Ow, that hurts!

On Monday morning, the Marathon runners were easy to spot in central London - they were the ones having trouble walking. Going up or down steps - or even walking downhill - is very painful.

Andi Jones, four times winner of the Snowdon Mountain Race, missed his target time on 25 April by 4 minutes, finishing 10th in the men's event - the same position achieved by Mara Yamauchi in the women's race. Both those elite runners were about 1 3/4 hours quicker than me, but I take heart from the fact that they - like me - are only human, and everyone has off days.

My off day saw my 3 hours 40 bid evaporate in the heat of a muggy London, and I crawled, rather than romped, home in 3.51. I was okay at 13 miles, but something went badly wrong after that and at 17 I'd quite happily have given up.

I was taking on water every mile and slurping down energy gels, but to no avail - my legs just didn't want to work.

But lots of encouragement from the wonderful crowds helped keep me going - I've not had so many people wishing me happy birthday since I was in junior school.

RSPCA to turn away unwanted animals

According to an exclusive report on Channel 4 News, a change in policy at the RSPCA could see tens of thousands of unwanted animals being turned away, with the burden of caring for them falling on smaller charities - like Capricorn.

Fox hunting not an issue?

Just had a Tory candidate on the doorstep. I somehow managed to bring up the issue of fox hunting. She said it's not an issue in the election. Odd that - cos it is an issue for me. Hunting is barbaric. It's a sign of a more civilised society that it's banned. But how long will the ban last if the Tories get in?

I ran a few miles yesterday first up some hills then through the woods. Knees aching today, so need to make sure I don't overdo things in the last week.

Why run?

BBC News website today has an item about a study of why people run. It seems that men and women tend to have different motivations, with the former being more competitive and the latter more likely to run for health reasons.

For me it's a mixture of the two. The only competition is with myself, so I'm inteested to know what my time is for a particular race or course. But that's really only a way of assessing my relative fitness. Am I much slower than I was five years ago - or am I more or less the same? And the bottom line is that running - for me - is about keeping healthy. I can still run 26 miles, even at my age. So my heart, lungs and legs are all in pretty good shape.

That said, this morning's 5 1/2 miles reminded me just how hard I find 'early' runs - I'm better later in the day. But it was good to be out in the sun. Fingers crossed for decent weather next Sunday.

Fartlek!

Didn't run yesterday cos I had the troublesome molar removed. Dentist used a pair of pliers (!) - a few twists and tugs and the tooth was out. Glad I was all frozen up though.

So today's session was just a few miles through the woods to see how my mouth reacted to cold(ish) air and to check that my legs were working after Sunday's half marathon run. Mouth and legs were fine, so I turned the second half of the run into a fartlek session - faster stretches interspersed with recovery ones. Hard going, but a refreshing change from the usual more-or-less-the-same-pace outings that I do.

Right - back to work ...

Fingers crossed

I was at a meeting in Leeds yesterday. I sometimes get backache after the long car journey, especially if it's after a long run, but so far there's no sign of any trouble. Which is just as well, cos the toothache is back with a vengeance. Tried to get an appointment at the dentist, but was told they're short-staffed this week and they'll call me if and when an appointment becomes available. Great. Fingers crossed I can get sorted soon, cos I need to be in peak condition (!) for the Marathon.

Had a few more donations, but am disappointed by the lack of interest and support.

Two weeks to go

Had awful toothache last night and thought I might have to make an emergency visit to the dentist. However, the pain died away today and so - with the Marathon just two weeks away - I ventured out for another 13 miles in the hills.

It was a great afternoon to be running - bright and sunny with a cool breeze. Painkillers kept the toothache at bay and probably helped my knees too. A couple of energy gels and a litre of water kept me energised and hydrated and so far I feel fine after my exertions - though the toothache is making a comeback.

I'm planning another five runs before London - a couple of relaxing outings through the woods, a couple of faster road sessions and a longish run probably a week today.

All being well that will see me in good form and ready to beat my 3.40 target on 25 April.