So it’s a glorious Friday night, still blazing hot, the end of a long day and a full working week. What do you do? Hit the nearest beer garden or park, surely? No, of course not. You head to Walthamstow to go and run around in a 400m circle 25 times as fast as you can, naturally. Runners: making peculiar life choices since, well, forever.
Well that’s what I did anyway. Lining up for the start of my 10,000m race as part of Orion Harriers Fast Friday, it was still about 27 degrees. I haven’t felt that nervous before a race in ages – not helped by the fact that I never quite know what to do with myself before an evening race: how much should you eat during the day? Would a 5am start mean that an 8.15pm race was past my bedtime? Would I implode – or explode – due to the heat? Fortunately, I neither exploded nor fell asleep mid-race and finished in 39:32 – slower than I’d have liked, but respectable enough given the heat.
More to the point, Fast Friday itself was a great event. Like a sort of little sister to the Night of the 10,000m PBs, it is a series of graded track races – including 5,000m ones – with supporters in the outside lanes and beer and wine on sale. Events like this showcase the best spirit of athletics – impressive running (particularly by the 99% of runners faster than me) and supportive crowds, kids playing in the long jump pit, a supportive, inclusive atmosphere. And beer and cake. Go seek out one near you and give it a try. Or set one up for yourself.
And talking of lovely, local events – as a glutton for punishment, 25 laps of racing just wasn’t enough for one weekend, so I took part in Fulham RC’s 10 mile race yesterday (aka Boaty McBoatrace). If Walthamstow was hot, the banks of the Thames seemed in places even hotter. Or perhaps my legs were still just recovering from Friday. At any rate, it was a lovely low key but perfectly organised run of around 100 very hot people, who thoroughly earned the rest of the day in front of the football/BBQ/pub garden/ice cream van.
So, who else was racing in in the UK’s heat? As always, come and share your weekend stories below the line.
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