Great North Run 2012....the race! (part 1)

As promised, herein lyeth the true account of the Great North experience.....

Saturday 15th September; the day before
I had been having nightmares months before of forgetting things; showing up at the race without my timing chip, my Team GB Headband, my running shorts. As a result the majority of Saturday was taken up with - technical term here folks, are you ready? - 'fannying around'; quadruple checking all the things I needed; almost convincing myself that the kitchen sink was essential. Considering it was just  quick nip over to Newcastle for a bit of a jog (??!), the tick-list was pretty immense, and I daren't tell you how close I came to forgetting my race number!
On reflection it was not the most ideal build-up to a half marathon I could imagine. The motorway was shut (sat nav to the rescue! but an hour extra) and the hotel left something to be desired.....oops....did I say 'something'?....what I meant was 'EVERY FLIPPIN' THING'! No hot water, dinner only being served until 7 o'clock, and karaoke so loud and SO bad it made it up three floors to my bedroom. I could have complained, but the focus was just on getting some rest and maintaining my......err.......focus.
On a positive note I did laugh - a LOT - when I saw the view out from my hotel window; this has now been added to the Great North slideshow. I didn't make use of the facilities, but if you believe in signs this is surely one to tell me I am in the right place at the right time; regardless of how bad the hotel was!
No, Saturday night was certainly not all doom and gloom. As the restaurant did not seem too keen on serving me I made for what turned out to be quite a lovely town of Hexham, and what turned out to be an equally lovely Italian restaurant (no dessert, but a couple of beers, fishcakes and spaghetti carbonrorra hardly touched the sides!). On reflection I should have taken something to read as sitting alone on a table in a busy restaurant does not score high inconspicuousness (spelling?) points; fortunately I was not alone, and although I didn't ask them I assume that many were in the same pre-race pasta-fest boat. Even the waitress that served me told me that she would be running too!
More good news is that the bed was a comfy one, and once the Tom Jones strangling a cat wannabes had naffed off home I got a relatively good nights sleep considering the jangling nerves.

Sunday 16th September, pre-race
Logistically things could not have gone any better. Arrived at a deserted Newcastle tram station by 8:30am and shared a pleasant six-stop trip with a seasoned Great North Runner. He was brilliant, and focused on the simple fact that I would love the atmosphere (he was right); top bloke! He also gave me his sage advice on completing the run; 'don't go careering off like an idiot and you'll be fine.' Met my cheering section (brother, brother's partner) and we made our way towards the start. Even at that early time it was teeming with people. A quick scream at Sue Barker for a wave and I was off past the elite athletes start......past the white numbers......past the orange numbers........past the green numbers........past the blue numbers.......joining at the rear of the pack in the pink zone (stop laughing); most of us were kitted out sensibly, but a few yards ahead I distinctly saw a dinosaur and one - possibly two - Scooby Doos (I said STOP LAUGHING!!). Our location was over a kilometre from the start line!!
For me this race had a very different vibe to the one at the Great Manchester. The furthest I had ever officially run was 10 miles (10 years go!), and the farthest I had run in training - in the gym, on a nice cushioned treadmill - was just over 11 miles. This was uncharted territory, and the word from everyone was that this was going to be a brutal run with much of it uphill.
The sound of a hooter and the bang of a gun could be heard somewhere in the distance and we began to inch slowly forward towards the start line, our trail blazed by the stunning red, white and blue exhausts of the Red Arrows. It was cold, it started to rain; but as we slowly crept forward I was buoyed by the atmosphere, by the tannoys telling us what was happening, by the feeling of shared experience with all those around me (yes, even the Scoobies!), but most of all I was buoyed by the fact that the moment was finally here; fit and healthy, and ready as I would ever be. As long as I didn't go careering off like an idiot, I would be fine.....wouldn't I??........