Rivaling Riverboats and Rain: The Thrills and Trials of the 'Beat the Boat' 10K

Ever wondered what it feels like to race against a boat? Join me in this riveting episode of "30 Years of Running Marathons" as I recount my rollercoaster journey through the "Beat the Boat" 10k race. Battling shin splints and unpredictable training, I set a 55-minute target and faced the ultimate pre-race dilemma—whether to indulge in alcohol. Find out how England's European Championship quarterfinal against Switzerland added an electrifying twist to the pre-race atmosphere, fueling my competitive spirit.

In our pre-race prep segment, immerse yourself in the serene riverside ambiance near Windsor, where I relished a calming coffee shop moment before the adrenaline kicked in. From chance encounters with fellow runners to navigating slippery, grassy terrains toward the majestic Windsor Castle, discover the importance of proper gear and the joy of shared camaraderie. This picturesque setting, despite its challenges, made for a truly memorable run.

The climax of the episode captures the heart-pounding intensity of racing against the boat, battling both physical and mental hurdles, including an unexpected downpour that brought relief. Experience the final stretch: dodging cones, sprinting on uneven grass, and the exhilarating cat-and-mouse chase to the finish line. Post-race reflections cover everything from a relaxing trip to Hayling Island to an unfortunate gout attack and summer training plans for the Burnham Beaches Half Marathon—offering a mix of triumphs, trials, and the sheer joy of running.

Thanks for listening. Keep on running.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

The race is on. The race is on, so let's get straight into this episode of 30 years of running marathons. It's been a full-on week this week, what with the European Championships in the football and just the odd matter of beating a boat or two, and this episode is all about how the two combine. So, first of all, it's one of my favourite races this week and that was Beat the Boat, which I mentioned in my previous episodes. Really unusual 10k race. I mean. It's more of a fun race than anything else. It's uh, it's not something to go for a pb for, but essentially what you're doing is you're running against a boat. As the title says, you're trying to beat a boat. So what happens is when you enter the race, you put on there roughly what time you want to beat. So I think it starts at 40 minutes, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 minutes. So it caters for a huge spread of runners from the really elite who are going to do under 40 minutes and, in fact, the well. I'll put in the spoiler now that the fact that the winner, I think, did it in something like 34, 35 minutes, which obviously wasn't me, but, as I say, from the 30 to 34 minutes for the fastest runner right down to the 70 minute runner. So you know to beat this boat. So back to how it works. You choose your time. So, for example, I chose 55 minutes. Now in the past I've chosen the 50 minute boat.

Speaker 1: 1:42

But if you've been listening to my previous episodes, you know my training has been up and down this year. I've had shin splints, gout, and it's not been really consistent. So I'm thinking well, based on my training, I can probably beat 55. Although this isn't a flat road race, it's very much a trail race, no hills, I mean it's flat. But you know, to beat 55 it's still going to take some going. But you know, at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether you beat 55 minutes or not. If I put down 55 minutes, you put down whatever time you want, you're still going to get your medal, you're still going to get your t-shirt. It's it's more about you know yourself, beating yourself, beating yourself, basically, and as you know, I'm very competitive. So I didn't want to be unrealistic in my time, but I knew, you know, I set myself a challenge, I'm thinking being 55 minutes, I'm at least going to get under an hour.

Speaker 1: 2:35

And I say based on my previous training and I've obviously done a couple of 10K races, as you know the Clifton 10K, which is, in one of my previous episodes, one of the toughest 10ks, or done with these huge steps you had to go up. And then the road race, 10k, uh, in reading, which I've run many times before, and with that time I think I can't remember the the time now I think that was about 55 minutes, just over um, and I say that was that's a flat 10k. So this beat the boat, even though it's flat, it's a trail. So you know, to beat 55 would be a good time. And the clifton 10k, well, that I say that's toughest race I've done. That was just, I think I was just about on the hour. So I sort of I'm hedging my bets here. You know, set myself a challenge beating 55 minutes, stretching myself, but definitely going to get under the hour. So that's what I put down on my form. I put 55 minutes stretching myself, but definitely going to get under the hour. So that's what I put down on my form. I put 55 minutes and here we go now.

