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Paris Marathon 2017
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Also, pre-race meet-up at the Arc. Be there, or stay in bed!
And finally the Breakfast run reminder.
Thanks Fred...Eurostar awaits me tomorrow
I'll see you all in Paris!
Enjoy Paris - it is incredible.
First I was thinking about my knee. It definitely felt sore. I focused on that for a bit.
Then I remembered my feet and how sore they were one long run (solved with spikey ball massages and new, better socks) but suddenly they started to hurt.
Then my arms felt like they were chafing.
Then I had pain in one ankle. I've never had ankle pain before.
Then I remembered my knees and thought they were definitely hurting with the right one really aching.
I wasn't sure if that was then radiating up to my thigh.
And then I was back at the car and everything felt normal!
Packing tomorrow and heading off Saturday morning!
"When you stand on the Start Line, you join the club. When you stand at the Starting Line you earn your membership. Millions dream of being where you are. You are no longer a dreamer. You are a doer.
Thousands more started a training programme but never finished. They started with the same enthusiasm as (or more than) you. They started with more or less the same physical gifts or disadvantages as you did. They had no more and no less reason to be successful than you.
But somewhere along the way, they lost that enthusiasm. Somewhere on the road or on the track or treadmill, they decided that the rewards just weren't worth the effort. They decided that they could live without finding their limits, without challenging their expectations of themselves and without taking a hard look at their image of themselves.
You didn't. If you’re standing at the Start Line, you've not only accepted the challenge, but you've also beaten back the demons. You've conquered your imagination and self-imposed limitations. You've gone further, got stronger and become tougher than you ever imagined."
Currently sat on the Eurostar, I think I saw David Weir getting on board.
Arrived yesterday. Salon was quick and easy. Temperature mild so far. Sweatshirt and gillet outside. Done a quick reccie of supporter spots. Mother-in-law very excited. FRG1 has had enough already...
See you all on Sunday
see you all soon.
As for the temperature not peaking until mid-afternoon, I'll still be running then. It closes at 4pm and I'm still not convinced I can beat that ticking clock.
Looking forward to meeting everyone. Can't believe I'm actually doing this, I really wish I had another three months of training!
Flying out tomorrow morning. See you all/most/some there!!
<div><div><div><span>May the taper not have left you feeling fat and lethargic and the sniffles and niggles not develop in to illness or injury </span>
<span>On marathon eve May your friends and family not text you ‘good luck messages’ after 9pm. If staying in a hotel, may it be clear of Stag and Hen parties and may your room be some distance from any noisy air conditioning units, night clubs or someone who has just been let out of prison or returned from active service and that night been reunited with their loving partner. </span>
<span>If perchance you do sleep may you dream of forgetting your number or race kit or of not being able to find the start of the race or of oversleeping and missing it completely, in order that on the day itself you will wake up, remember your number or race kit, and find your way to the start on time. </span>
<span>May you eat a breakfast familiar to your digestive system. </span>
<span>May your transport be on time and free from catastrophic mechanical malfunction. </span>
<span>May the portaloos have few people queuing outside and plentiful toilet tissue inside </span>
<span>May your GPS unit and heart rate monitor be fully charged and may it find satellites immediately and link seamlessly with your chest strap..... and not someone else’s. </span>
<span>May you not be held back by runners slower than you starting too far forward and in turn, may you not spoil the race for others </span>
May you not set off too fast and remember that if you feel you are running too slowly you are still running too fast.</div></div></div>
<div><div><div><span>Let the weather be 11 degrees centigrade during the race with a light following breeze and perhaps a hint of drizzle in the last six miles, then after the race may the clouds disperse and reveal 20 degree sunshine </span>
<span>May your timing chip remain attached, your shoelaces stay tight and may you avoid tripping over discarded water bottles or slipping on gel sachets. </span>
<span>May you not suffer a visit from the Gingerbreadman, or run directly behind someone who has. </span>
<span>May you not be impeded by idiots wearing personal headphones, passed by runners in fancy dress , athletes over the age of 80, your club mates, your partner or anyone off the telly. </span>
<span>May you see your supporters on the course and may your supporters see you and then when the race is over may they meet you at a pre arranged location and not change their plan and leave you thirsty ravenous and shivering as they struggle with the overloaded mobile phone network. </span>
<span>May your nipples and sensitive areas be free from chafing And In the final few miles may you avoid hitting the wall, resist adopting a run walk strategy and find the strength to f*@$% your legs, And on crossing the line may you wipe the phlegm from your cheeks and the crystallised salt from around your mouth and find the energy to smile for the cameras. </span>
<span>And then whatever your time or your achievement, be it a personal best or an absolute unmitigated disaster, remember that your loved ones have tolerated you’re your persistent absence, your challenging moods and narcoleptic tendencies for months on end, so wear your medal or t shirt with pride, celebrate being one of the 0.1 percent of the population who have trained for and completed a 26.2 mile race and enjoy a few days of being treated like the hero you are, walking like a cowboy with haemorrhoids, and not having to run a step. </span>
Amen </div></div></div>
Sent lying in the sun on the bank at Montmartre. The Expo was (unexpectedly) organised and efficient. Safe trips over for those of you still on the way!
Me, massively! I'm terrible in the heat...can't breath have ginger skin (and hair) and get sun stroke so easily!
The worst bit is that this was going to be my one and only marathon...but now I'm going to have to do another one at some point as I know I won't be happy with my time ha ha!