If you’ve not realised yet, I’m very competitive, especially with myself. So having done last years 10k Race for Life in 87 minutes, I wanted to beat that score today. Not having a watch with me it was difficult to see how I was getting along, until I came within sight of the finish line. On the train journey up I was thinking that I needed to do 1km is about 8 and a half minutes, and this would put me on target for last year’s time. Before we started we had to do a warm up with this clearly insane person. Doing that amount of exercise at 9am on a saturday morning should not be allowed!! I started with everyone else, but then we slowly stopped and did our own form of exercises. Stretching out the tops of my legs was a priority, none of this jogging business for me. So at 9.30am off we went, the runner first, then the joggers, then finally us walkers. As I passed under the clock it said 2.21. The weather was overcast, but frankly the best weather you could hope for. So off I went, walking to the beat of my music. If a slowish song came on then I changed it to a more brisk one. 1k came into sight and the field started to open up. I started at the very front of the walkers, so I could get a good stride on. Then the km kept going past, before I knew it I was up to 4, and nearly half way. I kept overtaking the joggers that had slowed down, but several times they over took me to run, then went back to walking, and I over took them again. As we rounded the half way point the 5k competitors started to appeared, and it started to get a bit busier round various parts of the course. Members of the general public walked out infront of you, and seemed to be oblivious to what was going on. “Pay attention” I think I muttered a few times, then a kid on a scooter…. Anyway, 8k could be seen, which was good as the tops of my legs started to ache a bit. I wasn’t going to slow down, so ploughed on. Then 9k and the wonderful sign 500m to go. As I came round the final corner I could see the time ahead, and knew I had to take 2 minutes off that. The last 50 meters I ran as I did last year, and I crossed the finish line with the clock saying 1 hour 23 minutes and 53 seconds!! Which means that I did it in….81 minutes and 32 seconds!!! I was so surprised, I never realised I walked that fast. So I walked just over 5 miles per hour, I never knew I could walk that fast. I suppose that’s what happens when you have an inside leg of 33.5 inches. 

Finally a huge, massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me, I’ve raised £125 in sponsorship money and £17.50 in Gift Aid. Here’s my page, so you can see…

Now I’d better go and mow the grass, no rest for the wicked  xxxxx