Operation 'Butchers Pencil'......(27 days)

Sorry about last night; not one of my finest........ain't THAT the truth?!

Nevertheless, a good nights sleep and a busy day at work and things are already looking brighter. Time is a healer and all that eh? First of all, fifteen and a half miles can hardly be called a failure; yes, it may have fallen short of the intended seventeen miles, but it is still a long way and not as much of a leap backwards as it felt like yesterday morning.

Secondly; I am herein - by the power vested in me by......me (never vested a power before; feels kinda nice - officially launching 'Operation Butchers Pencil' (best I could think of off the top of my head.....and Overlord was taken, okay?!!). Whether I am currently capable of running twenty-six miles at a weight of fifteen stone and ten pounds, one thing is for sure; it will become a whole lot easier if I can bring that weight down. Think about it; a bag of sugar is approximately two pounds in weight. If I can lose eight pounds, that is four, FOUR bags of sugar that I won't have to lug around with me. FOUR BAGS OF SUGAR!! I find one heavy enough while lifting it into the boot of my car, but quadruple that is....well.......just.......really.....heavy. I can hardly imagine what effect losing that sort of weight would have on my running, but I am itching to find out.

So this week, and for the three weeks to follow, I am going all out to shed the ballast. No eating rubbish, smaller portions, plenty of exercise, and watching every morsel that passes my lips. The breakfast that was cereal, porridge and toast is now going to be just porridge and toast, and I am even going to - drum roll please - avoid the hotel room biscuits (and it's custard creams tonight, a considerable test of willpower......the positive though is that if I don't succumb I avoid them being replaced by the willpower-melting evil of.....the - Eastenders duff-duffs -.......Bourbons!!). Not setting myself any targets, but it would be lovely to get as close to fifteen stone as possible. If I can stick to the plan I've got every chance, even a couple of pounds off will make seventeen miles that much more achievable.

Hark at me, taking control during a difficult time; that's so unlike me............

......come on Blaydon; time to dig deep again.......and I have a really BIG spade.

27 days to go my friends......is it me or does it only feel like a week since it was triple that number???