[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG-20210822-WA0001.jpg” title_text=”Pre-race” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What would you do for a t-shirt: the story of how I became a pacer!<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m the first to admit that I can be the queen of last-minute.\u00a0 <\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>when entries say they close on the 19<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the cyberworld I expect that to mean 11:59pm on the 19<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and not a moment before \u2013 certainly not in the region of 5:00pm when I\u2019m still at work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>So<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I missed the chance to enter a local race…..and I so loved the look of that t-shirt.\u00a0 \u00a0It had pinks and purples, and a Jaguar logo (the only thing I\u2019m likely to own with the official Jaguar logo!)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG-20210822-WA0018.jpg” title_text=”IMG-20210822-WA0018″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”19px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n What to do?\u00a0 Transfers had closed and now entries had closed.\u00a0 <\/span>Hmmmmm<\/span>.\u00a0 Maybe, just maybe, I could finally venture into the world of pacing, something I’d been thinking about for a while.\u00a0 They\u2019d only just posted up in the final week that they were seeking pacers.\u00a0 With nothing to lose I offered my services.\u00a0 And was accepted!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately as Queen of the Last Minute that meant on Saturday I still didn\u2019t know what I was pacing.\u00a0 I went out and practiced 9:30, came home and had a shower, put the kettle on<\/span>…..<\/span>and found out I was pacing 12:00.\u00a0 Shoes back on, out again for some more practice.\u00a0 At least the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>maths<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on 75-minute pacing was pretty easy!\u00a0 Some near perfect practice done, I headed home for my pre-race dinner.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Waking up at 5:15 on race morning though and sitting there with my porridge in one hand and a brew in the other, I was so nervous.\u00a0 More nervous than I\u2019ve been for my own races.\u00a0 This was no longer my\u00a0<\/span><\/span>race,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it was a race for other people.\u00a0 Could\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>do it?\u00a0 Could I achieve?\u00a0 Would anyone be running with me?\u00a0 Would people say “Hi” and admit they were running with me or would they just tail me like I\u2019d done to pacers in the past, too shy to say hi or admit I\u2019d like to keep with them.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”22px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/shrewsbury-10-2021-1195.jpg” title_text=”shrewsbury 10 2021 (1195)” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Sitting here now in my race t-shirt with some new bling, I\u2019m pleased.\u00a0 I may not have put in a perfect performance but I put in my best effort on the day. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>Of course<\/span>\u00a0there are a few things I can learn from it but I one thing I learned was that I loved it: I\u2019ll happily pop that flag back on and talk to random strangers before during and after the race \u2013 I’ve never talked to so many people at a race before, it was so lovely!\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The two people who told me they were coming with me achieved the time goal and a couple who might have been secretly tailing me probably did too as I did come in a little ahead of schedule.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to give it another go!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/240647154_2959619820952167_4090285571825173693_n.jpg” title_text=”The finish” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210822_090035-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Waiting for the start” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210822_102744-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Our pacing group” _builder_version=”4.10.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What would you do for a t-shirt: the story of how I became a pacer! I\u2019m the first to admit that I can be the queen of last-minute.\u00a0 So\u00a0when entries say they close on the 19th\u00a0in the cyberworld I expect that to mean 11:59pm on the 19th\u00a0and not a moment before \u2013 certainly not in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=990"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1012,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions\/1012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}