Time is going by frighteningly quickly my friends. Is it really only five weeks until the day of the Great North Run?!! Wait a minute.....let me just consult the calendar.....yes.....I can officially confirm that it is only five weeks to go until the day of the Great North Run........
.....OH......MY.......GOD.......(in Chandlers best 'meeting Janice again' accent).
It's all become a bit more real again, as the greatrun (all one word apparently; go figure) pack arrived yesterday. The usual fayre; timing chip, instructions, last-minute training advice ('if you can't run more than five minutes without having to sit down, this might not be the distance for you'), map of the run, and yes....on the the flipside of the really optimistic 'please contact this person in the event of my death' form.....the all important race number (I was kinda hoping for the medal in there aswell, but it seems they don't trust you to run the thing if you already have it; SO unreasonable). So it is now come in number 45792 your time is up (let me guess Ali......that's your second favourite number?!!!).
The only trouble is that I'm stuffing pink again!! What is it with the girly colours? I'm doing a manly thing like running a half marathon so is it too much to ask for a manly colour?? It's the usual reason; whatever time I forecasted when applying has relegated me once again to the back of the bunch with the other pinkies (including the guy running backwards, the pantomime horse and the guy in the deep-sea diving suit.......I'm counting myself lucky, in Manchester I was beaten by a guy in a canoe.......you don't want to know.....!).
It looks like I am up against that Gebreselassie geezer again (sadly not wearing the diving suit). I tell you, that guy is fast becoming my arch nemesis......so far Haile has won the first battle, but the war is not over let me tell you. My name is Adrian Francis Michael Blaydon, Business Development Manager of Arkoni of the north, loyal supporter of the true football team; Stockport County, plasterer of a blistered foot, owner of a sweaty team GB headband; and I will have my vengeance, in this race or the next.....
Although the rear will be brought up by...well.....my rear.....it looks like I will make it in front of the cameras for most of the race. Makes a nice change! It was slightly frustrating to know that the TV coverage of the Great Manchester had ended before my race had started; but the Beeb have afforded this one a few more hours of their precious air time (no doubt for me!). There is even a highlights show later in the evening (which in my case could actually still count as live coverage!)! There is usually a camera trained on the finish line, so anyone feeling brave and short of something to do about two and a half hours into the race can look out for the lumbering ox with a British Heart Foundation vest on......not to mention a team GB headband.
I am pleased to report than I am currently still in the 'looking forward to it' phase of the training; the panic of 'bloody hell its a long way' doesn't kick in until a week or two before. Optimistic, but cautiously so as logistics are as sorted as they can be, and I am only 3km off target distance in training (11 miles); to be hit a fortnight before the big day.
Bring it on baby......!
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