London Marathon 2010 by Phoenixnight

Four times I've applied for the London Marathon...and four times I've been rejected. Is there some special technique for getting accepted? Do I need to change my postcode, age or sex? Should I claim to be a sub 2:30 runner? How about changing my name by deed poll to Richard Branson?

Answers on a postcard, or a tweet please if you're that way inclined.

And if you do Tweet me, can you please explain how it works? I'm on there but haven't the foggiest idea how I got there, or what I'm doing on it...but I was told I had to be on it. I have some complete strnager following me on it inviting me to look at her (or his) photos, but I'll just ignore it.

Thinking about it, it could be one of those strange people that I pass in the car whilst out on my run. I have just discovered, with the darkening nights, that my run over the moors takes me through a notorious (ahem) dogging site. I wondered why the same car would pass me very slowly 2 or 3 times during a run.

Not a world I care to inhabit. I am looking for a new route.

I was travelling back to Bolton from Liverpool Airport the other day when a funny thing happened.

The girls were with me and it had been a terrible journey along the M62. It was the sort of trip that is very British...slow down at every junction, perhaps even stop, before speeding up again, just to slow down at the next junction.  A journey that should take 40 minutes ends up being more than double that and has you vowing to emigrate to get away from the traffic and lousy weather.

And then we hit the M60 and started crawling on that motorway as well. Bored, I looked to my right and did a double take. There, in the passenger seat of an old red Fiesta, was a guy done up in a clown's outfit.

I looked at him. He looked at me.

I waved. He waved back.

Before we knew it, we were all laughing our heads off, and the journey didn't seem so bad after all.

Obviously we won't stay in touch, but I'm sure we'll all remember The Clown in the Car.

So...any support out there for a national Take a Clown for a Ride in the Passenger Seat of your Car Day? The economy is on its knees, the currency is worth nothing, but laughing your head off on a rush hour journey is priceless.

Any politician who has this as part of his manifesto gets my vote.

Well, the original intention of providing a weekly update to accompany my (ahem) weekly training session has well and truly bitten the dust. I've managed to keep exercising pretty regularly, though it's not always been running.

Perhaps someone else can answer this though. When both parents work, and you've got 3 kids, how on earth do you manage to find room for "us-time" in the marriage? Short of stretching the day to 30 hours I'm struggling. Walkinground Asda at 11.30pm doing the shopping is not my idea of fun.

I'm pretty sure in in mid-mid-life crisis mode. I've taken up Thai boxing again after a 25 year gap. I first did this in Manchester in the mid 80s under the legendary Master Toddy. I looked him up the other day, to see that he'd decamped some years ago and was now a trainer to the stars in Las Vegas. In terms of a total body workout Muay Thai takes some beating, as it exercises your entire body, and the 100 or so sit-ups we do each session helps the waist.

Today was a really big day, as it was little Benni's first day at school. I'm never sure whether it's more traumatic for the child or for the parent. It just makes you realise that they are not babies for ever, and how precious that time is.

Anyway, the good news is that I've found the Polar Heart Rate watch, so I can start to monitor with a degree of accuracy as to how far I am running and the times. 4 hours for the Virgin London Marathon is looking a long way away at the moment!!

Just a quick update. Having seen the two pictures 20 years apart, we've now had the bright idea of using them as fridge "magnets" to keep that motivation up.