There are 20 days to go.  What does that mean exactly, well it means:

There are more miles to run, than days left.

I have the same amount of days as the longest training run I have completed.

I have just over 100 miles to run before the day

26.2miles on the day and then...........

.........I can burn the trainers.

In fact we all know that will not happen, because in this marathon I have found a new love of running.  I actually enjoy going on the Sunday training runs (thank you Chris).  I enjoy trying to beat my 10km time, I have found a hill in Kent that is challenging and motivating and I must run up it at all times.  So I will carry on, but hopefully just to keep fit, and I will hopefully ignore all those voices in my head, and from others repeating the word Amsterdam, Berlin over and over again.  

I have had an eventful 14 weeks training which has been made much easier by the growing support from ABDO staff, ABDO members and ABDO students and previous work mates.  I really owe a lot to people in optics and I am grateful of the career I have chosen (or pushed into by my mum)

Here are my highlights:

1. I found Tuesday night running club and raced my mile, it hurt so much that my legs felt like they were going to fall off

2. I have become very competitive a trait I have never had before

3. I have run for weeks with my dad's (malcolm) work mate and never knew...oops the secrets that he could now find out

4. I ran through torrential rain, got soaked and had to drink a pint of hot chocolate in the bath to warm up

5. I ran a 19 mile run and slipped on the snake trying to get Lady GaGa on my iPod

6. The week later I fell at 16 miles on a 20 mile run and smashed my legs and arms to bit

7. The week later I rested (physio & ABDO staff, Liz, made me)

8. The week after that, I got chased by a savage dog, foaming at the mouth ready to eat me (the story gets bigger every time I tell it)

and still two more weeks to go, so please donate money as I coming home from these runs is much easier when people donate