And We're Off...

Well, the first one is done and the challenge is underway.  Today was the Pontypool 10km run and it was quite enjoyable!  The morning didn’t start too well when I saw a dusting of snow outside but once that initial panic was over it was all good.  There were around 400 runners in total today which was a really good turn out and being a local race it was nice to see some familiar faces amongst the runners and supporters.  Despite this I was very glad to have my friend Laura with me to keep me company.  I don’t mind doing triathlons and bike rides on my own but I find running a lot easier when I’ve got someone doing it with me and I can have a chat with them instead of checking my GPS every 2 minutes!  I’m very proud of her for coming along and getting around the course, especially when you consider she didn’t really feel well enough to be running and nearly didn’t make the start.  The route itself was quite a nice one with a nasty hill around half way.  There was a bit of a sting in the tail though because we thought we had made it to the end only to realise we had to do a lap of the rugby pitch first!  In the end we did it in 1 hour 9 minutes which I was really pleased with and it has set me up nice now for the half marathon next week.  Well, I say that but my left calf is playing up a little bit.  Hopefully that’ll settle down in time!  So it’s one down, 15 to go.  I’m relieved that I’m finally underway and looking forward to next week now when I’ll face my first big test.  As promised, here’s a picture from today.  Not quite at the finishing line though, it was a bit busy there but it was taken nearby.

Wish me luck for next week and don’t forget, you can still sponsor me online at www.justgiving.com/huw2013