Over the past couple of weeks, one thing that has been on my mind a lot and has therefore been something I have talked about a lot, both in person and online, has been the Reunion 5K at Kempton Park. The race had already changed a lot, or it felt like it had, from the original announcement of a Reunion 10K at a park in Hertfordshire, to be half of the distance and somewhere the opposite side of London, but hey, whatever, organising one of these things is effectively a logistical migraine, so if that's what it needs to be, go with it.
When first announced, the 5K at Kempton was aiming for 3,000 runners in 3 races - what actually happened was around a thousand runners in two races, so again, a lot of changes. Originally I thought I was going for an afternoon run and it would be an earlier start than I was used to but nothing inhuman, and a potentially late night, but the change meant everyone was running in the morning and I had to be up at four, our by four-thirty and got to the train station at five in the morning. Had I been coming straight back to Manchester after the race, that would have been getting home at maybe six or seven in the evening, so not too horrendous overall, but I had a pit stop at the new house of a friend to have tea in the garden - weather be damned!! - so I didn't get back into the house until about ten in the evening and it had been an exceptionally long day. The obvious question on the minds of my family and friends: did you have a good time? Was it worth it?
The simple answer was, oh my God, yes.
When we first got there, everyone seemed, to me at least, to be nervous of the fact that we (runners) were back (together/ at an event/ in close proximity/ etc) and it was as though no one wanted to believe it. There was one lone guy doing his warm-up circuits around groups of other runners, but people were in ones and twos, maybe a few smatterings of people who were about a handful, but they seemed like they could be families. Even running the warm-up laps we went for seemed to be a bit distanced - when it wasn't the chaos of getting into the loop at the right point and then also being able to slingshot out of the loop to go to the bag drop or the loo. But then we were asked to move across the field and people started to need to move closer together, and there were quite a few who seemed to be shying away from being so close together. And then something changed.
The atmosphere of parkrun and of races came back and people were chatting and laughing in bigger groups. The announcer that had previously seemed to be trying to rile everyone up and not getting anywhere got the crowd going and it was like being back at the beginning of London Landmarks in 2019. I was getting a bit emotional if I'm honest, and then we were all walking up to the start line, and that was it. It was happening. There was a lead bike out in front like when we had parkrun, there was a bunch of people running so fast you could be exhausted watching them and there was a back of the pack group that were supporting each other, sexy pacing the heck out of it and just enjoying the day.
The whole thing was organised beautifully, with time to finish, plenty of staff to support, a swift moving bag drop, ACTUAL toilets as well as portaloos and runners who were just happy to be there. The changes in races meant that a few of the people I had been hoping to meet there couldn't make it, but even without them, it was a hell of a day, and the first wooden medal I have ever had, so that's pretty cool.
Picking up your own medal from a stand instead of having someone put it on for you was one of the things that had needed to change because of COVID (as well as the 'fun' of lateral flow and PCR tests) but it worked, and we were all glad to still get a medal, and everything with the train station had been organised well to make it easy for the many of us who weren't driving.
That isn't to say it was easy. I have never felt, or I don't remember feeling, quite this done in by a 5K. I honestly look at it and wonder how there was ever a point where I was running one of these every weekend. Both of my knees hurt yesterday, which wasn't a good sign, as did my calves - rock solid calves do not help me run well at all!! - and then today everything hurts. I even stretched at the station, so as much as I know I brought this on myself, I am a bit cheesed off that I'm in so much pain. However, there is a good thing with it. It has shown me that I really need to get my ass into gear for the training plan, because the start of the sixteen-week plan that included two half marathons isn't far off, and then it will be London Marathon. Also, if this weekend was anything to go by, and I hope it will be, this is it. Races are coming back and they are coming back in person, all together, taking to the streets of London (all my races are in London, but in theory, all races should be coming back!) and there is no hiding from it, or walking it at whatever pace because there is no cut off time. There is a cut-off time and I want to be way ahead of it.
So honestly, it was the best day I have had since March 2020 and I know that I am not alone in that thought. And the last thing I have to say on the subject is: roll on the next one! I am not ready now, and in truth, I may not be ready on the day, but I am a hundred percent ready to give it a go, raising money for Macmillan, and trying to get a bit fitter and a bit healthier along the way.
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