30 Years of Running Marathons
30 Years of Running Marathons
Crossing Finish Lines and Fond Memories: Conquering the Winter Half Marathon with Resolve and Remembrance
From the challenges of shin splints and gout to the triumph of crossing the finish line, this episode chronicles my intense journey through half marathons and the art of preparation. Despite setbacks and limited training, the Winter Half Marathon in the Royal Borough of Windsor remains a beloved tradition, celebrating its 40th anniversary with a personal goal to conquer it under two hours. Along the way, you'll hear about the camaraderie of 4,000 runners and the unforgettable moments that evoke a deep connection to loved ones, especially my nan, whose memory fuels my passion.
Training for a 13-mile race requires more than just physical endurance—it's about adaptability and mental resilience too. Discover the strategies that kept me on track, including the importance of rest days, hill work, and the unexpected delight of a new pair of Mizuno running shoes that transformed my long run experience. Listen in as I reflect on the nuances of pacing, the joy of achieving personal records, and the thrill of an impromptu sprint finish, all while navigating the complexities of maintaining motivation amidst life's commitments.
Beyond the races, this episode takes you on a relaxing spa retreat complete with delicious culinary experiences and the gentle challenge of a treadmill run. With the 20th anniversary of Parkrun marking a special milestone in my 68-run journey, I share insights on techniques that enhance performance, like strategic lineup positions and nutritional tweaks. As I contemplate future races such as the Marlow Half Marathon, the episode ends with a sense of excitement and readiness for the continued adventure in my running journey.
Thanks for listening. Keep on running.
The race is on and this episode is all about my latest escapade, which was the Winter Half Marathon. So I ran that about a week ago now and previously, a few weeks before that, I'd run the Burnham Beaches Half Marathon. But if you've listened to my previous episodes you know it's been an up and down year. Um, my training hasn't been consistent. I've had things like shin splints, gout attacks, which I get infrequently, but when I do are really painful. So the winter half marathon is a really important race for me. Um, I've run it literally since I was a kid. Well, since I, since I started running marathons about when I was about 20, 21. And I try to run it sort of every year. I did have a bit of a hiatus where I didn't run it for a few years, but most years I've generally run it, and it was the 40th anniversary this year. I'm not that old. I haven't run every 40th one, but I've run a few. I don't know how many exactly. Now, the thing about the winter half marathon is it's always held at autumn time, this time of the year, and it's held in the Royal Borough of Windsor, so it's a lovely setting. It's probably one of the best finishes you'll get to any race, um, it's. I mean, you're literally running towards winter castle, um, and it's. It's very deceptive because literally you're coming down this hill, um, and you can, you can hear the crowd, you can see the castle in the distance, but of course you don't run right up to the castle, you stop quite a way before that and it's run on the, the lovely picturesque long walk which, as it says, it is a long walk. Essentially you're running around um winter great park and you're running through part of the route where the public don't normally get to run, and it's a really hilly, undulating course, a bit like burnham beach's half marathon which I ran a few weeks ago. So my previous episode I haven't done one for a while, I've been a bit busy, but my previous episode was about the burning beaches half marathon and hadn't done much training for that. I think I did literally like one long run, I think I ran. I did a 13 mile run, um, I think, a couple of weeks before, just to give me the confidence, and I've been doing a lot of park runs which are only like 5k, three miles, but yeah, so I did um a couple of weeks before I did do a 13 mile training run.
Speaker 1:I think that was actually, um, uh, hill work as well, if I remember right. I'll just check my strata here. Um, yeah, so this is hill next. Well, say, next to me it's about four miles away, called jaros cross hill and it goes up a third of a mile and to go up it once it's tough, um, and I literally went up seven times and over, go up seven times and come down. Then it's gonna be 13.2 miles. So roughly marathon distance and it's really good, obviously, because it's hill work.
