Well, I did it.  I survived Race for Life 2008.  And I ran the whole 5km, despite forgetting to wear sunglasses and my iPod dying around the 2km mark.  And despite how desperately emotional I felt at the start line, reading the back plates of the other runners which described who they were running for – people who had fought against cancer, many who were still fighting.

Afterwards, as we looked at a map of Regent’s Park, Matt asked me to point out the route that we ran, and I couldn’t.  I remember a lake and some green elephant statues, but apart from that, it was just a case of putting one foot in front of another and hoping the finish line appeared soon.

Eventually it did, and when it did, I was suprised to see that the clock read something like 28:59.  5km in under 30 minutes – I was pretty pleased with that, as it’s better than I’d done in any of my training sessions.  Matt and Cautney had barely had a chance to get through the food queues between the start and the end of the race.  For me it seemed much longer, and a week later I’ve still got the blisters on the soles of my feet.

All in all, I still don’t think I’m a candidate to run the London Marathon.  But another 5km in a year or so?  When sufficient time has passed so I can forget that last km of suffering? 

I’d consider it.

Tash

Last weekend, I downloaded a training plan from the Race for Life website. It was a six week training plan, and at that stage, I only had three weeks left to train. Oh well. Next year I’ll start six weeks beforehand. This year, I started from week four, running around the block in 20 minute bursts, singing along to the dance music playlist I compiled for our wedding.

This morning, my fellow Race for Lifer, Anne and I took on a new route: running from Putney Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge. According to mapmyrun.co.uk, that’s about 2.75km each way – and I think it’s even further than that, because the Thames Path diverts away from the Thames in places (we had to run around the Fulham Football Club, for example).

The Thames isn’t the most scenic of rivers. At low tide, the brown water reveals brown mud. But there are benches along the path, and a multitude of dogs, and parks, and the bridge in the distance to aim for. It would probably be a nice walk on a sunny day. We ran today, and it rained on us.

It’s 7 o’clock now and I’ve just got home from writing group. I’m writing this, and then I think that’s enough mental and physical exercise for today. Next on the agenda is some couch time, and watching others exert themselves as the last few sets are played out of the Men’s Final at Wimbledon.

Tash