Last night I completed a half-marathon for charity. It's the first long walk I've done for a while, I did walk 10 miles around Tardebigge in the snow the week before christmas and I have done a couple of short treks up the Malverns, one with Dunk the week before he died and then again two weeks later in his memory.
So last night I was a little apprehensive about my fitness levels but I'm not one to let that that stop me. After a quick nap I set off down to Sanders Park where I had been told the walk would begin at 11:45. Arriving at 11:35 I was met at the gates by a marshall and told that they had started 20 minutes ago!!! What?!! He assured me I would catch up and so I went to register and was given a card with three boxes that I needed to get signed at checkpoints. I was excited and a little bit annoyed as I set off to the start, I had prepared well with a headtorch, lots of layers, ipod, food, water, coffee and my emergency kit.
I was pretty sure I'd catch them up although a little worried that I had no route map, I cursed myself for not asking for one because it would have prevented what happened next......I had just overtaken a guy and exchanged pleasantries and then I turned left, where it appeared the route went. Reaching the edge the park I could see two possible ways to go, no-one in sight and the guy I had overtaken didn't appear so I rang the number on my card and was told the walk was self contained in the park and she had no idea where I was. I WAS FURIOUS! So I headed back and rejoined the route, which followed the boundaries of the main body of the park which I happen to know is 1 mile. So I rang Damien so I could rant about the walk starting early, the route not being marked properly and the fact that I now had to walk 13 times around the park before I could finish (I even threatened to forget the whole idea but I am no quitter), I finished my rant by inflicting a curse on the organisers and their descendants and carried on.
I reached the checkpoint and had a cross marked in the first box and then put two and two together and realised that on top of everything else I had been given the card for the 5K walk which is 3 times round the park. Having already inflicted a curse there was really nothing I could do so I asked the marshall the second time round if I did have the wrong card, she confirmed it but I said I would just collect all my crosses on the card anyway. Third lap: Damien rang me asking where I was - he and Buzz had come to join me for a lap!
I had chilled out by this time and was happy to see him. We had a pleasant walk round and I showed him where I had gone wrong first time, he confirmed it was an easy mistake to make! We stopped at his car where I drank my coffee and gave him my rucksack, no need for all that emergency gear weighing me down anymore!! I set off again feeling lighter and happier!!
Lap 6: Damien rang again and I told him I was half way (unless the 'organisers' thought 8 laps was the finish). I was really enjoying myself now, listening to Anthony John Clarke on my ipod and making good steady progress overtaking lots of people. Lap 7: Marshall: Oh well done, three to go! Me: Eh? So now it's a ten mile walk? I nearly got mad again but was feeling too jubilant, and besides walking ten miles is pretty cool too.Then I decided that actually I might be wrong because the route did wind around a bit and might be 1.3 miles a lap (which I confirmed was correct when I got home on my running measurer site.) Although this did mean that the 5K was really 6K!
Damien came and walked some of the last lap with me, surprised how fast I'd gone, I was finishing an hour earlier than I'd predicted (I had paced myself at 20 mins a lap- which I thought was a mile but had actually been walking at 16 minute miles).
So I finished, got my medal and certificate and drove home where Damien had cheese on toast and cup of tea waiting for me..........