Speaker 1:I don't tend to do any, um, speed work. So if you do hill work, that obviously, you know, just naturally builds your speed up. But I say it takes four miles just to get there. So I'm thinking, if I can at least get there, or sort of say, not four miles to get there, it's four miles to get there and go up the hill. So I know that, okay, if I make it once, that's about eight miles, which is a good run anyway. Uh, but you know I have this, this feeling well, if I can do seven, that's half marathon distance. Put me in good stead to actually run the actual marathon. It's not going to be as difficult as this.
Speaker 1:So that's what I did and but you know, I go out early in the morning. I left at what? Yeah, it's quarter past five. I left and I get there and I go up once and it's a real struggle and I'm thinking, well, I don't think I can manage seven, but I don't. I literally it's where the mindset comes in. I literally take it one at a time and I sort of get into a bit of rhythm, the, ironically, the more you do, the easier it gets. So I did that and that took me what? Two hours 23 minutes. There's 10 I work in in miles and it took me 10, 52 minute mile. Uh, so that's that was my pace 10, 52, and normally I'm working on sort of like nine minute mile pace.
Speaker 1:Um, as I say, last couple of years it's been with injuries. Now I think I did my, I did my fastest half marathon in recent years has been one hour 36, which was a couple of years ago at wokenham, but, um, or actually maybe three years ago, because we've had the pandemic. So everything you know, down to virtual races, everything was up in the air. Anyway I digress. So I did this two hours 23, um, so that that gave me confidence. But I'm thinking if I can get under two and a half hours, you know that that would do me with not much training. So when it, when it comes to on the actual day and burning beaches half, it is a another one, um, that I've run literally since I was young, so it's very much smaller than winter half marathon.
Speaker 1:I won't go into uh, too much detail because obviously in my previous episode I did say about the Burnham Beach South Marathon. I'll give a detailed explanation of what happened there, but essentially I did it in. I'm just telling you about the Burnham Beach South Marathon so you can compare it to Windsor Half. So I did that in two hours 21. I say it's 1041 pace. Ok, so there's me coming to the winter half marathon and I remembered I put down two hours 15. And because I found the Burnham Beach is half so tough I mean it's a two lap like winter half.
Speaker 1:After the first two miles I was really struggling, like winter half. After the first two miles I was really struggling. So I was determined I only had, uh, what do we have? One, two, three, four, five, uh, six weeks. I think it was six weeks and let me see one, two, three, four, five, six weeks I had between the burning beaches half and the uhor Half, which is on the Saturday sorry, the Sunday just gone which is on the 29th of September. So literally six weeks and obviously one week you've got to take off, because one week you're just tapering, you can't. You know you're not going to get any benefit in the last week.
Speaker 1:So my plan was right. I struggled so much I was really going to knuckle down and do this. So I increased my runs from two to three up to four runs a week, um, I was still doing the park run on the saturday, which was just three miles, but then I was determined to get a, a run in on on the sunday, any type of run after the park run. You, normally I'm quite tired for park run, but now on sunday I'll do that. I was also determined to put in one long run um per week and I wanted to get in at least you know, a long ride class, at least at 10 miles. You know that double digit figure, um, and you know, and obviously you know include some hill work as well. So maybe incorporate obviously the 10 mile with the jarrods cross hill. That was my plan, something if I can do at least one long run a week. That's maybe five to six long runs or at least 10 miles. The whole race is 13 miles and that three extra three miles come in the day. That's far more preparation than I had for the bono beach, so obviously not as much preparation I'd normally do for races. But it's all into context where I am at the moment, what my injuries and lack of training had you know. I can't compare myself back a few years ago. I've got to go with what the situation is now.
