Ready to Run!

Well, today it was my turn. Not exactly a marathon...but for me, a major milestone in fitness. I finished the London BUPA 10,000, a 10K [6.38 miles] race in the centre of London. For some blog readers, you'll know this was coming...for others, a complete shock that out-of-shape-Cynthia could run 1 block, let alone 10 kilometers.

I had 3 goals for the race:
1) Don't be the LAST person across the finish line. Thankfully, as we were approaching the finish, we heard a progress report on the person who WAS the last person on the course--they had completed 6k at that point.
2) Finish somewhere in the 1 hour and 30 minute range. See results below on {unofficial) race time. I still had a little bit of gas left in the tank to kick it into a higher pace for the finish.
3) Don't stop jogging to walk. I used the walk/run technique to get ready for the race and don't judge anyone who uses this in the race, but for some reason, proving to myself that I can run the entire distance without stopping was important. In today's case, there was a ~8 minute bio-break that meant I wasn't technically running...but when on the course, no walking! :) I think I'm afraid that if I stop, I won't carry on!

The Budman, HachieGal and I (along with 12,497 others) started the race at 10am. We finished in 1 hour and 30 minutes [unoffical time] (even if you add in the bio-break along the course). As you've read from the previous post, HachieGal is a seasoned runner, so this was a bit of a walk-in-the-park for her. Sacrificing what could have been a personal best for her, instead of leaving me in the dust, she and the Budman stuck with me and encouraged along the course.

Here is the Texas Trio after the race.


I've been gradually building up my running/jogging regularly since September of last year, with the help of HachieGal and Bob Glover's Runner's Handbook as a guide. Paulster got me a GPS/heart rate monitor for Christmas, so I knew my training pace and wanted to make sure I didn't start too fast. In the running world, I'd be known as a "Penguin"--slowly but surely waddling along...But you know, today, it took all kinds. There were elite runners who finished in less than 28 minutes and then those of us who took a bit longer--all shapes and sizes. There were people dressed as trees and bananas and superheroes. And like the London Marathon, there were cheering folks along the route--not to the same extent--but every bit of encouragement helps. I think I had a smile on my face most of the way around.

Given my general lack of fitness and activity over the last, oh...18 years--just to know that I am in better shape this year than last is enough at this point. It took many years for me to get this unfit, and it'll take time and persistence to change that.

One of the best parts of my day was having my fan club on the sideline, cheering me on. The Sheffield Contingent was up for the weekend, and Drama and Blondie were there, too with Paulster. That definitely put a renewed spring in my step to see their smiling faces and hear them shouting for me. There were some great bands along the course drumming out some tunes to run by.
Here is a shot of me (in the purple shirt and yellow hat) recognising the Cheering Squad by the side of the road. That's Budman to the right of the pic in the grey.


And here's a rear-view of me (in the purple), HachieGal in the green, and Budman in the grey pulling away from our supporters after a quick hello!


This little story sums it all up...
Paulster's 4 year-old niece, SuzieQ came up to me at the end of the race and gave me a big 'ol hug. When she saw my medal hanging from around my neck, she touched it and said, "You won!"
Yes, I did, SuzieQ. Yes, I did!