Date: Sunday, October 13, 2019
Distance: 13.1 miles
Listened to: My friend Lisa and random tunes, including The Greatest Showman
In my last blog post, I listed my efforts for preparing for my second half marathon – the Great West Run in Exeter. If you remember, this was supposed to be my first half after I bought this for myself and my husband John for Christmas to give me something to aim for in 2019. John then trumped my gift with a half in March!
As I crossed the line for No 1, I told John that I would never run another half. Well…not so. I don’t like to waste money – my Dad would never forgive me – and I wanted to run a better half.
Aside from a blip of a cold, I managed to keep to John’s six-week half marathon plan. I also ended September with 15 sweaty miles (across two days) in Venice to collect my 75-mile medal for the month.
The following Friday, I ground out 12 miles on the hilly roads of Kingsbridge before swapping the canals of Venice for the waterways of Birmingham. Bridge of Sighs one weekend…Black Sabbath Bridge the next. I shuffled some hungover miles before heading into tapering territory.
Cue…panic. Tapering makes me worry that I will forget how to run! It is a very bizarre feeling, but I was determined to trust John’s plan. At night though, tapering was not occurring! Fitful sleep and stress dreams (involving runs with water stations where they would not give you water and stewards who did not know which way you should be running) invaded the night and I was convinced I was getting a cold all week.
And then there was the weather. Rain was forecast; lots of rain.
Despite all this doom and gloom, I still had an inkling of confidence boosted by the fact my friend Lisa would be running with me. I was looking forward to running with her. We knew our limitations, but we were determined to get the job done.
We also had John and super-fast Kate (another Kingsbridge-based amazing athlete) to keep us company on the journey up there and in the queues for the toilet (not John as this point). We were a convivial, supportive team dressed in matching bin bags to thwart the rain.
In fact, the rain stayed away, aside from a little drizzle, and the autumnal temperature suited my sweaty, toasty, pre-menopausal inner heating system. When we set off, the legs did not go rigid and they did not give up as we faced the first of many hills. ‘Undulating’, I think the phrase is for this course!
Lisa and I stuck together for the first three miles and I thank her for that. I’m not overly keen on the start of races and her presence definitely made me calmer. I could have used her influence when I had a panic at mile five when I thought I was running downhill and was contemplating the three-mile walk uphill on the return leg of this out-and-back.
In lieu of Lisa’s zen-like aura, I glanced at my wrists where I had written the names of my inspirations: ‘Dad’ on my left and ‘Tait’ on my right. You know about my Dad by now; I simply asked him to help me. Tait is my cousin’s son. He has a life-limiting condition and has never been able to walk unaided. I love him and he makes me keep running.
Meanwhile, I saw some friendly faces on the other side of the road. I high-fived John, Ross and Alex, slapped Kate on the arm (as she did not raise her hand – ooops) and gave Simon a cheer. It really helped to see fellow Kingsbo folk before nearing the turn.
I needn’t have worried though as it would seem I had been subjected to an an optical illusion. I had been running mostly uphill by that point and the return was downhill. I like running downhill! Although I walked for a few seconds from time to time, my confidence grew with every step. I knew I would finish. I started talking to people who were alongside me, high-fived some kids on the roadside, thanked supporters and smiled. I drew the line at the Kipchoge crowd point but I felt good. I did not want to chop my legs off.
The last bit of the race had an unnecessary rise and then a lap around the race track at Exeter Stadium watched by others. Oh lord. No time for a stroll or to even hear my work colleague Mike give me a shout. Sorry Mike. I finished with a smile on my face and my crew were waiting even through they had finished between 20 and 30 minutes before me!
John and Kate whizzed round in 1hr 46mins. Kate finished 7th in our age group! I managed 2hr 21mins, which was faster than my very flat last half. I came 76th out of 122 and that’s ok with me! The best bit was not feeling defeated by my lack of ability. I walked a bit, but I did well enough to be chuffed with my improvement. Progress has been made and that’s enough for little old me.
Two other musings from the Great West Run. The first, it was great to see the water stations using paper cups. Well done. Less plastic is always good. I hope other races follow suit.
The second is that I used a sports drink (powder mixed with water in my own plastic bottle) to give me some energy and Lisa had sent me sports jelly beans, so I had some of those too. But by mile eight, I was craving cheese! I felt bad ignoring all the kids who were offering my jelly babies, but I could not bear the itchy teeth feeling from having consumed so much sugar. If someone had offered me a cube of cheese, I would have been so happy! Could that be a thing? Surely, there could be a savoury option that would work just as well. Answers on a postcard please!
No 2 is done and dusted. Lisa (blue top in middle photo above) and I are already looking for our next race. We do not know what has happened to us, but we are running with it.
Running for Dad 