This year I decided to start my birthday slightly different than usual so I entered to run the 2016 Vitality Westminster Mile that took place on Sunday 29 May 2016.

Throughout the day, there were a series of races for runners of all ages and abilities. 2 weeks before the race I received my final instruction booklet that included some basic information about the race as well as the IPICO Sports Tag. I attached the timing tag to my shoe before my run in order to record an accurate time I managed to complete my race in.

The Start line

My race started at 10:20 a.m.  and I ran it as a part of the Vitality wave ‘Pink’ team. As it was my birthday I decided to wear something slightly more glamorous than my regular gym attire. The Vitality Westminster Mile course started on The Mall and headed towards Admiralty Arch before a right turn into Horse Guards Road following the perimeter of St James’s Park. The course then turned right again into Birdcage Walk. The second half of the race took me past Wellington Barracks before the final right turn into Spur Road and the Finish Line in front of Buckingham Palace.

The Finish line

The race Finish Line was on Spur Road, facing the magnificent Buckingham Palace. Once I crossed the finish Line, one of the marshals removed my timing tag from my shoe. I then received a goody bag containing my medal and some nutritional items before I returned to my fiancée.

Overall experience:

I decided that I want to lead a more active lifestyle back in April and this event was definitely a ‘healthy’ start of my birthday celebrations. I run a mile in 7:37 and I was second in my age group so not a bad result 😉 Following on from this experience I am now committed to run a 5k in a few months’ time. Who knows, maybe I will run a marathon one day!

Hope you enjoyed reading this post!

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