Good and Bad
When my alarm went off at 5am this morning (having left a party sober and early last night) I suddenly realised the extent of my madness. Since when did a couple of weight losing run turn into getting up early on a Sunday morning to drive to Blackpool to run 13.1 miles? I have unleashed a monster.
I really wasn't sure what to expect of today. I hadn't trained for it specifically. I've done a couple of runs around the length of my longest runs before my last half marathon, but not in a structured way, with a steady build up and taper. I've been fitting runs in as and when, while trying to build a base for the marathon training. I feel fitter, but I hadn't trained as well. Add to that the fact it was the hottest weekend so far this year, and my knee's been playing up all week, and I was a bit unsure. I'd been considering skipping the race altogether, but I'd arranged to visit my grandparents later in the day (they live a couple of miles away from the race), so I had to go over whether I ran or not.
I dragged myself out of bed, and headed over there. On the way I stopped for the first of several pre-race toilet stops. If there's anything more depressing than people playing the slot machines at the most soul destroying services in northern England (Bolton West) at 6.30am I have yet to find it. But that's just an aside.
On I went. I parked in the same fab place as for my previous Blackpool half, right by the finish line and utterly free. I got there nice and early, only to discover that the race had been delayed by half an hour because the lorry carrying the water had broken down. The next hour or so turned into a regime of toilet, wander round, toilet etc. I had based my race attire on Saturday's weather and was wearing lycra shorts and a crop top. Thereby exposing my still flappy stomach to the world. And by the time I arrived I realised the weather was going to be nowhere near as nice as yesterday. Still warm, but not as warm, certainly not at that ungodly hour of the morning.
Before the race I was very aware that my knee wasn't 100%. It doesn't hurt as such, it just doesn't feel quite right, and I'm more aware of it than normal. Never mind, I decided to go through with it while I was there.
Finally we started, and my knee clicked into the groove. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I'd feared. The first two miles were faster than my 1:50 target pace, and I felt good, although I tried to ease off a bit to make sure I could sustain the pace. I'd gained about a minute on what I needed by about 3 miles, but over the next 4 or so my pace was pretty much on target so I kept that minute but didn't gain any more. By about 7 minutes I was looking at something between 1:48 - 1:50, and feeling not too bad.
Then it all started to go wrong. I was aware that I was developing a blister on my big toe (I really need new running shoes, the ones I have have done about 450 miles now and they're rubbing more than they ever did when they were new), and the muscles in the top of my legs were really starting to hurt. I didn't remember feeling that bad during my other half. Betwee 7 and 8 miles I was struggling, and made myself promise that I'd run to the water station at 9 miles before even considering walking. I made it, but I noticed from my pacing band that I'd lost time and slipped below my target splits, and I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn't in a good enough state to make that time back.
This is where having the band was a bad idea. It's all very well knowing where you want to be, but for me once I realised that I was running slower than I wanted to, the only thought in my head was how much slower I could run and still get a PB. By this point I was thinking that I had three or four minutes to play with over four miles, so I could slow down by nearly a minute a mile. Of course, knowing that, I immediately did precisely that. Oops. I think that had I not had the splits round my wrist I'd have pushed a bit harder during those last 4 miles to see what I could do.
Instead I struggled. My foot and my legs really didn't want to run, and every step I ran required an effort far greater than I remember having to squeeze out of them last time. I slowed down, but I kept on going.
In the end I came through the line in just about 1:54. It took me a while to cross the line at the start, so I'm expecting my chip time to be about 1:53:30 when it comes through tomorrow. I did beat my last time and get a PB, but I wonder whether I could have done better if I hadn't got discouraged when I started falling behind my target. The one good thing was that I had it in my head that my last time was 1:54:44 when it was actually 1:55:44, so I took a minute more than I thought off that PB.
The atmosphere was very different to the last Blackpool HM. For a start it was sunny ish and warm rather than the driving February wind I had to battle with last time, also the route went down the prom through the more touristy areas rather than just twice round the Bispham loop. Although the second half of the race was the Bispham loop, and it was really quiet just when I could have done with some supporters. Plus there was a full marathon being run too, which reminded me how much harder it would have been to run two loops rather than just the one.
The other thing that really did amuse me on the way round was all the people wandering alongside us. There were the runners in the road (and I'll be just a bit boastful by saying that the people I was near were just about at the fitter end of the spectrum), and then, by the side of the road, the people I used to be. The sort of people who holiday in Blackpool don't tend to be the thin, healthy living, exercising type. Of course, that's not to say that everyone there was fat, but there was a decent percentage, believe me! Still, they were cheering us on as enthusiastically as anyone, but I realised how much I prefer being this person, rather than that one.
Anyway, I need to get off the computer to go and soak my muscles in an attempt to revive them for next weekend's 10k!
