted to run a marathon, but with the demise of my 'home' race, my sights were already set on London... and there they stayed, somewhat dormant but not forgotten, until last year when I plucked up the courage to verbalise it again - knowing that if I did so this time I would actually have to do something about it -and here I am! A paid up member of Team Barnardo's!

Unfortunately the daemons which live in my head have gone into overdrive and instead of being able to enjoy and savour the moment, I have been flooded with random thoughts and anxieties over logistics! I can't stay asleep, I can't settle long enough to get anything done whilst I'm awake, I seem to have completely forgotten that I'm supposed to be going to the gym, I have a to-do list which I keep remembering to add bits to but have yet to score anything off! I am an absolute nightmare to live with and there's the best part of eleven months to go - "Oh good oh" I can hear the long suffering Mr L say when he reads that bit! (But for the Scots amongst you I think calling me a "sarcastic bisom" was a bit harsh! Told you it was going in the blog Al!)

Although perhaps not the half term that he was hoping for, with hindsight I think it was very fortunate that this news came when Al was at home to help navigate me through it. I'm not sure I'd have coped without him- the fact that he was able to get lots of guitar practice done whilst staying out of my way was perhaps worth the roller coaster ride that has been the past week, but then again...
("week?!!!!")

So I find myself sitting on another Sunday saying that I'm going to be better organised this week coming, that I'm going to get my head into gear, get focused and get moving, meanwhile (whilst writing this at quarter past one in the afternoon) my eyelids are loosing their fight against gravity and my body is screaming at me to sit still for a bit, to actually stop long enough to unwind.  Things may therefore not pan out quite as I would like them to over the next seven days - but who cares... I'll still be a London Marathon Runner at the end of it!  And when I think of that and nothing else I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, a smile creeps onto my lips and I dare to dream of what a fabulous experience it's going to be... thank you to each and every one of you that's got me this far.

M - 328

Liverpool Half - 14

Glasgow Half - 126

Total Distance covered   660.3 miles

Day 405 - Parkrun 79

1.  Insomnia and Dougal both working together to ensure I was up at 5!

2.  Beautiful morning for an early morning run... all nine miles of it to parkrun.  Neither of us really wanted to go, and Dougal was very reluctantly coaxed out of his bed at ten to seven, however mentally felt loads better for having gone (or at least HMG and I did, no idea what the dog was thinking but he still wasn't tired even after a further three miles round the park!) but physically the number of miles we've put in of late is starting to take it's toll.

3.  Second female home at parkrun -there were a lot of regular's missing - and a rather fearsome sprint finish as I desperately tried to maintain my position and not be pipped at the post by the runner I could hear gaining on me from behind. My bubble of pride was burst a little when I turned round to discover a junior boy aged 11 -14 behind me!

4.  Congratulated at the finish line by one of the other runners who started telling me I reminded him of a local female athlete from a few years ago who ran for GB! He then went on to mention her dropped shoulder and strange running gait but I'd stopped listening after the words "top notch".

5.  Don't feel particularly top notch this evening - I ache and feel every step of the twelve miles run with every move! Not the most promising start to our taper to Liverpool! But two weeks to recover and foam roller and cross train and find the force...

Ready to disco?!!!

(and NO! sisterofMG750 and HMG we have not already had enough!)

M - 329

Liverpool Half - 15

Glasgow Half - 127
Distance covered                12 miles 

Total Distance covered   660.3 miles

Day 404

1.  I'd joked about being easier company to keep when I was miserable earlier in the week, but the flighty mess that I've become since hearing about the marathon is taking some living with!

2.  BUT I've had my official email and paid my registration fee - NO GOING BACK NOW!!

3.  Rather than sitting aimlessly trying to plan my pre race prep for next April, I thought it might be a slightly more constructive use of my time to organise our pre race prep for Liverpool... table booked for Saturday night HMG - two types of risotto to choose from no less!

4.  If my insomnia could just stay long enough to see me get up at five tomorrow morning that would be great.  Thereafter I would really like to be able to relax, if even just for a little while!

5.  There is however, BIG NEWS if you've been reading this since the start of the New Year, and somewhat small news if you haven't..... the airing cupboard has been emptied, sorted and put back neatly! Items have been removed and either charity shopped or thrown out, and there is only a small amount of the boys old Lego still (albeit on a temporary basis) living in there after I clearly ran out of other cupboards to store it in!

