The Benefits of Passive Running
Yesterday morning I ran 0 miles.
I woke up at 7.30am (a lie-in) and had a leisurely breakfast of normal, non-athletic proportions. I ate no carbohydrate-based gels. I drank no sugary sports drinks. An hour later I got out of bed, sauntered into the living room, switched on the TV, and sat on the sofa for three hours.
I love the London Marathon. I look forward to watching it on the BBC so much that I find myself singing the ‘theme tune’ under my breath for days beforehand. If I ever ran the race itself I would be gutted if they weren’t playing it as I ran through the start. In reality they’re probably playing Rihanna or something. This is one of the many reasons why I’ll never run it. There are at least 37,499 others.
I’ve only ever been to watch it in person once, despite living in London. It was an amazing atmosphere, I managed to see my friend and cheer her on, but to say I’m not good in crowds would be something of an understatement. I have a panic-attack in Tesco on a Friday night if the queues are too long.
Watching the elites, and then the real runners, from the comfort of my sofa was perfect. The elite men, particularly, are really creatures from another planet. I can’t make any kind of connection between what they do and what I’m able to do. This is good for my competitiveness, and means I can relax and enjoy the spectacle. The real runners, however, just make me want to get out there.
A good thing, then, that there are only 13 days until I will be – on the mean streets of Dorset, with my 399 fellow-runners.
This week’s running summary:
Monday: 8 miles (steady)
Tuesday: 6 miles (esasy)
Wednesday: 7 miles (800m intervals)
Thursday: rest
Friday: 6 miles (with 5 at marathon pace)
Saturday: 9 miles
Total: 36 miles
Not a Jogger 
You are almost right about the elite runners. But since I actually saw the marathon (and all the runners), I can tell they are human. I saw one elite runner take a gel from the gel station and one even walking at mile 21.5. She didn’t look happy though. 😦 Seeing them live is much more fun than on tv. Try it next year around Shadwell.
Good tip! I really should do this.
They DO play the marathon music at the start! Over and over and over and over….. xxxx
That is amazing Alex! My faith in humanity is restored.
Next year I will go and watch it and stop being such a wimp.
I’m with you on the crowds. I’d’ve loved to have been there, but the thought of that many people makes me feel a bit panicky. 399 is a lovely, lovely number of fellow runners.