Date Half Marathon - pre race

 I know, I know, you're all thinking "God, can it really be a year already", but yes my friends, times arrow and all that. So here we are, on the eve of the third weekend in April and naturally the eyes of the sporting world turn towards a small coastal town in northern Japan.
Those of you expecting more of the heroics from 12 months ago should take a look at the latest odds from Paddy Powers. I am an outside bet at 33-1 to even finish the race in the time allotted. Training has been, well, 'sporadic' with the more emphasis being placed on rest and recovery than any actual running. A lot of rest in fact, with very little recovery as there really wasn't all that much for me to recover from (unless you count the deciding France-Ireland match in the Six Nations). I am following my namesake Brian O'Driscoll in 'managing' rather than 'pushing' my body. And it has worked. Unlike previous years I am carrying no injuries into the race - my knees in particular are amazingly pain free. I am however, carrying an extra, ahem, 4 kilograms into the race.
Hence, the dwarves from the hills around Lake Toya reckon this could be the year they finally 'take me', most likely when we go through the tunnel on route 981. The word from sources close to the small people (i.e. Sanae) say that our bushy bearded bijou brethren will avenge the slights cast upon them in blogs past at the 15km water station.
Should I make it that far.