Cancer Research 10k

This Sunday I ran in the Cancer Research 10k at Longleat - the second 10k I have done there this year.

I booked the event some time ago as I thought it would be a good warm-up for the Reading half marathon. As it grew nearer, I wondered if I had made the right decision - there was a 10-mile race at Chedworth in the Cotswolds on the same day, which might have been more suitable. Oh well, I decided, it's booked and paid for so I might as well stick with the 10k.

I had a look through my race information a few days before the event. Along with my race number there was something to put on the back of your t-shirt, which displayed who you are running in memory or celebration of. At this point I remembered that one of the ladies who worked in the canteen at my company, Viv Billingham, had died of cancer earlier this year.

You would never have known that Viv had cancer. She was always so cheerful as she went about her work, and looked well for the most part. She had been battling with cancer for some time and had undergone chemotherapy; the only time I noticed a change in her appearance. What a brave lady.

I decided therefore that I would run the race in Viv's memory. On the Friday before the race I went to the canteen and told a couple of the ladies there, who thought it was a lovely idea. They said that they would get someone to send out an email to the site advising them of the event.

Whilst there was a sponsorship form enclosed in the race pack I wasn't planning on raising sponsor money. It's usually a pain getting it in after the event, and there are plenty of opportunities for people to donate money to good causes.

When I got back to my desk, however, I found out that one of our secretaries, Lizzie Turner, had sent out an email to everyone in the company in the whole of the UK telling them I was running a half marathon in memory of Viv, and to contact me if they wished to sponsor me! Several people had called already, and so it didn't look like I had much choice about raising sponsorship!

I spent the Saturday before the event much the same way I spend any day before a race - just relaxing - with one exception: I went to the gym and did Body Pump in the morning. I felt that a 10k is an easy distance for me now and it wouldn't hurt to train the day before. Besides, I get bored not being able to go the gym for a couple of days, and I need to maintain contact with my friends from the classes now that I don't go to them so often. And Body Pump is a pretty good class if you want to maintain muscle mass.

I also went to the cinema in the afternoon to see Basic Instinct 2. Save your money. 'Nuff said.

I had a good-ish nights sleep and a pleasant drive to Longleat on the Sunday. I was a bit disappointed with the weather - it was cold and raining as we lined up on the start line. Lots of people were running in memory of friends and relatives, which was pretty heart wrenching. It was obvious that most of them were not serious runners - 10k is quite a distance if you're not a serious runner so good on them.

I felt pretty good in the race. The course was challenging but my legs held up to it well, I didn't have any of the soreness or heaviness I'd experienced in my last two events, the Bath half or the 10k at Bowood.

I was a bit disappointed when I realised we had to run through a muddy field. I don't much like cross-country (which is why I didn't enjoy Bowood and consequently didn't write about it here) and thought to myself "Here we go again". As it turned out, there weren't too many muddy fields; it was mostly road, and a challenging course. I was puffing and panting a fair bit, so a more than adequate warm-up for Reading.

As I got to the last kilometre, which was the path to Longleat House, I worked out I could probably finish in less than 55 minutes. I gave it everything I had on that last kilometre, and as I crossed the line the clock read 54 minutes 55 seconds. A very satisfactory time on a tough course.

Anthony has said this week that he wouldn't be surprised if I was winning some of these races next year if I can lose all my excess weight. We'll have to see about that, but it's a very exciting prospect. One thing Anthony doesn't do is bullshit you, so there you go.

I was exhausted but happy after the race. I had had a good run, done something for a good cause in memory of a very special lady, raised money for charity, and hopefully raised my profile within my company. That warranted a few beers in the afternoon I decided.

As I drove back I passed the crematorium where my mother has a plaque and a bench in her memory, at the place where her ashes were interned. I thought about popping in but decided not to - I am usually pretty emotional after an event and feared I might get upset. This was a day for being happy and feeling good about what I had achieved, not for getting upset or crying. I know what she'd have wanted me to do. I did call in at my Dad's cottage, which they bought 30 years ago, but he wasn't in.

I called in at the gym on the way back - I was considering doing another 11k on the treadmill as people were under the impression I was running a half marathon. In the end I just did 6k - that made a total of 10 miles on the day, and besides, I wanted to get back for Eastenders. I had a good chat with one of the girls in sales there, Sarah, a very mature young lady for 18. Can't say what it was about, but it was nice for someone to talk to me about their problems for a change.

My good deeds done, I returned home and did indeed partake of a colossal amount of alcohol in the afternoon. I enjoyed watching a DVD - "The Island", an under-rated action movie starring the ubiquitous Scarlett Johansson. It had been a great day and I deserved a small celebration.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, April 2006