Volunteer's remorse!

So it turns out I'm the chosen one!

It was around 3 or 4 weeks ago that the Trustees of the Companies of Actuaries Charitable Trust, asked me to set out reasons why from all the different volunteers that had offered to complete the marathon why I should be the one that was to do it. After sending away my application email I had half expected to hear back whether I was chosen or not fairly quickly. So after a couple of weeks of not hearing anything, I was pretty much convinced that my application had been unsuccesful. To be honest I felt a bit disappointed but also a sense of relief.

However, on Thursday morning, I received the following email from, one of the Trustees, Alan:

Dear Gary,

With apologies for the time it has taken us to decide, we would like to offer you the place in next year’s London Marathon.

If you wish to take this up please let me know and we can start putting the arrangements in place to maximise sponsorship and also let the other applicants know that the place is taken.

With best wishes

Alan

 

At this point I started to panic, I was not expecting this, my initial reaction was to write back to Alan blaming temporary insanity for my application and to politely decline. However I forwarded the email on to my wife, Lynne, and my colleagues Diane and Martin, who thought this was amazing news. Although I'm pretty sure Lynne was most excited at the prospect of a weekend of shopping and sightseeing in London. Anyway I got caught away in the excitement and attention of it all, that I convinced myself this was the best thing to have happened to me since passing CA1.

However since accepting I keep getting the occasional fleeting feeling of "volunteer's remorse", I also get the feeling that it may become worse as training needs to become intense. However I want to stay positive and make good changes.

The below text exchange with Lynne from my journey home from work on Friday night shows you how serious I'm taking this opportunity:

No real athlete would eat two Chinese in one day!

Anyway Saturday morning was my first run in a long (long, long) time, I actually felt not too bad considering, and completed a 6.6km course in 39 minutes and 2 seconds. Although my legs are feeling it a bit today (Sunday).

 

Watch out for these lovely pins in and around Dunfermline over the next 4 months!

 

 

In the next few weeks I should have my just giving page set up and will be able to profile some donors of the week.

 

Wish me luck!