A sunny day in Folkestone

It was Good Friday in England on Friday. I suppose those of you in North America call it Coca Cola Day or Kentucky Fried Chicken Day - but here in our quaint, but healthily non-commercialised world we still have an unsponsored Good Friday. And, being a holiday, I decided to travel like ordinary people do and arrived in Folkestone with the Half Share in the House and the Sod in tow - and we were greeted by a sight more akin to a Village Fete. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the grass was green.

Fantastic.

Being in Caravan County, my warm-up was constantly interrupted by fans asking me for autographs, running tips and requests for favours - and I didn't really have the chance to complete my anal crunch/pelvic thrust routine so beloved of the crowds. Over 500 runners had signed up to take part - around 350 of whom had entered for the chance to run with me. And I found that gratifying.

Thank you all - I'm humble-ified.

Now this event was not a race - it was just part of my pre-London Marathon schedule. My ambition was to test out my ability to pace and I'd calculated that a finishing time of 1.29.59 would be absolutely perfect. Off I set and I matched that pace mile after mile. In fact I was bang on target for a 1.29.59 finish as I turned into the home straight. Unfortunately the crowds of Ron supporters mistook my easy running style for somebody who was struggling to finish! Despite my protestations they began to harry me, encourage me - and at one point they actually moved into the road as though they were going to carry me over the line! No matter how much I protested or tried to reassure them that I was OK, they just continued to chivvy me along.

The bottom line was that I had to keep moving at a faster pace than I had wished to do. Fortunately I managed to stop just a few yards from the finish line - only for some well-meaning but very annoying person to push me along and through the chuffin' tape!

So I finished in 1.29.27 - many minutes slower than my fastest over the distance - but more annoyingly - 32 seconds quicker than I wanted to!!

Anyway, I suppose they meant well.

Now many people come up to me and say "Ron - what planet do you live on?".

Well what a stupid question I ask you! "Earth, of course" I reply. But, honestly, some people are so thick. They don't understand the answer! "Well what world do you live in?" They ask. This never ceases to puzzle me. "Well, the same world as yours - you nit" I usually say. "Well, do you live in your own little world then?" They persist. "Of course I don't, you wombat! I live in the same big world as you do! Are you thick?" I say.

So what I thought would be a good idea - to try and stave off some of these very silly questions, is to illustrate exactly the kind of world your man here does inhabit. So, I'm off now to take some piccies of where I usually do my training runs.

Then you can see exactly where I live - and you won't need to ask such stupid questions. I'll be back tomorrow with the results - after I’ve completed one of those piddling 10Ks in Lewes.

Keep on tapering.

Ron