Hurdle #10000

When my brother, Franck, decided to run two half marathons at the beginning of the year, all he had to do was sign up, train, turn up on the day and have fun. So you would think the same would apply in France. But no. This is France, where even the simple is not, in fact, simple.

How I imagine most French people react when naïve foreigners think things will be simple in France.

Ellie and I were told we had to get medical certificates. Medical certificates, for a HALF marathon?! Errrr. Ok... We put this down to the lack of free national health care (so much love for the NHS right now) and that the organisers didn't want there to be any unnecessary risks with insurance and people being too unfit to participate then pushing themselves too far. So off I went to get my medical certificate. The doctor was TERRIFYING (it's always nice when doctors scare their patients) but the appointment seemed pretty standard, just a bunch of medical questions, until she made me do 10 squats to see if they would make me huff and puff. I'm planning on running 13miles next week, 10 bodyweight squats are a ridiculous way to decide whether I'm fit enough or not. I thought I had passed with flying colours until she told me that I had to go and have an electrocardiogram (heart test thing) and that she would not give me my medical certificate until she had researched more into Narcolepsy and Modafinil (the medication I take).

This morning, with my ECG results in hand, I walked into the doctors room to be told that I am not allowed to run the Nice half-marathon, or any sports 'competition' in France. Why? Because Modafinil is considered to be a dopant and can affect my results. EXCUSE ME?! According to the NHS website it is a "central nervous systemstimulant", how is a central nervous systemstimulant meant to affect my body and the way I run?! All it does is keep me awake, and it hardly even manages to do that! Even if I was doped up to my eyeballs I would still be more likely to come last than win the race, I'm hardly Mo Farah!

Not me.

I am extremely disappointed. I registered to run this marathon hoping to challenge myself and have a fun time doing so. But now, because of some ridiculous rules, I have to watch from the side lines. I did not enter the run with the intention of it being a 'competition', I entered it so that I could push myself and work towards a goal. Now that has been absolutely shot in the foot.

Ellie and I are planning on having an emergency meeting to see how we can somehow get me into the race. Fingers crossed we succeed. I never actually realised how much I wanted to participate until I was told I could not.

Marie x