My training hadn't completely gone to plan and I'd been ill last week, so I just wanted to beat the last time I set for a half marathon, way back in 1999, of 2 hours and 27 minutes. To be fair, I'd been even iller in the run up to that half marathon, but I was younger and fitter, so it was great to smash that time today - I'd really wanted to get under 2 hours and 15 minutes, but I didn't think I could do - so I was really pleased I did!
I didn't beat my personal best half marathon - that was set in 1997 in a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 57 seconds, but I was only 18 then and had done plenty of training. I was very pleased to see I was only 3 minutes off my personal best!
One thing I think helped was being mentally stronger now, than when I was younger. In both my two past half marathons I've had to walk for at least a mile or so. However today, I ran every step of the way, even if I was running very slowly!
As for the course and organisation, it wasn't the greatest I've been to. I think the organisers have their work cut out, starting from Cardiff Bay as they can't really contain the runners and spectators very well in such a large space. However, it was very annoying during the run that the Lucozade station had run out of bottles and I was only about mid-way through the field and at the end, the only size t-shirt was an XL! About 4 miles of the course were on an elevated roadway and that was very tough going - it never seemed to end. After I finished this part, the course got easier towards the end, thankfully!
Well, I'm off for a bit of a holiday tomorrow, so no posts from me for a week or so!
Thanks for reading! xx
4 comments:
congratulations! I think I've performed in the building you're standing in front of in that picture! I was in Cardiff in 2008!
Congratulations! x
Wow, congratulations! I've only recently got any good at running, I can do 30 minutes (ie 3 miles) in one go, so I have a lot of admiration for you for running the half marathon! Best of luck for the full marathon is April!
Thanks all!
@ Kelly, I think it's the opera house. Bristol is only about 30 miles from Cardiff, so not too far to travel - less far than you have to go!
@ Beauty Balm - thanks!
@ Anitacska - thanks, well done on your running, just keep at it if you want to do further. It's amazing how far you can run when you put your mind to it - I usually only do up to 6 miles, but I did a couple of longer runs up to 10 miles before the half marathon - I really didn't expect to be able to run all the way! No idea how I'm going to do the marathon though, tbh! x
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