Nice little jog along the canal on a Sunday morning, there and back in the duration of Sunday Supplement, mmm, lovely, that. Maybe even put a whistle in your hand whilst running and become a ref for a while, mmm, that was lovely too, when I wasn't being sworn at.
Basically, I've enjoyed running as long as you can do it before your 'Motivational Songs' playlist finishes. So somewhere between twenty minutes and half an hour, then. Home before the final key-change of 'Livin on a Prayer'.
But organised running? Outside of school, when you were forced to do it? Sod that. That's for fanatics.
*dramatic music*
UNTIL NOW.
That's right, on the 19th October, I'll be running my first half-marathon in the form of the Great Birmingham Run. 13 miles, or just over 21 kilometres, for you modern folk. After being half-decent at running at school, I started to get back into it whilst I was in Canada, and found a free, lovely free gym that was free a few yards from my accommodation. And it was free.
Never been one for weights- can you tell? My arms hurt just typing- so thought I'd run on the treadmill. Then, on January 1st, I signed up for the half-marathon. By October, I'll be coasting it, I thought. By May, I was probably as fit as I'd ever been. Woah there, I need to slow down, I thought. If I'm going to ask for sponsorship to do this half-marathon, I need to suffer slightly. If people see me out running every day and think I might even end up finishing
it comfortably, they won't sponsor me.
People like to see a bit of pain.
And so, thankfully, in around June, my knee completely packed in. Absolute agony for ages and ages. Bought a knee support, still agony. Gave up the running. That's the end of that.
Then I remembered this run thing I'd signed up to. Uh-oh. And, more pertinently, the 'warm-up' for it in the form of the Worcester 10k- my first 10k. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I convinced myself my knee was recovering and sweated my way round the course, in a fairly decent time. Couldn't walk for the next day, mind, but lots of great sportsmen have knee problems. Ledley King, Jamie Redknapp, Dele Adebola.
So, there you have it. If you were worried that I might actually enjoy this run, then think of me and the knee, and smile warmly at the thought of me in agony as the run drags into its second hour.
Onto the second part of this blog... the money part.
The charity I'm running for is called Winston's Wish, the leading charity for bereaved children in the UK. For those unsure why, I lost my father when I was 17, something which I've written about extensively before, notably here.
Aside from the fact that it's an important charity, if I do find myself struggling with about half an hour to go, then with your donations in mind, there's no way I won't finish the run.
https://www.justgiving.com/EdHiggs/
Thanks.
