I've just received a round-robin email from a relative telling us that she is pulling out of the London Marathon on Saturday due to injury.
It goes without saying that she has worked hard for it and is bitterly disappointed. (I think that those of us who regularly do long distances forget what "working hard" really means for someone doing that distance - or anything close - for the first time.)
I want to persuade her to "do it anyway". And I'd really appreciate a few comments from this forum for and against.
So how bad's the injury? Not sure, but she's walking. So my argument centres around balancing the once-in-a-lifetime nature of the challenge (she's in her fifties, chances of doing the marathon again...) against the physical damage which may result.
On the face of it, a no-brainer. Protect yourself. And do things sensibly.
And yet.
I can't help feeling that in some circumstances you should just go for it. Injuries heal or sometimes don't. The notion of "saving your knees" presupposes there's some epic struggle on the horizon for which you are holding yourself out for. My argument is that the epic struggle for her has arrived. And it's on Saturday.
I know some of you have run through injury, and much else besides. Could you help me with my argument? Or bring me to my senses?