Speaker 1: 3:31

What made this even tougher was and I had a real dilemma here, and it's something I've never, ever done before when I've run a race. And yet I remember when I ran the Dublin marathon and a couple of my, I was running with a couple of my friends and we went to have a, a car below doing a nice pasta meal. You know, the dinner the night before and my friend had a pint of Guinness and I was like, oh, I could do with a Guinness, even though I have to be careful because it can give me gout. I'm thinking I could really do with a nice cold Guinness, but I'll leave it to after the race. Okay, he only had the one, so one shouldn't really make any difference. You want to be hydrated as much as possible for it.

Speaker 1: 4:08

And his answer to this was well, you know I'm not taking it seriously, but of course anybody who runs a marathon takes it seriously. I think he did it in just over five hours. This is not a bad time, and he'd say himself he's not a runner, but you are a runner if you're running the marathon. For him to joke. And he say he wasn't taking this series anyway, cut a long story short. So he had this, this pint of guinness, and I was so tempted to have it, but I waited. We all went for a nice guinness, I think fish and chips afterwards and, yeah, as much as I wanted to have it at the time, I'm glad I didn't, because I know how tough a marathon is. And a fair play to me, he did fine, but he's a lot. He's a lot taller me bigger built. Now I'm a bit more slight, so I think drink goes to my head a lot, a lot quicker anyway, back to the story. So why would I drink before a race? This time, okay, it's not a marathon, it's 10k, so you think it's not not bad.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Well, going back to the dilemma england, we're playing switzerland, the european quarterfinals and the previous matches have been down to the pub when I'm not been working and I'm not been working the next day I've been down to the pub. Um, you know to watch it, um, amongst others, because it's just so, it's just, you know to watch it among friends and and regulars and that whole that whole pub atmosphere. It's just so, it's just you know to watch it among friends and and regulars and that whole that whole pub atmosphere, it's just, it's just completely different. Um, you know, it beats staying in on your own watching it. So that that's what I've been doing previously, and the atmosphere has been great in the pub. And obviously, when you're in the pub, yes, you can have non-alcoholic beers, but it's, it's not quite the same.

Speaker 1: 5:45

And what made masses even worse was which I'll come to later is what england did in the match. I mean, we haven't been playing really well. I mean I'm going off the board here from from this running podcast, but just to digress slightly, we hadn't been playing well and we were just scraping through. I mean, we did win our group, which got us this match against switzerland, which should have been an easier tie, but it was going to be tough and sure enough. You know, whenever you're watching england play, you know it's going to be a close, thin and it's probably going to go to penalties. But you know, if you know what england like penalties, we're terrible at penalties. So, and you know switzerland, we should be, but that you know the England are like with penalties, we're terrible at penalties. So you know Switzerland, we should beat.

Speaker 1: 6:29

But you know the form we were playing, so I go down, so yeah, anyway. So do I go down to the pub or not? Of course I do, and I'm thinking to myself well, you know, I'll just have the one or two at the most. And of course I went there and that was, that was my intention. So I got there just before kickoff, managed to get a nice spot there, so where I could watch the match, standing up. I mean, all seats were taken, um. But you know, I got a good view of the game my local, where I normally go and sure enough, what happened was, you know, england. We went behind a goal. Luckily we got one back. What happens was the one thing that I didn't want it went to extra time, it goes to extra time and you can't quite finish it off in extra time. So what happens is it goes to penalties, um, and it's like we never win on penalties.

Speaker 1: 7:33

England are known for not winning on penalties and of course, gareth southgate, manager of england, he missed a penalty years ago, but actually the penalties we took, uh, were really good and luckily we got a save from pick Pickford and then all the other penalties went in. So, to be honest, I was losing count. I was losing count of how many we actually needed, you know, but with the roars and the cheers in the pub, it was so easy because obviously every penalty we scored scored, the absolute cheers went up and I was just, I was just, you know, losing count. And then when the final one went in, I didn't realize it was the final one when we scored it, um, uh, because the cheers were as loud for every single uh penalty we scored anyway. And then suddenly I realized yes, yes, we'd actually won it. I can't believe we actually won on penalties for once. And then there was this great cheering of you know, it's coming home, it's coming, football's coming home.

