2009 Progress Entrant - Neil Aikenhead

Contents:- -Intro- Report -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7, 8 & 9- -Final-

Report (Final) - 10/05/09

Looking back over the last five months it is hard to see where the time went. I started off back in January keen as mustard. Really needed to do something to lose some weight and start to feel good about myself. The first couple of weeks were good it was nice to be doing something positive for a change.

Then the weather took a turn for the worse, lost of professional and personal things got in the way and the training seemed less important. There was always tomorrow or next week.

The there were no more tomorrows the day of the race had arrived, May 10th for the Castle of Mey 10k. What a buzz when we got there, plenty of very experienced runners pleased to be part of something new. And me scared of making a fool of myself, but caught up in the excitement of it all with everyone else.

Race time arrived and we all headed of down to the start line. It seemed everyone was keyed up and ready for the off. Me? I was ready for the finish. I knew I wasn’t ready, I knew I couldn’t run it all. I was suffering form the same thing as I suffered with all through training, a negative attitude.

The first couple of kilometres went really well, too well in fact. I had set off to fast and knackered myself up the first hill. By the time I reached the 4k mark (having walked a fair bit already) I was exhausted and baking in the sun. By the time I got to the water station at the half way point I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish.

The next 5k was spent walking with the occasional jog. Not really a run at all. I was disappointed with the time I took. I should have been able to do better, but still please that I managed to finish. Maybe next year I’ll be a bit quicker.

Race picture