DID IT!

The 18:15 from Newbury to Reading on Saturday was a little noisier and pinker than usual, as was the following link to Paddington - yes, it was the start of the journey to London ready for the Moonwalk.....and we were a little bit excitable!

Arriving in Hyde Park just after 8pm was also a LOT noisier and pinker - in fact the huge marquee to house all 17,000 participants and 2000 volunteers was the pinkest pink I have ever seen.....ok if you like pink (SS would have absolutely hated it!!)

We were blessed with the weather, the fact that it had finally stopped raining was incredible....probably the only time I had walked with the girls in the dry...but boy was it cold! We had to wait for the start time of 11pm, and the temperature just plummeted...by the time we started walking I had on a thermal long sleeved vest, my T-shirt, sweatshirt, coat, hat, gloves, knee-length compression socks, wind resistant trousers, and I was still cold!! Forget walking around in just a bra...that didn't see the light of day (or even the moon!)

Normally I would warm up nicely, but this wasn't a race as such, and as I was walking as part of a team of 9 I had to match my pace to the others....this I found incredibly hard!! It goes against SS and my normal races where you get ahead so that you haven't got the obstacle of people in front of you....also, being in the centre of a heaving city ( yes, even at 3am!!) you are still dodging traffic, and even though the police were fantastic, it does slow you enough to get cold.
BUT, apart from that, it was awesome! The atmosphere was great, real camaraderie, wolf-whistles, fantastic scenery, an excuse to eat four mars bars straight off, and all for a good cause....and we did it!!

Crossing the finishing line, in Hyde Park, in the sunshine on Sunday morning was amazing. We, as a team, all linked arms as we passed the Serpentine, and walked up the last .2 miles together, in a straight line, amidst cheers from the crowds! What a feeling, a tad overwhelming for a few of us.....actually, I think my eyes where running coz of my hay fever........

So....as a team, there are a few blisters in there, and achy legs a plenty, and lots of "never agains".....and I think to myself...yeah right...that's what I said to SS after my first race.....and here I am thinking to myself, my feet are fine, my legs are fine, I've got all my toe nails...what's next?......I'll give them a week......and then I'll invite them to Bornem...........