BarGolf.net

I had a half marathon down on my training plan from day 1 this year and this one is particularly convenient as it starts just a couple of miles from my house. Part of my motivation was too see if I could hit a target that would legitimise my following of the ‘ambitious’ athlete demographic in my training manual (as opposed to ‘Training To Finish’ or ‘Performance’).

I was hoping to run under 1h50 but secretly I really wanted to hit 1h45. This would mean running 8 minute miles consistently. This seemed like a reasonable goal, although on the long runs I’m no where near this speed – but on my tempo run I usually hit a couple of miles at or below that. To be fair my run training so far this year has been good, a mixture of long base endurance running (all around 13 miles at a time), some shorter quicker tempo runs (home from work) and the occasional speed workout on a Thursday morning. I was hoping I’d lock into an 8 minute mile ‘groove’ early on and would be able to hold it. I’d done some rough numbers so I knew what I’d need to put in if I fell behind.

Come race day I was quite nervous. I always feel this way before any race, the short cycle ride up to the start calmed me down nicely though – as did the cold rain in the air.

From the off the going was quite busy – it always feels like it’ll be slow until everyone gets sorted out – but invariably it’s usually quicker than you think. In this case the first mile came up in 7:50, which is pretty much what I expected. I carried on and was surprised to see the next mile at 7:45, then more surprised to see mile 4 at 7:47! Things were going well I’d not even noticed mile 3. I started to worry that I might be going too quickly to sustain it, although I felt I could run quicker. I didn’t slow up, but I also didn’t push on.

I’d arranged with Laura to pass her and Jodie as the route came close to the house around mile 8. My quick sums said this would take 64 minutes, so be there at 11am. I was a little worried she might miss me as I was running around 7:45 consistently, thankfully they hadn’t cut it fine and I got a brief cheer on and high-five.

Miles 9 and 10 came easy. I’d been unsure about what to do nutrition wise as my normal long runs are unhurried and I carry a bottle of carb drink. As it happened the water stops were ideally located and a few sips were all I felt I needed. I’d packed some Powerbar Ride Shots in case I felt things flagging. By mile 10 I wasn’t sure I needed anything, but with the uphill section coming and the delay on the carb intake I popped one ‘just in case’.

My miles remained consistent right up until the last one which was where the route climbs back to the start location. This was the only mile I dropped off my pace (to 8:12) – so not too bad considering.

All done, 1h43 minutes (well, 1h42m59s on the chip timing), averaging around 7:45 pace. The thing is – at no point did I feel like I’d really pushed myself (except possibly on the hill at the end). I was happy to hit sub 1h45m. Maybe in hindsight I should have chosen a tougher target. Would 1h40m been possible? Part of the problem was not knowing how I’d hold up in the second half of the race. So next time I have a tougher target – but looking forward to my 70.3, I’m confident that my training plan is working and that my goal isn’t unreasonable.