Speaker 1: 8:36

But of course, you know, that cost me an extra drink. You know, because going into extra time which is what I didn't want, to be honest I didn't want that extra, I didn't want to have that extra drink. So I ended up having a few drinks. I mean, luckily I could have had a bit of a lie-in, because the next day the race wasn't until 9.45. And I was walking to it anyway. So there was no problem about having to drive. I was going to be walking to the event anyway and I was hoping that walk about a couple of miles would sort of sober me up. I mean, I don't really get hangovers anyway, but you know, don't drink a lot either. So, but you know, I felt good, obviously, the adrenaline winning when I walked home.

Speaker 1: 9:20

I had to walk about a mile home and I felt good, but waking up the next day and it always takes about a couple of hours to get moving in the morning, so I woke about five because I was planning on leaving at quarter past seven. I like to get there in plenty of time and I woke up in the morning. Obviously I needed to get get some sort of breakfast, um, so I think I had my usual uh. Well, actually, I differed, uh, which isn't advisable, but I differed on my uh pre-run breakfast. I don't think I had any bagels, and normally I have bagels, so I had a couple of boiled eggs, slice of toast, a banana, but that was a good three and a half hours before, which is which is more than enough for it to go down. And I know I walked into eating when the race was starting and, ironically, the uh, it must have been packed at the previous night. Um, the rate change queue was in the pub, so I went to the pub there and you pick up your number, uh, you pick up your t-shirt.

Speaker 1: 10:15

And also, about this race as well, which I've mentioned before, the fact that on the drink stations they serve prosecco and beer as well as water, and I'm thinking I'm not having any of that. In the previous years I have actually picked up a beer by mistake and I've mentioned it when I'm previous episode and it was a really hot day and I just I just needed some kind of liquid in my mouth, but it didn't do me any good whatsoever and it was forecast for rain. Uh, on this particular sunday I mean, this is just it's coming up to about a week since I've run it, so it's last sunday and it was forecast for rain. Luckily the rain stayed off, because one thing I hate, it's the rain, and it wasn't too hot, which was good. I mean, I was feeling a bit ropey from the alcohol the previous night before and I had this energy drink which I don't normally drink energy drinks. If I have these energy drinks, they can give me gout. Any type of fizzy carbonated drink can give me gout, so I'm trying to stay away from them. Uh, lately at work, when I've been working late nights now I've been having it and sort of back on them, because I've been fairly tired recently, not getting enough sleep.

Speaker 1: 11:21

Anyway, this is a lovely coffee shop opposite the rates hq, so I went over to there and had a coffee and they've got this outside area, in that next to the river, and sat there, put my number on my shirt, um, and just just tried to relax and chill out. Those are the other runners there, um, and I had plenty of time before the start. So then I walked over the bridge into winter, went to the public toilet, stripped down to my, to my running gear, and I wasn't feeling too bad. I think I had another energy drink at this point, and then I thought I saw a friend of mine that I recognized, but I wasn't sure, so I thought I'd leave it for now. And then you walk across to the, uh, the brockers, which is this field next to the river, and they, they've got a bag drop there so you can drop your bag off, which I dropped my bag off, and I was just trying to relax and say the sun wasn't out, it wasn't too ideal running temperatures, um, and I don't normally, normally, do this.

Speaker 1: 12:13

I do a bit of stretching, which I did do a bit of stretching, but because I was so early, I walked up to the start and in fact I did a bit of running. Um, I try not to use it up too much. But I thought, just loosen myself up, just get myself into the. I guess it's because I had drunk before. I was just worried about whether I could run. So I was, you know, doing a few sprints and that, and now I need to go to the toilet and that's. The toilets were right over the far side. I managed to find a discreet little um there's plenty of bushes, um, and quickly went.

Speaker 1: 12:46

And then I was ready to go and I was actually standing on the start line there next to the start line, and this guy starts talking to me and he said do you remember me from the clifton 10k? And I said oh. He said well, you said we would meet that Beat the Boat. I said oh, yes, yes, I do remember that. To be honest, I didn't even recognise him. It took me a few seconds, but he'd recognised me and I said to him I said what boat are you trying to beat? He said well, I'm not trying to beat any boat. He said I'm just here to finish. I'm thinking fair enough, the main thing is to finish knew he was going to be a little bit slower than me from, just from from what he was saying, he hadn't run the race before and I've run it several times before. So I said to him I said well, you, you're really going to enjoy it, it's a fun race. And I joked to him about the prosecco and the beer on the drink stations. I said, well, if I don't see you at the finish, I know you've been held up at the the drink stations, um.

