The Blonde, the Brunette and Their Blisters.
Amy’s running commentary around London.
Part 1
Once upon a time there was a blonde, a brunette and a big city. The setting is London, and the year is 2004. The theme is running, and how it can fit into the twenty something lifestyle. Working long hours for a successful marketing agency in Camden, finding time to run isn’t always easy. However, in 12 weeks time, the blonde, the brunette and their blisters will be in the Big Apple, lining up for the start of the New York City Marathon.
The distance is 26.2 miles. The clock is ticking …
The starting line.
I’ve always been a keen runner. At university I played a lot of lacrosse and used running as a means to heighten my fitness levels. In October last year my mileage increased in an attempt to cure a broken heart. It was either the pain of pounding the streets distracting me from inner torment, or the torrent of sweat and rain disguising my tears, but running became my medicine, my support. The endorphins refuelled my happy buzz and the movement gave me space to breathe and time to think.
Along with my buddy, the brunette, I entered the London Marathon, feeling the need for an ultimate goal. Despite the inhospitable winter conditions (soggy socks and frost bitten fingers), we attacked our challenge with gusto and all was going well until a tropical disease struck me down following a Christmas break in West Africa. All that training wasted away with my muscles as I was house-bound for 2 months, with an impressive scar across my ass, forced to watch my active resolutions fade to nothing.
It was a frustrating time. I had discovered a new lease of life, and it had been taken away from me just when I was getting my feet back on the ground (excuse the pun!) However, little by little my shuffling steps grew back to bounding strides, and after forfeiting our places in the London Marathon we decided to set our sights even higher.
Now, suddenly time is moving quicker than we are as Sunday 7th November draws near. We will soon be taking our place alongside 40,000 fellow athletes and crossing 5 boroughs and 2 bridges in the Big Apple, aiming to hit the homestrait in Central Park within our target time of 4 hours.
Running has become a way of life rather than something that has to be fitted in. Each week we devise a regime that keeps things fun… we run to work (rendezvousing at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park), run home (forking when we get to Vauxhall, I head south whilst the brunette continues along the river). Our office is located within 10 minutes of Regents Park, Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath, and we alternate our circuits (depending on energy levels) rewarding ourselves with the occasional croissant whenever we seriously push our limits.
Even the broken heart is starting to mend… its amazing how the impact of wearing Lycra around the capital can attract enough attention to make you feel that the world really does offer infinite possibilities. ‘Kiss chase’ takes on a whole new dimension…
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