And the Santa time is...

To be revealed later!

My research into this running stuff seems to indicate that preparation is everything. Having still not actually done much running, courtesy of dodgy knees, this morning I went with 'toast, Lucozade, dark chocolate, paracetamol, ibuprofen and Deep Heat'. Works for me...

First of all Rubbish Running Dog and I dressed appropriately... There had been some discussion on Facebook as to whether people were going to wear their Santa outfits. Everybody did, bar about 3 people... So there were some 600 Santas wandering round the park. Quite a sight! Rubbish Running Dog wasn't actually going to run with me - but she was the only dog dressed appropriately!

We had a mass warm up, courtesy of Real Radio. I'm somewhere in the middle of that lot - I did start the warm up exercises, then abandoned the star jumps and just did stretchy stuff.

Then at 12.30 we were off! Bit like the London marathon in that there were so many people it was impossible to run at the beginning (shame!) so I set my clever watch timing thingy as I actually went under the start gate...

Guy followed us up through the park, then figured out where we were coming back and got into position to take piccies. Meanwhile as I puffed my way round Bute Park first of all the belt came off (I think I'd knotted it too tight) then my trousers bust and had to be cobbled back together, then I abandoned the hat, and tucked the beard inside my number... I looked lovely!

And then we were almost at the end - remarkably quickly. Probably quick because it was a bit short on the whole 'distance' thing - only 4.37km. My time? A rather stunning 30 minutes 38 seconds. I've figured out the maths now, and if it had been a complete 5k my time would have been 34.40. Which is still good! And NOT 38 minutes! YAY! My 'split times' were all around the 7 minutes a kilometre speed, which is fine... last time I ran on two dodgy knees I was 8.30 by the end.... Definitely an improvement! YAY again!

The next challenge will be to run 5k and not feel like I'm going to expire at the end of it. Hah!

There was a small boy running in front of me most of the way round with his dad. About 8 years old, going quicker than me, and chatting all the way, not even remotely out of breath. How does he do that?? He was number 322085 - hats off to you, whoever you were!

I'm not really that shape. It's the cobbled together bust trousers!

Honest...