It stuck me that my ‘Unresolved’ post was almost entirely negative. It was all about what I didn’t do in 2012, what I failed to achieve.
Well, I’m not going to let 2012 pass without adding some balance because in 2012 two brilliant, never to be repeated things happened…
The Olympic Park Run
In March I ran a race with Sally Gunnel, Roger Black and Princess Beatrice around the Olympic Stadium and I beat a guy called Bolt by 2 seconds. It was Andy Bolt from Sheffield… but it makes a great story!
I won one of 5,000 places in a once in a lifetime race around the Olympic Park in London. I was part of the first race to finish in the Olympic Stadium and it was amazing. I’ll never forget it.
We ran past the now iconic venues of the 2012 Olympic Games and round the tunnel beneath the Olympic Stadium to the strains of the theme from Chariots of Fire. Emerging onto that track was one of the most unbelievable feelings. It still feels like a dream.
My First Marathon
At the end of May I did battle with the 26.2 miles of the marathon for the first time.
It was an outrageously hot day in Edinburgh but I loved the run. It was hard, I had to dig deep, but the sense of community and shared purpose and achievement was something I’ll treasure.
I am the 1%… even if I did throw up at the end and loose the nails from my two big toes!
Time Isn’t Everything
I set time goals for both these runs at the start of the year. I decided before the start of both that the time didn’t matter. I wanted to enjoy the runs and see the finish. I had been injured before the Olympic Park Run and it was just too hot to chase a time in Edinburgh.
Sometimes the journey is the important thing. Of course the destination is important but every run is made up of each step, not just crossing the line. I’m glad I ditched the times and took my time to savour as much as I could.
There’s a lesson in there somewhere…