My First RDC Youngers Experience Pt. 2

So the other groups set off whilst us and our mentors which bridgetminamore so perfectly summed up introduced themselves as we lined up on a wall outside Mile End’s running track. They’re a great group of people and it’s nice to talk to people when you can genuinely sense that they actually want to help you. It’s a fantastic feeling knowing that someone is really on your side!

We were all geared up, running shoes, shorts and t-shirts (some sports bra’s I guess too for the ladies) all round, ready for what was approaching. A run from Mile End running track to the Olympic stadium and back! It took us along the canal, next to the park and finally in sight of Londons main attraction for next year.

My RunKeeper has the run coming in at 4.6 miles. All of our brilliant gps gadgets at the crew gave us a range of either over or under 5 miles. So for my sake I’ll just stick to my skewed tracking!

So we set off…running the canals to our destination, around 18 of us in total I think. Sticking together at a reasonable distance and having small conversations as well as shouting, “BIKE” when necessary! That was fun…me being me I was waving to strangers and saying hello, trust me it makes it a lot easier to do that when people are staring at you when you run! And running with RDC that’s happened each time, it’s not everyday you see a big group of runners like that. As we ran I wanted give Bridget advice when we were running because I wish I had some sort of advice when I started this journey. She’s starting out now but she’ll have finished a half-marathon a few months, ah I’m so excited about it all!

Nearly half way now and some interesting conversations have cropped up. Ruth and Linda are getting to know us all whilst Mark is telling a few of us about why we ‘made the cut’ and something all of us share, he so eloquently put that something as us having, “get off your arse-ness” which is always good to know!

We eventually turn off the canals and hit the bridges to the Olympic Stadium Site! The area is agonisingly close to my house, I won’t lie I was thinking about how easy it would be to go home from where we were! But I knew that was never going to happen, we were only half way of course. I was good spirits, still breathing well and I had plenty in the tank, I wasn’t quite ready for what was to follow though. We split into 3 different groups for the run back, i’ll say the groups were Greyhounds, Hares and Tortoises. I went with the Greyhounds, because I was in good spirits of course…

Part 3 up tomorrow.

06/17/11