And here is the ‘…to be continued’ bit of the Quadzilla adventure.
I thought I had better be quick getting this up here before it gets squished
out of my very limited memory capacity. And there have been so many recent
developments on the running shenanigans front that memories are escaping me.
Ok, it hasn’t been very quick getting it up here at all, but here it is now…
Day 3 of Quadzilla – Sat 11th February
I decided to start earlier at 8.30am. I figured, why delay?
So even though I am really not too much of a morning person and I am even less
of a morning person when it is so freezing cold outside, I managed to drag
myself out of my cosy bed (I really could have stayed there) and brave the
chilliness of the outside world. And chilly it was. In fact, it was absolutely
freezing. Literally. The car thermometer recorded it as being somewhere in the
region of -11 and I believe that. Quick stop off at MacDonald’s (for coffee
& bagel fuel) later and I was ready to rock!
When it came to starting off
on Day 3, words can’t describe how cold I felt and I love the cold. I would
pretty much choose colder running conditions over more moderate temperatures
almost any day of the week. I think this
day was covered under the ‘almost’ clause. I just could not get my breath and
so I resorted to running around like Rambo or some crazy runner ninja with my
fleecy buff pulled firmly up over my nose and my mouth! [PLEASE note: Any
piccies of a person resembling a ninja with buff pulled up over their mouth and
nose on this post is not of me…but a friend modelling the method of breathing
warmly :)]
Oddly, I still found my icy slushy water in my water bottle
rather refreshing. I think I like ice cold drinks a little bit too much, even
in the coldest of weather (weirdo).
Fortunately, I did begin to warm up as the day went on. I
was glad to have started earlier and relished finishing with more time to chill
out afterwards. I was glad I had brought my super massive padded jacket with me
for afterwards too, as it does begin to cool down just a bit once you have
stopped moving.
That night I kept it simple with food and had fish and chips
with lots and lots of extra salt and vinegar.
Day 4 of Quadzilla – Sun 12th February
The first thing that pops into my mind on day 4 is that I
awoke to read the news online, which I do every morning without fail and was
bombarded by the fact that Whitney Houston had died. I think that is the most
memorable part of Day 4. Oh, and the fact that it was our last day around that
lake (not so sad news).
I started early again. This was a good plan, as I wasn’t in
the best of moods with the lake if I remember correctly. I just kept running on
past the checkpoint/ eventual finish line/ place where all the goodies are,
with my head down. I wanted to get stuck in and get finished.
It was rather chilly, but the cold bothered me less than the
previous day. This was probably because I knew it was the last day. It’s all psychological…sometimes.
Still, bad mood aside, I had had a lovely four days of seeing like-minded
running friends and soaking up the atmosphere that they always create. I love
that.
My left foot was no longer hurting me, as I suspect it also knew
that the end was nigh. I just kept on going and mentally ticking off those
miles. I knew it’d be ok. It can just be a bit down heartening on a lapped
course when you see a friend run past you and they’re on their last lap and
running for the finish and you may have several to go. However, your turn soon
comes around and mine did.
I love that last lap. I almost savour it. I mentally
say goodbye to all the little landmarks that pop up along the way. Goodbye
geese. Goodbye bridge. Goodbye particularly icy bit near bridge. Goodbye little
hill. Yep, running can seriously make you think you’re going crazy. But without
it, I probably seriously would. I had an awesome weekend.
I don’t know, eh? The
things you do for medals and a hoodie….
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