Under starters' orders
The night before the half-marathon. The Watson household is fizzing with anticipation and nervous banter. We’ve all been preparing in our unique ways:
Lucy has been working at Toys R Us and worrying about the run;
Emma has been stencilling THE MOLDOVA PROJECT onto T-shirts for us to wear;
Paul has been mostly eating, and last night consumed a moussaka intended for eight people;
and me, I’ve basically been pushing Kit in his buggy, working on my TV pilot, and occasionally pausing to think ‘fuck me, I’m about to run 13 miles’. I did have a deep tissue massage this morning, though. I enjoyed it, but to be honest, the way life is with a six-month-old, just lying down in a dark room for an hour would be a tweet whether someone rubbed your legs or not.
We should all be in bed now so I’ll sign off. Naturally, tomorrow there will be a full report on what’s being called the biggest sporting event in the Watson family since our floodlit table-tennis tournament on holiday in Italy last year. Brief summary of my worries:
-Getting trapped behind really slow people
-Or trying to go too fast and burning out
-Getting cramp
-Trying not to go the toilet because of prohibitive queues, holding on too long, ‘doing a Paula’
-Failing to finish the bastard thing
…on which note, thank you so much for all your generous sponsorship. Incredibly, we’re now past £1000. Which is lovely. But it will be a lot nicer if we succeed in actually running this race. Goodnight.
UPDATE: I wrote ‘tweet’ instead of ‘treat’. That truly is a sign of the times. I’m leaving it as it is.
Posted by Tibbs on September 5, 2010
Good luck to you and your family! I’m sure you’ll all do great!
Posted by Tom Beasley on September 5, 2010
Good luck Watsons!
Posted by Rachael on September 5, 2010
Good Luck, Hope you still have enough energy to blog afterwards x
Posted by Carl on September 5, 2010
Try and enjoy it!
Posted by amycool on September 5, 2010
I thought tweet was a new-fangled word like the word blast in “It will be a blast”, but treat fits much better.
The worst than can happen is that you have to walk some of it, and that still means you get the £1000 for your sisters’ amazing charity, so the worst is still very good. Well, actually, worse things could technically happen but they’re too unlikely to consider.
Good luck!
Posted by SarahV on September 5, 2010
Good luck Watsons, doing it as a familly will push you on.
Posted by Anna on September 5, 2010
Good luck!
Posted by Catherine on September 5, 2010
I agree with Misha’s advice as it is funny and practical. Good luck, to all you Watsons. Cheers!
X cathy
Posted by Rachel Winter on September 5, 2010
I liked the ‘tweet’ bit.
my mum often says she’s ‘tweeted me earlier’, when she means texted.
good luck for tomorrow – i’m glad that by the sounds of it it’s a group effort? and that you won’t be alone.
13 miles will sail by you’ll see. just pretend your running to a (rather far away) garage shop for something urgent for Kit.
good luck again!! x
Posted by Ally on September 5, 2010
Good luck to you all!
Posted by lisan66 on September 5, 2010
Good luck to everyone! x
Posted by Kate B on September 4, 2010
Good luck to you all, with all that training what could possibly go wrong?! You’ll do great.
Posted by Kate W on September 4, 2010
Go Watsons! You’re doing a brilliant thing and even if something unexpected happens and you don’t all finish the full 13 miles, the important thing is that you’re doing it. Well done.
Posted by Alex on September 4, 2010
Good luck, I’m sure you’ll be marvellous, despite the fact that you are running 13 miles and therefore all clearly insane.
Posted by Megan on September 4, 2010
I love that your family is so committed to this together. I couldn’t even convince my brothers to join my team in the Breast Cancer benefit race last year – and our mother died of the disease. And it was only 5K. They did sponsor me generously, at least.
Best of luck tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be great! I am facing 16K training in the rain tomorrow and that seems terrible daunting right now.
Posted by MusicalLottie on September 4, 2010
I hope it all goes well! By the end of it you may never wish to even think the words ‘run a half-marathon’ (in any order) but hopefully you’ll mostly feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment.
You’ll all get to the finish line, I’m sure of it
*sends huge virtual cheers now seeing as, per usual, she’ll be nowhere near Bristol tomorrow*
Posted by helen on September 4, 2010
please survive. for your own sake mostly, but i’m doing a half-marathon in a few weeks and i suspect you are better at the running than me so it will scare the bejesus out of me…
xx
Posted by Hannah Mae on September 4, 2010
Good luck, Watsons! xxx
Posted by Someone on September 4, 2010
Good luck, you’z over therez! You can do it!
Don’t hit the wall. Avoid the wall. Walk around the wall.
And try enjoy it! – Look at me motivationally speaking. :]
Posted by Katie on September 4, 2010
You’ll do a grand job, don’t worry! Good luck to all of you.
X
Posted by Kathryn on September 4, 2010
Just keep putting one leg in front of the other, and it’ll be fine. And £1000 is incredible.
Posted by Misha on September 4, 2010
Good luck Watson’s!
And remember, if you think you’re going to wet yourself, “accidentally” spill a copious amount of water down your front/crotch and no-one will notice.
Advice like that is why I don’t do marathons, even half ones.
Posted by Simone on September 4, 2010
GOOD LUCK.
Posted by Shell on September 4, 2010
Fine preparations indeed. Good luck Watson family!
Pace each other and enjoy the euphoria when you finish.
x
Posted by Helen on September 4, 2010
Good Luck to you all!! x
Posted by Laurs on September 4, 2010
Good luck to all the Watsons, you’ll all be ace! xxx
Posted by Natalie-Helen on September 4, 2010
Good Luck to all of you! I know you will do brilliantly and am so please the sponsership is doing well!
^_^
x
Posted by Beth on September 4, 2010
Good luck Mark and the rest of the Watson family. I’m sure you’ll all be brilliant! x
Posted by Zoe Fell on September 4, 2010
Good luck Watsons, you’ll be fantastic.
Xxxx
Posted by Rachel/Pandora on September 4, 2010
Good luck to the assorted Watsons, you’ll be fab. x