Kiln Marathon Running Club
1st Run, 5th Feb
Perfect weather for the first training run. Sitting in a pub in
Battersea on Saturday afternoon looking at the snow falling
outside, I wondered if this would severely affect the number of
runners willing to show up the next day. England had just breached
Fortress Murrayfield as well so celebrations might wreck even the
best intentions. Sometime later I made it back to Richmond where
there was a couple of inches of snow covering everything already.
This could indeed make it tricky, with or without the post-Saturday
night blues.
Sunday morning arrived and I slid the car out of my road and up
to Richmond Gate near the park. Here I encountered my first
problem, the road to the Roehampton Gate Cafe was closed. I had to
settle for the only open car park at Pembroke Lodge, which was on
opposite side of where I needed to be, and run down. It was clear
that it was going to be impossible for anyone to drive to the
starting point, and therefore unlikely any brave souls would be
waiting there, shivering. However, we said this would be the first
run and so on I went ploughing through the new snow, dodging the
odd snowball from children delighted to have a target. Jonny had
managed to cycle from Battersea and we decided to have a coffee and
wait to see if anyone would turn up. Unsurprisingly, they didn't
but we went for a run anyway, deciding on a cross country route and
getting into a steady rhythm. The snow absorbed all our noise and
we continued across the landscape which was numbed into silence
save for the birds wheeling in the treetops. On we slogged for an
hour and twenty minutes, up to the Royal Ballet School and beyond,
near Kingston Gate and back, doing a looping figure eight. The lack
of cars was a real pleasure and there were quite a few runners
enjoying the quiet and solitude, and we nodded to each other
companionably.
By the time we got back to the Roehampton Gate Cafe the traffic
had started up again, the roads now cleared, and we fought
for a table as one always does at the weekend. There was a real
'ski cafeteria' feel to the place though and a good atmosphere. We
got talking to a Somali chap called Adhuhulow who lost a leg to a
gunshot wound and was now a 'Bladerunner', with a running shoe sole
attached to a curved Kevlar prosthetic. He couldn't get enough
traction on the snow so had stopped for a coffee. He was training
for a number of marathon and was hoping to run 555 miles in Rwanda
to raise money inside the country for educational projects. We
asked him to consider coming to Sierra Leone and he is keen on the
idea but may need sponsorship to get there. Considering his
incredible story, we would be very lucky to get him involved and
hope that he makes it!
So, it was an eventful first run, even if numbers were limited.
Still, plenty of time until June and we hope the weather will be
more considerate next time. If you have any questions about the
next run on 4th March or training in
general, please feel free to contact me. We should be aiming
at approx. 10-13 miles next time but can advise a shorter
distance or route in the park for those looking to build up to the
half marathon in June. The key is to pop down and meet for a
coffee, get to meet people and talk the event through.
Hopefully, more to report next time!
Matt: matt.pain1@hotmail.co.uk
