Catch up

I haven't posted since coming back from Poland a week ago. So much has happened since then, both in Poland and with the running, that it's hard to summarise. Instead then, I shall break down my lifetime's worth of thoughts into chronological chunks.

For now, let me just give the headlines:

- A tense final week as hip problems posed a huge threat and circumstances at home meant I had to make the Paris trip alone.

- Alone I went and embarked on a weekend to remember: a hectic Saturday involved much travelling and little resting but got me where I needed to be.

- Sunday, race day and the climax of months of training and speculation: 3h 48, no stoppages. History is made!

- Now back in the country, revelling in the glory and basking in the pain.

First, a disclaimer for why I didn't post last week. Usually I'm eager to hype up big events in my life and have no problem with raising expectations. But when one wants something so much it's often torture to think about it, with the fear of failure crippling one's mind. There are few things I've yearned for as much as the Paris Marathon and there were so many things that could go wrong that I dared not allow myself the indulgence of thinking ahead. Best to keep a low profile and emerge the other side, whatever the outcome, I felt.

Now that I have emerged, I do have much to say. Let's start by winding the clock back a week...