Day 680

1.  There is of course an alternative ending that I didn't consider yesterday...the one with the unexpected twist

2.  Where the central character spends two years following her desire to run a marathon only to stumble across an A Level Textiles course and discover that running isn't the dream she wants to be chasing at all!

3.  Suddenly immersed in a world of silk painting, relief printing and reverse appliqué she abandons her trainers and IT Band issues and skips off merrily into the quilted sunset without a second glance...

4.  Oooooooh she'e tempted!

5.  But oh the family drama that would play out behind her.  Now in a soap opera, Miss Happy-Go-Lucky trots off and we cut to a still of her sister, face like thunder having just gone public with her intention to run London! Doof! Doof! Doof! (Eastenders style....)

London - 55
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 679 - EIGHT

1.  Gave myself a bit of a stern talking to this morning....

2.  Basically this is a story, and as the author I get to choose how the final chapters play out. 

3.  Am I going to have my readers wade through the best part of two hundred and seventy pages to have it peter out in the most anticlimactic ending imaginable? Where it starts with a woman who wants to run a marathon but has a concern over whether it will be possible given an issue she has with her knee. She finds out that there is nothing wrong with her knee that exercises won't sort, but then can't be bothered doing the exercises and so runs the marathon in pain having learnt nothing over the two years she was planning it... 

4.  Or does she battle against her predisposition of wanting to take the easy route, to procrastinate and avoid any form of gym based exercise until finally the penny drops with eight weeks to go?!

5.  Only time will tell but (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) she did do more rehab exercises today than she's done in a very long time.

London - 56
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 678

1.  Fun morning volunteering at parkrun -  my newly knitted scarf attracted the attention of some fellow knitters and consequently most of the chat I was involved in revolved around wool and knitting patterns - finally I was amongst my own! 

2.  My poncho is finished too (is it obvious I've not been running?) there was nothing left to do this afternoon except start pulling out my jumper to re-knit into something new... 

3.  Many metaphors surfaced during the process... Is this really my life unraveling? My marathon plans coming apart row after row? Or is it more a case of me stripping things back to basics to be rebuilt into something better than before?

4.  What I came to regret was affirming to my new knitting bee that I wouldn't do any knitting unless it was preceded by some exercises! Given that knit is all I seem to want to do I'm hoping this might do the trick in motivating me... But early signs aren't overly positive. I have kept to my word and consequently haven't knitted all day! 

5.  Alas no photographic evidence exists of yesterday's hair styling disaster schoolfriendofMG750! But think this

Meets

And you won't be far off!!! 

London - 57
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 677

OK so if the marathon is about getting to know yourself - here's what we've learned so far...

1. I seek advice and then don't follow it if it's not something I want to hear or involves doing exercises. 

2.   I am already an endurance athlete is the 'sport' of procrastination - hour after hour without any signs of fatigue.

3.  For someone who is so introspective and deliberates over minute details I am prone to an impulse purchase of running shoes. 

4.  For someone who hates having their haircut and is never happy with the results I display the same impulsive tendencies. The more important the decision the more rash I seem to get. 

5.  Which is why when my hairdresser left recently instead of seeking the counsel and advice of my friends of where to go, I took a notion to go to a salon I ran past on my twenty mile run! Delirium had clearly clouded my vision as when I arrived it was a bit more old lady than I'd remembered! The hairdresser was lovely and (straightened) it may yet turn out to be my best haircut ever but it's hard to tell. Beside herself with excitement over not having to have to get her rollers and setting lotion out, she cut and then set about styling my hair. Oh Lordy I look like I'm about to get married and it's the mid seventies! I was coping relatively well until Al came home, said reminded him of someone and then started googling pictures of Deirdre Barlow! 

London - 58

Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 676

1. My hopes for a quick fix didn't quite work out as planned...

2. The Biomecanics Man had to cancel our appointment and I can't get back to see him until this time next week!

3.  But I can't afford to waste a week so looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way... 

4.  Reduce my running miles and up my exercises! 

5.  What is it they say about you coming back to the same point until you learn what it is you were supposed to get the first time round?!

London - 59
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 675

1.

2.  ... and my legs are in a dreadful state! 

3.  All my new found enthusiasm isn't going to count for anything if I can't run... 

4.  So it's back to the Biomechanics Man tomorrow to be fixed! 

5.  In the meantime it seems that all I want to do is sleep! Night night xx

London - 60
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles

Day 674

1.  Very tempted to give my legs a rest today, but also very curious as to how they would feel... in the end the cat was killed and off I went.

2.  New lacing technique seemed to work (thanks FMG) and I am liking my new trainers a bit more as my feet were for the most part OK.

3.  What aren't OK are my IT Bands.  Really having a problem running downhill which is going to make finding circular routes around here a little tricky!

4.  It would appear that for whilst I am still swooning over DT it is Floella who has invaded my subconscious.  Firstly on her recommendation I came back from my run seriously contemplating an ice bath!!

5.  (Almost) more worryingly I have spent the past two days walking round singing the theme tune to Play Away! Go on click the link - you know you want to!

London - 61
Distance covered                    5.1 miles   
Total Distance covered     1166.2 miles