Sunday 10th May 2009 - Tewkesbury Half Marathon

Last race report for a while, as i'm taking 2 or 3 weeks off from thursday (docs orders and perfect timing really) I entered Tewkesbury Half marathon last week so i could try and finish my marathon training on a high.... i'd had a pretty craappy week training wise with 3 really not to plan runs, of slow heavy legs, so even though i was wanting to do a bat out of hell, vomitting through the finish a la RobNaylor race i wasn't holding much hope.

Soooo..flat course, nice town, fairly well organised. Was a 5 mile fun run going on too... good amount of bushes round the start to pee in as the portaloo queues were huuuuuge!

I hadn't received my race pack so had to get a new number when i arrived, but oddly they hadn't sent out the race chips in the packs either so everyone had to collect them too, i thought this might hold up the start but it got off fairly prompt.I lined up near the front of the pack, as i usually start a bit further back so i dont' get in people's way.

I was stood there with a load of skinny whippets and felt like a right ol' heiffer!! and quite out of place, and i dunno if i was being paranoid but felt ike they were looking at me like i was a hobo cos i wasn't really looking like a "runner" today, spesh next to these lean little women with legs the size of my arms!!

Anyhow..... got off to a good start, went through the first mile in 6:30 - in the first 3 ladies (me and group of skinny whippets), felt happy with how i was feeling, i have a psychological thing that i like to do the first mile under 6;45 - dunno why... mile 2, was abot 13;30 i think, so had settled into my comfy pace, and was aiming for just over a 7min mile average for the whole thing and since i ccan't seem to crack negative splits yet, i know i need to get the first few in quite quick.

Got to 4 in 27.30 so still inside my target pace and still in sight of the lead lady - not that i was going to catch her! mile 5 uneventful - 34.30.... mile 6 42.30.... got to mile 8 just outside where i wanted to be in 57.30 i think?? maybe 58 can't recall now... but i like to keep it under an hour so all good.

Popped a wine gum - normally i have raisins or jelly babies but i fancied something different today and they burnt my throat, but i like em so it didnt bother me too much. Mile 9 was 1hr04, and starting to notice the temperature getting to me, but couldnt facce drinking anything.

I was pacing with this huge guy who nearly made me choke... he was playing the air drums whilst running!! I ofetn play the drums on my steering wheel or handle bars, but i've never had the urge in a race, but i wanted to listen to what music he had on!!

I had caught up with one of the whippets now, but the 10 mile marker seemed to have been moved, where the hell was it!? Oh, there you are... 1hr 12... i looked at my watch a bit later and saw it said "1.18" again for some reason this amused me and i had visions of moustached men running along - i seem to get a weird sense of humour in the later stages of a race!

i got to 11 in 1hr20 after a slight uphill drag, and again someone moving the mile markers... and I realised then that i wasnt going to get very close to 90 mins, as i really wanted to get under 1:35 but ho hum, tough t1ts, still i was aiming for a PB.

I managed to keep the pace with ms whippet and drummer boy, but drummer boy picked up (drum)sticks and rocketed away.... mile 12 saw me through in 1hr27, leaving me just under 9 mins to do the last 1.1 mile in order to p.b it. I managed to hold pace, and for the last half mile i was pulling MartinHall type grimaces!!

final sprint i was 2 or 3 seconds behind ms whippet and finished in 1:35.24 - and shaved 20 seconds off my PB!

I think i was between 10th and 12th lady finisher - i wonder if i was a whippet how much quicker i could run? Or is it my big thighs that are holding me up?? Anyway a big "Yay" Was a super hot day today and i'm only glad it was a 9.30 start intead of a 11 oclock one! I'm really happy to finish my training on a PB, as my goal this year was to get a sub 1:40 half marathon and i've got 3 all within in 45 seconds of each other, so i'm glad i'm being consistent - so next step is to get consistently closer to 90 mins!! I think i need to work on pushing myself in the mid section of races as i just let myself settle into a comforatable pace and need to step outside my comfort zone.

( i was first lady in my category for this :-) )