Speaker 1: 13:41

So on this particular race, normally when you run a race your your numbers chipped. So when the hooter goes for the start you know you don't your time just go off and to to cross the line. But here it's just uh, basically you've got the start line by the river there and that there's plenty of room for everybody to be near the start. It's probably only about a few hundred runners, so it's going to take you, you're going to miss maybe they they reckon about you know, 10 seconds off the time. So I was right near the start line, although not at the exact front, because you know I don't want to get caught with the fastest run now. So obviously I, I, I left my friend behind, um, and the worst thing is you're running around this field. I mean it's nice because you run towards Windsor Castle. So obviously you've got the lovely rural Windsor Castle residents of many queens and kings and obviously King Charles who stays there a lot, so it's a really nice touristy run.

Speaker 1: 14:42

But the trouble is you've got to do this lap and a half around this field and the grass isn't particularly short and we've had a lot of rain recently. So what I did was I was wearing my trail shoes. If you listen to one on previous episodes, you know, years ago I had a really bad incident where I we've had a lot of rain, I've never run a trail race before and it's a bexfield 5K, sorry, five mile and in fact the lady winner she actually won without one shoe and that's how bad it was. And I've had tall meniscus in my knee before. So I was sliding all over the place like Bambi on ice because I hadn't got these trail shoes and ended up with Baker's cyst on my knee. So from then on in I was always going to get trail shoes and play it safe, even on park runs, whatever runs I do where there's a bit of trail, and we had had so much rain Certainly last year I thought it was going to be so soggy. In fact the ground we had a lot of sun was hard.

Speaker 1: 15:39

I think, well, maybe I didn't need these trail shoes and my trail shoes, I haven't worn them as much. I'd say they're broken, but I haven't worn them as much as my normal running shoes. They're the same, mate Mizuno, but I just don't. To me the sizing feels a little bit different and I think that's why I've fallen over at Parkrun before, because because they they feel like, um, they even look bigger on my feet, they look like massive planks on my feet and trying to control them. So I don't feel as comfortable as some other ones. I think also they're slightly heavier because they're trail shoes. But I'm thinking there again, I don't know what's at the far end of the course. The far end of the course you basically turn away from the river and you lose the boat and then it becomes can be in the past. It's become more soggy and unsteady on that part of the course. So I'm thinking maybe I'm still right, don't judge it. Anyway, it's too late now.

Speaker 1: 16:32

So I'm running around this field and obviously you've got, you know, family and friends and that cheering you on, but to me it just feels like you're running cross-country at school and I ran cross-country at school, but many of us did never did like pe lessons at school. I, I didn't mind, I mean cross-country at school we were only running the field. We went out on the road and I always remember how some of the boys who were in the leading group were actually smokers and I never had smoked, so I thought how can they be up here with me? But anyway, I digress. But yeah, it reminded me of a school.

Speaker 1: 17:01

You know cross-country, and you have to do one and a half laps, but by the time you come out and you finish it, I think it's 0.8 of a mile and bear in mind this is 10k, so just over six miles in all. It's not bad. So I'm thinking, okay, that's not, that's not too bad, that's okay. Um, and when I've done it in the past I felt you know, really, really, um, tired just going around there. But this, this time I felt okay and the pace it was 8 minutes, 12 for my first mile, and I knew I had to do something like maybe 8, 46 minutes or keep it on the nine minute mile, um, if I wanted to beat the boat. And as you go off you can see the boats and it's quite unnerving because you see them. They're sort of positioning. You see, you've got a 50-minute boat 55, positioned on the river there and they're waiting to start and to go off, and as you run they can be in front of you or behind you or you can think well, I'm catching up to fit. But it's so disillusional because you, you don't really know, because they're going on a river and you're going to lose them at the top of the course. So I was more concentrating on my pace. So I figured 8 12. I was hoping actually I was hoping to go a little bit faster, but you know 8, 12 and it wasn't too much out of breath, that was okay.