I really wasn't sure what to expect of today. I hadn't trained for it specifically. I've done a couple of runs around the length of my longest runs before my last half marathon, but not in a structured way, with a steady build up and taper. I've been fitting runs in as and when, while trying to build a base for the marathon training. I feel fitter, but I hadn't trained as well. Add to that the fact it was the hottest weekend so far this year, and my knee's been playing up all week, and I was a bit unsure. I'd been considering skipping the race altogether, but I'd arranged to visit my grandparents later in the day (they live a couple of miles away from the race), so I had to go over whether I ran or not.
I dragged myself out of bed, and headed over there. On the way I stopped for the first of several pre-race toilet stops. If there's anything more depressing than people playing the slot machines at the most soul destroying services in northern England (Bolton West) at 6.30am I have yet to find it. But that's just an aside.
On I went. I parked in the same fab place as for my previous Blackpool half, right by the finish line and utterly free. I got there nice and early, only to discover that the race had been delayed by half an hour because the lorry carrying the water had broken down. The next hour or so turned into a regime of toilet, wander round, toilet etc. I had based my race attire on Saturday's weather and was wearing lycra shorts and a crop top. Thereby exposing my still flappy stomach to the world. And by the time I arrived I realised the weather was going to be nowhere near as nice as yesterday. Still warm, but not as warm, certainly not at that ungodly hour of the morning.
Before the race I was very aware that my knee wasn't 100%. It doesn't hurt as such, it just doesn't feel quite right, and I'm more aware of it than normal. Never mind, I decided to go through with it while I was there.
Finally we started, and my knee clicked into the groove. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I'd feared. The first two miles were faster than my 1:50 target pace, and I felt good, although I tried to ease off a bit to make sure I could sustain the pace. I'd gained about a minute on what I needed by about 3 miles, but over the next 4 or so my pace was pretty much on target so I kept that minute but didn't gain any more. By about 7 minutes I was looking at something between 1:48 - 1:50, and feeling not too bad.
Then it all started to go wrong. I was aware that I was developing a blister on my big toe (I really need new running shoes, the ones I have have done about 450 miles now and they're rubbing more than they ever did when they were new), and the muscles in the top of my legs were really starting to hurt. I didn't remember feeling that bad during my other half. Betwee 7 and 8 miles I was struggling, and made myself promise that I'd run to the water station at 9 miles before even considering walking. I made it, but I noticed from my pacing band that I'd lost time and slipped below my target splits, and I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn't in a good enough state to make that time back.
This is where having the band was a bad idea. It's all very well knowing where you want to be, but for me once I realised that I was running slower than I wanted to, the only thought in my head was how much slower I could run and still get a PB. By this point I was thinking that I had three or four minutes to play with over four miles, so I could slow down by nearly a minute a mile. Of course, knowing that, I immediately did precisely that. Oops. I think that had I not had the splits round my wrist I'd have pushed a bit harder during those last 4 miles to see what I could do.
Instead I struggled. My foot and my legs really didn't want to run, and every step I ran required an effort far greater than I remember having to squeeze out of them last time. I slowed down, but I kept on going.
In the end I came through the line in just about 1:54. It took me a while to cross the line at the start, so I'm expecting my chip time to be about 1:53:30 when it comes through tomorrow. I did beat my last time and get a PB, but I wonder whether I could have done better if I hadn't got discouraged when I started falling behind my target. The one good thing was that I had it in my head that my last time was 1:54:44 when it was actually 1:55:44, so I took a minute more than I thought off that PB.
The atmosphere was very different to the last Blackpool HM. For a start it was sunny ish and warm rather than the driving February wind I had to battle with last time, also the route went down the prom through the more touristy areas rather than just twice round the Bispham loop. Although the second half of the race was the Bispham loop, and it was really quiet just when I could have done with some supporters. Plus there was a full marathon being run too, which reminded me how much harder it would have been to run two loops rather than just the one.
The other thing that really did amuse me on the way round was all the people wandering alongside us. There were the runners in the road (and I'll be just a bit boastful by saying that the people I was near were just about at the fitter end of the spectrum), and then, by the side of the road, the people I used to be. The sort of people who holiday in Blackpool don't tend to be the thin, healthy living, exercising type. Of course, that's not to say that everyone there was fat, but there was a decent percentage, believe me! Still, they were cheering us on as enthusiastically as anyone, but I realised how much I prefer being this person, rather than that one.
Anyway, I need to get off the computer to go and soak my muscles in an attempt to revive them for next weekend's 10k!
posted by YP at 8:54 PM
1 Comments:
Congartulations on the PB! (Sounds like some celebratory new running shoes might be in order, though.)
I am still in awe at your running progress. I did a 5K yesterday and am definitely feeling it today - I think it'll be a while before I manage a 10K.
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