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Published: August 27th 2008
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The Winter Challenge
A terrible picture of me but sums up my feelings................I was left right at the back, after the rest of the pack bombed it off !!!!!! I knew I was in trouble. Well..it’s never happened before, but I guess it was going to happen sooner or later...Yesterday, I did the running section of the ‘Winter Challenge’ at Franklin, 30 mins south of Hobart. I was asked several months ago if I would take part in that section and, at the time, thought it would be a good thing to motivate myself to get back into running post-birth. Anyway, the running has not really happened (as the time frame to run is evenings after school which are dark and cold......and I have to wait for Ivor to get back to look after George before I can go out running. “Take him with you” I hear you cry, but it is actually quite hard when there are the occasional pavements to contend with.) and as a consequence, I was no way ready for a 12km, undulating ( up and down over 200m) cross-country run. I warned my team (mountain biker, road cyclist, kayaker) that I was probably going to be last which was met with “Ahhhh you’ll be fine...we have not trained really either!” and “there’ll be people walking, as it is so hilly”.
Anyway, after a briefing about the race, the runners (who were setting off the race for the first leg...we had to hand a bracelet over to our next team member on completion of the run) including myself, lined up at the start. I was a little apprehensive as I looked around to what looked like a sea of very fit people - bar one quite elderly looking lady who said that running was her nemesis. I said, jokingly “Oh, I’ll be slower than you!”.
Anyway, the starter gun went and I knew I was in trouble...everybody legged it off !! Knowing there was no way I could keep that kind of pace, I trundled along at the back (which was the very back!) - happy as I saw another girl just to the right of me. After a while (as the group of runners disappeared into the distance) I said to her “Blimey…they bombed off didn’t they?!” “I’m the sweep, making sure everybody gets round” she said. I was gutted.
The next 12km, I ran with “The sweep”. Everyone we passed…. she would say “I’m the sweep, there is nobody behind us” to the Marshalls whilst I just smiled and said “Yeah...I’m just last!!”
The last leg was the worst. “The sweep” got a phone call to see if all was well and who she was running with - so she told them my number which was announced to the waiting crowds back at the start/finish line.
Then, on the home straight, there were loads of people at the sides, cheering me on, like they used to at school sports day for the kid who was last…and then as I crossed the finish line (very much alone - with a single mountain biker...my team-mate..waiting for me to pass him the bracelet) the announcer said “…..and here comes Sarah Leonard....straight ‘Off the Couch’ (our team name)” so if anybody had been in any doubts who was last - they were no longer. Worse still, my 'friends' said - “Ah well you were not last by much - there was a lady just a few minutes before you” The lady to whom they were referring was the elderly lady who I had spoken to at the start of the race.
Needless to say, I am now worried about the half marathon in 7 weeks - will definitely be getting out there to pound those pavements.
On a couple of other sporting issues...It has been quite funny here in Australia to see the Aussie reaction to 'Team GB' (I didn't know that that is what they had become known as until I received 3 emails form British friends referring to them as such!) They HATE the fact that GB has won more gold medals (and medals overall) than Australia. On the radio they have blamed the bigger population of the UK (So what about Jamaica, New Zealand and SLovakia huh? That really winds them up!!! )and even accused us of being a nation of gamblers 'Oh,it's because they all gamble and have produced lots of lottery funding,.that's why they have won more'. There have been lots of Aussie bigwigs promising that it won't be the same in 4 years and the Aussies will beat 'Team GB' next time!!! It's made us laugh as we are usually the target of many jokes. Thinking about it the only sport they seem to beat us at is cricket and the way they carry on you would think they thrashed us at everything and I mean it's not as if cricket is the world game!
Another sporting related thing that has happened is I teach sign language to 200 different hearing primary children (not at the same time, although sometimes it feels like it!) and I thought it would be good to teach Olympic sports signs. Now, a lot of sports signs are as you would imagine and actually look like the sport - for example, swimming is,pretending you are doing breaststroke, Rowing - acting like you are rowing etc.... Well, boys being boys, as I have been showing the sign to the class and getting them to copy, all the boys make the relevant sound effects. Weight lifting sign they all go "EEEUUUGHHH" , firing a bow for archery "PEEOWW" etc etc I was getting a bit uptight by this as it was driving me completely insane and have, as a consequence, turned into the sign language teacher from hell. Ivor said I didn't understand boys, that it was absolutely vital they made the noises and that I should pull my head in. I considered myself told!
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