First of all, scenes we’d like to see. I had rejected
alternatives for the blog entry’s title:
·
Endurance is a funny thing. You have it… until you don’t
·
When you are chasing an arse in front of you, it
will only lead to heavy breathing
·
Hell is a frustrated P.E teacher at the top of a
hill telling you to run faster
All true stories. There were many more x-rated lines I had but probably NSFW (unless you work for Jimmy Carr).
2nd event and, the night before, I was starting to worry
that the half marathon had lost it's thrill for me.
Y'know - already had the
achievement of doing one so can I be bothered? Training is fine up to the point
that you have to do 13 miles. The sheen becomes distinctly opaque when you are
trudging through mile 4 with a dodgy thigh feeling like you want to puke.
I am always happy to be wrong at times like these and the
entire day was awesome.
Started early. I didn't actually realise until I got the
race pack last week that it STARTED at 8am. I had previously arranged for
moral, transport and piggyback support from Scott and the disappointment, when
I told him of the start time, was palpable.
I stayed in Westbury, and got up at 4:30 after about 3 hrs
sleep (always the way). I ate and we left just before 6.
The journey presented a genuine concern. The thick mist and
cold conditions were a worry. At Salisbury (around 7am), the sky cleared. The
heavens were presented and I knew it would be a beautiful day.
We made it to Bournemouth footer ground in plenty of time
and prepared where I experienced the most disturbing thing EVER!.
I've never been in a festival-style communal porta-urinal
before but it is not something I want to experience again. In essence, if you
are next in the queue, and someone in the middle finishes, you have to walk
between 2 columns of people using a urinal! These are not wide. You are
touching the backs(ides) of 6 or 7 people....Sorry I can't go on without
dredging up bad memories.
There was still a chill in the air and was seriously
considering wearing a t-shirt and jogging trousers. As opposed to the flimsy
Team Dotty vest I had (which I’m still not sure if I have the body to pull off).
My fears were unfounded and was very happy with my attire.
Anyhoo, I had a 4 or 5 metre warmup run and got in line.
We all got lucky. We sign up for a half marathon in
October??? We deserve everything we get! The conditions were amazing. Beautiful. It was an uplifting race for so
many reasons. So many, in fact (considering I'm about ready for bed), I will
bullet-point them for you:
- My previous stop at the urinal-den left me unable to, erm, go. This was remedied at the first toilet stop (approx. 2 miles). I wasn’t the only one
- · My above stop at the urinal-den seemed to relax some things, erm, internally and so also had to stop at the second toilet stop (approx. 4 miles). This significantly lightened my load (pasta – gone; banana – gone)
- · It was at this point I started to regret my decision to wear white shorts due to potential stai…well, we’ll leave it there
- · During all this time the pack of fudge-banana energy bar I had taken just before I started was repeating on me and was seriously considering a tactical chunder. To my credit (I hope) I did not take this
- · I recovered from my need to throw up at about the 6-mile point. My thumb is testament to this (for some reason I gnaw the skin from my thumb when I want to vomit but actually shouldn’t )
- · Now here we have been trundling through the streets of Bournemouth. It is a truly beautiful blue-skied day. Even better, as virtually all of the run is, was downhill. Sweet
- · Boscombe Chine was a hill I never signed up for! In fact, no-one that I was around ran up it. Just think Bradford on Avon’s Mason Lane or Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill (the proper Hovis Hill) after having run 6 or so miles. In a different situation, at a different time, I may have different feelings for Boscombe Chine. It looks a lovely place to visit. But, for now, our love seems star-crossed.
- · There may have been a few thousand people participating (and some dodgy dogs) but it was truly serene at the waterfront. I ran eyes-right or eyes-left (never forward) so I could see the vista. It is a truly wonderful place
- · Just a point of note. Does Bournemouth have a problem with medieval sex pests? I only ask because I kept seeing signs “stay away from the groynes”.
- · The piers were done ( the first seemed a sick joke because we knew how far the last was) and I found my kick with 800m to go
- · Medal received, pack and tshirt got
- · Home
The final time was 2:26:32 and I finished 1889 out of 2857.
Improvement (definitely after the loo
breaks).
I am pleased to tell you that, while I didn’t sustain any
injuries (I strapped my ankle well), the most painful part of the entire
process is NOW! Walking (obviously), standing, sitting, any down stairs (up are
ok) give me a wonderful pain, akin to childbirth. Not in magnitude (probably) but in forgetfulness, when I’m lining up at the start for the next.
Next plans: This gave me a lot of confidence so I want to do
one more half. I know I can nail a great time. I’ll do this after a proper
training schedule and will be in about March. If anyone wants to join me they are
more than welcome. Seriously. If I
(yes, 17 stone me) can do this after about 4 months work then anyone can.
Give me a shout for anything.
I just want to thank some people:
Scott, Emily from Dorothy House (my contact), everyone who
has supported me & Team Dotty and, as ever, my parents. They are a large
part of the reason I do anything .
Please keep supporting. As of tonight the donation is up to
£140. Thank you all so very much. I cannot tell you how much it means to both
me and them.
My just giving account is still open for a fantastic cause https://www.justgiving.com/Aaron-Gilbert1
and will continue to be.
You are all beautiful people.
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