Marathon Update - 8 weeks to go

This week's training has gone well, and although there are still eight weeks to go and a lot can happen in that time, I am starting to feel more confident and the training seems to be paying off. The two speed sessions this week went well, including the 3 x 1 mile interval session that for one reason or another has been put off for several weeks. Friday's 9 mile run done at marathon pace was followed by 19 miles on Saturday done at a good 9:10 m/m pace, and it felt as if I could have gone a bit further if necessary. In total this week's total was just over 45 miles.

This coming week there will be a 6 mile run with 4 miles done at 7:00 m/m pace - hopefully I will get within a few seconds of this pace this week. The only other main session is a 20 mile long run. Once again there will be a total of five runs, and the total mileage of about 46 miles.

The only thing this week that hasn't gone quite to plan is the marathon diet - which was put on hold for half-term. Therefore there has been a little chocolate, crisps, ice cream, pizza, burger and chips - as well as the more appropriate fruit and porridge. Back to normal this week!

I'm running the London Marathon for Christian Aid - if you would like to sponsor me you can do so at www.virginmoneygiving.com/keithtarring

Take a step

Monday is the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight 2013. What steps will you be taking this year?

One of the things that the Fairtrade campaign demonstrates is that lots of people making a small change can have a large impact. Once, you would have been hard-pressed to find the Fairtrade Logo in your local supermarket - maybe on one brand of coffee and a few bananas. Now you'll find it in many supermarket aisles on items such as clothing, honey, sugar, rice, wine, footballs and flowers. Some of the UK's favourite chocolate bars now carry the logo.

Beans, sheep and chickens

Maybe you have given up chocolate for Lent, but if not and you're tucking into your favourite bar have you ever thought about the communities that provide the raw ingredients required to make chocolate?

Here's a story from Bolivia that shows how Christian Aid, once again working through a local partner, have been able to help farming communities. 

Find out more about Ivana as she takes you round her local community in Bolivia, sharing how Christian Aid partner CIPCA has helped them to rear woolless sheep and chickens, ensuring they have food all year round.

On 21 April I will be running the London Marathon to raise funds for Christian Aid - so that in turn they can help communities like the one in the video. You can support me by visiting www.virginmoneygiving.com/keithtarring

A better way

Last Sunday we returned to our series looking at the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mark's gospel, and in 2:13-22 we find Jesus inviting a guy called Levi to follow him - which he does. And Levi then invites Jesus and the other disciples to his house for a meal with his friends and work-mates.

That might not seem all that amazing until we read the bit about Levi being a tax-collector. An un-popular profession in most cultures but especially so in first century Palestine. As a tax-collector you were working for the occupying army from Rome, you were siding with the enemy, and to top it off you were almost certainly adding a little to every bill - a little that would find it's way straight into your pocket. Levi was certainly not the sort of person you would expect Jesus to ask to follow him - and he was most certainly not the sort of person who you'd go and eat with - at least not unless you wanted to become ceremonially unclean. That's the reason why the Pharisees were so shocked at what they saw Jesus doing.

Yet Jesus is re-defining the whole way they understood the kingdom of God. It was not something you were born into, and you remained in as long as you did the right things and avoided the wrong things. It was not something that those who were inside needed to protect from those who were outside. No, the kingdom of God was something that you entered through repentance (1:15) and once on the inside you were to be looking outward and inviting others in too.

Jesus got invites to spend time with "tax-collectors and sinners", even though we know from examples such as Levi, Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler that he made radical demands on people's lives, demands to repent - to have your whole life turned upside down. But then as these people spent time with Jesus they came to see that what he had to offer was a better way of life.

How can we show that there is a better way this week?