Speaker 1: 18:28

And then you literally run along the river and I've run along this course many times before because I used to run from where I used to live in Datchy, all along the river up to Mainhead, seven and a half miles from my long run. So I knew the course very well and it's nice along the river there, the course very well, and it's nice along the river there. So we ran all the way around there. We run over the little uh, chinese bridge, um, and then it's all the way down to the lock where you turn around and come back and you can see how the runners turning back the other way. Now, after the first mile, I did start to struggle. I guess I was concerned about my pace. I wasn't really looking at the boat, as I say, you can see, I think the boat up to about to the lock and then you turn around and then you lose them.

Speaker 1: 19:13

First drink station, I think, was just after after two miles, and they said I think the water was on the large table, the Prosecco and beer on the smaller table. So I I certainly made I got my water first of all. And the funny thing is I don't know what happens to others or not, but it was just coincidence for me, but it always seems to happen to me I'm running up and usually have a volunteer there with the drinks and they got, they'll have one in each hand and I'm thinking, okay, I'm gonna get this next one. I mean, you know they've got several people on the drink stations, but I'm lining up for it and I'm gonna get this one. And then what happens? Somebody in front of me, for whatever reason, takes that one. So now the guy, the guy who's giving out the drinks, got none in his hand. So now I have to go to the next person. I mean it's no big deal, but I just think it. Oh you, I mean he hadn't literally sneaked in front of me. He was running in in front of me, but it just makes me laugh. They just seem to run out just as I.

Speaker 1: 20:07

Anyway, I get in the next one and it's starting to get a bit warmer. Now I'm feeling really hot, probably sweating off the alcohol that I had the night before. So I pour it all over my head, which many people are looking at me thinking why is he doing that before? It's not that hot. But to be honest, I do it no matter what. I think it's just a superstitious type thing. I always take a drink from the first drink station in any race. I don't always pour over my head and, okay, it comes down all over my shirt and shirt gets a bit, gets a bit heavy, but I don't care, I just needed that, that, that refreshment.

Speaker 1: 20:43

So then we carry on around this course. Um am I? Obviously we can't see the boat now, so we don't know how we're doing him adjacent to the boat, but I'm still going at an okay pace. The pace isn't too bad. It's slowing down a bit. I think I got um just over the nine minute mile. I think that was on the third lap, but I got through. I got through halfway, um. I think I was right on cue for halfway. I think it was something like 27 30 for the halfway point.

Speaker 1: 21:15

Then the last drink station is at the. I think it's at the four mile mark. So we've gone through halfway and part of the uh, the course and part of the course the first part of the course, right over the fields, and there's all these cars parked here because there's a big not necessarily a big football match, but a lot of football matches playing on the fields at the side there, obviously Sunday League football, so they're playing over there and there's cars still being directed in there and that, and we're running along the side of them, so they playing football running alongside them, and then we turn around and come back. As we turn around and come back, um, that's where you see the other runners coming through.

Speaker 1: 21:56

Anyway, going back to the four mile drink station, I was desperate, to be honest, because I was working so hard probably due to the effects of the alcohol um, that I really needed another drink, um, but when I get to the next drink station. It's so confusing. There's a few runners around me and there's these volunteers all over the place, either side, left or right, and just the guy. I mean, they didn't do this on the first drink station, but this guy is confusing me. He said something like left for prosecco beer, right for this. So because he mentioned prosecco beer, I thought the drink station he was on there was a prosecco beer and I wasn't taking any chances, so I thought the next one up was the water. But of course there was no next one up. What he was saying was was, I think the volunteers on the left, I think, were the the the water, and the right was the prosequen beer, just where they were. But he, I don't know, made it so confusing, or maybe just me.

Speaker 1: 22:58

I was delirious by now so I thought, well, I'm going to go without the drink. Maybe that's a good thing, because whenever I have a drink in races, it just slows me down anyway, of course. Then what happens next is the rain starts coming down, and in some ways this is a good thing, because I didn't get the water from the drink station I needed to refresh, and the rain comes down. It gets a little bit heavy and running in this rain, but actually I was quite appreciative of it because I need it cooling down anyway.

