About two miles into today's race, I thought, how am I going to write this up on my blog? I thought, how am I going to explain or justify to myself that I pulled out due to embarrassment?

When I got down to the beach this morning, I immediately thought: what the fuck am I doing here? For some reason, probably because I'd done absolutely no research whatsoever, but for some reason I thought this 5 miler would just be some kind of fun-run and there'd be loads of all types of people there. But it wasn't like that at all. It was a group of about 150 lean, mean running machines, all wearing running club t-shirts, every single one. I literally did not spot one person, other than me, who wasn't affiliated to some athletics club or other. I felt totally mortified. I knew the whole thing was going to be a humiliating nightmare - and it was. Anyway, I did carry on, despite myself, and I'll get this over with now, and say that I came (I think) fifth or sixth from last. And I'm pretty sure everyone behind me was either a cripple or an octogenarian. As I was rounding the final bend all the marshalls were clapping and saying 'Well Done!' as though they were talking to a five year old. The whole thing was just awful and has really put me off ever doing a race again, unless it's specifically for people who are athletically challenged. Hideous.

I don't know what my official time is yet, apparently the results will be up on some website or other sometime this week, but I don't really want to see. By my watch, anyway, it was 55:10. But I think the official time will be a bit slower than that as there was no chip timing and I started right at the very back.

Absolutely dreading this bloody race in Texas now.