On a Monday morning a nice dramatic title seemed appropriate. Well, it's true that in two weeks' time the marathon will have been run, and Catholic Children's Society will have benefitted from my running of it to the tune of over £2200! I have been taken aback by the generosity of so many people who have helped me to achieve my aims. Lots of individual stories are in my mind, of unexpected donations, genuine interest in the work of CCS and what I'm doing towards it, supportive messages, and so many other positive responses to this project. But I don't want to single out anybody, because at a basic level nobody's contribution is more special than anybody else's. They are all uniquely special!
So, what is there left to do now? Maybe, not too much. Runners among you will know about "the taper". To avoid arriving at race day exhausted and with aching muscles, in the weeks just before, training is gradually reduced. It's a good strategy, I think. It does feel strange, though, knowing that the next long run will be the real thing! That will probably sink in a bit more next week, when every participant has to go to the ExCeL Centre to register. This is the moment of collecting one's running number - precious, since irreplaceable if lost or forgotten on the day! The London Marathon is certainly a logistical exercise. Every runner is also issued with a kitbag for their possessions, put on a lorry just before the race and miraculously awaiting collection 26.2 miles later. It's the moment everybody is straining towards, yet it also signals "the end". And so there will be a certain sadness at the loss of something which has been a driving force for a good six months.
Yet there will be joy, too, of course. The joy of achieving a personal challenge. The joy of knowing how many people have enabled that to happen. Most especially, the joy of having contributed to empowering the lives of local people in difficult situations. I'm glad to be able to share that joy with you.
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