What a difference a day makes
Particularly if that day is an exceptional one like Sunday 12th September, the day of the Great North Run!
Perhaps it’s a little unfair to say this all happened in one day, but it was the culmination of 18 months worth of hard work, by me, my close friends and family, and you… my brilliant and very generous donators.
Because on 12th September 2021, after waiting two years since the last one, I finally ran in the 40th Anniversary Great North Run …and in doing so, earned a load of money for the wonderful mental health charity MIND.
What a crazy few weeks, filled with training runs, friends visiting, presenting workshops at conferences and much more, but let’s get back to the running, after all, that was huge!
Getting ready
To say I was a little nervous leading up to the big day is a bit of an understatement. I wasn’t concerned about the 13.1 miles I had to run – I never am (maybe I should be!) – it was more about that pesky bug…
On hearing the event was to be live face-to-face, I was initially concerned about COVID.
Well, naturally anyone would be, after all, it was the first big event of its kind to be held ‘live’, and with 40 thousand runners, it’s a lot of people in one space (and that’s without the supporters lining the streets!)
That concern was then replaced with smaller worries…
With a change in course and new measures to manage a large number of runners, they were starting us in waves. Being, shall we say, a less than speedy runner I then worried:
“Would I be last or near to last? Would I get lost on the course!?“
Mikey, my husband and the voice of reason (well, in this instance!), pointed out that with 40 thousand runners both of these scenarios were highly unlikely and maybe my imagination was kinda getting the better of me!
Anyway, during the several weeks before I got on with my training, running longer and longer distances. Ever-supported by Mikey who had to drive across Edinburgh to collect me from wherever I’d run to.
So much running I had to replace my running shoes 4 weeks before the event! …okay, it’s probably just a coincidence, though it does always seems to happen a few weeks before a big event. Luckily my new shoes were great.
Oh and I dyed my hair blue to match the MIND’s charity colour! (Well, my personal hair colourist did it …that being Mikey and he’s actually pretty damned good!)
The big day
Before we knew it, it was the 12th and we were ready for the big day …and my worries had turned to excitement (“Let’s go! What time does that train leave?!”)
As I was running through the early afternoon, starting at 11:55, we decided to get the train down to Newcastle. Which worked perfectly (unless we count the last-minute change of tickets because we’d accidentally booked the wrong day! – Thank God we spotted that a week before!)
Only Mikey came with me this year. We decided to minimise how many people were there (you know, COVID and all!)
The train station was 20 minutes walk from the assembly area, so a nice warm-up, and we simply followed the crowd heading in the same direction.
At the assembly area, there was time for a quick loo stop before the run… Portaloo, never pleasant but a necessity!
Then we joined a huge crowd heading across the town moor toward the start.
As we got closer we saw we’d be channelled in sections up a steep grass banking (just what you need a steep hill on potholed grass before a big run!) …this would take us down onto the motorway and along to the usual start place of the race.
It’s at this point Mikey left, he didn’t want to get caught up in the throng of runners!
From this point, along with my fellow runners, I slowly and steadily made my way down onto the motorway and to the start. All in all, this probably took just under an hour.
Then, just as I was starting to think will we never get to the start… I was suddenly picking up pace and running through the last couple of barriers and that was it…
I was off!
Now I’m not going to bore you with 13.1 miles worth of chat about the entire race, just a few highlights…
The weather was ideal for running; perfectly ‘dreich’ (overcast, gloomy and at some points a little rainy). There was not a glimpse of sunshine the whole time.
I started really well, the best start I’ve ever had and at 5km I was storming it, keeping a steady even pace. I passed a few people, some passed me and at one point lots of young lads came sprinting past (I wanted to say ‘there are 13 miles to run!’ but I let them go …and then passed them later when their exhaustion was no doubt suggesting that sprint at the start wasn’t one of their best of ideas!)
As you run under the motorway and rail bridge before the Tyne Bridge, the noise of people cheering and general high spirits is immense. Even with this year’s reduced crowd, all you can hear are shouts of encouragement and applause.
