However much I love to hate them, I still love them grudgingly, just a little bit. Berlin – in October 2007 – was an altogether different kind of experience, one that makes me shiver even now whenever I think about it. My marathon-running career has been remarkably free from injury provided I change my running shoes fairly promptly once my knees start aching. I also have to transfer across to the new shoes the little inserts which correct, to a degree, my bandy legs. Decent shoes and a little bit of in-shoe support have kept me running through the years, for which I am eternally grateful. However, it's not just about the aches and the pains, the twists and the stresses. It's also about the sniffs and the snuffles, and when they hit you, there's really not much you can do about it. Marathons are set up to make sure you run only if you are fit; London Marathon places are much prized things, but the organisers really, really, really don't want you to attempt it if you aren't fit, and they will do everything they can to put you off.
