I have to be brief owing to the fact that I'm at work, just 8 hours after my super fabulous great fun 10K run this morning!
The sun beat down and the temperature was toasty. NOT ideal running conditions, but I was excited. REALLY excited! I was at the bus stop in my gear, my running number pinned to my shirt (#665) and once I got off I had a short walk to the gathering area - running HQ! I chatted to a few folk before a loud hailer told us to go to the start line. We were off!
There were 800 runners and Twickenham hadn't seen anything like this since the last fun run a year ago, but the locals and traffic were lovely and didn't bother us, despite quite a few of us running in the cycle lane along Cross Deep. The first K came in a flash - so fast in fact, that I couldn't believe we'd covered a kilometre so quickly. Same with K2. I started to wonder if the marshalls had put the markers up slightly forward of the actual distance, just to give us all a boost! I'm sure they would never do such a thing. Anyway, I was using my "going slow" method abnd it was working well. My energy levels, breathing, legs, entire body felt magnificent and I glided along not worrying about folk passing me. I would demolish them further down the line...MUUWAHH HAA HAA HAAA!!!
Sorry. Got a bit dramatic there. Anyway, K3 was over the bridge at Teddington Lock, then down the other side to join the Thames path towards Richmond Bridge - a 5K distance ahead. The path on this side of the river has quite a dense tree canopy, so after yesterdays rainy Saturday, the sun hadn't managed to evaporate the rain. Hence there were HUGE puddles and slippery sloshy mud to contend with. I had to be careful I didn't take a tumble because it was dead slippery underfoot. So many runners were sliding all over the place and covered in slimy mud up their legs. In the end I decided it was easier and used less energy to go right through the puddles as often as possible and this I did, coating my Brooks in a muddy sludge!
Once the slushy bit was over we could see Richmond Bridge. I was still going well and felt brilliant. SOme lovely Marshalls offered small samples of beer and canapes at 6K but I declined their kind offering as I didn't want to scupper my magnificent finish!! Over Richmond Bridge, people clapping, shouts of encouragement etc made me speed up. This was 8K now so only 2 to go. I joined the Thames path on the other side of the river, a route I run regularly and stepped on the gas. 9K.......almost there. Mrs Dan would be at the finish line with the camera and I couldn't wait to see her. The only bugger being, having to get home sharpish so I could get to work for a ridiculously long stint at work! I could see the finishing line. The lovely organisers had put up a long tape tunnel to run around before you went through the ACTUAL finishing line - and there was Mrs Dan whooping and a hoopin'! camera at the ready, I raised my hands above my head and drank in all the cheering, smiling at Mrs Dan as I crossed the line. The time? 58 mins 59 seconds! SOOOOOOO happy with that. She had also brought a clean T shirt to change into, a towel and a flannel which she'd put in the freezer an hour before coming out, so I had this lovely cold face towel to soothe my glowing boat race!! She's a star.
So there you have it. I enjoyed it so much and felt super duper after it too. What a delight this running lark is and how it has changed my life for the better!
I will post the piccie later hopefully.....if I ever get out of this windowless basement......
TA ra!