Speaker 1:So the first week after that I think it was Wednesday I went down to Haleen Island a lovely place I like to go on the south coast. I did a bit of swimming, swam 500 yards. That was a a nice sort of refresh after the half marathon. And then I get back and I wake up early on the thursday morning and it's my first run since burnham beach staff and I did 10.2 miles. Okay, it was relatively flat. I did that 936 pace. You can see that the difference between burnham beach staff and this pace here it's about a minute quicker and in fact my garment actually said my watch actually that was overreached. So I was really pushing it. But you know that's what I wanted as long as I stayed injury free. And then I did the park run on saturday three miles and did a three mile run. So my other goal was also to get at least 20 mile of distance, so total 20 miles, at least 20 miles. For the week that was 22.7 miles. So okay, this is getting quite geeky with figures and that it might be boring you a bit, but this is how I was preparing.
Speaker 1:And then on monday I did 3.2 miles, just a general run. Um, uh, yeah, sorry, 3.1 miles. Uh, on on that one. Sorry, 3.1 miles on that one. No, actually sorry, I've moved on a week. So yeah, so I did the 10. Sorry, I've missed out a week. Actually it's totally unscripted, by the way. I missed out a week.
Speaker 1:So I did the swim, I did the 10.2 miles, as I say, on the Thursday 9.36 pace and then for some reason I think, I felt really tired after that. So from Thursday round to Monday I didn't do any running. So in fact that week was only 10.4 miles. But that was okay because you know that was a recovery week the swim and just the gentle run after the half marathon. So a recovery week's fine, that was no big deal. But then I knew I had to really knuckle down. So straight away on the monday morning because I missed a few days, I did 10.2 miles and this was very flat and this was what. Slightly faster again at 9.28 a mile, um, and it was one hour 36. It was only about 300 foot in elevation and that was fine, just just fairly flat. Um, it's my normal run along the canal.
Speaker 1:Then I went back, uh, didn't do a run on tuesday, went back to hailing island and did a 1100 yard swim, which is over half a mile. So I was pleased with that 42 minutes. I love going down hailing island. It was still, luckily it was still warm enough for a swim. Missed a couple of days off, um, and then did, uh, sat Saturday, did 3.1 miles and I should have gone out. That was the part when I again should have gone out on the Sunday and I didn't. So yeah, again, I still haven't got up to the 20 miles. That was 14 miles. So it's getting better 13.9. But only three runs a week.
Speaker 1:So my next goal was to get up to four runs. So I went out just for a short run on Monday. Meant to do a little bit longer. But even though I had Sunday off, I was still a little bit tired. So this is what I do I'm very flexible in my training. If I'm tired one day, I'm not going to push my body, I can do it another day.
Speaker 1:So I rested on the Tuesday and then this is where the big one came in. So on the wednesday, um, I went out and I managed to get to. Well, I hadn't planned to go. This is why, yeah, I literally I decided, right, I'll see if I can get to gerrard's cross hill again. Um, and I got to gerrard's cross hill and I hadn't done any hill work for a while and, as I mentioned before, if I got up seven times, gonna be 13.2 miles, um, but this, this was really tough, really tough, took me two hours 21 minutes, but bear in mind I had about a thousand foot elevation altogether and my average pace was 10, 44 a month. But you know, two hours, 21, I'm thinking there's no way. You know, winds is going to be as hard as it's. Okay, it's undulating. This. This hill is a third of a mile up, you know. Okay, it's nice coming down, but you know, you're practically almost, and and I actually nearly fell down the hill because I was that tired. I hadn't taken any drinks, meal or anything, so I was really pushing it.
Speaker 1:But that that was good, that is what I needed. I needed a to get a half marathon distance in and to really push the half marathon, you know, to make it even harder and what it'd be actually in race conditions. A couple of days off, which you know is advisable after half marathon, distance park run, which I did on the Saturday, which I was quite happy, my time under 27 minutes, and then just a short run on the Sunday 3.2 miles, 27.55. And that got me up over the 20-mile limit. This was more like it. 22.7 miles for the week.
