11th October 2009

The early Sunday morning start always adds to the anticipation of a good race day and as I arrived at the Tennis club a large gathering of Chugger’s were milling around with nervous energy.  Steve looked a little bit concerned as the coach had not yet arrived and it was nearing the planned departure time.  But once the coach was sighted Steve relaxed and we all piled on and settled down as Eye of the Tiger blasted out over the speaker system.  At the back of the coach was the banana appreciation society as it seemed everyone around me was fuelling up on the yellow fruit.  The motivational music continued as we made our way to the NIA and arrived in plenty of time unlike the mad dash to the start last year.  Chugger’s congregated in the cavernous hall and setup what resembled base camp at the bottom of Everest with a massive assortment of bags, gels and running paraphernalia.  By now my bladder was ready to explode due to the litre of lucozade sports drink I had necked on the coach.  Being a popular concert venue I expected to find thousands of toilets available but what I found was something that resembled the portaloo queue at Glastonbury.  Brian however had used his initiative and sneaked into the staff toilet s on the around the corner so what had taken most of us 30 mins took him 30 seconds.

As the start time approached a few Chuggers returned to base camp with news that they had met and got autographs from Kelly Holmes.  Phil and I starting limbering up with a spell of dynamic stretches which made us look like we were in a bad Jane Fonda aerobics video from the 80’s .  After all our bags were stored we all made our way in the large crowd to the start line.  Phil, Matt and I shuffled through the crowd to the Black start area and met Ian ready for the start.  Birmingham’s finest were all out ready for the race and we even saw the Chugger’s unofficial physio Pete Hatton making his way to the start line.  The Gun sounded and the crowd were off passing Kelly Holme’s who was high fiving runners on the way past.  The start was very fast and furious, weaving through the streets and mainly downhill which meant I ran too fast too soon.  Phil, Matt and Ian were aiming for a 1:30 race and I thought I’d try and keep up with them.  I managed to make it to mile number 4 before fatigue caused me to slow from the crazy starting pace around 6:40 mins. per mile to more like 7 min miles.  I realized I had misplaced myself as I started to over taken more than I overtook but my confidence hit a new low when a bare footed bloke zoomed past me!  The following mile felt a bit of a struggle as my energy levels dipped but I was really pleased to see Smiling Ken cheering the Chugger’s on.  The last few miles were a real endurance test and what goes down must go back up and the final hill seemed very steep indeed.  The finish on Broad street was excellent and after meeting up with a few Chugger’s we made our way back the NIA.  I made the most of the free massage provided and my poor leg muscles really needed it.  Two students from Aston College painfully pummeled my quads which felt like iron rods but I felt much better for it.  We then made our way to the excellent reception at All Bar One (thanks Mike) and enjoyed a few strong beers on an empty stomach so were feeling a little light headed as I got back on the coach for the return trip.    After taking the most scenic tour of central Birmingham ever we all returned safely  to the Tennis club for a fantastic social event,  although I was disappointed that Matt Farmer did not sing when he had the mic. in his hand as I hear he has a terrific voice.