Speaker 1: 23:25

We're coming back back towards the river now and you see the runners coming the other way who are behind you, and as we head towards the river it's like a gravelly path now. So you're off the grass for a while and I know this route very well and running back towards the Chinese Bridge over and then we'll be back on the grass again. So it's about the fourth mile now and I'm just desperate to get to the fifth mile and then hopefully just cruising from there. And the thing is, I can see the boat. I can see the 50 minute boat in the distance. The 55 minute boat I can't quite see and I dare not to look behind me. I'm just not going to look behind me, so I keep going.

Speaker 1: 24:07

I'm over the chinese bridge, around the corner, and we come under the relief road bridge, um, and they always said you've got to be into the field before the boat because then you have to do like another. I think it's a lap, lap and a half, um, I think it's a lap and a half again. Certainly a lap of the field again, and it's like a zigzag. So you come in, you go round and then you come up across and back down. So yeah, it's about a lap and a half.

Speaker 1: 24:40

So I'm very, I'm very conscious of this and I'm looking at my watch all the time thinking I might just do this if I, because the last mile, I get a second spurt of wind. So I'm like, come on, it's not long now. But of course, as I said in my previous episodes, the last mile is always the longest. I always think they don't measure it correctly. Um, and I know last, you know last lap and a half around that, that that field it's tough because the grass isn't short and it's a struggle.

Speaker 1: 25:14

Anyway, I'll come into the field and I'm ahead and you got, you got to turn left and then you go round, and then you come round and you say diagonal across the field. But I'm looking at my watch now, time, time um is slipping by and I look to the top corner of the field and I can see a boat coming down and obviously that's the 55 minute boat and this field seems like, seems like the size of wembley stadium. I'm like how am I ever going to get around this? And it's bubbly up and down and they've've got these little cones and there's this lady who moves in front of me and then of course I want to get back in front of her and there's these cones. So I mean, they're only little plastic cones, but I don't particularly want to knock one because it's going to put you off your stride. And of course she jumped over one, so I can't see where the cone is. So then I nip inside the cone I don't want to cut the course off for anything I nip inside back and forth, I go in front of her. Um, there comes real cat and mouse as we, as we come round up to the corner and then, of course, as you cross diagonally, I can see that boat coming down. I know it's the 55 minute, but I'm all looking at my watch now. I'm looking at the but we'll have a quick glance my watch, because I'm thinking, crikey, I don't know if I'm going to be 55 minutes now, it's going to be in the 55 minute range, but I don't think I'm going to beat it. Anyway, I just get up to the top corner as the boat is coming down on the final straight. I don't know how long that the final straight is so hard to judge. Uh, I don't know whether it's um, I don't know where the final straight is 50 or 100 yards but there's this boat and now it's just in front of me and talk about beat the boat.

Speaker 1: 26:59

If I had someone filming this, this really was. This really was me against the titanic? Or I'd probably have better luck if it was a titanic, because obviously the titanic sunk, but this, this one, wasn't going to sink. This one was cruising along and I had to get in front of it and this just made for it to say if someone's filming, it'd be great, because you really see a runner trying to beat the boat. So now I'm really having to push it. I'm thinking what speed is this boat going at? I mean, my grandparents used to have a boat. I could never get the idea of knots or how fast it is, um, but yeah, so I'm, I'm trying to beat this boat.

Speaker 1: 27:37

I can see the finish line and it seems like miles away to me and I'm just glancing across at this boat and they're cheering on the boat and the announcer say you've got to beat the boat, you've got to beat the boat, come on. And I'm just getting just in front of this boat and it's not long to the finish line and I'm just pulling just in front of it and I'm trying to reach for the line and I'm thinking this is going to be close. But of course, when you're that close to the finish line, that close to beating the boat and this was a real incentive because when I've done it in the past I've been so far in front of the boat I haven't really had to push myself. But I really was racing the boat.

Speaker 1: 28:21

This time there was no doubt about it. This was the boat I was racing, I pulled in front of it and I could see the line at the finish line. Just a small little fine, but I was really pushing it. As soon as I got in front of it I just tried to keep going and then I didn't look back and I managed to push through the line. Um, and then I stopped.

Speaker 1: 28:42

My watch was the first thing I did. I was under 55 minutes and I glanced across to the right and then I could see the boat coming up. You could hear the announcer saying here's the 55 minute boat coming. But I was dead on my knees. I was just like I just wanted to collapse. But you just get these. You just get them saying you've got to keep moving, got to keep moving, but I didn't know where to go. I looked to the heavens my late nan up there was obviously looking after me and I looked at my watch and it's 54 minutes 46 seconds.

