A weekend of contrasts for me - from very long to very short - and almost entirely watching other people putting in the actual effort. For most of Saturday and overnight into Sunday morning, I was checking Twitter and What’s App messages to see how Cat Simpson was getting on in the 145-mile GUCR (Great Union Canal Run). Yes, 145 miles. In one go, with only brief stops allowed for refuelling. My head cannot even get around how that’s possible. Well, Cat not only showed how it’s possible, she only went and won it, and set a new women’s course record into the bargain. Oh, and finished third overall too, in a double podium finish. 27 hrs and 26 mins to run 145 miles. Just breathtakingly impressive. I don’t like using adjectives like “superhuman” because to me, that carries an implication of natural gifts rather than bloody hard work. Of course, one has to have the former too, but I know that Cat has trained incredibly hard for that race - so it’s not just awesome, it’s massively well-deserved too. Strava kudos doesn’t even begin to cover it ...
And at the other end of the spectrum, I spent yesterday at the Westminster Mile. I paced my kids (and a toy rabbit) to PBs then watched some of the other waves. This is a really lovely event - multiple waves mean each one is relaxed, and everyone has plenty of space to run from the beginning. My kids also loved the fact that it comprises much of the last mile of the London Marathon, and that we finished outside Buckingham Palace. It’s also a lovely feature that when anyone in the wave finishes, they stay at the finish and cheer the remaining runners home. My favourite moment was watching the Olympian wave, where the last few walkers (well, they were over 70!) home were greeted by an honour guard of raised hockey sticks from the GB Hockey players who had run. Just lovely.
So, how was your weekend running? Odds are, it feel somewhere in between 1 mile and 145 miles, though probably rather nearer the former than the latter! Well done to anyone who ran in Manchester yesterday, and good luck anyone currently at the Vitality 10k ..
