Tuesday, 30th March – 26 days to go

I’d intended to get up really early for the long run but lacked the energy and motivation. Ended up dithering and then having to hurry to get on with it. It was a grey and drizzly start to the day and I decided to head into Leeds along the A660 and then out again to Otley and back. Still couldn’t get the water carrying right and ended up with a bottle in my pocket and another one in my hand with one in the front garden to pick up when I passed the house. Didn’t bother with a watch as I’ve decided that setting times and paces are counter productive on my solo long runs.

When I reach about as far from home as possible I find I’ve “shaken something loose” as they say. Spend the next five miles with buttocks clenched and no doubt a strange grimace as I fight nature. Fortunately, I win and make a quick dash into the loos at Golden Acre Park. Things are a whole lot easier after that. Make a mental note to get organised in future and stop procrastinating before long runs. End up with 18 miles in 2 hours 44 mins including the toilet stop. Wasn’t out quite as long as planned, but having gone past the house once, I didn’t have the energy to go past it a second time. If I ever do another marathon I’ll try and mix up my long runs with some solos, some with company and some as races. This has been the least enjoyable element of marathon preparation.

No VARR training session tonight as my eldest is making me take him to watch Oldham. I’d put the season tickets on eBay, but who’d buy them? Must admit though, it really makes me feel like a “glass half full” kind of guy when I listen to the moaners and whingers at Boundary Park. At least tonight we’ll get to see a decent player as Arsenal’s 4th choice keeper is on loan at Brentford. Apparently he’s a better prospect than the three clowns ahead of him in the pecking order at Arsenal. This may be the first “proper” player we’ve seen this season as Shelvey, the wunderkind at Charlton, was a sad and sorry disappointment. Maybe he just had an off day and will send us down on the last day of the season. The days when rising talent and fading stars graced the lower leagues are long gone. It’s just a collection of journeymen and drones now. The end of the season can’t come soon enough for me. Too early to start thinking about the World Cup I suppose, but I am beginning to get anxious about not having a World Cup wall chart yet.