Well, what a contrast with last week’s positive report this is going to be. As I type, I am getting email after email of shut downs and lock downs. The Royal Shakespeare Company has just sent an email saying all the venues are closed as of tonight and also it looks like I’ll be home working from tomorrow onwards. I know, I am very lucky to be able to do this, but how ironic when I'm just getting used to working closely with people again (I used to work from home up until 2 months ago!).
It became apparent as last week went on that our half marathon was less and less likely to go ahead, and as of Friday night when they postponed the London Marathon, I knew it was inevitable. I took it out on the weights at the gym when I found out and gave myself a sore shoulder in the process 🙄. Sure enough, Saturday morning, sitting in a café after volunteering at parkrun, the news came through. Not just a postponement but a full on cancellation. The thing about the Shakespeare marathon and half marathon was that they are held on the weekend of Shakespeare's birthday celebrations. It is always the day after the big parade. Not this year, no news about the parade but I suspect that will bite the dust soon as well.
This is when this wonderful forum comes into it’s own. I’d already decided to run it anyway but I was still pretty devastated, for the silliest of reasons really: I wanted the crowds to spur me on, to step over the timing mat at the start and the end, to eat the best banana in the world and to show my charity top off for 13.1 miles. Now it wasn’t worth even ironing my name onto it as there would be no one to see it. But, do you know what was worst? I wouldn’t get my bling! My one material reward for all the training I’ve been doing (c400km to date). The charity would get it’s sponsorship, I’d have that extra fitness but I wouldn’t have something to stare at, show off, fidget with and wear around the house for days and weeks on end.
But first roseabi with her Virtual HM badge and then linda9389 , you have both come up trumps! Thank you so much! Thanks to Linda I have now entered Katnap and I into a Virtual Half Marathon competition (search for 'I ran it anyway' on virtualracing.co.uk) that has been especially designed for runners in our predicament, and we get a beautiful wooden medal as a reward. I've never had a wooden medal so it will be a lovely addition to the collection, and I'll be more than happy to walk around with it bouncing on my chest for days.
Add to that, just being able to know we are all in similar boats, trying to figure out what best to do next, to run or not to run, and being able to share and discuss the issues involved is such a precious thing. Katnap is wonderful but I can’t share these issues with many other members of my family - they just don’t understand, appreciate, or even care how much work it takes to get to this point, but I can share it with you fellow VRBs, and it is so very precious. Thank you 🙏
So week 15 has ended in a much better place than I expected. I won’t bother going into detail about the runs this week, suffice to say that we did our 10 mile run yesterday and it was a good one. I still have niggles in my Achilles and my knees are a bit wobbly but I have my final ‘cut back’ week now and, with any luck, a sports massage (please, please, please!!). So it’s onwards, upwards and towards the final push!
We all have a rocky road ahead of us but we are in such a good place here to ride the lumps and bumps that come along. Stay safe fellow travellers. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🦆🏃♀️
