race report: bupa london 10000

I don't know where the weeks are going at the moment guys! Life has been one big blur since the marathon :)

As promised, here is my little write up on the BUPA 10,000 which Tom and I did together last Monday (feels like ages ago). Tom's already done his -  his race report was just fantastic, and much funnier than mine will be ;)

Basically, all was well in the lead up to the race - we only had four weeks to train Tom for it, and that was a huge challenge but I was lucky that he seemed to have some natural ability for the sport!  While he certainly wasn't a runner to begin with, he wasn't unfit either.  The first few times we went out together were a bit of a struggle, but we worked on a combination of running/walking and I threw in some uphill strides and half squats to build up his strength.  Tom was often really sore after our training, and so we kept an eye on that with lots of stretching afterwards.  He did grumble a bit ;)

I went to India for a week in early May, and left Tom with a strict schedule to stick to while I was away - I was always very pleased to get a text telling me how he went!  And I kept up the training too - I did 10k on a treadmill in the hotel gym, and a yoga class on the beach in Goa! (it's a hard life isn't it)  

Before I knew it, it was our last run before the race, and we smashed out 7km, which was full of energy and did wonders for Tom's confidence.  And as for me, well, I wasn't worried about how I would fare with the distance at all!  (oh, that self assurance was in tatters 24 hours later!) We spent the remainder of that Saturday afternoon wandering around Sloane Square, writing in Starbucks and then strolled briskly home to beat the rain.

Sunday, I woke up and my right foot was throbbing!  What the?!

I think it was the shoes I had worn on Saturday afternoon - they're not the most supportive flat shoes I own (just very pretty). But I thought that was it - forget BUPA!  I couldn't put any weight on my right foot.  I could barely walk.  I rested for a few hours, which did nothing.  I put tiger balm on the foot, which also did nothing.  I iced the foot, which, you guessed it, did nothing.

We were both gutted.  It was looking very unlikely I'd be able to run 10k the next day - if I couldn't walk, I definitely couldn't run!  And if I tried I would probably make it worse, which would make me an idiot!  We were very sad because the thought of Tom having to run it on his own was a bit of a downer, but I didn't want him to pull out either after all his hard work.  Sigh.  What to do?

Luckily, my lovely pal Suburban Yogini came to the rescue.  She suggested I get a tennis ball and try to stand on it with the bad foot, and then go back and forth over it to massage it.  I didn't have a tennis ball, but I had a dumbbell that had a round end a similar size to a tennis ball, so I used that.  It hurt like hell!  But within a few minutes it felt better.  Less knotted.  I also lit some incense I bought from a strange little shop in Goa - the woman who owned the shop had it burning on her shrine.  She tried to sell me heaps of things, exclaiming that everything was good luck.  I suspected she might place a curse on me if I didn't buy anything (!) so I got this incense, which smells lovely, and she narrowed her eyes at me as I paid for it and said, "IS GOOD LUCK!"  I hoped she was right!

We had a no-frills risotto for dinner, me rolling my foot on the dumbell all the while, laid out our kits, and went to bed.  I couldn't make a decision, it still hurt but there was the possibility that this massage, and eight hours of rest, would miraculously heal it.  There was nothing to be done until the morning.

We were awake the next morning quite early, and I was able to put weight on the foot.  It felt SO much better!  I could walk!  Alleluia!   I decided I would go and run, but if I found it painful, I would stop.  But in the end, I didn't have to worry about it, because the pain actually went away as I ran...it was so freaky!  Was the weird Goan incense good luck after all?! ;)

Tom did his usual fuel of bread, banana and Lucozade bars; I had a bit of banana and Lucozade bar.  Then we got dressed, pinned our numbers on and headed off to Green Park!!  Now that I could walk again I was excited!!

I think Tom enjoyed the atmosphere of the start - he said it was really exciting to be taking part for a change, rather than just being a spectator! 

Tom before the start, a photo by philippa_moore on Flickr.

Us at the start, a photo by philippa_moore on Flickr.

It was starting to get very warm!  It was lovely being in our start zone, feeling the golden warm sunshine on my bare arms :)  It was also lovely having someone to talk to at the start.  I'm so used to being on my own at these things and it was so great having Tom there to talk to and psych each other up! 

The start, a photo by philippa_moore on Flickr.

It took a while for us to get to the start - the race started at 11am and we didn't cross the start line until 11.30am, so there was a bit of hanging around and my usual "do I need the loo?" feeling, but it was all good!  Everyone was getting very excited, there was a nice vibe in our start group :)

Finally, we headed off, up Birdcage Walk (which was the last part of the London marathon) to Parliament Square, past Big Ben and down the Embankment!  The roads were closed and the streets were lined with people watching and cheering.  There were also some superb bands playing to keep the momentum going - Tom loved the live music!  You really don't need an iPod at this kind of event, the atmosphere is so fantastic and gives you such a buzz.

Tom and I were side by side the whole way, and kept encouraging each other - I actually needed heaps of encouragement because I was worried about my foot, despite everything!  We slowed the pace when we needed to, and I kept waiting for Tom to say he needed a walking break, but he never did!  We passed 7km, the most he had ever done without stopping, and we kept going.  8km, we kept going.  "You've broken your record!" I grinned at him.    9km was a great marker to see, I think we were both a bit relieved, but we were absolutely pumped!  The music was still going strong on the Embankment, and Tom's face was a curious mixture of exhaustion and exhiliration.

"Now I know why you love running," he said.

Finally we headed up Whitehall towards the turnoff to the finish on the Mall - somehow we both summoned the extra energy and picked up the pace for the final 400m!  I thought Tom had got over the finish line just ahead of me, but our official finishing times were exactly the same - 1:04:24!  Tom kept running after he got over the line, he was pumped!  And I was SO proud of him!

What a race!  For a first timer and a marathoner with a dodgy foot, we did pretty well!  Tom was absolutely buzzing and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I watched him.  The exhiliration of crossing the finish line in your first ever race is incredible, nothing compares to it.  "You will always be able to say you ran the BUPA 2011 10k," I said, "no one will ever be able to take that away from you."  We put our medals on each other  - it was very cute :)  And then I got out the camera:

10k man with his medal, a photo by philippa_moore on Flickr.

We're 10k'ers! Go Team Cyberdyne! :) , a photo by philippa_moore on Flickr.

Then we headed home in the sunshine, medals around our necks, grinning like mad things, feeling so, so happy!  We originally had planned to celebrate by having a beer in our favourite local pub on the way home, but as it was Bank Holiday Monday it wasn't open until 4pm (it was only about 1pm at this point)!  So we went to the local Wine Rack and got a few ice cold Steinlagers and had those in our backyard in the glorious sun, and toasted Tom and his first ever 10k victory!!

It's hard to believe it was only about 10 days ago!  And what's next...well, who knows!  Watch this space!

I think Tom said it best in his write up - that it was a great challenge for him, but it was never impossible; all he needed to do was get off his arse and do it!  I believed in him every step of the way, having had the most humble of humble beginnings in this sport myself, and I think eventually he believed in himself too.  That really is the key, I think.  Believe in yourself, and celebrate what you can do - which is often more than you think. 

And I really loved coaching!  It was so much fun, and so gratifying to see Tom graduate from a person who had never run in his life to someone who could do a 10k, and enjoy it!  And all in 4 weeks!  Anyone else want me to coach them? ;) ha ha


Cheers as always to my mates at Lucozade for their support and putting us in the race!