I met friends, some taking part and others giving plenty of encouragement. My photo was taken several times and thankfully a pre race happy picture graced the pages of our local gazette later in the week. I had words with my journalist friend Phil taking him to task about his tweet of 'less fit' entrants finishing within 90 minutes. I reminded him about age, length of leg, experience al causes for those of us at the back of the pack to finish more slowly, and I'm sure all of those finishing ahead of me must be fitter than me but the use of the word 'less' made me feel somewhat inferior.
Fi left me and her sister Sarah somewhere in the middle of the 650 entrants so that she could find her speedier running partners. Excellent weather conditions removed my usual problem of jacket or no jacket and before I knew it we were off. My first kilometer went very well and turned out to be my fastest for the course. I knew I was going faster than my normal plod as my breathing was coming in gasps. Sarah was gradually moving ahead of me and I was on my own.
Along South Road a friendly cyclist with camera made himself known, a photographer FB friend that I had not met before. Clayton followed me around the course and took some pleasing shots. Most of the time he snapped me on an uphill and the resulting pictures looks like I'm posing for an action shot but I don't actually look like I'm moving! Never once did it look like both my feet left the ground at the same time unlike the fab shot he captured of the winner Luke Scott. How he gets his feet that high off the ground I just don't know!
My lovely husband stood in his usual spots to cheer me on and to take some snaps himself. A lace problem when turning into Stoke Road had me stopping for a moment and my lovely friend Donna shouted words of encouragement and pleased me by saying I was nowhere near the back. Oh how that would soon change! Her lovely husband Andy was way ahead of me already.
I felt like my run was going well and thought I might be on for a good time. I managed to run the whole way and even picked up my pace in several places. Always dashed by an uphill that pace soon reverted to my normal plod. Through the back of Stoke I could see my Running Forever friend Pat, I think we were probably going at about the same pace but try as I might I just couldn't catch her. Out through Haydon, a stretch that seems to go on forever I was feeling good and was really looking forward to the last kilometer. Up over the M5 and a lovely downhill to stretch out those legs. Onto Chestnut Drive, this bit always catches me out, I always think I'm nearer the end than I am! People in the way, come on folks, there's a race going on, I nearly fell over a chap pushing a bike, how they cannot know they were all wandering in the middle of a race I'll never know.
The home stretch, I heard cheering, I couldn't make out the time on the clock, I heard Laura shouting, her husband finished way ahead of me! I made out the time, I was slow, I was so so disappointed. Oh well, sprint finish if you please, I love to sprint finish and by gum sprint I did!
Fi met me at the line, she did it in less than the hour, I am so pleased for her. Her sister also also made the hour. Even in my wildest dreams I will never make it in under an hour! My time was not my fastest, nor my slowest but I am disappointed. Three minutes slower than last year.
For about three days after I was convinced that enough is enough and that I would never do this run again. But Fi had reminded me of a plan for us to do the Taunton half marathon next April so my thinking cap is on. I was quite demoralized after this run. I need to get quicker. I need to run twice this distance. I need to be able to do this by April. I need a plan...
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