just return from the Great North Run

As the world's LARGEST half-marathon the Great North Run, taking place in Newcastle, is one of THE most amazing runs around. I've just come back from it, having been stuck on motorways for the last 5 1/2 hours in an attempt to get home. I did the 13.1 miles in 1 hour 42 minutes, though my official time will be 1:50. I was SO pleased, and had a great time. It's a really exciting field to run because there are so many people - over 47,000 - and they're all sorts of abilities. Plus, since people are very 'optimistic' in the time slot they think they'll complete the run in, I was passing lots of people the whole way around. What a great event! Paula Radcliffe, our native star won again, and got a record breaking time of 1:05:40!! Yeah!
"With the World Half Marathon taking place in a fortnight's time, there was a possibility Radcliffe might ease down to save some energy.

But that wasn't in the battle plan of last year's "World Athlete of the Year," whose bobbing head continued roaring around the tarmac of the Tyneside streets at breakneck speed.

"Really it just happened," said Radcliffe who last weekend ran the World's fastest-ever 5K ever in London's Hyde Park.

"I knew I was on schedule to break the course record and picked-up in the last half mile because I saw the clock on the timekeeping car. But it was only with 30 metres left I realised the World best was possible and I gave it everything I had."

"The crowd were magnicent right through the race and particularly in that last mile.

"But the most important thing was just to win the race. The training sessions beforehand had all gone really well.

"I was looking forward to it and it was such a great feeling to win the race."

She's so great, with her bobbing head and sunglasses! I was so buzzed by it, and also most of the way I used a guy who must have been around 50 as a pacemaker, and just breezed through it! 1:30 next year let's hope. Yah me! I'm thinking of doing the marathon now in london. How cool is this - real success (lol) from all the boring slogg of running all the time. What WILL I do with this physique?
quotes from onrunning.com