I’m not doing the Dublin marathon. The online website I booked through eventually came back with an apology for the delay and a message that they had refunded my entry. I’m a little disappointed but it solves my quandary. I should point out, while I’m at it, that the quandary wasn’t so much about not having the funds but more that if I’m going to take a day off work and spend that amount of money then I should probably spend it on something that I can do with my family and not just spend it on myself. I’m nice like that.

Anyway, there’s always another time for the Dublin Marathon. Or the New York Marathon. Or, well, you get the idea.

What it all did confirm to me, however, is that I’m mentally ready to attempt that 26.2 mile distance. So instead, I’m going to enter the Luton Marathon. That is, I’m probably going to enter it. There’s one or two things holding me back at the moment. You see, the plus side to going to Luton is that it’s cheaper (under 20 quid for an entry - a bargain for these things), it’s at the beginning of December so I have longer to train (15 weeks this coming sunday), it’s geographically closer and it’s on a sunday. (What is with that Dublin Marathon being on a monday anyway? Is it an Irish bank holiday or just a fucked up day to have an event?)

The downside to the Luton race is that rather than being a single lap race, it’s 3 laps of a 9 mile course (just under 3 laps - whatever!), half of which goes through the city centre. And it’s in Luton. I always thought my first marathon would be a little more, I don’t know, exotic.

It does also have a strict time limit of five hours to complete the race which is a useful target and one that I should achieve. While it’s not overly ambitious, I would be aiming for 10 minute miles - at the very minimum - which would mean a time of somewhere around 4 hours and 20 minutes. I wouldn’t necessarily rule out getting closer to the 4 hour mark either but at this stage, the goal is simply to finish and to finish in under 5 hours.

There’s no question about it really - I’m going to do it.

I’ve just got to remember that I’ve got another event in London at the end of September which I need to get ready for. (Follow the link and watch the video and then watch this one and you’ll get a good idea of what my team is going to be doing.) After the run I did today, I have got a lot of work to do! :/

Or: The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.

It didn’t take a couple of months. It took a little over two hours.

I can be quite impulsive at times. Impulsive and obsessive. I can temper it most of the time or something will always work against me which means that when I try to act on impulse (which to date has never involved buying flowers for some lady who simply walked past me) I am obstructed by an obstruction that is not of my doing. For example, I never wanted a Playstation. I never needed a Playstation. But every now and then I’d get it into my head that I did and I’d think about it (in a “must buy one, must buy one, must buy one” kinda way) and I’d venture out to go and get one. Three times I did this (with months in between) and I never ended up with one. On the first occasion, the shop had sold out. My credit card was declined on the second attempt and on the third attempt, when I’d found a deal which would let my buy one on credit, I didn’t have my passport of other form of identification and so couldn’t get said credit. After that last time, I went home and didn’t go back as I knew I wasn’t meant to be the owner of a PSOne.

I sometimes find myself believing in fate/destiny/karma.

On Tuesday, I entered the Dublin Marathon. (No, Lyle, not the Paris-Dakar on foot. That’s the Marathon Des Sables and I gather that there isn’t an available space until the 2010 race at the earliest. But yes, I have been considering it. Believe me - when I enter that, you’ll know because I will definitely be getting sponsored for it!) By Tuesday evening, I was regretting it.

But it’s not what you think. You see, I’m ready to do a marathon now. Yes, I know I’ve done a couple of mountain marathons (albeit only completed one) but that was only 15 miles in one day. And yes, the Trailwalker was over twice the distance of a marathon (100km = 62.5 miles) but that was walking. (And yes, I’ve considered doing it again but running it too. If I can find a team of people to do it with me). What all this means is that I’m mentally prepared for a marathon. I’m fine with the idea of keeping going for 5 hours or so (4 if I’m dreaming). Being prepared physically is another matter. I’m out of shape and found a 5 mile run hard going the other day. That being said, I am of the belief that 12 weeks preparation is doable. Hell, I ran my first half marathon with only 2 weeks notice!

What it comes down to is the money - it’s going to cost a lot. Firstly, there’s a flight over which is not as cheap as Ryanscare would have you believe. Secondly there’s accommodation on the sunday night because the race is on a monday (???) which brings me to my 3rd point - I’d have to miss a day of work which, now that I’m self employed, is not an insignificant factor. Not to mention the entry fee. Quite simply, if I’m being sensible, I can’t afford to do it. I’d be better off entering the Luton Marathon in December. (Luton or Dublin? Luton or Dublin? Where would you rather go?)

It might still happen though. I’ve entered now and race entries are notoriously difficult to get refunded. I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I ended up doing it either but I wouldn’t be very popular at home. Part of me still wants to do it because it’d be great but the fires of my enthusiasm and excitement has been dowsed by the waters of reality and if I do end up doing it, it’ll be a littlle soured because I know I shouldn’t be.

Still, it’s given me the impetus to get back in training. I mean, you never know…

I think I’ve just done something that I’m going to regret in a couple of months.

Oh well.

I’m always up for a challenge. (That’s “always” as in “sometimes, and only on my terms”).

Gordon’s recently suggested one that I’d normally take to like a carrion crow to an eyeball and is a pretty straightforward “how many miles can you run in a month?” Admittedly, I haven’t run in 3 months and have a half marathon in 2 weeks and am feeling a little past my best before date but this is the sort of challenge that normally would get me motivated to get back into running. The last one I did was organised by my old gym and was a “how many calories can you burn in a month”.

The “stipulation” of sorts that Gordon has, well, stipulated, is that it’s for Nike+ users. Now on the face of it, Nike+ is exactly the sort of gadget I could go for as it measures distance, average speed, temperature, rooute and other non-essential information. I already tend to use a Polar HRM system (which reminds me, I need a new strap for my receiver/watch) but so far the problem that I have with the Nike+ is that it requires an iPod Nano. Or just an iPod or something.

The Nike+ site actually recommends using a particular set of shoes too - marketing bumpf which led me to believe it was a totally exploitative way of getting people to buy their shoes but both Gordon and Richard have informed me that this isn’t the case. So no biggy there. But it still seems to need an iPod. Which I don’t have and don’t currently need and, well, there’s this other factor: I no longer listen to music while I run.

I have spent years pissing around with playlists and tracks and all sorts trying to sort out music to run by for training or for races. However, late last year I had a bit of an epiphany. I went for a two hour run and had kitted up as normal with music, shades, camelbak (it being July) and HRM and set out. After about 25 minutes, my MP3 player ran out of juice. Pissed off, I contemplated going back to get a new battery but realised I’d never finish the run or complete the route I’d planned. So I ran without music, concerned that I’d find the remaining 1.5 hours tedious at best.

It wasn’t. At all. Apart from the fact that I chose a very scenic and challenging off road route, I felt more comfortable running than I had done with music. Everything felt better: my stride, my attention, my ability. What really surprised me was that the run seemed to be over before I knew it.

So with this revelation, I decided not to run with music anymore.

That’s not to say that I wouldn’t be interested in finding out more about the Nike+ system, particularly how tough it is and whether the foot based sensor would survive the rough and extremely muddy terrain I normally tackle. I know that a GPS system would probably give higher accuracy out of the box and less need for calibration than the Nike+ works (how does it work anyway? If it’s stride length then surely it’s not going to be less accurate for off road runs where stride pattern can vary quite a lot?). Perhaps I should investigate the Garmin Forerunner range.

On the other hand, I’m getting to enjoy the minimalist approach to running and not going with any gadgetry whatsoever.