Hazel
15 miles is a big leap, so I was nervous about guiding over that distance. My main concern was that when I got more tired I might make guiding mistakes and cause a tired running partner to fall or get injured. I need not have worried, as both of these were mitigated by my crazy running partner.
Firstly, she didn’t get tired, she bounced along looking wildly happy, while I frankly felt like cack. I secretly felt heavy legged and exhausted, presumably caused by a toddler-related issue of some kind. But I kept my mouth shut, since this is supposed to be her training plan, not mine. If I can’t keep up with the old nutter I will have to ask my running husband to stand in for me for the marathon itself. Shame. I know I am fit enough, I just need to ensure that I get enough sleep.
Secondly, she’s a barm-pot! With two miles to go she was full of confidence, and we ran towards a stereotypically drippy group of tourists outside the castle gates. I said ‘slow it down’ in a very firm voice, which usually means ‘we are avoiding a collision’, and she pulled on the tether, sped up and called ‘No, we can plough through!’ I was not prepared for this at all, and with about three inches between us and the back of a middle-aged Asian man, had to yank on the tether and shout ‘stop!’ Perhaps having run for two hours I had less energy for diplomacy, but Gillian did receive a bit of a telling off. Knowing that there is always space for a cheesy pun, I must simply have reached the end of my tether. In future I will describe the crowd earlier so she has more notice, and I have more notice if she decides to go off the rails again!
Gill and Hazel Run 