. And then, just three weeks before New York, I got bored. I dived headfirst into the chalice of Mammon, abandoning exercise, sleep and vitamins in one fabulous, self-immolating firework display of stupidity.In 20 days I had aged as many years. I was like

.And yet the intense feeling of relief that overwhelmed me on that occasion was nothing compared to the all-suffusing ecstasy I experienced as I tottered off Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan at Mile 16 of the New York City Marathon.It was the contrast, I

.Indeed in New York’s Central Park, where the runners are exclusively short, spherical, middle-aged ladies, The Twelve-Minute Mile Rule is generally observed. Out West, of course, they’re very laid back. In fact, there’s fierce competition between Californians