Beer, Sport ... and a bit of Running! by Brooksy

You know what it's like; you're just about to set off on a journey and you think, "do I need to go?" So to prevent any last-minute problems I thought I'd have a damn good blog well before departing for the Emerald Isle where a good time with friends and family awaits me ... oh, and the small matter of running 26.2 miles round the streets and parks of Dublin's fair city (where Guinness is so pretty?).

Now Javaly has put up another challenge ... to sing the entire Rocky Road to Dublin and post the video on here ... I'm just running a programme on my computer to calculate the number of pints it may take me to get in the sort of state to do such a thing. Certainly it will have to be post race I think! Had it been something simpler like the Wild Rover, then just a few pints, the odd whiskey and I'd be singing like a canary (obviously that's a tone-deaf canary with a sore throat). Anyway I'll give it some thought, For some reason, "I've been a wild rover for many's the year, and I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer", does seem more apt.

Anyway, singing aside, did anyone watch the China Grand Prix? No? Well good for you, unless you suffer from insomnia, in which case it would have been a good cure. Rarely have I witnessed such a dull sporting event. Congratulations to Hammy though, another step closer to being the youngest ever World Champion ... and a well-deserved win (still don't like him, but he sure can drive). If Massa wants to win it, he'll have to show more fighting spirit as the circus heads for the last race in Brazil.

Right, on to a bit of running. The training's done, the taper is almost complete and I do feel that the injuries are pretty-much behind me. My last few runs have been fairly comfortable, albeit very slow and I admit to being really disappointed that since the over-active-calf-muscle and stiff-foot problems it has felt like starting from scratch. So using Miserable Bleeder's car scale of fitness and in-keeping with the Irish theme, this week I classify myself as a Wild Rover - No More...

That's it till I get back. Till then best wishes to anyone else heading out for a run and I look forward to meeting the Dublinners on Sunday evening or perhaps even at the Breakfast run.

Actually before I go, I'd like to share a little story about Sobell House Hospice. A colleague of my wife had a relative who was being cared for by Sobell House Hospice in Oxford. Sadly he recently passed away, but one of the lovely things we were told was about the drinks trolley that was offered around meal-times. The lady's relative was always offered a pre-dinner drink during his time there. Whilst this may seem a minor thing to many, I for one can understand how a gin & tonic or such-like offers a degree of luxury and civility during what I am sure must be an abnormal and difficult time. I would love to believe that the few hundred pounds I manage to raise for Sobell House goes towards maintaining that trolley. Surely that's worth a few of your hard-earned pounds. Go on, get yer card out and have a cheeky little click below. For those that already have, I hope you agree that it is money well-spent.

Cheers!

... and it's no nay never (stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp) no nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never, no more