M - 330

Liverpool Half - 16

Glasgow Half - 128

Total Distance covered   648.3 miles

Day 403

1.  Car in for repair this morning, excellent excuse to go and run near where we used to live and where we used to walk Sid.

2.  It was also where I went on my very first (post school) run six years ago. Ten minutes - one minute jog, two minutes walk.  Never would have guessed then where it would take me (nor you sis, it was you signing up for your first 10K that got me off the sofa!).

3.  Bit mean to Al whist running this morning, he was struggling at one point and couldn't work out why it wasn't quite coming together.... didn't let on until we got home that I'd considerably upped the pace from Tuesday by about a minute and a half per mile!

4.  Got my comeuppance later when my knee which had been looking loads better first thing, swelled back up.

5.  Second Vit B12 jab yesterday, still not seeing any benefits from it, and would seriously contemplate spending all of tomorrow in bed ahead of Saturday's early start and twelve mile run, if I thought for one minute that my mind would sleep too!

M - 331

Liverpool Half - 17

Glasgow Half - 129
Distance covered                 5 miles

Total Distance covered   648.3 miles

Day 402

1.  Sisterofmarathongirl750 came up trumps last night and said she will definitely join me in London, which I think makes me sisterofmarathongirl333!

2.  My head has been in a bit of a spin as I desperately try to come up with some clever fundraising idea which will persuade HMG to take up the charity gauntlet and thus secure her place... Haven't got there yet but I'm working on it.

3.  Am also trying to stop my mind from going into logistics overdrive now that it's real! Haven't done too badly on this front today, but prepare yourself to talk accommodation soon sis!

4.  Look what arrived in the post yesterday! In all the excitement I seem to have forgotten that I'm running a half marathon in less than three weeks! Whether or not we decided to trade in our beer tickets at the finish line remains to be seen, not sure how it would fair on the post race refueling scale, but I've got a pretty good idea how quickly it would go to my head!

5.  It's been an odd day, I have been left feeling somewhat bereft with no reason to check my emails every ten minutes!

M - 332

Liverpool Half - 18

Glasgow Half - 130

Total Distance covered   643.3 miles

I'M GOING TO LONDON!!!!!

I have secured my place on team Barnardo's! 

But how did I hear? 

Did I 

a) get an email today telling me the good news;

b) get a letter in the post; or

c) ring up and ask

If you think the answer to the above question might be c) 

Was my motivation behind doing so, 

because

a) having waited four weeks I thought it was probably OK to do so;

b) having already tried last week (but no one answered the phone) I figured I could try again and if no one answered no one need know; or

c) because I couldn't bear to see Al (and the boys) having to spend any more of the half term holiday dealing with my black mood, long face and general miserableness

And with the news that I am now going to be running the 2016 London Marathon for Barnardo's,

am I

a) just a little bit excited at the prospect of meeting Daley Thompson at the training day 

b) already worrying about getting the bags sold and the last of the money raised

c) a heady mix of absolute elation and alarming realisation that it's real and beginning to think that as a result I may be harder to live with than I was before I knew.

I don't think there are any prizes for knowing that the answers to the first question is c) and the second two would both require an option d) all of the above! Can't quite believe it, and won't until I see it in writing, but in the meantime 

Yipppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! 

(and ssssshhhhhhhh******tttttttt) I've got to run 26 miles!

M minus 333 days!!!

Liverpool Half - 19

Glasgow Half - 131
Distance covered              4.2 miles
Total Distance covered   643.3 miles

DAY 400

1.  I didn't find an excuse! I got up early and, Bank Holiday or otherwise, I went to the gym.

2.  In the end I opted for the plaster route - bad move, steps have now been taken to enable the wearing of shorts on tomorrow's run!

3.  May have got round the sore toe problem with some new shoe lacing guides - thank you Mrs J! Good to know you're still reading, really must do something about actually seeing you especially as you live less than 500m away!

4.  One more bag - one less finger :(

5.  Four hundred days, almost six hundred and forty miles and in some ways I don't feel any nearer than on day one! I am trying so hard not to harp on about not having heard from Barnardo's yet without it, it all still seems like a pipe dream.

M - 351

Liverpool Half - 20

Glasgow Half - 132
Total Distance covered   639.1 miles