Kabooom!!!! I DID IT! I've GRADUATED!!
"Let's all do the conga......let's all do the conga....da da da da....da da da da..."
I could not have been better prepared. Armed with my own personal playlist (bikergirl has got me all wrong. I'd never have Bucks Fizz on there!) and my freshly laundered running clobber, I set out at 9am into the grey dull day and started my warm up walk. Laura had been left behind on this run and I think she appreciated the lie in.
I tried NOT to think about timings and set off at a decent pace. But once Lady Endomondo announced the results of the first K at 5'33sec I thought "Hang on! That was a bit good." I was feeling pretty satisfied and my legs were in good shape. Breathing still a bit heavy which worried me a bit cos that's the only thing that I have slight difficulty with. I can't do the "in through the nose, out through the mouth" thing too well. Still, time will take care of that.
Across Richmond bridge and two walkers taking up the entire pavement. "They're bound to hear me" I thought, and I made my footfall heavier so that it made a kind of "runner coming along behind you, can you get out of the way purrrleeeease?" sound. It didn't work which meant I weas going to have to speak. Not an easy thing do when you're breathing like a rhinocerous giving birth. "Excuuuuuse me!" - the bloke hopped out of the way thankfully and I was on my way to my 2nd K.
2nd K - 5'42sec. "Tasty" I thought. Onto the third K across the park and I'm doing well - another 5'42sec. It started to rain and it was at this point that I noticed that my pants had somehow manoeuvered themselves into a rather alarming position. Let's just say that Tom, Dick and Harry weren't too happy about being strangled. "I can't complete the entire 5K with the boys in this state" I mused. There was nothing for it. I'd have to go in and free up what had become quite an uncomfortable feeling. At this stage I was running alongside an A road with traffic coming towards me. They would all see me reach down to liberate the crown jewels but I didn't care. Lady Endomondo announced I was at the 4th K in a not too shabby 5'55sec. I took the plunge and sorted out everything in record time and adjusted aforementioned boxers into the correct aligned position. All was well and I sighed a massive sigh of relief. The boys were back in the barracks.
I was on the last K, feeling very tired but kept pushing pushing pushing. I thought if I keep the pace I'd been doing, I could do this in my best ever time. I\'d already clocked a 29'24sec 5K earlier in the week. Could this be the best run of my life to date? Surely I can't graduate with a PB?
I DID! 5K in 28'42sec!!!!!! What a monumental feeling of accomplishment. 9 weeks ago I was crap. Useless. One single minute of running made me wanna die. Now, I've graduated in a Dan Land World Record PB time over five kilometres! I'm stunned.
Thank you for all your support along the way. It's given me strength and determination and I will be back blogging about PHASE 2 - whatever that might be?!
Tally ho for now!
Dan (graduate)
Yeeha I've done it
I've only gone and graduated!
I've graduated!
