Running to a standstill...
That's what it feels like I've been doing lately as I've juggled work with my marathon training, not to mention everything else. And as a result this blog has barely got off the ground, but really you haven't missed much!
I just wanted to comment on a couple of issues that have caught my eye in recent weeks, firstly the scare-mongering edict from NICE over whether expectant ladies should ever expect a drink! Obviously anyone with half a braincell is not going to get paralytic during pregnancy, but one of the most bizarre arguments put forward (I think it was on BBC Breakfast) was that "What if a woman had got drunk unaware of 'her condition'!"
While I imagine a fair number of conceptions are aided and abetted by one or two glasses of wine or the odd G&T, any woman actively trying to get pregnant will be aware of the risks anyway.
But on the otherhand Britain is the teen pregnancy capital of Europe, and I don't doubt that is as much down to drink as it is to ignorance and not practising safe sex.
But for decades women have enjoyed the occasional sherry or sip of champagne at family parties without being told "ooh be careful of baby". Obviously I'm not suggesting that NICE's decision is wrong, it's good to get some clarity, but it doesn't seem that long ago we were all being told that one unit (a week? not sure?) was fine.
Again would a woman drink every night, knowing she was having a baby?
Then there's that bloke who used to be a woman but didn't have her/his (?) reproductive organs removed who is, if the pix in Daily Mail are to be believed (and I'm not so sure) is pregnant by his/her lesbian partner.
What rules does he/she have to adhere to? It's all very confusing...
But then, in the week that the Mental Health Foundation published their Boiling Point report on the nation's anger issues, I was confounded by the London Marathon bosses decision to allow Lloyd Scott to plod the 26.2 mile course in a 9ft robot suit, on stilts!
Don't get me wrong, his slightly bonkers feats of endurance raise thousands for charity, and that is always a good thing.
So can anyone tell me why then a seasoned marathon runner like forumite "micknphil" - a father approaching 50 who pushes his disabled teenage son around courses in his wheelchair, and posts pretty respectable times - are denied a place at teh back of the starting grid on health and safety grounds?
It just doesn't make sense...
Anyway that's your lot for tonight, I'm off to lie down in a darkened room to calm down :-)
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