Thursday October 23, 2008

This is it, the big one, the race, 13 miles and a bit.

This is it, the big one, the race, 13 miles and a bit. There, that doesn't sound too bad does it? I've been waiting a while for this day, for the moment I become the less well known super hero HALF MARATHON MAN. That's the dream come true, fantasy, make-believe idea anyway. I wasn't the only one with this dream, as I soon found out when we arrived at our destination; my shadow had become eclipsed by the huge army of runners that had invaded the park. All this time it was just Michael and I doing what Michael and I do, train very hard for this momentous occasion. This was different, felt like someone had opened the door, inviting thousands of people to come in, this was no longer a race for the lone hero to be, this was going to be a race for the people of London.

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After we had made all the basic preparations and done the basic things you need to do before any kind of race ie got there (very important), managed to locate starting point, ate, consumed enough energy food and drink, stuck the funny, awkward number badges onto our clothes, that I found very fiddly, using safety pins to stick on paper badges onto material without stabbing yourself, that's definitely a skill. Somehow I got it done; well I wasn't bleeding to death by the end which was something I suppose.


Thank you so, so much ladies and gentleman, your cries of ENCORE! Echoing through the darkened corridors of the theatre of my life, the last morsel of adulation sucked from your being, the final standing ovation, and the final use of gravity as two hands come together and meet as one. Well everyone can now take their seats, replenish their energy sources in preparation for the clap effect to gather momentum.. The wait is now over, the time you have all been longing for is about to commence, MARK'S BLOG IS BACK!
Michael then informed me that there would be a form of what I can only call military warm up taking place, this as you can imagine didn't really sit well with either of us. I was no Private Benjamin and didn't really see myself as a Private Scales either. We decided to stick to our own formula, training which we were both happy with and quite knowledgeable about. If it isn't broke don't fix it, who am I to argue with that theory.

During our training session I could hear the echoes of some excited military leader (well he sounded like he thought he was in charge), screaming at the top of his lungs to these poor runners who probably didn't know what had hit them. Mark, a friend of Michael's, guy with the video camera met us for some on the spot filming for our documentary. Not quite, Oscar winning acting from moi but I wasn't expecting to be starring in the latest Spielberg movie either. Some people automatically create a relationship with the camera, treating it like an old friend, whereas some automatically shy away from the camera, tightly holding on to their inhibitions, not being able to relax and feel at ease with it. I on the other hand was probably somewhere in between. I spoke about my fears, expectations and predictions with regards to the race at hand. Michael spoke more about the plans and strategies we had to ensure we would finish the race in a good time.

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The sun was beating down on us but there was a cool breeze enveloping us at the same time. We were all set to go, the man on the tannoy was wishing everybody good luck, what a nice thing for him to say, if I was up in his box, I would also find it easier to encourage people knowing full well that I wasn't the one doing the running. The race had started but 9 minutes in and we were still a good few yards from the starting point. Eventually we got to the line, as we ran over the line I thought this is it, definitely no turning back now. The first few miles felt reasonably easy, we were keeping a steady pace, everything was good. Crowds that had turned up to support and will us on created a great atmosphere. Everyone was there to run and have a good time.

The camera guy Mark, had set up a strategy to film us at several points along the course. He would have to rely on buses and trains to get to the next meeting point before us, a little like Treasure Hunt, where you had to travel to various destinations, picking up clues at speed, before the clock ran out, except that Mark was no Anneka Rice, I would have noticed. Anyway, back to the race. Stuart, another of Michael's friend's also contributed to the day by taking digital photographs of us at other various points. This was going to feel like I was living in the Big Brother house, all these cameras on me, takes a bit of getting used to you know.

Approximately 5 miles in, we met Belinda, another of Michael's clients with her own goals and targets to aim for. The rapport igniting between the three of us made the running a little easier. My legs began to feel tired; I knew that we coming up to 7 and a half miles, this is usually the point where I come to the end of my first wind. Just had to focus and get on with it, I wasn't ready to stop, not yet, not this time, I had already stopped to stretch my calves, this took around 25 seconds, and I can handle that. Belinda told me that she was also feeling a little fatigued, she had run up to 10 miles in training, and she knew she could do it. It seemed natural for the two of us to encourage each other to keep going, any support from a fellow runner does give you a certain burst of adrenaline.

The first few miles took in views of Buckingham Palace, London Eye, River Thames, Big Ben, Parliament and the like. My legs enjoyed that bit, enjoyed running on the roads around such a magnificent city. Tons of scenery and landmarks to look at, to distract you from the job in hand. The race really began for me when we hit the London parks, the terrain had changed, and the scenery had changed, although still beautiful, less to keep your mind occupied. They say the last few miles of such a race are determined by your mental fitness, they weren't wrong. I really had to push myself through this now, surging forward through Green Park, St James Park, Kensington Gardens and finally heading back into Hyde Park. Before I knew it, I had achieved something which I didn't think was possible, I had run 10 miles without stopping, the calve stretching incident wasn't included in the final time set. Oh my god, that was by far the best I've ever run in my life. No time to get self-indulgent and complacent though, there was still the matter of the last three and a bit miles to run.

Between 11 and 12 miles, we encountered a segment of path that seemed to have a gradual incline, felt uneven and went on for about 3 quarters of a mile. I'm not going to lie to you, this was my Everest, my nemesis for the day, I wouldn't be exaggerating by telling you that I felt so close to stopping and walking. Therefore, giving up and letting this piece of concrete beat me. Only with the strength of Michael telling me that I could do this, not to let all my hard work go to waste, I managed to get my own strength and determination to keep slogging slowly but gradually up that hill.

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We were now close to the finish line, to the bit where you get given a medal and hopefully something to nibble on. I wasn't that thirsty, I had been drinking enough water throughout the whole run. I began to slow right down, couldn't keep up the pace, and had practically nothing left in the tank. Everyone was cheering me on; everyone seemed to be on my side. There it was, I could just about see the finishing line on the horizon in front of me, I wasn't going to be seen running past the finishing post looking beaten, no way, wasn't going to happen. Suddenly a spurt of unleashed energy powered up my muscles and soul just enough to enable me to sprint, yes I said sprint, to the finish, over the finish, I had done it, we had done it, we had FINISHED.

So many feelings of joy, thrills, ecstatic excitement and huge amounts of tiredness came washing over me like a tidal wave. Seeing my parents at the last moment also helped me to get over the line. Sure enough I was given something to nibble on, a banana actually oh and a mars bar but believe it or not, I had become too tired to eat. How's that for irony ha?

The feeling of the medal finally going over my head felt pretty cool. Michael and I had definitely deserved a medal or two. Our final time was 2 hours and 24 minutes, amazing as we had first envisaged coming in at 2 hours 30 minutes. We came in 6 minutes faster than we had planned, that was definitely something to celebrate.

Now back to the training for the London Marathon, double the race I'd just run. A lot of hard work, stamina and severe determination to go then.

We're off to Paris in November for another challenge, to walk up the many steps of the Eiffel Tower. This will also be something to write about, so it's Au Revoir from me for now, until the next time.

To find out more about donating, this blog and my videos visit the Create Yourself Run London 09 page here.

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