At the end of Run Norwich there was Elvis.
The garlanded King of Rock and Roll lookalike was getting all the cheers as my Run Norwich race was drawing to a close.
But as I came up Rampant Horse Street I was reeling him in – showing a clean pair of heels to finish in 53:11.
Whatever else happened I couldn’t let him win!
Run Norwich is a great event – and getting bigger and bigger, in fact I still wonder whether the race has reached capacity and needs a rethink going forward – half marathon, marathon anyone?
Their marketing effort is very impressive, too. Have you tried to spot yourself in the videos they’ve been posting on YouTube, or looked for your name on the the running wall?
It was a record number of runners taking part and I loved the music en route and the cheering stations, but on the downside I felt there were fewer opportunities where I could inject a bit of pace in the early stages – I’d say St Stephen’s and Prince of Wales Road were the best bits.
By the time I’d got to Cathedral Close I was thinking I should conserve my energy as I knew Tombland and the hill into Castle Meadow were coming.
Did you stick to your Run Norwich gameplan?
On paper I should have been pleased with the time. Week on week as I’d followed my Train As One schedule (or thereabouts) I’d got quicker and I was around two minutes faster than the reccy I’d run the week before.
So all in all I was moving in the right direction.
I’d run a controlled race.
Yet I felt disappointed, as if I’d got more in the tank and could’ve pushed on a bit, may be it was the atmosphere and the crowd all getting to me?
‘Not bad for an old man’ I said to anyone who asked, but secretly I felt like I could have done a bit more, shave another minute off may be, though not sure what that would prove.
But here I have to remind myself of my gameplan, which was to treat it as a training run, another step towards the Wissey Half on September, the one I’m really going for.
And actually everything is still on track.
But still…
Post Script: Why every picture tells a story
“Well done, dear,” my wife said as we met up in Chapelfield Gardens, after the race. “But I’ve done a massive fail. I was all primed to video you..but then Elvis ran past…and I put the camera down to point him out (to our son)…”
And right on cue the ‘King’ walked past.