Good For Age

May Day Bank Holiday Monday.

This morning we both enter the London Marathon ballot, not that this means very much. Last year 247,000 people applied for one of the 17,000 places, which is a success rate of around 7%. Of course you could stump up for one of the 15,000 charity places or run fast enough to qualify for one of the 6,000 ‘Good For Age’ places, where you have to hit a particular age specific qualifying time in another marathon. This is my long term goal e.g. perhaps when I’m 70 to still be fit enough to break 5 hours, which is the qualifying time for that age. Of course they will have probably revised it downwards by then. The qualifying time for a 50 year old man is 3:20, of which I have no chance.

Tonight my parents, my brother and his family, L’s parents and Daughter join me for my birthday celebration meal at Mr Man’s Chinese in Wollaton, which is our local restaurant. It all goes well and I get a few more presents including the traditional birthday balloon. Oh no.

(Monday 1^st May)

A Risky Fifth

Its bank holiday Monday and we’re at Shrewsbury dog show, even L is with us. This is the first time this show has extended over the weekend into Monday and entries numbers are low for the extra day. Subsequently we are finished by lunchtime.

MD performs very well, we get a clear round and 2^nd place on one course. We would have got a second 2^nd if I hadn’t rushed him and he felled a pole. As is tradition, one run is an absolute stinker but then we get another crack in the ring where he felled the pole. The end of the course is identical and this time we are clear but a minor mid-course disagreement leaves us out the rosettes.

We head home and catch up with some bed time.Then later we head out for two pints in Crafty Crow and then two more in the Hand and Heart. By now it has started raining and with twenty minutes until the bus we go for a risky fifth in the Ropewalk, purely to wait for the bus in there out of the rain you understand. This turns out to be the best pint of the night, a stout. I think our heads will regret it later.

(Monday 4^th May)