GNR Preparation

Things I've never done in preparation for a race:

1. Booked a pre-race haircut

2. Revised.

Number 1 is due to the horrifying possibility of being caught on live tv while running. I'm hoping that having bouncy, shiny hair will make up for the fact that I'll be sweating and wearing lycra. Also we're meeting up for a pre-run meal on Saturday night, so I figured that as I'll be meeting some of my heros, I should really make a bit of an effort. Then hopefully the shiny hair will survive the night, in preparation for the BBC's planned attempts to interview us either before the start or on the way round. If you're watching on tv, keep an eye out for us!

Number 2 feels a bit stalkerish, but I wanted to do it. Mike has written a book, together with his wife Erica who is also running, about his career, and his illness. I kind of felt like I wanted to read it before meeting them, partly so that I don't say anything stupid, partly to get an idea of what treatment he's been through since he dropped out of the public eye, and also to get an idea of what he's like. From the tv interview I saw, it seems like communication is a relatively slow task for him, so I wanted to read about him in his own words to make up for the fact that he might not be able to talk to me much in person. Also, he was a bit before my time, in rugby terms, so I want to read about some of the moments I never actually saw at the time.

In terms of the actual running part, I'm vastly overtrained, so not in the slightest worried about that. Hopefully overconfidence won't lead to me completely mucking things up, but at this stage of marathon training 13 slow miles shouldn't be an issue. As long as I can slow down enough I should be fine!