Speaker 1: 29:17

I couldn't have cut it any finer, um, but it took me a while to recover. I got got my medal, got a bottle of water and I was just relieved. I'd beaten the boat and it was much more than I could have ever expected because, okay, it was tough, and as soon as I got out of the finishing tunnel I just collapsed on the ground and even though it was rainy, I was still so hot and flustered and it took a while for it to sink in that I'd actually done it, I'd beaten the boat, but certainly I wouldn't recommend you having a drink before a race. I'd had a few drinks and I'm just surprised that I beat 55 minutes. You know to beat an hour to get round. I mean, you know there were times I did feel sick, uh, running around there, um, but yeah, to be to beat the boat, which was, you know, just with 15, no 14 seconds to spare. That's how close it was.

Speaker 1: 30:19

But looking back now nearly a week on. It's great the fact that I was so close to beating it, because I say when I've done it in the past I've been that far ahead of it that I've not seen the boat until I've been standing on the line afterwards and I managed to take a photograph of it. Of course, this time I didn't have the luxury of that, but it was nice the fact that I had that sense, that feeling that yeah, I am actually racing against a boat, because for so much of the race you don't see the boat. You see the boat at the start, you know when you go up the first few hundred yards and you go all the way up to the lock, but then a lot of the time you don't see the boat. So you think, oh, you're actually racing it and obviously the guys who are piloting it know how to adjust the speed for it to get the right time and obviously they're pretty accurate, because I did it 54, 46, just a few seconds in front. And then they come through and the best thing was just to sit there and relax when here, the announcer saying, oh, a lot of runners trying to beat the 60 minute bow, and I'm thinking, oh, I'm done and I've finished and I did what I set out to do. As I say, I've learnt my lesson.

Speaker 1: 31:23

I wouldn't drink a game before a race, but these were exceptional circumstances. It's not often that England, you know, get in a position to win like that and you know it's a major football championship and it's so much more fun watching at the pub and of course you've got to have a drink. Football championship and it's so much more fun watching at the pub and of course you got to have a drink. I mean, you know, since since then, um, we've beaten the netherlands in the semi-final and because I was working the next day, I had to I did watch that at home with non-alcoholic beer. Um, but of course that has its consequences, um, not from being drunk, but from something else, and this is what I'm suffering from at the moment. Um, I've actually got and it's probably to do with the alcohol, the energy drinks and even the non-alcoholic beer. I didn't know non-alcoholic beer could be bad for gout, but yeah, at the moment I'm suffering from a really bad case of gout and obviously I'm glad it didn't happen before the race. But, yeah, my right leg and foot swollen up really badly and I shouldn't have taken the day off work but I didn't. But it's got so bad I struggle through it but I've had to have a day off now because it's just been absolutely. The pain's been unbearable and I'm taking no medication for it. Um, and on top of that I seem to come down with a cold. So if I sound a bit, a bit snotty a bit, that's why, because I've got a bit of cold, so I've got a sore throat, bit of a cold, so there won't be any park run this week. I'm just just trying to just trying to recover.

Speaker 1: 33:02

England play see, I've forgotten already, of course England play Spain on Sunday. That's for the European Championship and if you know, if we win, which I hope we do we got knocked out in the last European final against Italy. If we win, it'd be the first time we won a major trophy in well, since 1966 when we won the World Cup. And to be honest, I can't lose either way because I'm actually half Spanish. But you know I will be rooting for England because I live in England and Spain have won it so many times before. And you know, hopefully we've got a good chance this year because things haven't really gone our way. We've always gone a goal down, but, um, like me, and beat the boat. We seem to have pushed past it and get through. So I'm hoping I'm going to be better by sunday that I can go down the pub. Um, I'm due to work tomorrow, so, know, hopefully I'll be better by then so I can work tomorrow and feel refreshed for Sunday to to watch the final um, hopefully down the pub. So, um, uh, we'll see. But if not, I'll be watching it anyway because it should be, should be, a good match. So I'm looking forward to that. But back back to the race, back to beat the boat. I'm pleased with my performance.

