Exciting news - PDSA have done a press release for me: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/managed/pr_media_releases_action.html?id=889

Also, inspired by the recent work done to get this written up, I've dusted off the ol' bunny suit and being entitled and priviledged enough to be granted 1/2 a day off today this Maundy Thursday, I donned said suit and headed for the Royal Parks for a bit of central London training!

I bemused tourists and business folk alike as I left my "Government Department" offices and hopped skipped and jumped through Westminster and Victoria, waving merrily to the armed police outside Scotland Yard. My human running buddy Ellie took some snaps outside the famous NSY logo, and then promptly (and prob wisely) left me at St James Park tube. No sooner had I scuttled off down a side street then I was stopped by a panda (!) car whose window wound down and asked me in no uncertain terms what I was doing. Well, wasn't it obvious? Apparently to Met Polices' finest, I could have been potentially plotting to break into Buckingham Palace and attacking the Queen herself (also an animal lover!)

So to the smug satisfaction of passers by I was issued with a 'stop and question' form - with the formal grounds being "seen running in a rabbit suit ... stopped and spoken to ... to ensure nothing untoward". The amusing thing was that there is a 'clothing' section which describes my upper body as "white bunny rabbit suit".

So with my official endorsement, I headed through Cockpit Steps and through St James Park - joining the regular crowd of serious runners that I spend most other days with. I saw fellow Orpington Road Runner John Mackay in Green Park who probably wisely chose to ignore the big bunny suit until I ran past him twice. Plenty of honks at Wellington Arch as I waited to cross over into Hyde Park. More photos with tourists, more excitable french schoolkids. One lap of the Serpentine later, I was feeling a little soggy as it was lightly raining and also difficult to get a good heat exchange out of my bunny head. It gets hot in there!!!  So I make it back to my "Government Department" only to find the side door locked shut. I hop round to the front door where a well known satellite broadcast company's camera was set up having perhaps interviewed the Minister on an important matter of state. Let's hope the film wasn't still rolling!  Into the building, past a bemused but nontheless alert security layer and back to a nice cosy shower. Yummy.

So the question is, I've done about 5-6 miles in the suit with no obvious problems. Yeah it's a bit tougher but it wasn't too too bad. Shall I make the next test doing the Paddock Wood 1/2M in the suit?  I really really enjoyed the amusement it brought to people's faces, esp the little kids who were happy that they'd seen the Easter Bunny a day or two before Easter Sunday. This is of course the true meaning of the break, right?! :)

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