Well I'm bored out of my skull here so I'm going to inflict my boredom on all of you lot and tell you what a typical day is like at the holding camp in Doha. The hotel is excellent with good food and (thankfully) free internet. Outside is stiflingly hot and the only people you see on the pavement are labourers, the occasional person waiting for a bus, and idiots going for a run (myself and Andi). There are a few things to do like museums, markets and shops, but that's abut it.

Ok, so my day yesterday!

7am - 35 mins run with Andi from the hotel. We're in the middle of a load of main roads so we had to wait at massive intersections and the heat was unbearable. Didn't enjoy this at all.

8am - breakfast from the buffet. Chatted with Luke Gunn and Andy Vernon and ate cereals, fruit, egg and toast. The highlight was when what looked like a Wolverhampton Wanderers junior team walked in all in their kit and Dave Sunderland said to Vernon "Andy, they're all in their kit and you're not in England kit - they're showing you up". Andy retorted, "They're not really though are they? They're playing for some shitty football team and we're going to the Commonwealth Games." I spat my cereal out - I think they all heard it.

We drag meals out as long as possible, chatting. I was about to go when Luke Gunn said to me "don't leave, you'll die of boredom. Learn to drag out meal times."

10.30am - Chatted to girlfriend before she heads to work (we're 2 hours ahead here). Then sat in hotel lobby chatting to people.

12.30 pm - Lunch

2pm - Went to Souk Waqif - a spice market. It was closed until 4pm! Me, Luke and Andy found a cafe and had a coffee and wandered round a few of the open shops and then when it opened at 4pm we wandered round the spice shops. Pretty cool stuff.

5.40pm - Went to the sports centre on a bus and did 35 mins easy with Luke and Andi on the man made trail. The speakers do indeed boom out bird noises (and something that sounds like a pterodactyl would sound). Way nicer running when the sun is down. Watched the end of the 1500 boys session also.

8.30pm - Dinner, then faffed around on the web looking at the marathon start list and trying to work out how we can watch the bloody games in Doha! It's not on Tv and so we have to find on web somewhere.

11pm - bed. Was knackered and slept very well!

There you go, that's one of my more boring blog posts I reckon! But the point is I'm relaxing and eating and resting well. Concentrating hard on staying hydrated, and not just with water - keeping the electrolytes topped up with my Shotz hydrations tablets!

Ben

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