And no it wasn’t technically won by me. The winner with an amazing time of 34:45 was Liam Adams. Leigh was actually a member of the Australian Commonwealth Games Marthon team in Glasgow 2014. Oh and he finished 7th.
But overall I did win……How you ask?
I won becuase I finished the run. Two years ago I would not have even dreamt (literally as I would have woken sore) about walking the 12km run, let along actually being out there and running it.
Overall my time was 1:22:54 which was below my goal of 1:30:00. The best part about completing the run yesterday was the fact I have to go back next year and beat that time. The run itself (for me) was a little difficult purely for the fact I have never been in this sort of scenario before. I say this scenario because there were 12277 people registered to run.
My run got off to an odd start as I was trying to get in to a rythym so I didn’t have to think so much about the running, but for the first 2kms this was quite difficult weaving around people and having them weave around me too. From around the 3-7km mark I was really in my groove and feeling great, but then I started to cramp up in my calf!
I was a little annoyed as I thought I was in a good place and I could run the distance non-stop, but there was no way I could keep going and run through the pain. So I stopped and gave it a little stretch and kept on going.
After this point I relly couldn’t get my rythym back and was having to stop a few times in the last 4kms. I have run on warmer days before, but have been in places were there was a breeze or shade available or I would take a little time to stop and recover, but I really think the little bit of heat or I may not have prepared well enough contributed to my cramping up.
Once I saw the 2kms to go sign I got a little bit of a lift knowing that the end was in sight. It was a very hard slog towards the end, but thankfully I made it their (just) in one peace with a puffed out chest full of pride for meeting one of my biggest goals set for the year.
I didn’t get a chance to take any photos at the end, but I got a few at the start line, as well as a very worrying one (which wasn’t taken by me) for runners at one point during the race.
This is a look back from where I was in the crowd. It was approximately 200m to the back of this line.
This one is looking forward to the start line which was around 100m in front of me.
Being lined up like cattle waiting to start and I got a little bored.
Some bright spark not obeying the road signs and the fact that there were 30,000+ people on the streets and they were closed for a reason. Thankfully no one was hurt.
From here it will be back in to the gym (working on my new program at the moment) with a run or two per week, and then in the new year it will be full steam ahead to either a half or full marathon. The choice will be made dependent on how my training pans out!
Until next time, happy fitness!
mebeatingme 