But isn’t it always the way that when you’ve had something
in the diary for ages, something else crops up on the same day. In my case, my
local team Brentford reaching the League One playoff final at Wembley.
I’m an Everton fan first and foremost, but finances and life
commitments mean I can’t watch Everton as much as I’d like to, so I like to
watch Brentford a few times a season as well. I love going to Brentford, it’s
like football as I remember it from being a kid. You can usually buy a ticket
on the gate, without going through an overpriced and hugely complicated
ticketing system. You can sit where you like. And there’s never a dull moment
following Brentford’s progress, certainly not since I moved to the area.
For reasons we can only begin to guess at, the kick-off time
for the playoff final is 1.30 (perhaps the organisers dislike Yeovil Town fans
and want to make them get up really early?). My 10k starts at 10.30. If I run
it at the same pace as last year, this gives me 2 hour, 5 mins and 10 seconds
to get from Gunnersbury Park to Wembley. Hmm…
So I’m in a quandary. There are 3 options available to me:
1.
Try to run faster than I’ve ever run before. Shaving
a bit more off my time could get me a few extra minutes to negotiate the TfL
bus network, maybe even allowing me time to change out of my stinky running kit
before the match. However, it may lead to me having an asthma attack that lasts
long enough to see us through to penalties.
2.
Just take it easy on the 10k race, cross the
finish line and keep going to Wembley, marking it down as a bonus long run
instead and finding another chance to PB my 10k time. Might get time to change
out of my stinky running kit at Wembley instead. And ensure someone in the
Brentford end has a medal.
3.
Skip the race entirely and transfer my entry to
a less Wembley-bound individual.
Ooh, the dilemma!
