Great North Run

Iain, Dad and I were racing for Christie's Hospital in Manchester, as well as Cancer Research UK, who'll be getting half of my sponsorship money

Race no. | Time | Pos.
10671 | 01:46:21 | 3293

Just checked my result for the Newcastle to South Shields race... not bad out of 40-odd thousand! Had another really hot day for the race. Iain and I ran together for most of the first six or seven miles, but I decided I wasn't going to push myself to keep up with him after about 7-and-a-half miles in that heat, so I just slowed down my pace and plodded to the finish! Iain came in around 1:42 and Dad finished around 1:54 so pretty good all round. Now we've just got to convince Alan to join in next year...!

Great Scottish Run 2005

© Herald & Times Picture Archive

After preparing so well and going into the race last Sunday hoping to get a PB, I was dismayed to see not a cloud in the sky when I got up for my porridge on the day of the race. It was the hottest day in Glasgow for ages, and heat is not my favourite thing, especially when I'm running. Having said that, I managed to make it to five miles on target for my aim of 1 hour 35, but I felt knackered! I knew I couldn't keep that pace up in that weather so I tried to settle into an easier pace to make it round. I was told later that I looked ill on the way round but I got to the end with a lot of help from every water station and the hosepipes provided by the Sikh community in the city's south side. My time was 1:41.30, which I'm not too disappointed with when I consider the weather, and it's a few minutes quicker than I did this course last year. I'll be back for the Great Scottish Run next year... but first I've got the Great North Run a week on Sunday. Oh well, keep on running...