Trudging past the tower 2000

Dear Bloggie,

                      I think it is worth mentioning that my Virgin London Marathon place is an athletic club place and not one of the Charity Places that the London Marathon sell to various charities. I have paid my own entry fee so no money has had to be raised for the race place! Therefore all money raised goes to the two charities, TINY TIMS and NEWLIFE. (Remember £1 per guess at my finishing time for a Virgin London Medal!)

You did mention when you signed up to be my friend that you would like a few details about me and my reason for running such a very long way when plenty of the famed London Red Buses seem to go along the same route quite regularly.

So here goes with the proviso that anything I write may not be used in evidence against me at anytime now or in the near or in the distant future so help me Godiva:-

Age: 66, looks 70, feels 80, although I cannot confirm the latter for another 14 years. Hang on in there!

Best time: 2¼ hours ish but that was when dinosaurs roamed the earth and my hair was black. It should be noted that I do not anticipate a personal best time on this occasion; could I be bluffing??  Sad.  I have been to an Olympic Games, a European Games and a Commonwealth Games –

Preparation:  I gained a Coventry Godiva Harrier club entry to the Virgin London Marathon 2011 on Thursday December 2^nd and on Thursday December 2^nd plus 1 day, I started jogging slowly, very slowly, very very slowly. After eight weeks, I have now speeded up to slowly. Of course, it goes without saying that ‘Slowly’ is a relative term. If you are called Highly Gabrilasillywhatsit, ‘slowly’ is fast. If you are the bloke in the diving suit who completed the London Marathon last year, ‘slowly’ is                              

so                  s   L     O       W         L           Y.                                                             

I must confess that I do feel that I am tending more to the former gentleman rather than to the latter.  I have not raced for some time!!! (? Should that be ‘I have not raced for a time for some time’, or ‘I have not raced’?)

Aim:     In order of ascending priority

1. To finish
2. To finish without walking
3. To finish before it gets too dark
4. To finish in 4hrs 10mins 34secs (see below)
5. To raise a few bob for Tiny Tims and Newlife, the two charities which help disabled children to cope more easily.

Predicted time:

Well Bloggie, if you are really old like me and used a slate and chalk at school you will remember this sort of thing:-

Question:- “If it takes a 35 year old man 2¼ hours ish to run a marathon whilst training 140 miles per week, how long will it take a 66 year old pensioner to run the same distance whilst jogging 40 miles each week?”

Answer:-   A 35 Yr old takes 2.25 hrs to run a marathon on 140 miles per week

i.e. A 1yr  old takes  2.25*35 hrs to run a marathon on  140 miles per week

i.e. A 1yr  old takes   2.25*35*140 hrs to run a marathon on 1 mile per week

i.e. A 66yr  old takes   2.25*35*140/66 hrs to run a marathon on 1 mile per week

i.e. A 66yr  old takes     2.25*35*140/(66*40) hrs to run a marathon on 40 miles per week 

                              .............. the computer says  ‘4.1761364hrs, which is 4hrs 10mins 34sec!!!! (see number 4 above)

[note:  yes I know!!]

                                            Yours

                                                              Colin Kirkham, London Marathon Trudger.

 ‘Trudging past the Tower’ (AW April 19^th 2000) with thanks to Mark Shearman for allowing me to use his photograph.

If you are unsure - I’m the athletic one in the yellow bib and dark blue coloured hat.