Chasing Cars

“You must really love running!” I’m often told.



A logical assumption for all of you suffering in silence the constant squawking & hawking of Nike+ and my repeated pleas for sponsorship. Hmm… *love* running?… Not on your freakin’ life!

“Everybody Wants to Run the World”! Tears For Fears informed us in 1986 at the launch of Sport Aid. Always a sucker for a good cause (and a jaunty tune), I decided not to run the risk of Saint Bob bawling for me to “get awf yer feckin’ arse!“ but rather run with the herd. Thus I first embarked upon training for this and several subsequent 10k’s.

Then for a number of years, life rather got in the way and there came a time I could barely contemplate eating a Marathon, never mind running one (Before Snickers, confectionery fans). In fact, this time last year I could probably be found using the wii Fit board as a rudimentary drinks table, such was my sloth like regime of inactivity.

It wasn’t like I needed to lose weight or anything, although I commented to a friend at the time that a mild shortness of breath when labouring made me fearful that I’d never outrun a live wolf let loose in a club - and upon such an eventuality would have to rely on hefting slower beings than I at the feral beast. This concerned me somewhat. I didn’t want to be remembered as the guy that feeds ailing children to wolves…

So I cleared the beer cans from the wii Fit board set about heaving some weights. Well, I say ‘weights’… AA batteries can be quite a strain at times, and the wii requires loads of the buggers.


See I’ve never been a fan of the gym. I’ll happily be a little fuzzy around the edges rather than pay a monthly subscription to breath in the fetid funk of others whilst being assaulted by shit music. Now there’s a room just crying out for a live wolf!


And the on-set of human frailty doesn’t help. Whilst I don’t consider myself old - with a mental age jostling with my IQ for single digits - my bones are starting to tell me somewhat prematurely otherwise. For a number of years now I’ve sheepishly rocked up at chiropractors, doctors and medical consultants in a bid to put a name to my (joint) pain. For a while I humoured the latter by the popping of a gaggle of pills seemingly founded on guesswork and hunches. Until one day a new bag of pharmaceutical candies upon closer inspection offered up ’Heart Attack’ among its worryingly high number of ’Highly Likely’ side effects. Hmm… Slight joint pain / heart attack?… Tough choice…

So, now off the droogs, I’ve learnt to just ignore these Lego limbs - stiff and feeling like they could snap out with little effort. Sure, they can be uncomfortable, but it’s a mild inconvenience only. Nothing more. I mean, there are so many other poor souls out there who really have things they could be complaining about. Right?

Right.



And so it was, when top dude Matt James went and ran a freakin’ marathon last year, I was inspired to once again don the trainers and hit the streets again. Now whilst there are many ways to skin a cat, fox a wolf, and raise money for charity, there are some I draw the line at. For instance, I’ll never willingly jump out of a plane. Not unless I’m flying over the Andes with the Uruguayan rugby team on board…


Following Matt’s epic journey via the joys of Twitter, I realised this was something I could be doing - something I should be doing. And so with four months training, it was my great pleasure to run alongside Matt last September in the Great North Run, my very first half marathon.

The rest you’ve been bored with and cajoled out of your money by numerous times now. Thank you. You see, I really don’t love running. But I really do love parting people from their cash in the aid of a great cause.


Please don’t weep when I inform you there are plenty more afoot in 2012. This June will see me attempt - with the great Matt James - seven marathons over five days, with another marathon later that month. For as long as my battered joints continue to support me - and as long as you continue to support the cause(s), whilst I’m certainly far from ‘loving’ it - running’s what I’ll do.


My very first full marathon will be in Brighton this April, on behalf of the Make A Wish Foundation. You know the drill…


http://www.justgiving.com/steverosiermaw


Forever thanks for your support.


Stay Positive.


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