Final Preparations

My wife has been gathering all the things I'll need for the past few weeks. I've also condescended to getting a few items. My normal packing strategy is to wait until the day before travelling, or even the day itself, and just dump everything in. [First thing always is to ensure the running gear is either packed or I'm wearing it. I always wear the shoes - you'll be able to get away with forgetting everything else!!]

This time things are a lot different. There'll be no running gear. I don't know when I'll need the gear (for serious running) again. Obviously I can wear some gear when I'm convalescing, but it's not the same.

Last night I finally started getting all the gear together. I won't be bringing too much as (obviously!) I won't be dressing for dinner! However I will be bringing, amongst other things, T-shirts - particularly "Brag Shirts", e.g. top 50 Ballycotton shirts. Now that'll be a barrell of laughs; guy wearing top 50 Ballycotton t-shirt shuffling down the corridoor, doing something like 5 minutes for 100m! Still every step taken is a step closer to recovery.

Today I had to phone the Urologist's reception, to see what the procedure is wrt admission etc., and to try to find out what time of day I'm scheduled. Well he's got four scoping procedures first and then me. Hearing that didn't really fill me with great desire - I nearly felt weak. I suppose it is becoming real. When I saw Mr. Q in mid March and later got the date for surgery, I felt that May 22nd was in the distant future. No more - it's upon me. I really do not want to go ahead with this, but I find the alternatives, as I've outlined in previous posts, are not attractive. The 'run away and do nothing' option sounds VERY attractive, but, over the horizon, in 5 - 15 years, the vista is then very bleak.

Thursday 22nd, the day of the op., I'd normally be heading to Ballyandreen, a townland near Ballycotton, for the first of the Ballycotton 5 Summer Series. I look forward to this series all year. Not so this year.

Thursday week would have been my 22nd consecutive participation in this race. I've done 83 in the series all told. Hopefully I'll be able to get around the final race of the 2008 series, the Ballycotton 5, on the fourth Thursday in August. I don't care if I have to walk it!