An international adventure…



Running in foreign lands holds a mystique, and for this dicky ticker runner a few problems – across continental Europe some race organisers ask for ECGs, others for positive approval from medics for undertaking an event.

Whilst I’m sure I could get a copy of my ECG, I’m not sure it would help much – let's face it there’s plenty of general cardiologists who wouldn’t get my ECG and what it meant, let along alone if it's was flaky.  The positive approval thing is an interesting one, I’m encouraged to exercise – indeed welcomed as a shining light (on the exercise if not the volumes of food I consume, but as I’ve often said I’m no saint and definitely no angel).  However, in an increasingly litigatoius age would any cardiologist risk saying I’m positively fine to pound the streets for a number of hours???

Which made the choice of international run easy – I needed somewhere that didn’t ask for ECGs, and a run organiser I trusted to have the right support in place.  Roll up Rock n Roll Dublin.   The added advantage was if anything bad did happen I’m fairly sure one of my old cardiologists is based in Dublin.  Yes, I know this is all ridiculous, I’m an ultra runner who defies convention… But in the small hours planning these adventures these things play on your mind…

The added bonus – being another Rock n Roll run, my descent into being a medal whore was facilitated to its highest level.  Like Liverpool in May there was a medal for the 5k, a medal for the long one – a half in this case – a remix medal for doing both and then… And then… A world rocker medal for doing runs in more than one country…


The runs themselves I’d prefer to forget – hilly, hot, humid, slow… But the main things is I did them, finished them and will smile each time I look at the medal which means I’m an international runner:-)

And now the hard work begins - I've just over a month to get myself in better shape for the GNR... Then a Scouse Run... Hmmm... More medals;-)

TTFN

Paul

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