Having equipped myself with an official London Marathon 16-week training plan (intermediate level - may regret that), I had carefully worked out by working backwards through my diary that I needed to start training on Monday 3rd January. Fantastic - I could spend the whole of Christmas and New Year partaking in guilt-free boozing and slobbing about. So I did. Then, on New Years Day, whilst nursing a sore head and resolving never to drink wine again, I realised that I had got the date of the marathon wrong and it takes place a week before I thought it did. Bugger. A week behind already - not the best of starts.
Still - I wasn't going to let that get me down. On the 2nd Jan I went to the gym and did some weights to prep me for the fresh start the next day. I was feeling good and determined...and then I went to visit friends in my home town and ended up drinking cocktails until 4am. Once again - bugger. Woke up with screaming pain in my head, my every movement causing searing pain, and the threat of vomiting never far away. My training plan said that today should involve me doing a 45 minute easy run. I couldn't think of anything worse. But I couldn't mess it up on the very 1st day, so come mid-afternoon - having consumed my tried and tested hangover cure of ice cold diet coke, a pain au chocolat, and a pack of cheese and onion Square crisps - I dragged myself to my over-priced but conveniently located gym. And...it was one of the best runs I've done in ages. 4.6 miles in 45 minutes and it felt great. No pain, no shortness of breath, no nausea, no heavy legs - amazing. It seems a hangover isn't an excuse for not training after all...
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