10 Things I Think About Running

1. Two Hundred

I think I am afraid that in 10 years time we will still be limited to 200 people in a race. Too risky will be the reason, no one will question why because they’re fed up with being shouted at and to be honest 200 is just fine.

2. Pre Race Prep

I think I forgot how to get ready for a morning race. I will have to go back to the tower of power. Coffee and half stale toasted bread with raspberry jam while watching the Olympics doesn’t go down well. Thankfully there was the most spotless portaloo I’ve ever seen at the start.

3. New Course

I think the last minute change in course made no difference. It was still four miles on the backroads around Fermoy. A little undulating but nothing worthy of comment if you were on a bike. It was a good honest course perfectly marshaled and perfectly organized.

4. The Battle of the Bouncing Hair

I think that my main concern before this race was being beaten by the only person who has bouncier hair than I do. I feared it greatly, so much that I contemplated avoiding racing until I get a bit fitter, but that would have been cowardly and I’m not a coward.

5. Hope

I think that asking the people who hope to run under 20 minutes to come to the front of the start was a bad idea. Most people on the line hoped to run under 20, hope is a great thing.

6. Comfortable

I think that it was a good idea to go off a bit cautiously. I didn’t really have any choice because the race tore off at a ludicrous pace which was obviously mad. It was like when you see someone driving too fast and slow down because you become aware of the danger. It was a dangerous pace.

7. Concrete

I think that people need to study physics, it is very obvious that magic shoes work better on concrete. The harder the surface the higher the bounce, especially on a warm day when the tarmac is soft and melting. I had to tell the group I was running with that the concrete was faster and sure enough we started to catch the tarmac group ahead.

8. Clipped

I think that I shouldn’t have let my worst fears get the better of me. The first time I became aware of the presence of Lizzie was at about three and a half miles when she clipped my legs. I’m presuming this was deliberate to get into my head. It definitely affected me. Shocking stuff really.

9. Chick’d

I think that I need to work on my psychological resilience. I should not have let Lizzie and her guide Kieran McKeown bounce and waltz away from me. I should have dug in and used my anger to force my magic shoes into the ground harder but I didn’t. Instead I gave up and thought about how Micheal Herlihy would be laughing at me.

10. Revenge

I think that I will have to get revenge for this. The taunting when we crossed the line was unnecessary, I would never and never have taunted anyone after beating them badly. There is only one solution, more, more running, more training and more time. Form is temporary, I hope.