Taking up the rear

Well, today was the Huntly half marathon, and I struggled along to a slower than wanted 2 hours 25 minutes 7 seconds.
I wanted to go faster, but my body wouldn't oblidge. I think this is due to no speed work, no hills and still carrying too much weight. BUT I finished, and I didn't stop to walk! I only stopped to fill up my water bottle. I drank around 2 litres of water, which is heaps for me. It was quite a hot day though!
I got to meet Mike and his family (sub6) and Kathy and Paul. I wasn't great conversation, as after the race I felt quite ill. But great to catch up! None of us won any spot prizes, which were essentially either clothes driers or shoes.
The run was actually quite fun. It was UNDULATING, not FLAT, but the hills weren't the horrible 'have to walk' ones.
A run through town, then down a road for a couple of hundred metres, back again, down another road for a couple of kms, then round to the coal mine, past the Huntly Speedway. Back into town, round a lake (a very nice way to finish) and to the finish chute.
The first 10 kms felt like a bit of a struggle for me. With the out and back road bits I could wave to Mike, Kathy and my friend Maree from Ngatea. After 11 km I just thought - well I've made it this far, lets just keep going.
The last km was quite hard, I was catching a lot of the walkers at this stage, they have a tendancy to either walk 5 abreast, and you can't get past, or they wave their arms around and you get pinged with a fingernail, which is what happened to me! I was in no mood for either so I just said "coming through", and they soon moved!
I think Mike and Kathy were quite pleased with their efforts. I'll let them tell their own story.
So Melbourne in five weeks time, this time I will travel quite a few hundred kilometres to do a half marathon!!!