I never knew Neil, but by the way those that did know him talk about him, he was a great guy & is missed.
A donation from the entry fee went to Brake, the road safety charity. Donations can be made via their website, http://www.brake.org.uk/
It wis a gey dreicht day to be running a half marathon, but there were plenty of folks out for the morning, including a good group of GTCers, including Rent-A-Supporter Craig.
I'd originally planned on taking this race as an easy one and just make sure to go sub 2 hours, but as the gun neared, I knew the chances of me holding too much back were pretty slim, so when the start came, I set off at a reasonable pace. As we'd been starting pretty close to the back, that meant I got to overtake 100 to 150 people!
Looking at my Garmin splits, I'm quite pleased with the relative consistency I had. I pushed a little hard on the first few miles, so consciously eased off a little to control my heart rate, and for the next few miles just held it as steady as I could in the worst weather of the day. With the autumnal leaves falling along the course, there was a relaxing end of season feeling to this race, which helped quite a bit through that period.
Dropping into Torrance after the 7 mile mark, I could feel myself starting to flag, but as luck would have it, from behind me I heard "Oh, look there's Colm" as Caroline caught up with me, which brought my pace back up as we ran on for the next 3 miles. Strangely, Craig turned up on a borrowed mountain bike, complete with baby seat. Alas, my arse wouldn't fit in it, so hopes of a backie for a mile or two were dashed.
Not long after the third water station, Caroline decided she was tired and fed up running in the cold, so sped up to reach the finish line quicker. For me it was just about not slowing down any!
About a mile out from the finish I could feel my right ITB tightening quite badly and that familiar pain on the outside of the right knee. Unfortunately I just didn't have it in my legs & hips to increase my cadence too much, which really does help stretch it out for me, so it was just about management of the pain & ITB for the last wee bit. There would be no walking until I crossed the finish line and before long, there it was. Job done.
Met up with the faster finishers from GTC, then cheered on the rest as they crossed the finishing line, applauded at the prize givings then went to the Stables for lunch with mates. Top day.
For the race itself, the route was lovely (and would be magic in the sun) and there was an army of marshalls out there who all did a top job. A worthy addition to your race calender next year.
Things I've learned from today.
My Lonsdale compression top is not suitable for running long distances in.
I obviously need more distance running, but my legs are adapting to it, so I'm sure I can get faster. And do a marathon without crippling myself.
Pussy juice tastes alright
Today's blog is brought to you by an electronic violin cover of Hysteria by Muse
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