Running over the Tyne Bridge was great, I was even feeling good enough to look at the camera and wave… Not that it did any good, as I didn’t appear on TV nor did I get a great photo of me on said bridge – oh well!
At around 6-7km I had a bit of a block, which wasn’t great as it was way too early. So I changed from music to listen to my book. Before I knew it we were at 11k and halfway around.
(I realise I’ve flipped into kilometres …it’s because I train in km, so it’s how I gauge the half marathon distance of 13.1miles, i.e. 21.09km)
This new route heading back into Newcastle was a bit hilly. For every up, there was a down, and most of the running was along long stretches of dual carriageway, which meant lots of space to run.
Which was just as well, as a group of DC superheroes run past in full costume!
The real heroes though were the thousands running for all sorts of charities; cancer, children’s charities, hospices, and I saw several fellow MIND runners too.
I was behind one runner running for cancer and had a chance to read the note pinned to her shirt, it brought a tear to my eye… it said ‘Running for my Grandad, my Dad and my Mum’
…so many people doing so much for charity in a single day.
Toward the end of the race we were running through Newcastle with more supporters and I have to say I was flagging a bit. It was the last mile…
…when out of nowhere shouting and cheering Mikey unexpectedly appeared in the crowd!
…perfect timing! It definitely helped.
Unheard of, he even ran beside me for a few meters to keep me going.
(Well, he has two very dodgy knees and will be having a double knee replacement. So I guess I’ll let him off doing a full run!)
I then got my head down and listening to my music, I just drove toward the finish line, which I could now see in the distance.
The finish line
If you’ve ever done something like this, then you’ll know the finish is a bit chaotic.
As soon as you get over the line you are moved along quickly …and then bombarded with ‘stuff’!
Your legs might be exhausted but the organisers figure your arms are still ready to be handed said stuff from all sides; water, t-shirt, and finally the all-important medal.
So there you are completely shattered, legs like jelly and arms full of stuff …you can’t move, let alone open the water you desperately need!
Well, I’m guessing because of COVID, this time I just got handed a single bag (much easier), which contained the most important thing …water! Oh and the obligatory t-shirt and medal.
Now all I had to do was find Mikey …in a huge crowd of exhausted runners and their families!
That was a challenge in itself!
It took a little while to understand where he was, but sensibly Mikey was away from the masses and near the MIND tent, where there was more space to sit.
The people at MIND were great, giving us tea, snacks etc to help with recovery …which I took full advantage of! Particularly the chocolate…
(Little known fact: Chocolate is calorie-free if eaten after a half-marathon)
The dreich weather that had helped with running suddenly wasn’t so great, as I got very cold very quickly. So I put on as many clothes as I could, including the all-important ‘bacofoil’ blanket!
(Place in an oven, gas mark 6)
After taking some photos and chatting, it was a much slower walk back to the train station. And after a carb-loaded tea (pizza and pasta, also calorie-free after such a run), we got on the train for home.
Top tip: Wear your medal and t-shirt on the train home. The train guard and crew are very appreciative!
The real win
Once official timing came in, it turned out I had completed the run in a personal best time of 2hrs38m. Beating the time of my first ever race by 2 minutes.
But the most amazing thing is that you, my incredible supporters, have helped me raise an amazing £1,258 for MIND.
YOU ARE FAB!
Thanks to you they will be able to use this to help so many people with mental health issues.
So in closing, my thanks to everyone who donated and to everyone that has helped me along the way with your love and support. Particularly my ever-supportive hubby Mikey and my sister Julie, who have made the journey to the finish line as enjoyable and ‘easy’ as possible.
What next?
Well, I’ll probably run in the Edinburgh half marathon next year, so watch out for me zooming around Edinburgh!
And for anyone who still wants to donate, support MIND in another way or receive their support, here are a couple of helpful weblinks…
You can support my run in retrospect by donating here at my JustGiving Page
And, if you ever need the help of MIND or wish to help them in some way, you can visit their site at www.MIND.org.uk