Speaker 1:Yet again I was sticking to the same routine, so just a short 3.2 run on the Monday. In fact I had planned to go further, but yet again, my training is flexible and I just really wasn't feeling it. So I got as far as to where I used to live, my old house, and you know I just went there and back and this is literally 3.2 miles, about the same distance as a park run. I just really, I just I just really wasn't feeling it. And then, and then I had a day off, and then on wed, I thought, well, let's try and get a a 10 miler, go for double digit figures, but this is where you know how you feel can really come into it.
Speaker 1:And in fact what happened here was I had some new shoes because my, my previous running shoes, basically I've got a set of trail shoes which are fine Mizuno trail trail shoes, and then my, my mizuno road shoes, uh, which I'll be doing more road running than anything. I'm not going so much down the canal and the trail shoes, hardly. You know, I've hardly used them at all. But the other ones I have and I I think they recommend between three and five hundred miles. You change them. I've done miles, more than that. But the thing is, I mean, there's literally no grip on the soles and I've got a little hole on the top and this is going to be road. So I had to get some new ones in. So I managed to get some new ones and I thought am I going to have enough time to break them in? And of course, when you're breaking in new shoes, you should literally go maybe a mile or two. I was walking around the house anyway. They felt so comfortable Because, to be honest, I always used to wear, ever since I was a kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, again, I've worn the classic Night Air Pegasus which, for those of you who know no Night Air Pegasus have been going for years 30-something years, I don't know. Yeah, they're on to Night Air Pegasus 36 or 38 now, but the last couple of pairs I've got in fact the last pair I've got, I think I mentioned it in one of my other video clips on a really painful Manchester Marathon and I just wondered whether it's because the shoes themselves hadn't broken in enough. And it's always the same. It's always the same shoe that I buy. It's the same model. So unless they change it slightly and that's why, for quickness, rightly or wrongly, I don't go to a sports shop and get them Like I used to in the olden days. I'm fairly lazy I get them off Amazon. They come pretty quick, but I know they're always going to be, they're always going to fit me right because they're exactly the same model and I've worn them years and years.
Speaker 1:Anyway, this time, a few years ago, I ran the Manchester Marathon and I almost didn't finish because of the pain in my right foot and it was like across the front of the foot, it was like the width. It looked a bit and comparing it to my old night Air Pegasus, they look just fairly narrow and I'm lucky in the sense that I don't over-underpronate. I've got a fairly neutral stride. I'm not, you know, I'm fairly sort of lightweight. So I've got to worry about extra cushioning, whereas years ago, by mistake, I did get one with too much cushioning and because I wasn't, you know, particularly overweight, I was just normal weight. It just really wasn't suiting me, but I digress Anyway. So it was really painful. I almost didn't finish the marathon. It was so painful on this foot and the pain went right up my leg and I was sure I'd given enough time to broken him in and I tried running him afterwards, but anyway it was no good. Luckily I managed to finish the Manchester Marathon, thankful to a lovely lady who gave me some paracetamol, managed to get the pain right. So reluctantly I thought, well, I, I'm gonna have to change.
Speaker 1:And a few years ago I've mentioned on one of my other podcasts, um and I did actually do a 24-hour race in june 24 and the guy who in charge of our facebook group he knew the organizers, mizuno, and we got a discount on them and I got them as trail shoes, but I never had them as running shoes before. So I got them as running shoes. Um, and uh, yeah, I thought I'd try them out anyway. Yet again, I got my amazon. It wasn't until I got them as running shoes. Um and uh, yeah, I thought I'd try them out anyway. Yeah, again I got them on amazon. It wasn't until I got them and they arrived, that actually in the box it was 70 pounds, um, which I knew it was 70 pounds, okay, but original price 140 pounds, so it saved me 50.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I really am digressing. I put these shoes on and really shouldn't break them in for two or three miles. I plan to go to my old house. You know three miles. They felt so comfortable, it felt like I didn't even have any shoes on. So I just kept running and running because I was feeling good and I thought, okay, maybe I'll go up to 10 miles if I'm feeling good. Um, anyway, literally I I just. But basically I've got maybe two or three routes and obviously the one route I do is hill work, where I go up the hill. The other route, I turn off just before the hill. This is what I plan to do, but I've got a nice sort of downslope country road.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I went all the way around and I'm almost coming back on myself and I knew, if I come back on myself up about two mile mark, back up, uh, this small hill which I run up, not the big hill, main hill, but small hill. I know if I come back and run up that it's going to be about 10 miles, but then I felt so good, 11. I went up and I thought okay, enough's enough, and I came back anyway. All told it was 12.3 miles and you might well. Why didn't I just go up to the half marathon distance?
