Week Eleven - Live From The Campaign Trail

As this whole thing edges closer (five weeks GULP), I become more and more humbled by the support and kindness from the people in my life, be it someone close or someone I bump in to randomly.

When I began writing about it I knew there was a fine line between being interesting, engaging and bringing people along on the journey... and being a complete narcissistic bore. I think (hope!) I have got the balance about right - if you are bored, I am sorry, you only have five weeks left to endure!

(That said, I'm going to ramp things right up so you might as well just unfriend me now on the various social platforms we're currently pals on.)

This week marks the big psychological barrier of 'being-less-than-the-six-weeks-holiday' rationalisation of time. It's coming and it is coming fast. In the early hours of Wednesday morning I woke up, not from the usual nagging hip (cry me a river), but from a restless dream where I was convinced I couldn't do it. Not cool.

My mind is now edging towards 'pretty bloody scared' on the 'Oh God' pre-marathon scale.

In other news, I promised myself a few weeks ago that once I got Silverstone out the way I'd go see the physio and get a massage on my legs... to freshen things up for the last push. 

GOOD LORD.

Agony.

My calves were the worst. It was absolutely brutal. But hopefully it will do them good going forward.

Run #30 - Tuesday 14th March

Spent most of the last 24 hours limping around, not from the 200-odd miles I've churned out so far this year... no, no. From the brutal working over they had yesterday. 

So been stretching loads. Here's me and Molly doing some stretching.

Standard Tuesday run really, five miles at nines. Had an absolute rave on the playlist though. Shake It Off made a long awaited comeback.

Huge.

Run #31 - Thursday 16th March

First things first - apologies to the people I throw off kilter by moving Run Club to Thursday (four people messaged to say their day started in complete disarray) but I gots important suiting up for a Christening to do on Sunday. So long run Saturday, Run Club run Thursday.

For the first time in probably six or seven weeks Run Club was a singular affair. It's ok though, the excuses were somewhat reasonable from my brederen, but still... B- on the commitment scale.

I nearly changed up the route, but then I bottled it with the fear of getting lost and being in the showers at prime time 7.45 with all the finance bores. It was also a bleak grey morning. If it was Wednesday morning I might have chased the sun rise because it was beautiful then, but the standard route had to do.

Another 7.27 miles on to the totaliser and another hour in the legs. 

Run #32 - Saturday 18th March

A second stab at 16 miles before the realllllly big two training runs that are left (18 and 22) and by and large it was ok.

Regular readers of the blog will remember the close encounter I had with a goose a few weeks back. Thankfully I have steered well clear of those angry, flappy bastards since, however this morning I had a whole new situation to deal with.

It appears that gypsies have taken over Hilton with their caravans and their generators and four hundred children. They have parked all over the path and made it thoroughly difficult to get past for the casual passerby. Now, as I am an intrepid adventurer I was not put off and weaved in between the obstacles, through the mud, etc. Then a gypsy man came out of his house just as I was giving it my dirtiest, most withering look. I had my headphones on and I am no expert lip reader but I made out the following...

'WOT?'

Erm, you've parked in the way mate. 

Fortunately a confrontation was avoided by the fact I was, yanno, running. But still, a minor highlight of the first half of today's lol-athon.

As you know, I am at the forefront of the marketing world (lol) and my #BQneedsYOU campaign is well underway. The next stage of my marketing #offensive is the following...

***LIVE FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL***

Huge thank you to my sister Sophie for humouring me and running along filming this, what lolzzz we had. I think I spent about half of the run giggling to myself about this, both before and after it, so that helped while away the time.

The run was ok by and large, I definitely felt more comfortable than the 16 miler the other week. The target pace was absolutely bossed which is good and it was only a torrential downpour for five miles this week, soooo we're all winners really.

When the rain did come (and it was big bastard drops too FYI), I was in need of a banger to boost my spirits. And at 13 miles the BANGER GODS delivered.

Rest assured, 500 Days of Summer dancing was included.

I came in at roughly 45 seconds faster than the 16 miler the other week which is umm... interesting? 

You might not believe it but the video we did on the run wasn't just for fun and lols - I put it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram yesterday and I have been absolutely amazed by the response...

... £250 sponsored in a day and a half. 

Genuinely, wow.

Thank you all so, so much. I say it all the time but it means an awful lot to me and even more to Cancer Research. 16 miles, 18 miles, 26 miles, whatever. It's nothing really. In the grander scheme of things it is nothing. But I am very proud and hugely motivated to run for an such an amazing cause and for the people I know that have been affected by such a terrible disease.

We will DO IT.

I am plastering the link everywhere (soz) but here it is if you would like to donate. Thank you!

Five weeks to go. Next up is EIGHTEEN MILES.