Training done, race on!

Good evening dear reader.  I am writing this on the Friday night before the Great North Run.  I know I haven’t blogged for a few weeks and for that I apologise.  Training-wise I’ve not had too much to add.  I’ve been back to my physio and the news is mixed.  The bad news is that I am going to be running in pain for the GNR.  I think from about 6k in it’s going to hurt, but with some ibuprofen and crowd encouragement I should make it round.  The time isn’t going to be very good but we shall see.

The good news is that I’m not going to give myself a long term injury by running with my injury.  I know this looks a bit negative overall but I feel ok about it.  The race is still going to be my reward for doing all of this training so let’s bring it on.  Don’t get me wrong I am still bricking it but I’d be an utter knob not to be.

Since starting this blog my motivation and morale have gone up and down more times than an over excited kangaroo on a trampoline.  But the responses that I’ve received from people about the blog and from friends and family have really helped spur me on.  Thank you all it has made all the difference I needed to train as much as I have.

A couple of weeks ago I had an experience that I wanted to share with you about motivation and support.  I was speaking to someone I know about the GNR, just talking about training and how excited I was about doing the race.  Pretty much straight away I was told about how much faster they could do it than me, really putting me in my place.  Nice eh?

I wish to put the record straight about this.  I am not running this for them.  At the start of this whole adventure I was running purely for my own sense of achievement.  However I am now also running on behalf of anyone who has ever been put in their place.

On behalf of all of us “in our place” may I say we’re going to bloody do it anyway.  Not necessarily the GNR but whatever we choose to do.  We who are “in our place” seek neither your permission nor your approval.  The thing about people who like to put others “in their place” is that place they put you in is always, without fail, behind them.

I will do one last blog on my struggle after the race so until then I would like to wish you a good night and say thank you once more for reading.

Toodle pip!