Gearing Up For The Great North Run
If you have been thinking about entering the Bupa Great North Run this year then the time to act is now! The deadline to apply to the ballot for 2010 participants is 8th February. I’ve already got my name down and my advice to you is put yourself forward and have a go, it will be one of the most memorable days of your life!
I have been running for over ten years now, and normally enter 10k races. I have never run a marathon, although I have covered 20 miles in training, but rather than go straight from 6 miles to 26 miles I decided to try half-marathons first. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt running over 13 miles and I also ran the Sheffield half marathon last year. My time for the Great North Run last year was one hour 44 minutes, so I hardly think that I qualify as an elite athlete, but this year I aim to take a big chunk off of my PB and make it round in under an hour and a half: if I make it then I will be smiling all the way into the summer!
This year sees the twentieth running of the Great North Run and it has changed dramatically over the years. What was initially a relatively small field, a half marathon of local interest only, it is now, in my opinion, the world’s greatest half marathon. There will be over 54,000 runners in this years event and after all of the fun I had last year I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed that I will be among them.
What makes this event so different to the others that I have undertaken is the sheer scale. There is a great camaraderie between the thousands of runners and if you hit a bit of a sticky patch towards the end then there will be many fellow runners around you to encourage you and get you back into your rhythm. Of course, we can’t talk about encouragement at The Great North Run without mentioning the crowds! They line the streets in their tens of thousands, and you can feel the warmth from the spectators just willing you home over that finishing line.
Time is running out for the ballot so I urge you to get onto the Great North Run website and register today. Believe me, it is something that you will never regret - and there’s even the chance of getting your face on national television as you overtake a celebrity or two!
Before I go, I need to relish in a new purchase. I have just bought the greatest brooks running shoes that I have ever owned. London Marathon, here I come!