Can I manage ‘Not The Roman XI’? Are my knees are up to 12k?
There’s only one way to find out I suppose. L reassures me that she'll pick me up as she goes past.
We head to Stratford Upon Avon for the 11am start, which is
a long walk from the race HQ. I remember it well from when we were here a few
years back.
It’s hillier than I remember. Cough cough wheeze wheeze. I
walk several sections, partly as a precaution when my knee/calves come under
too much strain but also out of necessity when my lungs are ready to burst.
How did I become this unfit?
The upshot is that I cover the 12kms in 1:07:11 at a rate of
5:36 per km and finish 468th. In 2012, I completed it in 53:21 at 4:27
per km and came 148th. Compare and contrast. How the 'mighty' have
fallen.
