Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2030
Distance: 7 miles
Listened to: Erasure playlist (don’t judge me – they were awesome)
This is my first blog of the year but I am going to focus on the last nine days. They have seen me complete my third half marathon, a return to running the lovely country roads where I live and an 11-mile outing in Bath.
At the start of the year, I was moaning about being ill. Soz! Once recovered, I got back on the training plan set for me by my husband John. It was a step up from the programme I did ahead of the Great West Half. I had started it before Christmas but the lurgy stopped me in my tracks. It involved both a long and a short run at the weekend, a longish run on the Tuesday, Zumba (can’t miss Zumba) on a Wednesday and a hill session on the treadmill on a Thursday.
Stand by for a positive comment about myself! The training went really well. I was really chuffed with myself. I did a 12-mile run in the South of France before Storms Ciara and Dennis set in so I was not worried about finishing off my training on the treadmill.
Big bowl of pasta on the eve of the Quicksilver Hampton Half Marathon and I was good to go. Then I could not sleep. Not helpful. But I still felt good. I had three friends running the same race. Abs, Cath and Emma. We split into two camps and all was well. I flew around the first six miles and ran my first outdoor 10km in under an hour. Goal – tick 🙂 Thanks Emma. I would not have done that without you.
Then, I had a wobble at seven miles, then I got a stitch at eight miles…then the wheels came off and I got grumpy. I was grumpy because I had to walk and I had trained so hard so I did not have to walk. Poor patient Emma. She suffered my grumpiness on full volume. Then I had to have a word with myself. On stopping for a selfie (any excuse to stop!) at the back of Hampton Court Palace, I saw Abs coming up behind us…without Cath. She also had a very sad face. Poor Cath had to pull out after 6.5 miles with an injury. At least I knew I could finish. I fumed over the next bridge and then dug deep with Emma putting up with my silence and scowling face.
It was an emotional end when we were reunited with Cath. It was not the way it was supposed to go. Tears were not supposed to be on the agenda. Running is emotional at times.
I ended up with a personal best race time of 2 hours 15 mins that was 11 minutes faster than the first time I did a half marathon – the other Hampton Court one – 11 months before. I should have been elated but I was disappointed. I really wanted to run it without walking or wanting to walk.
I just screwed up my pace (and probably needed some more sleep). When I ran in France, I managed a 9’53” min per mile pace and I was happy with that. The half was an average 10’02” pace but the splits are hilarious, ranging from 9’20” to 9’38” for the first eight miles to 10’28” to 11’05” for the last five. I said the wheels came off! I had run out of steam. I should have paced myself.
In the grand scheme of things, it really does not matter. It’s just a race. There will be other races, but I was cross with myself. Then I was cross with myself for being cross! Why do I run again?!
After a debrief in the car with Abs and Cath (with frozen peas on board) and a whiny rant with John, I pulled myself together. I ventured out for a run the Thursday after the race and loved the six miles I did on my home turf. It made me wonder if I should just bin races altogether.
I like the country roads, my earphones and my own space. At the weekend though, I ran in a city without earphones with my friend Lisa and did not have a hissy fit!
I am hoping it is a question of pace and not a question of races…especially as I have two more booked this year! I just wanted to feel that I could mentally and physically manage a half so I could have the confidence to push my distance a little further.
At least I finished the race though, when my lovely friend couldn’t. I am healthy and can run when others certainly cannot. I got a race PB for goodness sake plus achieved my 10km goal for the year. Lots to be grateful for and some room for improvement.
#runningfordad #runningfortait
Running for Dad 