Let's start with today's run first. Threshold running - my last one, and I'm glad not to have to do that again. When I say that, I am implying I have no intention of running after the London Marathon ... well, that may or may not be true, but the simple fact is that most of my training, indeed my recent life, has been mapped up to April 26th 2009 and not beyond!
A warm-up run, followed by five two minute stints with one minute rests was my mission, and it was just about completed. The stints were all over the place as I'm a rubbish judge of time and it was too dark to see my watch (this run took place from 9pm - 9:30pm) but I was at least able to approximate my mission, and the threshold run was done.
As with many fellow runners, my mind is now on Sunday pretty much all of the time. I started the week quite down and apprehensive - the marathon seems so daunting, and I find it hard to see myself as a "runner". But there is a good community of support among all of us runners who twitter, blog and otherwise interact online, all with different backgrounds, stories and challenges - the majority are genuinely optimistic and excited and it's starting to rub off on me. Or at least I think it is ...
For a start, there is a certain tune for inspiration - http://tinyurl.com/dj2rt3
And the idea, from those who know, that it will be the most amazing day - the crowds really will lift us, the atmosphere really will be incredible, and the accomplishment really will be the best thing we've ever done.
And finally, a huge thank you - a fantastic 24 hours or so of fundraising has seen me smash through my £1000 target for Save the Rhino. It's a huge weight off my mind and a real incentive to focus solely on the big day now. Though the fundraising must continue, and I urge anyone still yet to sponsor me who would like to to go to my justgiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/neilrichards1
My most recent and generous sponsors have followed this blog from the start, encouraged me since the days I could barely run, and described me as an inspiration. That backing has really given me the final belief I need to complete the course on Sunday before. I've never been described as an inspiration before, and if I have been, it's more likely to have been of an academic nature. If I've ever been an inspiration in a competitive way, it's likely to have involved no more physical exertion than shuffling pieces around a chessboard. To be an inspiration for a physical feat - well, that's a first for me and something I'm proud of. I suspect, and hope, that I fall into the category of "If I can do it, anyone can do it". And, I can.
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