Speaker 1: 34:27

As I say, I wouldn't recommend drinking before race and I've never done that before in all my 30 years of running. Um, so it's not to be recommended because you need to be fully hydrated. But, as I say, this is more of a fun race. It was a 10k. I definitely wouldn't have done it if it was half marathon and marathon. That is playing with fire.

Speaker 1: 34:45

But in this particular occasion, you know, okay, I got away with it, more for my resilience and big stubbornness than anything else. Yeah, and then I actually had a. I was actually okay to have a drink in the in the rates HQ afterwards where we got 20% off our our first pint, so that was nice. And then I popped into my local on the walk on the way home and had a nice burger, which I don't normally eat a burger and obviously that's not very good for get for my gout. So that probably contributed as well. But you need, you know, you need good protein and that to place any muscle damage from the running. So I had that and then a few more drinks. So all this has probably contributed to, um, obviously, my gout. So, um, that's probably why I'm suffering now. I mean, it's my first gout attack. Since january.

Speaker 1: 35:38

Um, I've been taking these cherry uh capsules, cherry juice capsules, which seem to be working, but obviously there comes a limit when your body can only take so much. So I'm paying for it now and it is a shame really, because I went away for a few days well, just for a couple of nights, um, after the race, and I went to my favorite place down on hailing island, stayed this lovely hotel and they got a spa and obviously, unfortunately, wasn't really warm enough to do any swimming, had a quick dip but I did a bit of walking, but, um, I think I was already coming down with the cold by then because I was really lethargic. I did do a bit of swim in the swimming pool, uh, jacuzzi, uh was nice, just to relax, just to recover after my race. But yet again, the meals are exceptional and I had like shin of beef the wine is excellent there, so the red wine with the shin of beef and then had things like the fish pie, the crayfishfish, all the things that are bad for gout.

Speaker 1: 36:45

So I just think it's this gout attack the culmination. So just over the last week, you know, you know I'm taking the tablets and I haven't attacked since january. Based on the probabilities, I'm going to get another attack and you, you know all these foods, the bad foods for gout, like the meats, and the alcohol and the energy drinks and any type of fizzy drink. It's just all come to a head and the last few days I've hardly eaten anything because of this cold and this gout. And so you know, it's just one of those things, but the gout is the most painful thing ever the cold. I don't normally get cold, but probably just a little bit run down. So hopefully that will clear up soon. I hate getting cold and obviously a combination of both the gout and the cold I could do without, because gout is one of the most painful things you can get and it it really disables me. Um, and that, with the cold as well, I feel absolutely dreadful.

Speaker 1: 37:45

But I just wanted to post this episode to to update you on how the race went and I said I'm really pleased with it, considering, uh, what I happened to get 54 minutes, 46. It was great and actually met a friend after mine afterwards and, uh, he had done really well as well and I hadn't seen him for for I hadn't seen him for months and uh, he'd certainly beaten his bow. I think he was looking at a 70 minute bow. So, and, as I say, it's for all standard runners, because even when I was about to leave which I'd spent a long time recovering before I decided I could leave and I saw the last runner come in. So, you know, and it was great to see, you know, the last runner come in, because it is a, you know, running for everybody and certainly this race is for all standards, so it was great to see that.

Speaker 1: 38:37

But, yeah, I had an enjoyable day last week. Last few days haven't been as good, but you know it's yin and yang. You get your good days, your bad days. I'm just hoping this gout will clear up and I'll be okay for work tomorrow and okay for Sunday's match. I definitely won't be doing parkrun this week, but I want to get back into training. I think my next race is uh, sunday's uh match. I definitely won't be doing park run this week, but I want to get back into training.

Speaker 1: 39:02

I think my next race is not until August. Middle of the summer Burnham beach is half marathon, so I'll need to certainly have my training for that Cause. That's no 10 K, obviously it's two 10 K, so I need to need to get a move on, but certainly I'm pleased with my performance. I wouldn't do it again the drinking before race, but I've got to wait for this time. But certainly not to be recommended, trust me. Anyway, I'm going to sign off now and my next episode well, that'll be in about a week's time and by then I should be feeling a lot better and looking forward to the Burnham Beaches Half Marathon. So I'll let you know in about a week's time what's going on and I'll see you there on the next episode of 30 years of running marathons. Thank you.