The days to Berlin are now in single figures & having not enjoyed the taper experience, I ended the week on a high & am now looking forward to the start line in Germany.
More Maranoia
I hinted last week that maranoia was starting to mess with my head. Well the past week well & truly mangled it. I’m going to leave this topic now until after the event itself. It is safe to say the final few weeks before the marathon have been the hardest, something I wasn’t expecting.
Saying Goodbye
On Friday my time at Vodafone came to an end. I’ve enjoyed five years with the company and the timing was right to find another challenge. During my time the managed services we introduced not only met expectations, but raised the bar, paving the way for greater customer satisfaction and further managed services.
I walked into a role that I wasn’t sure I was ready for and grew into it. I’ve had to adapt along the way, become more rounded, at times a bit less direct and have gained a huge insight into the lifecycle of a system having come from an installation background.
I leave having been privileged to work with some excellent people, both customers and colleagues, better for the experience. I managed to keep a dry eye until the last goodbye as Marcus saw me out of the building & we shared a hug. He’s been there throughout my Vodafone career & we’ve leant on each other massively over the last few years.
Round Norfolk Relay
As my alarm chirped into life at half three in the morning I couldn’t help but wonder if this wasn’t one of my better ideas. My marathon plan called for a 8-10 mile long run to end the taper. Somehow in my mind this meant that a leg of the Round Norfolk Relay was a good idea! After a switch around of the running order, I had inherited a 10.59 mile route from Wissington, due to start at 6am.
We were asked to get to or stages half an hour in advance in order to accommodate for improvements on predicted times. Seeing the runners being followed by mini buses told me that the sat nav was taking me to the right place & I found a spot to park up. My cleverness of leaving my race number in the car so it couldn’t forgotten was quickly negated by the fact that I’d instead forgotten safety pins! New car as well meant there was no running shrapnel to pillage from the glove box.
After my completely amateurish mistake I was thankful that a finishing Serpentine runner took sympathy on me & donated his pins. If you ever fancy a parkrun around Hatfield Forest, cake is on me!
The club were about 45 minutes behind schedule, though Paul & Brian were confident that Ray would make some time up on the 14th stage. I handed the car keys over to Brian, had far too many nervous wees (a great omen for Berlin) & was soon being told that Ray was actually running into view, the Garmin was barely registering sat nav so I had no choice but to start & hope it caught up!
In my first representative Bishop’s Stortford Running Club event I’d targeted nine minute miles, or in my language, about 5:40/km. Another problem with this run, way under the Berlin target, but given how frustrating the past few weeks had been, I couldn’t really care. I was just hoping to get through the run without any further issues.
The run itself was a bit odd. I found the mini bus behind me distracting & was relieved when they drove on, with Viv riding alongside instead. I couldn’t find any rhythm. I started relatively well, but then just couldn’t get going, the fifth kilometre being nearly 30 seconds over target pace. It didn’t help that I was aware the route was going to climb later on, before ending with a downhill crescendo. If I was already this slow on the flat, I’d be even slower later on & let the club down with an insipid performance.
I’d had enough & decided that I could either carry on getting annoyed with myself, or react. I decided to push a bit in order to find the rhythm that was lacking. The impetus was exactly what I needed, with the 7th kilometre being on pace & the remaining ten all being well under target. My cadence got a bit higher & by working myself a bit harder I had more drive.
The rest of the run was alongside the A10, the sun breaking through & even providing some scenic river crossings. The hill arrived between 12-14km & my splits did not slow, in fact by grade adjusted pace they were my fastest until the final flourish. Everything just seemed to click & by the time we reached the outskirts of Downham Market I was able to enjoy the downhill section to complete my leg.
I handed the baton over with a time of 1:34:00, about 90 seconds under target and very happy with the effort. After receiving a medal in the form of a beanie hat & a cup cake from Viv (which I for some reason placed on the passenger seat of the car on some winding roads rather than eating straight away), Viv & Fiona were heading off to the next stage & I was heading home, pleased with my first effort in BSRC colours.
Packing
Three cases, two bags, 10 nights of the next 12 in hotels. Welcome to my Partridge style life! Not only did I need to pack for Berln, but for MK trips either side as my new job begins. This meant lists galore & a constant updating to include other things I think I might need!
The Music
Muse finally announced some live shows for 2016 & I got myself a pair of tickets (so need to find a friend) for the in the round show at the o2 in April. It’s two days after the Manchester Marathon, so hopefully I’ll be in a fit state to walk!
The Eat
My first ever Cheese Postie arrived this week! Without anything in the house for breakfast I just had to sample it before heading out for parkrun on Saturday morning. Oozy cheesy goodness at 6am!
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The Conclusion
The penultimate week before Berlin was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. My anxieties teamed up to drag me down & thankfully I had some good people around me to lift my spirits & talk me round. Leaving the job became a celebration rather than something to be sad about. To end the weekend on a high was a reminder to myself on how much better I am when I’m positive, believe in myself & those Berlin miles will soon fly by.
Run for the Eat 