My monologue

The sound of my feet beneath me is like my second heartbeat. It's so familiar to me now that...Oh no, how cliche does that sound?
2.15.25, who knows what that time represents? That's the fastest women's marathon time ever run, and it was run by me. Yeah right, that sounds like I'm well full of myself.
Okay, alright. Hi, my name's Paula Radcliffe, and I like to run.

That was the opening of my monologue.
A monologue, by definition, is a dramatic speech by a single actor (mono, meaning one; think mono-brow and monotone). This was our second drama assessment for the term. We had to pick a famous sports person and become them. We had to research them and find out not only about their achievements, but what it is that makes them who they are. How do they talk? How do they stand? What are their catchphrases, gestures and facial expressions? Since this information isn't usually recorded on Wikipedia or blogs, I watched many YouTube videos.

I've been a runner for as long as I can remember, and I think I always will be. It's what I love to do; I'm addicted. When I'm running I feel good, you know, I feel alive. But I don't like to make too big a deal about running, you know, cos' nearly everyone can do it.

If you hadn't processed the information above, I chose to do the English runner Paula Radcliffe. I saw her when I was watching the women's marathon in Beijing, ( as you probably know, she made quite a lasting impression). The more I found out about her, the more respect I gained for her. She's run four out of the five fastest women marathon times; she's (arguably) the best in the world. Plus, she seems to be really nice, and modest.

Winning, it isn't everything. I mean, I've had my fair share of loses and bad races. But crossing that finish line, arms raced, knowing that your the best, and that you've beaten everyone, well, it's what every athlete dreams of. Seeing my dad in the stands, smiling down at me; it's amazing. And seeing my husband, Gary, looking proud; nothing can beat that.

We were being marked on our use of drama techniques. That is things like voice, space, and movement. I am proud to say that I got an Excellence.
For voice, I did a (pretty bad) English accent, and varied the pitch and volume to match different emotions. I paced at the beginning (I was meant to be rehearsing for a speech), but for the most part stayed around the podium. I am quite glad; my performance had a climax; it was when I was talking about coming first. I came out to the front of the stage, and raised my voice and quickened the pace.

I went to the Beijing Olympics this year. I didn't do too smashing; I came 28th in the women's marathon, not a placing I'm really accustomed to, you know? I had my first child last year, little Isla...so I definitely wasn't at my peak. But don't you worry you, haven't seen the last of Paula Radcliffe. I'm just gonna keep running, keep training, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. There's not much else I can do really.
Hi, my name's Paula Radcliffe, and I like to run. [End]

I was quite pleased with my performance, and I enjoyed doing it, too. I didn't really get nervous, I'm kind of over that now. I'm more worried about giving a great performance, rather than just doing it, or remembering my lines. I would have liked to have drama next year, but the school only offers a full year course. I will probably try and do the school production again, though.
I have no witty conclusion to this post, sorry, so I will just end it here. Bye.