This was a big week for my running as on Sunday I did my first ever Half Marathon (Plymouth), something that would only have been a vague dream a year ago.
Prior to the HM I had an easy week and just did a couple of slowish short runs of 3.4 miles on Monday and Friday down into Hartley Vale, through Linketty Lane up to Widey and back through Crownhill and the Manadon roundabout to home. I spent the whole week expecting to succumb to a bad cold that was doing the rounds at home and so the only thing on my mind was to keep healthy and make sure that my legs didn’t seize up.
So, on Sunday morning I did the Plymouth Half Marathon. I had a target time of 1 hour 50 minutes and despite a somewhat congested start I was running along nicely in the opening 4 miles or so at ~8 minute mile pace, well within the pace I needed for a 1:50 time. The route then started the slow climb up Billacombe Road and it surprised me here to find myself overtaking people who were already walking – bad race planning/pacing on their part. I maintained a good pace through the next few miles and then entered the Saltram House estate and deliberately made full use of the downhill stretch it presented. At around 8-9 miles I found myself passing the 1:45 pacers and at that stage I thought maybe that time was possible but they went past me again at about 9-10 miles and I didn’t see them again on the remainder of the route. I did slow somewhat in the last 3 miles or so and the final mile of the route was tough with a nasty little hill to finish. I completed the run in 1:45:51 which surpassed my expectations and will be good enough to earn me a bronze certificate from the Plymouth Musketeers (to match my bronze for 10k earned a few weeks ago). It was a great experience, with over 4200 runners (I placed between 800th and 900th) with quite a few people I knew cheering me on along the route which was nice.
Here is a nice picture of me near the start of the race:
Tim O'Hare 