Slog to the Beat

The Run to the Beat half-marathon was Sunday. I'm just now getting to write it up, but the short version is that I (barely) finished. Maybe next time I should actually train. ;)

Told Meg that she didn't have to come because the weather was supposed to be crap, and she said she'd decide on the day. I got up around 7, got ready to go - stupidly wearing my Banana Army shirt for the first time on race day. Luckily I discovered the itchy tag before I left and was able to cut it off. Grabbed a couple of Baby Bell cheeses, a zucchini muffin, and a banana to go plus a pint of water with my morning meds. Left at 7:45. Walked to the Starbucks nearest my tube station but was there before they opened on Sunday morning. Unfortunately the short walk and little bit of food had gotten things moving so I had to wait for them to open so I could take care of business and get some coffee. Get on the tube to Green Park only to discover that the Jubilee line was closed at that station. Back on the Picadilly line to Leicester Square, then the Northern Line to Waterloo, then the Jubilee ... which is now closed at Canary Wharf due to a stalled train at North Greenwich (where I need to go). "Passengers wanting North Greenwich are advised to exit at Canada Water and take the 188 bus."

At Canada Water I get off with about 100 other people and join the 1000 people waiting for the bus. One bus per 10 minutes, and always full. Finally one of the 199 bus drivers took pity on us and got us as close as he could...which turned out to be about 2.5 miles from the start, in the rain. Luckily the start had been delayed until 10:30, so we all walked. Get to the O2 area as the start gets going. Find a bag drop, peel off wet clothes, find my way to the start, cross about 15 minutes late - thank goodness for chip timing.

First 3 miles are good, feeling strong. Run to the first water stop (yay me!). It's all downhill from here. By the 10k, I'm down to walking 1/running 9, plus walking the uphills and the water stops. The rain is pouring down, my clothes are soaked and heavy, my shoes are squishing with every step. I'm mad I left my headphones at work because between the music stops (every 0.75-1.5 miles) it was quiet. I really hoped to be able to run the last 5k and was telling myself "you can do 5k in your sleep" but I literally couldn't make my legs go any faster. I just kept walking, then running, then walking again. Finally crossed the line (jogging, kind of) at a gun time of 3:06. Yuck. Chip time 2:51:17 - double yuck.

Photos are online. I am really feeling unhappy with myself for not training enough, but I guess it gives room for improvement for next time.

Going bananas

I'm running my first half-marathon/trisko on October 5, on behalf of Leukaemia Research and as a part of the Banana Army.

Everyone who donates will get an entry into my "Guess my finishing time" sweepstakes. Simply put a note in your donation form as to the time you guess (30 second intervals) - if the time you want has been taken I'll contact you to give you another entry. The person who picks the closest time will win their choice of the following books: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer, Brain Training for Runners, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, or The Poisonwood Bible. (I've read/successfully completed a marathon with the first, want to read the next two, and the last one is for non-runner-friends who happen upon this plea for sponsorship, and is one of my favourites.)

Just click on the banner to the right to be taken to my fundraising page. Blog readers have an advantage as they can see my training log to have a more educated entry into the sweepstakes. No, I don't lie in my training logs. Maybe I should, though. :-)

Having run more recently, I finally feel I can set this up officially. Today: 4.1 miles, 50:21.