Richmond Park 10k
/10 Things I Think About The Richmond Park 10k
1. What Are You Doing in Dartford
I think that Dartford is one of those places that’s only tolerable because of running. I had to go to Dartford for a training course, not a holiday. Dartford is about 10 miles or an hour and a half from nice places in London. It is the sort of place that makes you worry about the world. On a 10 mile run there must have been 42 roundabouts. They really really like roundabouts in Dartford. They also have a shopping centre.
2. Uber
I think that I was lucky to escape Dartford. I couldn't face another roundabout run there on Friday morning so I escaped to Chelsea early. Unfortunately my Uber driver decided to crash into the back of what turned out to be an unmarked police car at one of the many roundabouts that you must navigate to escape Dartford. There was no damage to anything or anyone but it set off some sensor in the police car which meant that a police man had to come and look at it. That was going to take two hours so I had to make an Uber transfer.
3. Van Gogh
I think that a trip to the Van Gogh exhibition on Friday cured me of my roundaboutitis. Roundabouts hadn't been invented when Van Gogh was painting so it was very good, lots of Daffodils and men with their heads in their hands. Van Gogh spent a few years in London, perhaps he had to stay Dartford and commute in to the office, it might explain the madness.
4. Daffodils for Dinner
I think that the Van Gogh cafe was an acceptable replacement for a pre race pizza. It was very excellent. I'm not sure if it will be as easy to find Korean Pancakes everywhere but it seems to work just as well as pizza.
5. Chelsea
I think that I understand why rich people like to live in Chelsea. It's very beautiful and great for running. Battersea Park looks like a great place for a session and you can link it up with Hyde Park for a run. It's a pretty perfect place. I wish that I had lots of oil and could buy an apartment there.
6. Doneraile on Steroids
I think that the same person that designed Doneraile Park must have worked on Richmond Park. They are very similar except that Richmond is bigger and has cyclists. The route for the race was two 5k laps of 50% gravel, 40% foothpath and 10% grass around the north of the park. Gravel is my second favourite running surface after grass so I was very happy.
7. Uh Oh
I think that I was worried after a few minutes of the race. They had said at the start that there was only a prize for first. I like prizes so I wanted to win one, I was very confident at the startline as there were no vapour flies around. After a few minutes it was only me and another guy who looked very very comfortable, more comfortable than me and far more talented. I was a little very worried, especially when he had a good 100m gap on me after 3k. 3k is normally the talent vs training tipping point, if I don’t get ahead by 3k I’ll never get ahead.
8. Tipping Point
I think that my tipping point theory is still accurate just a little bit off. About 1k after the 3k tipping point I closed up on the guy in front all of a sudden, he still looked very comfortable but I could tell that he wasn't going to be able to go any quicker. I would like to think that I sped past him like Mo Farah and sprinted away to the finish but in reality I kind of drifted away from him slowly like a noisy electric car.
9. Don’t Look Back in Anger
I think that I will have to work on my end of race anger. No matter how far ahead you are in a race you always think that there is someone just behind you. I never look back because that's a bad habit so I’d no idea where the other guy was. I presumed he was right behind because people from London are normally very excellent at running. There was a lady at the last turn pointing the direction but I wasn’t happy with the clarity of the pointing, so I shouted at her as I was worried about the guy behind. I went the right way in the end. I felt bad when I won so I went back and said sorry.
10. Trophy
I think that my favourite prizes are trophies and medals, obviously I would also like a bag of money or even a voucher for the army surplus store in Youghal but failing that a trophy is the best prize. Trophies are excellent as you can look at them afterwards and think about how excellent you are and medals are great because you can have a medal bowl in your house. It’s just a pity there was no podium for the race, they just handed me my trophy as I crossed the line. Ah well it was far far better than a solo session.
