Always listen to Mother ...

Mother is applauded as she announces
she's in training for the marathon.
(Snap from NBC's broadcast of the
London Olympics Opening Ceremonies)

It should have come as little surprise to the throng gathered in Olympic Stadium last night that the Queen would announce her plans to run a marathon. After all, if you can make an entrance in bold fashion by parachuting from an aircraft in the dark, training for a mere marathon must be like going for a walk along the Thames. I believe I can see in her eyes a clear message to me, saying "if the queen of England can do it, so can you!" And who am I to challenge the Queen Mother? I will dutifully comply with her wishes, even if - as an American citizen - I am not legally bound to oblige.

After all, I'm not the first mere mortal to tie up the laces of a pair of running shoes and go where only the great have gone before. It seems that Mr. Bean has done the same thing himself. If Mr. Bean can train with the likes of Eric Liddel and Harold Abrahams, then I can get out there on the sands, erm ... streets of Baton Rouge and get with the program. It's even possible that I could excel at this, as Mr. Bean did, leading that group of famous runners from the British Isles. It's not that big a stretch. Is it?

Eric Liddel thrills in the joy of running
(Snap from NBC's broadcast of the
London Olympics Opening Ceremonies)

Mr. Bean leads the pack
(Snap from NBC's broadcast of the
London Olympics Opening Ceremonies)

TODAY'S WORKOUT: Long run (sic) of 3.1 miles (3.0 on the schedule). Planned pace - 15:00 min per mile; actual pace - 14:13 min per mile. Just really hard to go that slow. Did our third day of active-isolated stretching, before heading out. No tweaks worth mentioning. Not sure, but maybe the stretching is having an effect. Too early to say for sure. We'll see after three weeks.