Sod the wind, I'm still going to do it by Rozlynmac

Hello. Happy New Year!

I am following people's blogs, so I apologise to you all for not commenting. :)

So, brief resume since end of November. Following the amjor bout of gut related nastiness, I never really got back into anything except the boxercise. And the local pool shut for refurbishment, so the swimming went too. However, my Davina DVD arrived and as I had some early holidays for Christmas, I got stuck in about them over the festive period. I did plan to get running in, but the general lack of daylight, then the snow foiled me entirely, until New Years day!!

We went to Edinburgh for new year, and in the process of checking out the various events that were on (We did the Torchlight march & were on Calton Hill for the fireworks on Hogmanay) I discovered that there was the One O'clock Run. A mile race from Edinburgh Castle, straight down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. At 1pm, setting off with the one o'clock gun. (Which goes off on the castle at 1pm every single day).

So mini-me & I signed up for it immediately. And on New Years morning got ourselves up & out of the house nice & early to walk from the apartment we were staying in to the castle. It was freezing. It was absolutely bitter cold. So the walk was brisk. It took us about 30 mins to get to the castle, where we registered & collected our t-shirts (very pink with 1.1.11 on the back). Then we ran off to a nearby museum to shelter there until nearer the start because it was even colder on the esplanade than it had been hoofing it up the Mile in the first place. We weren't the only ones with that idea as pink t-shirts abounded, contrasting rather badly with the tartan being woven around us ('cos it was a tartan weaving museum).

So at 12.30, everyone was back on the esplanade & instructions were given - race leaders were to be left at the front - they were working with the police to ensure the road closure worked as it was being done in stages as we approached (there are a dozen roads crossing the mile & it was remarkably busy for new years day). We had to wear our t-shirts. And then the crazy lady climbed on the podium & began out aerobics warm up. There's something very very warming about several hundred people in pink t-shirts dancing about in public like that. THere were serious runners and costumed runners and families with wee-tots and older kids. Babes in pushchairs & teenagers in wellies. You think of it, they were represented in pink & jumping about like loonies.

Shortly before 1pm, we were led away from the castle, to the start of the race, where we packed ourselves into a single width road - Edinburgh tenement on one side, old church (now known as the hub) on the other. And we waited.....and waited.....then someone began a mexican wave to keep us entertained until the gun went off. When it did, we were so far back in the crowd that we only slowly began to shuffle forward. But we could see the sea of heads ahead of us beginning to thin out as they hit the 2-lane road of the Mile. I didn't have my watch on, but mini-me & I later agreed that it was just over 1 minute from the gun going off, to us getting to the start.

My darling daughter is a speedy wee creature, but chose to run the race holding my hand. So together we began jinking in & out of the runners. I would watch for a gap & then point, she'd lead through it, dragging me behind & then we'd be together again side by side for a few more paces.

For those who don't know the Royal Mile, I should tell you it's a hill. And we were starting at the top.

And boy can that girl go. In & out we dodged & danced, the number of people running was pretty amazing. And then as I was beginning to tire, I spotted the back wall of the Parliament & told her we were nearly there. Once she spotted the Parliament she realised just how close we were & began to pick up speed more - just as we reached the flat at the bottom.

The gates of Holyrood Palace were straight ahead of us, but the race actually followed the road around towards the car park to the right of the Palace, so the last bit was on the flat past the Parliament. As we rounded the last bend & past a building that blocked our view, we spotted the finish line.

Mini-me glanced up at me, smiled & said sweetly "See Ya", dropped my hand & sprinted off. Leaving me in her wake. However, I had the biggest grin on my face 'cos she's just amazing :).

As I crossed the line a few seconds later I managed to check the time on my phone, which had been in my hand the entire time. It said 1.07pm.

Back to mundanity, our holiday was over shortly afterwards and we're now back into normality. I'm back in the gym and ticking over. I've just discovered I can't run the local 10k in March because I'm not here that day. So if I decided to go for it, the Kilomathon in April will be my first event of the year. I'm not sure I'm going to make it though. Not having done as much as I wanted over CHristmas, I don't think I'll get the miles in that I need. And it's hard to find a training plan for that distance. Any suggestions?