Macphail
THE editorial powers-that-be at this fine newspaper are clearly tiring of my dull weekly dribble about music.
This, coupled with my recent relocation from the partying, bohemian ghettos of the leisure pages to the prestigious leafy suburbs of the letters district, means they have pressed upon me to steer away from music a little more often than before.
In accordance with this, I’m going to introduce my most recently and accidentally acquired hobby – running.
As part of the usual gimmickry of social media marketing when we were releasing the Alive single a few weeks ago, Andrew and I boldly (stupidly?) promised that if the song made it into the top 80 on the mainstream charts, we would run the Tiree half-marathon in April.
We were delighted that it surpassed all our expectations and reached number 26.
This was all well and good, but it means that two of the most unlikely long- distance runners in the history of the sport have to deliver on that ridiculous and ill- conceived pledge and now must prepare our combined 36 stone to move unaided over 13 miles of road and beach by April.
In seriousness, both of us had said over recent times that we must start improving our fitness and that as we are approaching the horrors of middle age, we need to keep a few steps ahead of mother nature and compensate for too many years of abusing our bodies with music and all that goes with it.
We’ve luckily managed to get away with it so far and are both pretty healthy, but physical wellbeing is not something to take for granted and we are not getting younger.
So, in accordance with my pontificating on New Year resolutions of a few weeks ago, a new endeavour has been tentatively embarked on.
We are not planning to pursue this any further than April and don’t strive to set any records. Getting round the course and doing something healthy for a few months is all we are concerning ourselves with.
It has actually been a very pleasant experience so far. I’ve seen parts of Glasgow and Fort William that I have never seen before, and the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal are becoming as familiar to me on visits to Glasgow as the gantry of the Park Bar – and in the morning it’s the legs and feet that are screaming at me and not my head and my conscience.
If we don’t pick up any injuries, and if we don’t give in too often to that lazy but loud voice in the head that can craft the most convincing arguments against unnecessary physical activity, then hopefully progress will be made and by April 29 we will be fit enough to finish.
If we do manage it, we may well be happy to celebrate with a less healthy ‘half’-marathon of a different kind.
Updates on progress will be given periodically over the following months, and we may speed up one of our songs from Walking to Running on the Waves!