Day 30 = Wimbledon Half Marathon today! Early start and walk to station in the rain. Wimbledon seems like an actual mission to get to. Ditched public transport at Clapham but slightly underestimated how far it was from Clapham to the start of the race. On the plus side I got some extra miles in before the race, but on the downside I was still half asleep and forgot to start my watch, so it's as if they never happened. Gutted!
Met some really nice people today along the way, who were interested in the fundraising, and it was great to talk about it, and to remember again why I am doing this. And the nice guy I met on the way who had some top tips about the start of the race, which were really helpful! As the first mile or so was quite a steep uphill and quite uneven and muddy and busy with all the runners jostling for space - but due to knowing that it only lasted a mile or it doesn't seem so stressful! Once up onto the common it was flat for the rest of the lap, and the tracks were wider and more even and easier to run on. Love Wimbledon Common - it's more overgrown than lots of the other open spaces in London, and it feels like you're out in the wild somewhere. Also it has a Windmill, which gives it bonus points. And a golf course, which we ran through the middle of as golfers golfed over our heads.
And I realised my dream, and saw a Womble. An actual Womble. Twice. And I high fived him. And I have a medal to prove it.
Race route was two laps of the common. Great route. Even in the rain. Actually, continuing with my positive theme on the weather, I actually enjoyed the rain. There, I've said that for the first time. It was quite hot, and with the rain it felt a bit like a rainforest. But without the forest. And it was mostly drizzle. But anyway, it was good for running.
Official time 1:47:41 pretty pleased with that! Checked the last time I did a half marathon and it was in 2009. On reflection, I think it's a pretty difficult distance. It's a long way, so you get tired, but it also feels like you should be running really fast. Whereas for a 5km, you just need to worry about running fast, and for a marathon it's just a long way. This is both.
Did hurt my leg 1/2 mile before the end. Felt like something behind my right knee snapped and it really hurt the rest of the way. Been icing it and stretching it since and it's feeling a lot better now. Hope is just a strain or something!
Really good race. And just realised it's on four times per year! As well as an excellent medal at the end there was also flapjacks and bananas. Perfect!
Days: 30
Total miles: 297.83
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