Margo was faster than me. So was her dog. But not to worry – I gave it my all, and even if that wasn’t quite enough to keep pace with Margo it still helped move me closer to my goal of a respectable time in a half-marathon next February. I rarely get the chance to train with a partner, and it really helped me stretch myself beyond what I thought was possible, to try and avoid total humiliation. It was good to find a training partner who is just a bit better than me, to challenge me and make me push myself.
Once I’d recovered we hit the road – a beautiful drive up to Woburn, MA, to watch tomorrow’s Head of the Charles Regatta. The bright sun brought out the glorious reds, yellows, pinks and golds of the autumn foliage. It was a long-ish drive – about 6 hours – but we talked nonstop and the miles whizzed by.
Good luck to all those competing in tomorrow’s Amsterdam Marathon (especially Sam and Jason), and well done to the England rugby team on enormously exceeding everyone’s expectations in the World Cup – a magnificent and spirited effort.