Charlie Webster Blog
London Marathon Blog
April 20, 2010
Filed Under Marathon
26.2 miles really takes it out of you, my body is crying out for re-hydration, my shins have seriously fallen out with me, and my neck says my head is too heavy to hold it and I have a blister on the end of every toe! I am currently walking like a ‘Bambified Robot’, that’s a cross between Bambi and a Robot, not that there is such a thing! The worst part is walking down stairs, for all those that ran the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday will know exactly what I’m talking about.
It was well worth it though, I’m very happy with my time of 3 hours and 56 minutes with some dodgy shin splints and I raised money for Women’s Aid who work to stop domestic violence and child abuse, an very important cause to me. So let’s rewind back to before the Marathon.
After a terrible night’s sleep (I never can sleep before a big event) I jumped out of bed at 6am feeling excited but a little bit nervous. I was slightly apprehensive because last year I ran the London Marathon with a gastric virus, pretty silly I know, and had a terrible time of it, so this year I had a few demons to conquer. My friend had stayed over this year and tattooed me with all Women’s Aid logos before I ran out of the house and jumped on the tube. Now I didn’t have the best start to the day after getting to Maze Hill train station a little later than planned, I had to walk for 20 minutes up hill in the pouring rain, by the time I arrived at the start I was completely soaked. After a few snaps, 2 toilet stops and a rub of Vaseline I was on the celebrity start line with the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Lorraine Kelly and Gordon Ramsey. I was stood behind Iwan Thomas as we’d planned to run the first bit together as we were going for a similar time.
The countdown had begun and before I knew it I was breaking into a run, at this point I kept thinking don’t go too fast, as a former sprinter I have a habit of starting too fast and suffering the rest of the way. This time I stuck to my pace and snuck in next to Iwan Thomas and a couple of guys I’d arranged to start with. After a few miles the 3 separate starts merged, it’s really annoying because you have to be so careful not to get legged up, I got kicked a few times but it makes me laugh as everybody boo’s each other as they join. At this point I was still smiling, a little dehydrated but all felt good. 8 miles went by and I realised I was going a bit too fast than I wanted so I stepped it down a pace and saw Gordon Ramsey stop to the side he didn’t look impressed. Coming up to 11 miles and I was back into my stride catching up with the guys I’d pulled back from to then realise they were suffering. Iwan was feeling it and eased off, so I was out on my own still 15.2 miles to go.
The difference in weather seemed to affect quite a lot of people, one minute it was wet and cold, the next humid and muggy. I remember feeling really clammy and hot at half way but was very pleased when I crossed through at 1 hour 45 minutes. I was feeling it but on target. Up to 18 miles now and my shins were not having a good time, every step I took I could feel my tendon pull through my shin, my body went into over compensating mode to try and help. Now things were really starting to hurt. I kept thinking ‘come on you can do this’, ‘ignore the pain’, ‘think of why you are doing this’, ‘pain is temporary’ I was coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful phrases to push me on.
I reached the 20 marker and started to see people stop and walk, no way was I going to do that plus I know how much it hurts to stop, you completely seize up and can’t get started again. 6 miles to go, the slowest and most painful 6 miles ever, every step was a huge effort. All of a sudden I started to cramp up, around my quads, inner thighs and hips, not good, I tried to lift my knees up to spur my legs on but all I could feel was shooting pains in my shin. I remember saying to myself ‘no this is not going to stop me, just keep on running, all you’ve got to do is keep on running’ trust me it’s much harder than it sounds! I was starting to slow down and was really beginning to suffer.
The embankment was coming up, I’d ran along here many times before on training runs, I smiled to myself otherwise I would have cried, thinking my training runs didn’t feel like this. I saw Big Ben and we started to turn up to Westminster and by this time I was in serious pain, cramp, shins, my neck had started to pull, I was feeling so dehydrated and hot and had nothing left in my body, my last 2 miles I’d have to rely on my head to get me through. I was constantly talking to myself, I know it sounds weird but that’s all I had left. I saw the 25 mile marker, I was so relieved to see it but it seemed like I still had such a long way to go.
