A Tribute to Walton

It is with regret that I inform you that I will not be running the 2013 London Marathon, the knee has exploded…  April Fools!  Hmm, probably shouldn't tempt fate judging by the fact that I can’t go a week without a fresh injury.  Anyway, the Easter bunny has been very kind to me and I write this while munching on some Green & Black Sea Salt chocolate (overrated not as good as Lindt).  Let’s hop to it…

Over the bank holiday weekend I have fitted in 2 runs – 13 miles on Friday and 17 today.  The knee has been misbehaving and I regularly experience jolting pains under the bottom right hand side of the knee cap.  This has altered the way I run especially when taking corners, my left leg swings out (a similar arc to a tennis ball on a swingball http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swingball-7101-Mookie-Classic/dp/B0035ERNVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364843262&sr=8-1 ) to minimize the impact pain.  It will be “interesting” to see how this plays out for the marathon – if you see me in tears at the finish I hope it is due to the joy of finishing rather than the realization I might have crippled myself.

 

When I write my blog posts I am concerned about 3 things: how I am projecting myself (badly but at least honestly), whether the content is literate (I often make sense no) and that it is “vaguely” interesting.  Usually when I run I am thinking about what to post about next or observing my environment for interesting titbits.  For example, in Regent Park on Friday a big dog nearly floored me.  This is slightly interesting, maybe worth a mention but not interesting enough to get a section.  So today when I was running through Walton I thought “why don’t I write something about Walton!”.

Whenever I hear annoying obtrusive football fans chant “ENGLAND TILL I DIE”, in my head I replace ENGLAND with WALTON (-on-Thames http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton-on-Thames).  Walton is basically a medium size high street town with a small shopping centre (“The Heart” with a famous resident the older brother from My Family).  As a kid visiting Walton was a treat as had my two favourite shops – a pet shop (I still remember playing with the puppies in the back) and Hankards the local toy shop (was displaced when I was introduced to the Toys R’Us in Woking).  Both sadly closed but there were other landmarks in Walton to visit such as the Pubic Library (some comic genius had removed the L from the sign) and The Screen.  The Screen was a 2 screen cinema where I spent many a day in my youth.  One great experience was when I watched the Lion King and after my friend threw dirt in my eyes to recreate the Simba-Scar fight (“Your Majesty…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8nHCZqgFA8).  The seats were ridiculously tight and should have come with a thrombosis warning.  

I was quite the performer/entertainer/artist during my early teen years and attended Stagecoach in Walton.  This was where I performed my infamous chair dance to “All that Jazz”.  I was so proud of my performance I did a rendition back home for my family, this was a mistake, I was told I had the elegance of a hippo and have been teased for this ever since. 

It is a shame what has become of Walton, it has lost its character and is now like your typical high street -coffee bars (Shitbucks, Costa, Nero, etc.), restaurant chains (Nandos, Carluccio’s, GBK, etc.) and empty shopping units from deceased chains (Clintons, Birthdays, Woolworths, HMV and most recently Blockbusters). 

I hope to raise as much money as possible for RNIB as will be the last time in a while.  After the marathon I will be my volunteering my time to help and please let me know if you are also interested in getting involved. 

So to say thank you for your generous support and donations (https://www.justgiving.com/Pete-Tizard-London2012), please see below for a selection of thank you gifts (tat) for the amount you donate:

£10 - A thank you letter and a hand drawn picture (could be of anything but guaranteed to be bad)

£20 - A mug with the “bearded wonder” (this guy)

£30 – A T-Shirt with the “bearded wonder” (this guy)

£50 – A book made up of my blog posts and cover photos

£100 – Your initials in London (see http://figurerunning.com/blog/  – got no idea how difficult this will be, could regret this)

If you are not fussed about receiving the thank you gifts just say, I am happy to donate the cost of producing the gift (tat) toward RNIB in your name. 

That’s it, I’m off to eat some more chocolate and watch Jonathan Creek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q6FXOdDSP8).