Tag: London Marathon

The dash for the finish line

Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge

26 April 2015

By quarter to twelve, when I finally made it to Tower Bridge, almost three hours after I’d set out, I’d walked eleven or more miles, rather than the seven I’d planned. The noise of the crowds told me I was there before I even saw it and, once I was on the bridge, they got thicker and thicker until I had to literally push my way through. Once or twice I may have mentioned how much I hate crowds. Being short, I can’t see anything and they make me feel panicked and claustrophobic. By the time I got to the other side I was close to tears and disoriented. Continue reading The dash for the finish line

The Thames Trail, a catalogue of errors

HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast

26 April 2015

Once I’d left Cutty Sark and crossed Deptford Creek, it was a relief to be away from the crowds and walking along the empty embankment. The creek, I found out later, was the site of the Battle of Deptford Bridge, the last battle of the Cornish Rebellion, on 17 June 1497. Created as a Royal Dockyard by Henry VIII, in the sixteenth century, Deptford Dockyard gave employment to many shipbuilders until its closure three hundred years later. In fact, in 1580, Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake there on board the Golden Hind. The ship remained moored in the creek until it broke up. It seems it a pity it couldn’t have been saved and restored because I would like to have seen it. Continue reading The Thames Trail, a catalogue of errors

London, marathon day has arrived

The end is in sight
The end is in sight

26 April 2015

Training for a marathon is a long, slow process. It takes fortitude, courage and a dogged determination to get out and run, no matter what the weather, when your mind and muscles are screaming at you to stop and stay in bed. Running twenty plus miles is never easy, even if you’ve done it before many times. Anyone who thinks it is should go and and try. Sometimes doubts creep in. Why am I doing this to myself, maybe I should just turn for home now moments. Only the determined succeed. On our way back from Portchester, CJ and I bumped into Commando on one of his last ever training runs. The end was in sight. Continue reading London, marathon day has arrived

Monumental cock up on the London Marathon front

image

25 April 2015

A few years ago I made a cock up of monumental proportions on the Twilight Race For Life. Basically I turned up on the wrong night, one day after the race, dressed in bright pink, with my race number pinned to me and covered in glo sticks. As mistakes go it was a big one and embarrassing but, to put matters right, I walked more than the distance involved, dressed in my stupid pink costume, all alone, at night and feeling like a total idiot. On Saturday we discovered someone else had made an error that made mine look like a tiny faux pas. Let me start at the beginning…. Continue reading Monumental cock up on the London Marathon front

Twenty miles Olympic Style and a towpath on the Thames

Dorney Lake
Dorney Lake

5 April 2015

Sunday morning was another early start. Commando had read about a company called The Race Organiser, who hold Marathon Preparation Races for people training for spring marathons. With the London Marathon just three weeks away, and his final long run on the horizon, he thought he’d give it a try. That way he’d be able to run his twenty miles under race conditions, with water stations, other runners and timing chips. As it was being held at Dorney Lake, in Windsor, around the lake built as the 2012 Olympic Venue for Rowing, Adapted Rowing and Flatwater Canoeing I was more than happy to go along as cheerleader, carrier of car keys and blister technician. Continue reading Twenty miles Olympic Style and a towpath on the Thames

the common and another lucky escape

Commando, getting ready for a run onTthe Common
Commando, getting ready for a run on The Common

27 January 2015

Commando took up running almost four years ago. He’s always been slim and fit. He used to teach martial arts but it’s a dangerous occupation even if you do have black belts in several disciplines. There were injuries, broken ribs, black eyes and any number of strains, sprains and assorted bruises. Throw working nights and lack of time into the mix and it became harder. Something had to give. Continue reading the common and another lucky escape