So firstly I have to admit, I wimped - I wasnβt out running with you all in the gales on Sunday morning! However, Wednesday turned out to be the most gorgeous day for a runπ The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, there was blossom in the trees and the birds were singing. And shuffle play on the group playlist was choosing the very best tracks today.
So juggling my watch and my phone (to start RunGo), off I went. I started with a downhill - just like they do in Edinburgh! Careful not to go too fast, there was almost a tear in my eye as I listened to the motivational comments. Up onto the Greenway, and the start of my uphill slog. I gave the obligatory High 5, luckily there was no-one close enough to think I had gone mad. Felt a bit miffed when told I had reached the top, when I actually had another 1.5k uphill to go on my route, but my climb finished with the panoramic views in Edinburgh, a shame I only had lots of caravans to admire at that point.
On reaching the halfway point, I celebrated by walking for a while to munch on a flapjack, then it was back off for the second half. Again the βhillsβ on my route coincided with the commentary, which was rather fortunate. I was getting very tired, so it was nice to think of all the virtual cheers and imagine the crowds.
Finally I made it home. It was hardly a sprint finish. But I was still moving. At 10k exactly I stopped my watch and my feet right outside my house. But where were my congratulatory cheers? Darn it, RunGo was just a few metres behind my watch, so I had to walk around the culdesac just a bit to get the finish line plaudits.
Final time 1hr 10mins 15 secs. It wasnβt elegant, there was lots of jeffing. No PBs today but considering that is the furthest I have run since my virtual half at the start of November, I am more than chuffed.
Thanks to everyone who helped put this challenge together - it was definitely motivatingπ