Monday 24 May 2010

5

The day I participated in the Edinburgh Marathon more than I planned


This is my good friend Liz. She is the mother of these two poppets:


Yesterday morning, Liz got up early, had a hearty breakfast, dressed in her exercise clothes and lathered herself in sun cream. She put on her sensible and broken-in running shoes. She was ready to run the marathon.


Yesterday morning, I got up early, didn't eat breakfast, put on a corduroy dress, eschewed sun cream, and put on shoes that I bought the evening before. I was ready to watch Liz in the marathon.


My original bus was late so I must have missed Liz at the start of the race. Being tenacious, and keen to show Liz my Good Friend Credentials, I started walking to get another bus to a later section of the race so I could catch her there. I walked eight miles before finding a bus to get on. Dropped off at mile twenty, I patiently waited an hour and a half in the blazing sunshine with my Crimson Sunburn of Death before spotting my friend. My camera wouldn't turn on but she heard me cheer. 'Thank goodness,' I thought, 'Now I just have to find a bus to get home.' Limping along in my brand new shoes, sporting blisters on top of blisters on top of blisters, I walked all the way from mile twenty to the finish line at mile 26.2 before finding a bus to get on. Some days I am made of Fail. But at least I can give Liz this commemorative poster to celebrate her achievement:

5 comments:

  1. That's not fail!! If I had a friend who gave herself blisters *and* sunburn so that she could cheer me on, I would think that was great!

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  2. Yeah, what Nic said.

    Blisters and sunburn gained to support friend. Friend success! (and get some vineger soaked clothes for the sunburn!)

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  3. Oh my God! Poor you! I can't believe you walked all that way in that horrible heat! What they said - you are a great friend!

    My face is all sunburnt and I have unattractive sock lines, and I'm aching all over, but I scraped under 5 hours by 35 seconds so yay!

    Thanks so much, it was great to see you, especially at a point where I was flagging badly. See you soon. xx

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  4. you are crazy but wow what a good friend you are!

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  5. It was so lovely of you to catch up with her. But owwwwww. I hope you don't have to do too much more walking anytime soon...

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