So, I've decided to write a blog about running the marathon. Not because I think anyone will be particularly interested (who really wants to hear about how I put Vaseline on my nipples to stop them bleeding?), and not because I particularly fancy myself as much of a writer (I expect much of the blog will be littered with typos and inconsistencies). But I do have my reasons, and they are two-fold:
1. I gained my place in the marathon through a charity rather than the ballot, and therefore I need to raise a significant amount of money. I'm hoping that by keeping this blog going and consistently posting it to Facebook I will be able to persuade the majority of my FB friends to donate as much money as possible to my JustGiving page. The charity is Macmillan, and they are a cancer support service which gives much needed advice and care to people suffering from all types of cancer. They are particularly close to my heart as they helped my mum when she suffered from breast cancer, and I'm hoping that by raising money for them I can repay some of the kindness and help they gave to us during what was an otherwise horrendous time.
2. I hope by making my training progress as transparent as possible it will motivate me to keep going when the going gets tough, cold and tiresome. So if my training starts to fall away and I stop posting blogs, then I'll know that everyone else will know that I've started to fail, and I think that might provide the much needed kick up the sphincter that I need to keep running.
I'll try to keep the blog as light hearted as possible, but I also want to use it as an outlet for any difficulties or frustrations I'm having. They say a problem shared is a problem halved, so if I can share my issues with a couple of hundred FB friends then that may reduce the weight of them somewhat. Just to warn you though, it may not always be pretty. I've been talking to some experienced marathon runners about the various issues they've encountered, and bleeding nipples is only the tip of iceberg (I did consider writing 'tip of the volcano' for a far more vivid analogy). One fellow lost nine of his toe nails during training, and another was telling me tales of blood coming out of his trainers due to broken blisters.
The majority of marathon training programs are sixteen weeks long, so a regimented routine will start around the new year time, and that means I've a got a couple of months to build a base fitness and get some other issues sorted out. My feet, for instance, have more corns than a Green Giant factory, so a couple of visits to the chiropodist are in order (Parmesan cheese, anyone?). I've also inherited a wonderful set of bow legs from my father, which means that I probably over-pronate when I run (all the pressure is on the outsides of the feet), and thus need either 'stability' trainers or shoe inserts ("I stand corrected" said the man in the orthopaedic shoe).
In summary then, if you've read this blog and think that what I'm about to embark upon is not only worthy, but worthy of some of your hard earned money, then visit www.justgiving.com/james-blackshaw and donate anything you can (fiscally speaking, of course). You can then bask in a warm glow, content in the knowledge that you have given money to a charity that succeeds in making life better for people with a disease that affects their life in the most horrible way.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. My next blog is quite possibly going to be about having vast amounts of excess skin removed from my feet. So you can look forward to that.
James
PS. Does anyone understand the moderately cryptic title to the blog? Answers on a postcode, winner gets a signed photo of my dog.
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