So, no place for me in next year’s London Marathon in the ballot – like 2018, but unlike 2018 I don’t plan to seek a charity place. I am proud of the funds I helped raise this year, and very grateful to family, friends and colleagues in their support, but I don’t want to put either myself or them in the position of asking for more money again so soon.
But I do still feel like I have unfinished business – I didn’t entirely succeed in what I aimed to do from a running point of view, particularly once my knee gave out at about mile 14 and so the second half turned into run-walk and my pace was much slower than planned.
So I’ve booked myself in for the MK Marathon on Monday 6 May after a good deal of deliberation as to where I wanted to run. It’s slightly more undulating than I would have liked, but I think the style of the course will suit me, and it’s not impractical to go and practice run on some sections over the winter. I did consider the Boston marathon (the one in Lincolnshire) as being the flattest in the country, but the course isn’t inspiring and it could be really challenging if a bit windy.
And in advance of that, Lucy and I will be spending a long weekend in Vienna at the start of April, when I’ll be running the Vienna City half marathon, fuelled by schnitzel and a slice of Sachertorte.
