Great Manchester Run: Race Day

Sunday: Last night, before bed, I applied henna on my hands, and I awoke this morning, quite pleased with the result. Sleep was a little short and restless but to be expected, before a big race. I had my usual breakfast of Crunchy Nut cereal and was careful to drink some water. My other half suddenly announced he'd give me a lift but I refused, insisting I would go by bus as planned. I was in a funny mood, very nervous but focusing on my routine, it felt as if straying from my pre-planned routine would be nerve-wracking. It sounds silly to think about now, but I recall my mornings before my races and I see a pattern emerging, part of that is my needing to do what I planned or decide myself or it unnerves me. So I set off, as planned, by bus. It was a 20min bus ride and I was at the race in plenty of time. I had difficulty finding the stalls area, having grabbed some decent freebies at GER, despite asking folk for directions and having a map (terrible, I know). Perhaps it was nerves over this being such a huge event and the fact I was on my own, I needed to make sure I was sticking to the timetable. It was a great sight, seeing the balloons, the banners, the runners; I walked around with a big smile on my face well before the race started. Unable to find the stalls area, I headed towards the baggage area to leave my bag. It was very sunny, despite cool winds, and I decided to keep my shades on but leave my hat in my bag. I changed out of my running bottoms and zipper, and carried a bottle of Lucozade original (pre race drink) and a bottle of SiS GO (race drink). I didn't finish the Lucozade, I had enough close to the warm-up to give me a boost, as well as a cereal bar to stave off hunger pangs. The warm-up was fun, the same trainer doing it as from GER , but I quickly realised I needed to use the bathroom. With half an hour to go till 'kick-off', I ended up queuing for 20mins to use the one of the portaloos. I was ready in time though and was in a good mood, the cheering crowds were great and I had chatted to some runners, all very friendly and enthusiastic. I didn't start off as well as hoped, grappling with my mobile to play some music, then realising I hadn't started to time myself. But race experience kicked in, I fixed both problems quickly and ignored how I had started, just focusing on the race. It was very congested in many parts, not surprising considering there were around 31,000 entries in the country's premier Great Run. I found the congestion to be a good thing for me, it stopped me going too fast too soon. But there were many times there was plenty of space, it simply took a lot of concentration and nifty side-stepping/overtaking to make sure I ran my own race. The race route was mostly flat; I hadn't gone round the route the day before so wasn't sure what to expect, but apart from one very short up slope, it was beautifully flat :o) It was great to see cheering crowds and bands playing, I waved at complete strangers for the hell of it! I found the 2km-3km very easygoing in particular. We went round the Old Trafford stadium; as we went through the Munich Tunnel, a couple of male runners started chanting 'United! (clap clap clap) United!' and many others cheered in agreement. A little adrenaline-rushed by it all, I yelled 'Any Liverpool fans, woohoo!' There was no reply and I shut up accordingly, hehe. At that point, my mother rang me, of all times, disrupting the music I was listening to. To add to my family's level of incompetence, my younger brother texted 'good luck' when I was nearing the 8km mark... families, indeed! I struggled after the 5km mark, was it psychological, I am not sure, as that was when I was in trouble at GER and sometimes during my training. The 6-7km felt rather arduous, I could feel my body trying to shut down. I kept sipping my GO drink, which didn't taste so bad when I genuinely needed it, and it made the essential difference. At 6.5km, I ran through the shower provided. It was a great relief, as I was hot and dripping with sweat, though I was a bit disappointed, and would have preferred a stronger shower. Nonetheless, it felt good and it helped. After the 7km mark, my body was keen to sprint faster and I tried to keep some control on it, having seen people drop around me since the 2km mark. After the 8km mark, I knew I was sprinting too fast, and slowed a little, doing high fives with the crowd :o) Then the 9km mark came and I was keen to sprint hard for the last 1km. It was a very tough and long last km, the body was trying desperately to keep up with what the brain wanted. I had kept an eye on my km times throughout and I knew I was managing to keep to under 70mins, though I kept pushing hard for between 60 and 65mins. As I saw the finish line in the distance, I just kept going as hard as I could; seconds before the finish line, I thought I heard someone shout my name and looked to the side and saw my other half and my kids waving. That was great to see :o) The kids had been desperate to see me race and I was so pleased they got their wish. After the race, I headed off to the baggage area to collect my bag and then met up with my family, wearing my medal proudly. I persuaded them to go and find the stalls area with me which was a great idea, partly for me as I got free drinks and snacks and partly for the kids as they got free sweets and balloons. It was a great atmosphere, laughing and smiling people everywhere, sun shining, live music playing. I would love to have stayed longer to soak it up but had to get home as the kids grew impatient and my other half had to study. I was amazed the official results were out within a few hours, my friend texting me to inform me of how I did - 66mins 48secs :o) This was nearly my (b) target of 65mins, and I beat my GER time by around 4.5mins, so I am extremely pleased. The biggest source of satisfaction is having run non-stop, that, for me, is just an amazing feeling. I was so incredibly disappointed with not running non stop at GER, despite a decent time. I would have loved to have hit 65mins this time but the time really doesn't matter right now to me - I ran a 10km today, without stopping, and it feels bloody great :o) I had a strong headache later on and felt a little queasy but apart from that, I am fine, well, aches and pains aside. Later in the day, I felt rather emotional, thinking about my late cousin, knowing that all the running in the world couldn't bring him back. But he will always be a part of my running, I will never forget he was part of the reason I started. I like to think that he is looking down on me and pleased for me, laughing definitely at me, but pleased nonetheless :o) My big day will end, as usual, downing Irn Bru, wearing my medal. Today was great, really brilliant, and this is not the end. I received an fmail from a kind and motherly fetchie (who has helped calm my nerves in the past) asking if I would be doing the Wythenshawe 5mile Run a week tomorrow... I am already trying to figure out how to fit personal commitments around it! I must be mad, truly, but gosh I love this running lark. I really enjoyed today's race, the most out of my 3 races. Edinburgh was so beautiful and fun, but achieving the 'non-stop' goal today, as well as actually feeling good doing the race and keeping the kind of pace that was pushing me but still letting me endure the whole 10km - GMR was fantastic and my favourite to date :o)