Abject stupidity

It’s a very fine line between sheer bravery and abject stupidity and I’m tending towards the latter at the moment, having being persuaded to take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon here in London in October.

Those who know me best know that I’m not at all athletic, not especially disciplined when it comes to active pursuits, hardly in the best shape of my life, just plain old and occasionally have a tendency to be all mouth and no trousers! (I hope that translates well for anyone reading this from outside of the UK)

What tipped the scales for me was the chance to do something practical to show my support for my old buddy Andy who is battling hard with the Big C and the inspiration of fitter, stronger, younger mates like Stu who’ve done the same.

Check out Andy’s initial response to the news – complete with Anglo Saxon language - to the news here.

Andy’s blog - Grumpy Old Git - is a gritty and authentic reminder of the complete life change a person goes through when they and their loved ones are hit by this terrible disease. Anyhow, Andy’s a fighter and is taking it full on with a vengeance, so don’t his expect the blog posts to be all sweetness and light!

So, the time will come before too long when I start badgering you for money.

Now I know that’s a big ask at this point in time, and I also realise that Social Networking has made it easier and easier for more and more people to ask you for money, but you’re going to have to bear with me as I make my own particular pitch for your cash.

So, to share a little bit of an e-mail conversation I had with Andy…

• Did my longest run* in months yesterday! Felt fine….very very slow, though.

• Bought my copy of Runners World as per your recommendation!

• Printed off a Training schedule

• Watched bits of the London 10k on telly..

• It’s going well!

…I may have peaked! ;-)

* Which for me probably means about 3 miles at a guess?

Stay tuned and go here!