6am and the alarm goes off.
I roll out of bed to some polite encouragement from my wife of the ‘turn that bloody alarm off…’ ilk and almost fall down the stairs. I get dressed with eyes closed; running shorts, t shirt socks and swear loudly. It’s dark and cold outside and my bed is warm. Not a tough decision really. It’s time to run.
Ten minutes later I am in the gym and on the treadmill. I don’t usually train indoors as it is a good way to get injured but I am tired and cranky and miserable and simply can’t face a run around Bicester in the dark alone.
On goes the IPod and up goes the speed. I start with some James Brown, then onto some Sandie Shaw (which, to be honest, is worth getting out of bed for alone) and then work through some Madonna, Kings of Leon and some Bowie. You got to have Bowie when it gets tough…in fact, I bet I Paula Radcliff sings Jean Genie all the way around on her record breaking runs. Then it’s in to the home straight and Sandie Shaw is willing me on with her seminal cover of the Rolling Stones classic….
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
To which I always add…
Because all this running has laid me to waste...
An hour later I am standing in my kitchen, coffee in hand, stretches done and I have to admit that I feel great.
Sunday, March 4th, 2012, Philip and Trevor will be running across the frozen ice surface of the world’s largest, oldest and deepest lake, Lake Baikal in Siberia. It's generally considered one of the 10 toughest marathons in the world. Philip and Trevor are running in support of Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, a charity offering specialist and supportive care and advice for patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses in their homes.
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