Well, I should know it by now. A few years ago when we used to go to yoga classes during the lunch time to the nearby gym, Mike always made me run there and back. Once, because of a meeting he had to skip the class so instead I walked to the gym with Jamie. And guess what – after the yoga Mike was waiting for us outside the gym. First word he said was – let me guess, you were thinking of walking back to the office, weren’t you? Forget it – let's run.
So we ended up at the start line of the 10K race in Hampton Court. It turned out that this race is a bit more “serious” than the one I do in Hyde Park. People looked like serious runners, unlike in Hyde Park where there is more relaxed atmosphere and people are dressed up. We turned up dressed in pink (yes – Mike was wearing leg warmers) while everyone was in blue. Oh well – we decided to enjoy the day and all the attention we were receiving.
Mike was as nervous as before his race. After a bit of negotiation on should we start with sub-45min or 60+ min we decided to compromise and start with below 60min group. As it was raining for the last few days it became quite muddy. Mike looked after me as never (I guess he was petrified that I will have a go at him and bite his head off). I was petrified, as it was the longest distance I ever run. So we set off.
We managed to complete the race without any arguments and still on speaking terms. I’ve managed to run (or in Mike’s term walk fast) entire course.
To summarise, it was an interesting race. I’ve made personal best in 1:02 (well it wasn’t difficult because it was my 1st race so any time would be PB) and for Mike it was the slowest 10K he has ever done. My next race is in July, next year. Until then back to normal – Mike competing and getting decent times, myself taking photos and cheering him up.