After a mile battle between my heart, head and body, I saw a sign that said 365 yards to go by this time I was running on pure empty, I heard my name to turn and see my amazing friends screaming ‘Go Charlie’ I then saw the clock 355 coming up to 356, I thought to myself I am going to get 356 and I just gave it everything I had, using my sprinting from years ago, pushed with all my might, I had to get myself over that line at 356. I did it, 3 hours and 56 minutes. I stopped and nearly fell over I was so dizzy, my head was spinning, it always makes me laugh as I mentioned earlier because as daft as it sounds it hurts so much to stop. I couldn’t stop smiling though, the feeling of achievement after is indescribable, so intense, your emotions are all over the place and you feel like you can take on the world.
For those that ran the Marathon a massive well done, it is an amazing achievement to complete the distance no matter how long it takes and shows huge mental strength. For those that haven’t it is definitely something you should do, I know I have talked about the pain and anguish but the feeling you get when you cross the finish line is so powerful that none of the pain even matters. For those saying I could never run a marathon, of course you can, if you put your mind it too it, you can do anything.
I head to the townships of South Africa
April 16, 2010
Filed Under Football South Africa
In the townships of South Africa I discovered that not everyone is looking forward to joining the World Cup party.
South Africa’s preparations for the event that will put them in the global spotlight for over a month this summer were well underway when I flew out to Cape Town last month. As a football fan I can’t wait for the event, and, as us England fans say every time a major championship comes around, I really do have a good feeling about this one. Surely this really is our time…
When I touched down in the ‘Mother City’, I honestly believed that every man and his dog would be buzzing with World Cup fever, and proud to be the first African host of one of sport’s true blue ribbon events. How wrong I turned out to be… Okay, on the surface, all appears well. Zakumi mascots (the mascot with attitude, apparently…) and oversized ornamental plastic footballs line the streets, while the new Green Point Stadium, which comes complete with retractable roof, is a fine piece of architecture. I must add that every single South African I spoke to insists that Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium is better!
Anyway, I digress… As stunning a place as Cape Town is to visit – Table Mountain and Cape Point in particular are unforgettable – I wanted to get into the heart of the country and find out what ‘real’ South Africans thought about the World Cup coming to their homeland. So, when a local pal of mine offered to take me into the townships, I jumped at the chance. Even though I’d been warned that it was a path very few white people had dared to tread…I needn’t have worried, I was welcomed into the shanty towns with open arms, even though these were some of the poorest people I’d ever met – their lives bookmarked by poverty and violence.
My local friend, who is from the Zulu tribe, told me that the World Cup was never intended to benefit the townships or the poor. This made me incredibly sad and angry, because if Africa is finally being embraced into the World Cup family then surely the world should see the continent as it really is. It’s an amazing, vibrant, colourful place and should be portrayed as such.
One of the village elders told me that 2010 is just putting their country into more debt and that it’s the poor who pay while the rich grease their own palms with back-handers. I also spoke to a construction worker who was on the Green Point stadium job. Now that the building’s finished, he’s unemployed. I’d really hoped that men and women of all ages would be able to attend World Cup games, but one guy who was about my age told me that he’d have to try and watch matches on communal TV’s as no-one in these parts could afford a ticket. “It doesn’t make any difference whether the World Cup is in our country or not if we have to watch it on TV,” he said. “Why is that good for us?” South Africa’s 2010 slogan ‘Alive with Possibility’ seems to have ignored vast swathes of the population.
The young kids who don’t understand the political ramifications of what’s going on thought differently to the adults. For them, the excitement of the world’s greatest players coming to Africa was overwhelming. Although they screamed out Ronaldo’s name, it’s England – and David Beckham in particular – who they’re really looking forward to seeing. I couldn’t resist a kick around with the kids – they were among the happiest I have ever met, despite the fact that most of them live in shacks. They couldn’t believe that I – a gogo (elderly woman) – could play football!
However, the kids’ excitement was the minority feeling. I became even more confused when I was told that no money had been allocated to spend on trying to improve the national squad. Surely it’s vitally important for South Africa to have a successful team or at least get past the group stages for the first time in their history? They face Mexico, Uruguay and France in Group A; a daunting task indeed.
However, one minor consolation for us English is that every South African I spoke to said that if their country is eliminated early on, then they’ll support England! I really hope that we can give the amazing people of the townships something to celebrate…
If you are heading to South Africa this summer, then Durban is the place to go.
What most travellers possibly won’t realise is that the tournament is being played during the South African winter, when Durban will be the warmest of the venues. Cape Town will be proper cold; I have this vision of milk bottle Brits walking around in shorts, replica shirts, pulled up socks and sandals, freezing their pasty bums off!