Karinsmiles

Last D33 update

I think everyone else has managed to get their D33 reports up already but just like in almost all my races, I am at the coo’s tail, so it’s a very short report.

I was also late in entering the D33, in fact we had only just made up our minds to revisit Aberdeen (the last time I was there was our honeymoon 33 years ago – romantic eh?) when we offered a lift up and back by Willie, who’s a clubmate and all round brilliant companion for a long journey, either in a car or on foot.

I ran most of the race with Norma, in her first race over 26.2 miles and, being women of a certain age, we discussed anything and everything and the miles rolled by fairly smoothly. It was really good to see the leaders on their way back and almost everyone going the other way returned our greetings. Runners are indeed smilers. At the turn I was astonished to see there was still a heap of jam sannies, so either everyone else had been very frugal or George had bought every pan loaf in the North East. Norma teamed up with Purdey, her black lab, and we turned back the way we came. Purdey’s company gave us both a bit of a lift and the miles continued to tick over, with the view looking completely different on the way back.

My stomach started to play up in the last 10 miles and I had to stop three times in a couple of miles. I urged Norma on at the third stop, but thankfully it calmed down after that and I picked up again to the finish, where Bill, Norma and Willie were all waiting with smiles, bottles of beer and brilliant medals.

A great wee race. Next year we’ll maybe go up for the weekend and revisit all the romantic haunts last experienced in newly-wedded bliss (who knows, maybe they’ll still be showing ‘The Spy who loved me’ at the pictures).

Thanks very much to Ian Smith and Lorraine for the photos – the rest of the set can be found here. I’m especially pleased with the shot she took of me at the finish, I’m not sure the smile accurately reflects how I felt but my leading foot is at least two inches off the ground, proving I was still running

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