Since I signed up to this race I’ve been worried about what I would do if we had to run in really hot weather. It looks like we’ll find out – the forecast for Sunday is an uncomfortable 23 degrees. I know its not an exact science, but watching the forecast for Sunday this week has shown just how uncertain these predictions are. Its like the forecast page rolls a random number before deciding what the temperature to show. Earlier in the week it was as low as 17 degrees at some points, but as the weeks progressed the temp has gone up and up. It still only shows as 20 degrees on Google though. Its not so much the heat I hate as much as being stuck in direct sunlight for so long, so at least it looks like they’ll be some cloud cover. The sun index is low currently as well, so keep your fingers crossed for me that this holds.
I guess the tactic is to run really fast and get the race finished before the midday sun. Still, it’ll be nice for those of you watching! 
The last week has gone pretty quickly. Gemma picked up my kit bag and runners number from the expo in London, which included the “Championchip” – a little microchip I strap to my shoe to record the official time I go past the start and finish points. This means I’ll be carrying two chips round in my shoes as I plan to take the iPod as well. I’m trying to keep everything as familiar as possible so i’ve decided to take my headphones as well – music is pretty important to me when I’m running and I haven’t really practiced that much without the iPod so its coming with me. I don’t want to miss out too much on the atmosphere of the crowds though, so if I feel like i’m missing out i’m going to chuck my headphones on the way round. They’re the best set I’ve ever owned (Sony MDR-G57), but believe me I’ve had my money’s worth out of these and as I’ll be in the States later this month so it wouldn’t be the worst time to let them go. During my final run on Tuesday I checked that the Nike+ portion of the iPod would still work with the headphones removed (music won’t play without headphones being attached) and it does. The final run was actually a bit more strenous than i’d planned – a five miler around the Punchbowl – where I once again got the chance to prove that it was quicker to get around on foot than on bike. It turns out it probably is quicker on foot but its not necessarily a smart thing to try and prove a few days before running the marathon. Still, with the cold and the tapering, i’ve hardly done any running in the last couple of weeks so i’m fully revitalised for Sunday.
No nerve problems so far, though I know a lot of people are starting to suffer. This is a bit of a “oh my god” moment every time I see it advertised on BBC One, and a bit of depression everytime the weatherman does the “Its not looking good for the marathon!” bit at the end of the forecast, but apart from that I’ve been too busy with other stuff to think too much apart the marathon. It’s Gemma’s 25th birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!) and I’ve been interviewing a bunch of guys at work, plus theres the New York trip to plan and badminton, football and now touch rugby in the evenings. I’ve put in plenty of work for this run over several months and if I don’t get round it won’t be for lack of preperation. I’ve had to cut back more drastically than I’d like in the last fortnight but at least its allowed me to get over the illness fully and I’m actually quite looking forward to getting out there.
I haven’t asked many people to come on the day – mainly immediate family and those who live in London anyway. It should be a good day out, but really i’ll get to see people for a few seconds as I pass and although I like the idea of heading to a pub immediately after the race for a few beers whilst the sun is out, experience suggests its more likely I’m going to need to sleep pretty bad after the race is over. If you’d like details of where to meet please email me – supporters are meeting at the Childhood First cheering point at around the halfway / 22 mile point and I also won two tickets for the grandstand at the end of the race – not sure whos getting them yet! Gotta go – more details later!
