Pants-tastic!

Well I don't know about you, but I've had a fairly cracking little week, as far as the running's been concerned.

After my lovely long run featured in last week's blog-post, I went out again on Tuesday morning, and ran 6miles straight off, down and back along the canal, and was buzzing with positive running hormones for the rest of the day. By the time I got in from work that night, I'd done 17 miles on foot, and I slept like a very contented baby. Then on Friday, I thought I'd better test my 5k time, and got home inside 38mins, even though I had to admit defeat by that f!@{ing hill and had walked the last few feet.

So this morning, feeling well and truly ready, I pulled my team Macmillan shirt out of the wardrobe, and was nicely surprised that it's no longer as snug as it first was - there's a little more room in there these days. I even pulled out my slightly tidier tracky bums, the ones without the paint stains on, and they fit me too, which they haven't in years! And off I went to Roundhay Park on the bus.

I have to say, it wasn't especially well signposted when I got there, so I'd walked for about half an hour, round the big lake, up the hill to the little lake, and then back to the Lakeside Cafe by the time I found the small gaggle of people in t-shirts under their gazebos on a hill near what I've always thought of as the posh bandstand (apparently it's called Barran's Fountain). The people standing around were a mixture of obvious habitual runners, families with young kids or dogs, students, older people, all out for a bit of a plod, a walk, a jog or a run, and mostly wearing their pants on the outside of their clothes. I saw plenty of fabulously colourful y-fronts, some stripy boxers, some french-knickers, some spotty granny knickers, a pair of grey ele-pants, some frilly bloomers, and a few doggy-pants too. I had forgotten the ones I was going to wear on my head.

The wind was coming up, which made the poor drum majorette troop look a little dafter when they were throwing their pom-poms up in the air and failing to catch them, but then they also failed to have a music system that worked so they performed their routine unexpectedly to the sound of a car stereo crunching their intended cd tracks. I have always had a fear of drum majorettes, and cheerleaders have the same effect - they make me want to cry and run away. This made me decide to go away and have a little private warm up session where I couldn't see them. Then, just as I'd completed my normal routine, a very loud and muscly man from British Military Fitness introduced himself to us all and made us run around and do warm up and stretchy things for another 10 minutes before setting us all off on the course, which was 3 laps of a 1mile-and-a-bit circuit.

We took off down the hill towards the cafe then took a sharp right under the lea of Hill60 and the adjacent woods, round the edge of the cricket pitch, on the path that all too quickly climbs towards the main gates on Princes Avenue.

It's a hill. I can do hills.

I did the hill, and recovered at the top where the route did a very tight hairpin bend at the gates and went back under the Mansion (New Walk). I got my breath back and settled into an even pace and turned right onto The Carriage Drive and back to the lap point. The second lap started well, at 10m55s, and in my head I was already imagining myself arriving back and finishing. I noticed the second visit to the hill was much harder than the first, and I took it slightly slower, but by the time I reached the top, I was more tired than I was expecting to be. I walked the hairpin, taking about 30 seconds to get my breath right before setting off again along the nice long flat stretch and the easy down hill bit. I didn't catch my time for the lap point, I was just determined to finish by then, and I was kicking myself about walking for that little bit.

And then far too soon, I found myself at the foot of that long, gentle hill again, and my mind went blank. I couldn't do it. I walked my third ascent, really laying the guilt down about not making it, and prodding myself with the thought of failing next week on the 10k, just because of a hill. I started running again at the hairpin, absolutely resolute to finish well, and very quickly found myself running far faster, but comfortable. I remember thinking "This is great! I've not run this fast in years!" as I strode round the corner, and could not believe the speed I picked up on that last 500m. I came haring across the finish line, suddenly feeling supercharged and full of energy, knees well up and full of fire. 36minutes and 16seconds, even with the laboured walk up the hill. The last time I did a 5k race, in June 2006, my time was 33minutes, but I was 3 stone lighter!

Someone lovely put a bottle of water, a cereal bar and a medal into my hand, and I found I could speak. Two very fit looking guys were standing next to me, in the same state as I was, red-faced and sweaty. I asked if it was just me, or was that hill a killer, and they both agreed loudly. One, who runs in most of the charity runs around Leeds throughout the summer, and has done this route every year since they started (4years ago), told me that some of the lads from his running club came with him last year, because they didn't believe him when he'd told them they'd find it harder than the Great North Run (13miles) because of THAT hill. He was alone this year. My guilt disappeared! I've stopped kicking myself. We all agreed that not knowing that a difficult hill is in front of you is fine, but knowing a tough one is coming up is a mental trap, and they both said they find it easier to run up steep hills than long shallow ones. I am not a freak!

So, that's the first one down. I'm happy with my time. Based on this, I should finish the 10k next week at about 72minutes. If I can come in under that I'll be chuffed to bits.

Hurray!

C

PS: LOOK AT MY TOTAL! Well chuffed and proud to be on £190 - nearly twice my original target already! Thanks to everyone who's sponsored me so far, it means a lot to me, and has given me the encouragement I need. I'm still looking at a few more events - but will confirm which and where when I've had time (and spare cash) to register for them.