What's happened since I went on my winge binge here on this dear blog. Well I'd like to say a lot, and I guess I kind of can, I've been for a few more runs for one thing! So that can only be an improvement. In fact my massive outpouring of laziness on my last post gave me the kick I needed in a slightly unexpected direction. That is to say, a lot of unsympathetic friends and family telling me in less than uncertain terms to 'get the bloody hell on with it and go for a run!' I like to think this was mainly out of concern for my wellbeing.
So I've run, and run some more, both in Bristol, Sussex and back in London. Having borrowed the dreaded costume I even took it out for a spin and jogged a short mile with metal and foam clattering around me, Alice as my trusty guide. Apart from the impaired vision, necessity for awkward shuffling hops and an aching back, I was most struck by just how noisy it is inside these costumes. A phenomena that was aptly described by Save the Rhino's director, Cathy Dean, saying something along the lines of: it's a bit like running inside a crisp packet and a very sweaty one at that!
However I am not here to tell you about my short foray in the costume, I actually wanted to let you all know, for peace of mind at least, that I have completed a 17 miler, as of Monday 9th March. It took me about 3 hours so I wasn't racing round, but pacing myself, and I did get very very lost in the process. This run took me, complete with laden backpack (to simulate at least the weight of the costume), from Brixton through Clapham Common to Wimbledon Common and eventually Richmond Park. I now know the perils of running in a busy urban centre. Even within the parks you are in constant danger, as I discovered when running away from a pack of 7 hounds under questionable control of the dog walker, only to end up in a golf course, which on this sunny spring morning was a minefield of flying balls of death.
But I survived, I eventually made it home and I have calculated through a very useful site called MapOMeter that my journey took me on a circuitous 17 miles. (And yes my legs do now feel like lead).
If you would like to sponsor my challenge please don't hesitate, click here for my Virgin Money Giving Page.
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