Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
London Landmarks Half Marathon 2022
by Russell Turner - 21:53 on 05 April 2022
With a dodgy ankle and less than 10 miles run since March 6, anything could have happened at the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Fortunately, all ended happily. And tiredly. With a limp, in a reasonable time. The guy I saw being helped into the medical tent just beyond the finish line had a much worse day, as did the guy whose knee went at 9 miles (it had happened before, he told me) but was plodding doggedly to the end.
Our first Big London Trip of 2022 (all being well) began on Friday when easyJet took Matchgirl, me and a stag do down south. There were other passengers but the stags were most notable. Thankfully, they were jovial rather than raucous and when it was time to disembark the groom-to-be – in full Geri Halliwell Union Jack mini dress – even held back the horde while we got our bags from the overhead lockers. What a nice young man.
We found the Wellington Hotel, despite my incompetence with Google Maps (I’ll print out the route next time), unpacked, enjoyed a good Italian meal in its very quiet restaurant, then a less good sleep in a not-so-quiet room assailed by noisy heating, air-conditioning and plumbing.
Early in the race and still smiling
Despite that, next morning Matchgirl was up early for a run. I stayed in bed. Later we were reunited with Ex-Triathlon Cathy, who was staying solo at the same hotel because UltraPaul was elsewhere running up a mountain, then abandoned her for a matinee performance of Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre. A musical about how a small town (Gander in Newfoundland) coped with the unexpected arrival of dozens of airliners, grounded after 9/11, doesn’t sound like a jolly time but the show has deservedly won awards.
The three of us reconvened in the evening for dinner at a handily placed Nepalese restaurant just around the corner from the hotel. Mutton curry the night before a race may have been taking a risk but it was very tasty.
After a marginally better night’s sleep (earplugs and heating turned off) we walked to Pall Mall where around 12,000 runners were assembled in seven waves to begin their 13.1mile tour of some of London’s landmarks. Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England were just a few of the historic sights I didn’t notice because I was too busy concentrating on running.
Beginning to struggle but still determined
The run began well, with Mr Brightside blaring out of the PA as our group set out, waved off by bowler-hatted stewards. I hung onto the 2:15 pacer, which seemed like a reasonable ambition on a cool, windless and occasionally sunny day. All went well and my dodgy ankle, which had walked three miles on Friday and four on Saturday, felt fine. There was even some chat. Then, after six miles, I jarred it on one of the sharp turns that are involved in confining the course to a small area.
I kept going, but close to eight miles the pacer began to get away from me and soon I was walking for the first time. Maybe if I’d managed to stay with the pacer all would have been OK, or maybe the jarred ankle was the excuse I needed to give ill-trained legs a rest. Whatever, my 2:15 hopes were ended.
Running resumed 4mins later, if my Garmin is to be believed (not a given – city buildings play havoc with the GPS) but after 2mins I had another excuse to slow when I passed Matchgirl and Cathy for the second time and shouted out my runnery woe. This time the walk break was 5mins. Pushing off on my poorly ankle was painful but OK once I got going.
Closing in on the finish
I passed my cheer squad again at around 11.5 miles, by when there’d been a few more walk breaks and the pace of running sections had dropped. I was told by them later that I still looked good. I obviously hadn’t exaggerated my limp enough, although I did get called by name more often along the Embankment, especially when walking, so my ploy for sympathy must have worked.
When I crossed the finish line my Garmin showed 13.05 miles run, so obviously I had to restart it and limp a few more metres, for a time of 2:26:48. However, the chip time is the accurate one: my official London Landmarks finish time was 2:25:45 – only 10mins slower than I’d hoped. Under the circumstances I was happy with that.
Medal and goody bag collected, Matchgirl and Cathy found me in a thronged St James’s Park, from where I limped back to the Wellington and a reviving bath that Matchgirl had to help me out of, the combination of sore legs and unusual depth being too much of a challenge. We’d semi-planned a celebratory posh Indian meal at Dishoom but settled for the hotel again as my legs didn’t want to go far.
Next day they’d recovered a little. Today, the ankles feel fine but difficult to judge because of aching calfs. There will be no attempt at running until at least Tuesday. Snow (really), wind and rain would have put me off anyway but a gig tomorrow and two at the weekend will interfere with recovery time. At least they’ll help pay for the weekend.
So did I enjoy London Landmarks and would I do it again? Yes – it’s a mini London Marathon so what’s not to like? Matchgirl was so impressed she’s even considering it herself, although if our passage through airports, aircraft, trains and crowds brings Covid back to The Rural Retreat she might change her mind. Let’s hope for the best.
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