In the dark days of November last year when days melted into nights and into days again and when all interim activity was dictated by our newborn baby my husband decided on a target to get my postnatal body off the setee and back into some sort of running routine…He roped in two competitive uncles to boost the pressure group and duly entered us all for the Great North Run for September 2004…. With 10 months of training ahead, a gentle “get fit plan” was the order of the day, gradually building up distance and stamina…
August came round in record time this year did you notice ?
After some sporadic sessions at the club and few Sunday runs en famille with the rest of the pressure group I went on holiday, trainers packed to “really boost those miles” get some “time on my feet”… embark on a “fast track training plan”. But the south of France in summer is full of temptations for a girl like me…wine at lunch, sun down chilled beers, GOATS CHEESE !!! The fast track plan came off the rails as soon as we left Carrefour. We returned home after a 7day gastrofest , rounder, browner, happier but definately not fitter…
With 5 weeks to go I turned to Tony in despair, he advised me (delicately ?) that I needed to “shift some weight”, “render some of that bloody fat off” to get round (like I hadn’t noticed!) and bullied me into coming training. Cowwed I made a more regular appearance on Tuesdays
Running scared at the beginning of September I entered a random relay in Warrington with Kate and Jane to remember what racing was like…(awful, it came flooding back…) and I launched the sponsorship campaign to add a bit of urgency to what had become “survive the course training plan”. Why oh why oh why oh why ?
The weekend came round we trucked up to “The Toon” en masse, dad, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, daughter, nieces…The greater part of my family are die hard non runners but hate to miss a jolly..The pre-race peer pressure was on early…abstaining from the family fiesta that had ensued, fish and chips at lunch (we’re by the sea!), coffee and cakes in the afternoon (its Saturday ?), italian at night (you need pasta don’t you ?), beer, wine, sambucas (wey hey)…Paula Radcliffe has non of this to deal with. The team confidently drank water for as long as possible and ran through the final finer logistics of the race start.
Sunday, the tight knit squad of runners (4) surrounded by a crew of alka seltzer guzzling lushes (9) decide at 9.30 to leave the sofa and BBC coverage to make a move for the metro. We board an eerily empty train… 10.30 we split, assume every man for himself and leg it in the direction of Steve Cram at the start. 10.39, knackered we launch ourselves over the barriers into the sweaty nervous bin bagged hoards that try to separate themselves from the plastic rhinos…1 minute
…. + 1 hour 44, 50, 55 and 56 later after we were hailed home heroes by the rest of the support team over their hangovers and eager to embark on the celebrations….we raised over £2000 for Leukaemia research so fairs fair !
The takeaways:
1) Always complete your own race entries
2) Remember that 10 months is actually only 10 weeks when your life is dictated by any body under one year old
3) Don’t take your trainers on holiday, the plastic bag they live in for the fortnight will be rank by the time you leave
4) Don’t ask Tony for advice on your running if you are feeling remotely emotional
5) Racing hurts, hold that thought
6) Arrange separate accommodation to your non running race support group
7) Remember that Brendan Foster’s early morning commentary can be seen on the highlights
8) Tynemouth is more than 30 minutes away from Town Moor start line
9) You can never escape the plastic rhinos
10) Reaching your target feels good
The team completed in one piece and all members came home in under 2 hours…for the record…1.44, 1.50, 1.55 and 1.55 the girl beat the boys much to their disappointment and my relief….
A thank you in from me for all those people at the running club that sponsored me in the GNR, we made over £2000 for The Leukaemia Research Fund, which is great. If anyone wants to make a late donation they can go to www.justgiving.com/kb
Katy Green