Les Miserables (The Glums)!

I promised that I would record the highs and the lows of my training, for the Virgin London Marathon 2010, in my attempt to provide an accurate account of how I’m getting on.

Like most people, I don’t really like admitting when this aren’t going so well and ..well..hopefully this is just a minor blip..

I’d had a fabulous run on Friday evening and an ok one on Sunday evening.  I wasn’t expecting miracles yesterday but at least a run where I could comfortably find my pace and get some miles in.

I warmed up carefully, although it was later than I’d intended as I’d got caught up cooking something new for the children’s supper.  Always a bit of a gamble and their critique wasn’t exactly positive – no Michelin star for me!  Bear in mind that I’m the girl that burns rice regularly and has numerous culinary disasters .. as attested to in my Facebook and Twitter updates.

But I digress… so, warm-ups etc. done, day-glo gear on..time to get out the door.  Well, the first thing that hit me was it was bloomin’ freezing.  The cold hit me like a wet blanket!  But hit the road I did.  The second thing to put me off my stride was my vest … the day-glo string over-vest that is supposed to ward off unwelcome cars, cyclists and nutters; it drove me quietly bonkers!  It’s a ‘one-size-fits-all’ (..or as I’ve read somewhere recently I think you have to call it a ‘one-size-fits-many’ as clearly there are too many people who push the boundaries of obesity these days) but not, it seems, my size.  It just seems far too big and slips off my shoulder (no this isn’t a good look) whilst the sides flap around and my thumbs get tangled up.  I know, sounds daft,…. looks dafter!

Trying hard to resist the urge to rip the flappy vest off, I carried on.  I couldn’t find my pace and I’m convinced my iPod Shuffle is possessed.  Where were all the upbeat, motivational songs that keep me pounding the tarmac?  Why had it replaced them with slow, dirges that I didn’t recognise and yet occasionally threw in a real psycho-sapper i.e. REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’?  My feet felt flat, my legs were obviously made of wood and I felt that if anyone saw me they would wonder what the strange fat, flapping, luminescent individual was doing …and conclude that probably ‘Care in the Community’ wasn’t a big success!

I staggered home and felt crushed.  What have I done?  The London Marathon?  Who am I kidding? .. but then I thought about why I’m doing this and the people I wish were still here to share in what I’m trying to do.  Tomorrow’s another day, there will be plenty more runs and plenty more highs and lows.

So if you see anyone out running …. give them a wave – it could be just the motivation they need!