The Day After I Ran the Great North Run

This was my 10th GNR. I started in 1997 and took two years off in 2003/2004 because I got bored. The first year I did it in 2hrs 2mins. This year I did in in 2hrs 25mins. Getting older or not enough training? Probably a bit of both. I was experimenting with a new approach to training this year and didn't start serious GNR preparations until July. I think I left it a bit too late and I could have done with a couple more weeks of serious training.

Yesterday was hot as well. The hottest GNR I have competed in. I sweated lots and I mean lots.I drank two litres of fluid( including a litre of Powerade- vile stuff) on the course and a further 500ml on the way home. I had a cup of tea and two 250 ml glasses of water and still didn't pee until 7pm. I finished just as the Red Arrows flew over the Finish Line. That made me feel a bit better.

I got a bus home this year, which was a first for me. Normally I walk (with my wife who didn't come this year)the 2 miles or so to the Metro and then queue for hours to get home. This year I finished, picked up my bag of goodies , went to the Baggage buses , retrieved my rucksack, got changed and stepped onto a bus going to the Haymarket. I did have to stand all the way to Heworth but I was at home less than an hour and a half after crossing the finish line.That is a personal best.

The logistics of the event are amazing. 55,000 people entered and I guess 50, 000 turned up, plus all the relatives and friends who came to see them off and finish.

As a seasoned GNR runner I do get a bit cross with the crowds these days. When I first did it in '97 I strolled to the start sat on the central reservation , got up when they said it was time to start and ran it. Many fewer competitors and crowds. These days you have to get in your colour coded pen(coded according to estimated finishing time)at least 1 hour before the race starts. That is annoying but I can see the reasoning.

Music wise the bands on the run were pretty poor this year.The band in Gateshead just on the roundabout before you get onto the Felling By pass were as usual playing " Keep your feet still Geordie Hinny" but apart from the band in South Shields playing a ROCK! version of the Chariots of Fire theme tune I didn't notice any of them.

Still I will be there next year hoping for a PB as usual.