Silly questions

Yesterday I went to an information day run by the Virgin London Marathon team for the benefit of Golden Bond runners (these are runners who have been given a charity place, rather than runners who've qualified by doing excellent times or who have got in through the ballot). And today I ran 13.1 miles, which is half the total marathon distance. I think these two facts are related.

Firstly, I got chatting to other people, including Mike, who as well as listening sympathetically to my worries about actually completing this marathon, took one of my limited edition Fairy Tales for Marathon Runners cards and sponsored me. Thank you. Secondly, I got answers to questions that had been bothering me. Silly things, like where to start from, would I be able to take a bag and if I did, would I have to carry it round the course, how would I be able to meet up with James afterwards? And - most importantly and hardest to ask - when will the route be closed? What's my marathon completion window?

Seven hours.

And the advice of the ultra-marathoner who advocates total avoidance of carbohydrates was deemed inappropriate for first-timers, and the importance of doing an increasingly long run every week was highlighted, and jelly babies were praised. I felt more like part of something and less like an impostor about to be unmasked. David Bedford (the race director) said that 97% of the people who make it to the start line, finish.

And so today I ran 13.1 miles. It took me just over two and a half hours and I still feel dizzy every time I stand up too fast. But somewhere, deep in my nervous, inexperienced and still-not-quite-believing-it psyche, a little spark of maybe-perhaps sprang into life. Maybe-perhaps I will cross that finishing line.