this Cuplet gave to thee…
25 minutes-o-running
24 santa’d joggers
23 songs-a-looping
22 chocs-a-gobbled
21 unwrapped pressies
20 legs-a-leaden
19 muddy puddles
18 obscure brusies
17 unsure moments
16 failed excuses
15 fogged up glasses
14 near collisions
13 cluster headaches
12 ditches sidestepped
11 people pointing
10 toes-a-frozen
9 painful stretches
8 winds-a-gusting
7 chums-a-cheering
6 joints-a-creaking
5 running tweeeeeeeets
4 shooting cramps
3 stit-ches
2 poorly tums
And a Cuplet with a big tree

It’s Christmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!

Right, now I’ve gotten my best Noddy Holder impression out of the way (it was quiet good wasn’t it?), just a brief blog about day 25 – the Christmas Day run!  I’m sure I probably should have tried to make this my longest run, as a gift to team Marcothon, but as I get closer to the end of the month, my legs are getting heavier and heavier. And those 22 chocolates probably didn’t help either :).  But I did manage to pull in a 5K-er, and proudly wearing my Santa hat too.  I even hit a little sprint at the end – merry Christmas to me!  My run was an early morning affair (c’mon, you didn’t think I would go after Christmas dinner did you, you loons!?!), so there weren’t many people around to marvel at the sight of my festive forward-falling.  Well, except a few drivers, who may have inadvertently clipped a couple of curbs as they clocked a beardless Santa in a pair of very muddy Brookes trainers, and a rather confused looking dog-walker who ended up tripping over his Yorkie.  Oh well… 🙂

Trainers off, squishy socks on and time to gorge, um, I mean, eat a sensible amount of totally non-fattening seasonal goodies.  After all, I have to run again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next day… Days 26-31 – the end is in sight.  Thank figgy pudding for that!

this Cuplet gave to thee…
20 legs-a-leaden
19 muddy puddles
18 obscure brusies
17 unsure moments
16 failed excuses
15 fogged up glasses
14 near collisions
13 cluster headaches
12 ditches sidestepped
11 people pointing
10 toes-a-frozen
9 painful stretches
8 winds-a-gusting
7 chums-a-cheering
6 joints-a-creaking
5 running tweeeeeeeets
4 shooting cramps
3 stit-ches
2 poorly tums
And a Cuplet with a big tree

It’s been five days since my last marcothon post, and it was a pretty downbeat one at that.  Health setbacks hit me for six, both physically and mentally, and I really wasn’t sure I’d be able to carry on with the challenge.  Buttttttt… I’m happy (and completely amazed!) to report that I’m still hanging on!  Have no clue how to be honest – although the cluster headaches have subsided for the time being, which is a huge relief.  I’m by no means back to full health, but I’ve managed to muddle through the last five runs, bringing me to day 20.  Phew!

But there’s no time to enjoy this little victory really, as the next five runs are looming ominously.  And as I’m heading off to Brighton for a mini break before Christmas (and to take part in Burning the Clocks – so excited about that by the way – check out my blog post Willow and paper and glue, oh my! for more details), my next few marcothon runs are going to be by the coast.  Eek!

I’ve run in the Ton before, and it was probably the bleakest running experience I’ve ever had – and I’ve completed a marathon!  Sorry Brighton, I love you and all, but you can be a pretty freezing place for a jog.  What with the refreshing sea breezes that tickle your skin and give you a free microdermabrasion facial – translation: gale force winds that eat away at any exposed flesh – and my ridiculously appalling circulation problems (yes mother I blame you for this…), I’m really not looking forward to the next few days of running.  I just can’t stand being cold.  That and I turn a very interesting shade of ‘corpse blue’ when I’m nippy.  I’m not being dramatic either, when I get very cold I really do look like I’ve just walked off a morticians slab!  So here’s some advanced notice for any locals, dog walkers, cyclists, other runners and Christmas shoppers in Brighton this week – if you’re on the prom and you see something blue and barely moving, it’s probably me.  Just give me a little nudge if I’m in your way.  I’m like a Weeble, I won’t fall down :).  Days 21-25 – brrrrrr, bring on the thermals!