How The 'Mighty' Have Fallen

Can I manage ‘Not The Roman XI’? Are my knees are up to 12k? There’s only one way to find out I suppose. L reassures me that she'll pick me up as she goes past.

We head to Stratford Upon Avon for the 11am start, which is a long walk from the race HQ. I remember it well from when we were here a few years back.

It’s hillier than I remember. Cough cough wheeze wheeze. I walk several sections, partly as a precaution when my knee/calves come under too much strain but also out of necessity when my lungs are ready to burst. How did I become this unfit?

The upshot is that I cover the 12kms in 1:07:11 at a rate of 5:36 per km and finish 468^th. In 2012, I completed it in 53:21 at 4:27 per km and came 148^th. Compare and contrast. How the 'mighty' have fallen.

We are meeting Son at around 3:30 in Leamington for lunch and it’s now only around 1pm, so we hole up in a pub called the Lord Nelson in Stratford for a while with the Sunday papers. A pleasantly odd pub with one random local real ale.

When we head over to Son and go for lunch in The Duke. A sort of modern craft ale bar without the craft ale and only one real ale - Bass, which is rancid. Son sorts me out with something else as he knows the staff, being part of the management of another bar in the same group.

The beer may be naff but the Sunday lunch was pretty good.

(Sunday 18^th January)

Well You Would Do Wouldn't You

It’s very warm this morning. 10 degrees and raining. It could almost be August.

So summer’s here then, no excuse not to get on my bike again. Though I find cycling two days in a row very hard work. I’m so unfit, as L would say. On the plus side, my knee seems ok. In fact, I’d forgotten about it.

In the news is a man who threatened to blow himself up in Accessorize on Regent Street, London. Well you would do wouldn't you.

It’s a nice dry ride home but two days biking in a row is made harder by getting involved in a bit of a race on the way home. Well you would do wouldn't you. It’s not my fault, it’s my testosterone or his testosterone. After all, he started it.

Then tonight I’ve got squash. Honestly L will be hosing down the testosterone tonight, from a distance. If I’m awake after all that activity. Which I might just be because I’m celebrating. I won 2-1. Had the fourth game gone to completion I may not have done but even a draw would have been cause for celebration but scrub that, I bloody won.

(Thursday 13th January)