A dark cloud - with a silver lining

The news release was that the results of the public ballot for the marathon would be released at the start of October and they weren't kidding. On the mat in the porch on the morning of the 1st October was the pack. I'd read previously that if you donated your race money no matter what the result then you'd receive a sports jacket as a form of 'commiserations.' The outer packaging wasn't giving much away but the texture sure was. I was secretly hoping there would be a t-shirt saying congratulations but kind of knew what would be greeting me upon opening the pack. True enough I was greeted with the a front page covered in disappointed faces which said it all. The magazine came as a dual knife in that it commiserated me in my disappointment in not getting in and offered me a collection of alternative races in which I could enter. Or I could always raise £1500 and get a guaranteed place with my chosen charity. Funnily enough neither of these options came as much comfort. My mind is set on London and my heart is fixed on running it in 2011 and I will settle for nothing less. As for the amount of money that would need to be raised, I would never put that pressure on both myself and everyone else to raise such an amount.

That's where the silver lining comes, in two parts. The jacket that came with the pack was really nice as commiseration gifts come and in a way this has made me even more determined that it's all going to happen. I lay down two challenges today, one to my body and mind to get me over the line in London on the 17th April 2011 and the other to anyone else trying to stop me.

Rossifer x