The results are in! I managed the 10k in 1hour 8 minutes! Not bad for a first attempt!
It was a brilliant day – what an atmosphere! I got to the event at about 8:45am and made my way to the starting point. I was supposed to be quite far back in the line up but I sneaked through the crowds as far as I could towards the starting line. There were still about 5000 people in front of me but another 7000 behind. Myself and my friend Elaine who I ran with joined in the warm up which was led by a girl in a green tutu called the Green Goddess…not the same one from TV AM years ago! Eventually at 10am the race began. It wasn't til about 10:20am that we crossed the starting line and about 5 minutes after that we were able to start running! It was difficult to get up to a good speed at first due to the volume of people but after about 10minutes we were able to settle into our pace.
We ran through the streets of pollockshaws with people cheering us along the way. They were hanging out windows shouting encouragement- some cheeky men were telling us to hurry up cos we had the washing to hang out and the dinner to make when we got home! Whenever I felt tired, I would hear someone shout "come on, you're doing great" and my energy levels would return!
I have to admit I was quite nervous about the race because I've never run that distance before and I was beginning to doubt that I had trained enough. I was running 3-4 miles 4 times a week and some days I'd feel destroyed after it! I hardly slept at all on Saturday night for thinking about it! You can imagine how surprised Elaine and I were when we reached the 5k mark after chatting non-stop from the starting line, hardly out of breath! We thought we might need to stop by this point and walk for a minute to get our breath back. Instead we paced on and on, passing each kilometre flag with huge grins on our faces, bewildered at our progress! I remember there was a horrid incline through Bellahouston Park and I thought at that point I might have to walk and ruin my pace but I just imagined Paul Weller and Mick Jagger were at the top of the hill waiting for me with a G&T! I got through that bit no problem after that! The one flag I do remember is the 8k one. We weren't ready for stopping but we were longing for the finishing line! I just imagined it was roughly 2 laps of the park I trained in. It helped and I managed to keep the pace! We were constantly blethering - something I wasn't able to do whilst running just a couple of weeks ago! I was so chuffed that I hadn't stopped to walk for a minute by this point!
Before we knew it, we could see the finishing line! What a feeling it was, running that last straight while people hung over the barriers cheering us on! I remember the huge smile on my face - I just couldn't stop grinning, it was a real high! I scanned the crowd to see if I could spot my mum. I saw her out of all those people, camera in hand! There was some guy with a microphone in front of her who heard her call my name so he started shouting on me over the mic! Ha ha! I was raging because he was standing in the way of our big photo finish! As we charged onwards to the finishing line, I looked out for Tippi who was coming down to cheer me on but I couldn't see her anywhere. We crossed the finishing line at last and slowed down to a walk. My legs felt like jellies, in fact I couldn't feel them much at all. It was like being weightless! I grabbed a banana and loads of water since we didn't stop for any on the run - I was gasping! I gave Tippi a ring to see where she was. It turns out she went to Glasgow Green…a park on the other side of Glasgow and she was wondering why there was nobody there! Ha ha ha! There is a 10k at Glasgow Green but not til September! Ach well, it's the thought that counts!
So thanks to everyone who sponsored me! I loved reading all the comments on the sponsor page I set up. If it wasn't for the encouragement and cheek on there I wouldn't have got up to train on those dark, cold and wet winter mornings. I've managed to raise about £540 which the Hospice desperately needs since it costs £6000 a day to keep the doors open. The money I've raised is very much appreciated by them so thanks a million!
I think I've caught the running bug I've been hearing about and I'm already planning for the next one in September. I'm thinking about doing the half marathon but I'm not sure yet. The training for that will be much more of a commitment.
Watch this space!
Soup x
P.S Any late comers for sponsoring me can still do so by following the link below. (That includes you, Gill Hedron! Named and shamed! Take it out your vodka fund!)
https://ardgowan.workwithus.org/Fundraising/Donate.aspx?page=2254
