From Angela, with love...
...to everyone who sponsored me for the Great North Run. Between us we've raised over £1,200 for The Charlotte Robinson Trust. If you've made a pledge but haven't yet coughed up (!) I'll be hounding you when I return from Frankfurt on 10th May.
For those of you who like reading about the pain of others, my race diary goes something like this:
***
6am: get up in order to get to my aunt's house (to meet Naomi and Mike who are also running) for 7.15am. End up having to leave my breakfast on the table.
7.30am: still waiting for my aunt and other runners to get ready.
7.40am: finally set off. Naomi brings her breakfast in the car. I eat half of it.
8.30am: say goodbye to all three sets of parents at Heworth. Mam wishes the other two good luck and then clasps me to her bosom with a loud 'aw, pet'. Dad reminds her I'm not going off to war.
9.30am: take up our position, having queued half an hour for a port-a-loo. I'm quite near the back. Annoying DJ rabbits on, playing lots of Queen hits and the theme from Chariots of Fire. Then he asks us all to spare a thought for the people and causes we are running for and plays 'Abide With Me'. Everybody starts crying.
11.30am: finally cross the start line, about half an hour after the official start. The winner is already more than half-way round the course.
Miles 1 - 5: unbelievably difficult. One hill after another and boiling hot followed by heavy rain. I'm behind a bloke dressed as a lady sumo wrestler (in a pink bikini) and his mate who is in full clown get-up. Clown sprays a copper on the Tyne Bridge with his water pistol. Clown doesn't get arrested.
Miles 5-7: bit better, course levels out a bit and weather warms up. Fire Brigade are hosing the runners as they go past - I veer into the spray until I remember I'm wearing an ipod and veer out again just in the nick of time. Get into my stride and start to run more quickly - overtake two blokes dressed as Batman and Robin and someone else in a Scooby-Doo suit. Feel a bit smug.
Mile 8: spot a bloke with a garden hose spraying runners from his position on the roof of a bus shelter. First ambulance goes through the crowd. Spot a Haribo cherry on the road - seriously think about stopping
Mile 9: another two ambulances goes past
Mile 10: spot an enormous hill ahead
Mile 11: a mile-long enormous hill which is also a residential road. It is lined with women bearing trays of orange squash, chocolate biscuits and kids holding out grapes and slices of apple. Fourth ambulance stops at top of said hill.
Mile 12: get to the brow of the hill and see the sea! Best feeling ever. Still another mile to go though.
Mile 13.1: longest fecking mile in history. Goes. On. For. Ever. Finally cross the line in 2hrs 34mins. Very very very happy about that.
Stop running. Have a bit of trouble walking. Find the others after about 20 mins. Suddenly very cold so have to be wrapped up in my attractive turkey blanket. Walk 20 mins to South Shields Metro station (the end of the line) to find a sea of people waiting. Walk 25 minutes to next station, come back down the line to South Shields and stay on it, then go south again to Heworth. Parents grumbling a lot by this point. Try not to remind them that I'm also a bit tired of walking around having run a half-marathon. Finally get home at about 5pm...
Stairs, bending and general mobility all still a bit beyond me. Haven't completely discounted doing it all again next year though...
Thanks again,
Angela x
For those of you who like reading about the pain of others, my race diary goes something like this:
***
6am: get up in order to get to my aunt's house (to meet Naomi and Mike who are also running) for 7.15am. End up having to leave my breakfast on the table.
7.30am: still waiting for my aunt and other runners to get ready.
7.40am: finally set off. Naomi brings her breakfast in the car. I eat half of it.
8.30am: say goodbye to all three sets of parents at Heworth. Mam wishes the other two good luck and then clasps me to her bosom with a loud 'aw, pet'. Dad reminds her I'm not going off to war.
9.30am: take up our position, having queued half an hour for a port-a-loo. I'm quite near the back. Annoying DJ rabbits on, playing lots of Queen hits and the theme from Chariots of Fire. Then he asks us all to spare a thought for the people and causes we are running for and plays 'Abide With Me'. Everybody starts crying.
11.30am: finally cross the start line, about half an hour after the official start. The winner is already more than half-way round the course.
Miles 1 - 5: unbelievably difficult. One hill after another and boiling hot followed by heavy rain. I'm behind a bloke dressed as a lady sumo wrestler (in a pink bikini) and his mate who is in full clown get-up. Clown sprays a copper on the Tyne Bridge with his water pistol. Clown doesn't get arrested.
Miles 5-7: bit better, course levels out a bit and weather warms up. Fire Brigade are hosing the runners as they go past - I veer into the spray until I remember I'm wearing an ipod and veer out again just in the nick of time. Get into my stride and start to run more quickly - overtake two blokes dressed as Batman and Robin and someone else in a Scooby-Doo suit. Feel a bit smug.
Mile 8: spot a bloke with a garden hose spraying runners from his position on the roof of a bus shelter. First ambulance goes through the crowd. Spot a Haribo cherry on the road - seriously think about stopping
Mile 9: another two ambulances goes past
Mile 10: spot an enormous hill ahead
Mile 11: a mile-long enormous hill which is also a residential road. It is lined with women bearing trays of orange squash, chocolate biscuits and kids holding out grapes and slices of apple. Fourth ambulance stops at top of said hill.
Mile 12: get to the brow of the hill and see the sea! Best feeling ever. Still another mile to go though.
Mile 13.1: longest fecking mile in history. Goes. On. For. Ever. Finally cross the line in 2hrs 34mins. Very very very happy about that.
Stop running. Have a bit of trouble walking. Find the others after about 20 mins. Suddenly very cold so have to be wrapped up in my attractive turkey blanket. Walk 20 mins to South Shields Metro station (the end of the line) to find a sea of people waiting. Walk 25 minutes to next station, come back down the line to South Shields and stay on it, then go south again to Heworth. Parents grumbling a lot by this point. Try not to remind them that I'm also a bit tired of walking around having run a half-marathon. Finally get home at about 5pm...
Stairs, bending and general mobility all still a bit beyond me. Haven't completely discounted doing it all again next year though...
Thanks again,
Angela x
posted by Charlotte Robinson at 6:10 AM
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