Speaker 1:But to be honest, I added a bit on extra. So I went past when I came back and went past and came back again and I thought, you know, I don't need to be that pedantic, I've got to make it right up to the half marathon distance. This is almost half marathon distance and the pace was really good 9.31, so one hour, 57. So I'm thinking if I can do that on a day. And I was just like. I mean the shoes, they were just unbelievably comfortable and you know you shouldn't really do almost half a marathon just to break in your new shoes, but you know they were just so, so comfortable and so I'm so pleased with them. So then I just wore them worn for the other uh, training runs after that.
Speaker 1:So I was out a couple of days off, saturday, park run again, which I didn't wear the new shoes, because park run, you know, it's as it says, it's along a park, it's um sort of forested where I run and if it's a bit wet, a bit muck, I don't want to mess them up. So I didn't go to my trail shoes because, I don't know, my trail shoes probably aren't as maybe comfortable, even though they're nude, a bit cumbersome, they seem a bit bigger. Um, so I went back to my old shoes. It'd be all right for one race and I did 26, 20 for there. And then sunday, well, I got up really early and I felt really good and it was I did my longest run the year.
Speaker 1:Um, and as I said about gerrard's cross hill, up seven times, I think the most I've ever done is maybe 12 times. It could be 14, I think it's 12, but that was a couple of years ago. Anyway, I managed to get up there 10 times. I mean the elevation we look at 1312 feet, but the average pace was actually slightly quicker than before when I did 1044. It's 1031 and that was 15 miles and then two hours 39 I'm looking at you top 1924 calories. I mean that was a struggle. Yeah, again, no drinks or anything, just pushing it. But yeah, again, I don't foresee I can do go up that hill that many times. Literally start off, you, you go there, you go up there once and then I go up a second time and then I just take it one at a time and then you know my target is like five and then six and seven, because once you get to seven or eight you're just thinking one more. And I got to 10 and could even done more, and you know could have done one more, 11 or whatever but no, I knew 15 miles would be a good run, so I was really pleased with that.
Speaker 1:The mileage for that week uh, that was well, 33.8 miles that week broke the 30 miles for the week, which I haven't done for probably a couple of years. Um, and that is one, two, three. Uh, that was two. Yeah, sorry, that was two weeks before. Uh, the half marathon, which you know is, is realistically when you should be doing your last, uh, long run, certainly with a half marathon, um, and with a marathon, more often than not it's probably better to do three weeks. You know, do your last run three weeks. I always used to do it before. You know, two weeks before. Now I do it maybe three, but yeah, so that was two weeks before and that was my highest mileage just two weeks before, which is what I wanted to do. I wanted to get to the peak of 30. So that was great. And four runs a week, a couple of days off to recover, because obviously that's a really long, hard working run um, and then we're coming into. So we got two more weeks there. Okay, it's two more weeks from that big long run and then the week before the last week. This probably isn't advisable because this is another long run, but I felt really good.
Speaker 1:It wasn't hill work, it was, as I say that, the route that I do, which is slightly down here, I'll turn off just before the hill and I did 13.19 miles. So basically, half mountain distance, 924 pace, only 400 cm for elevation, used at 1578 calories is all insignificant, but my actual time was two hours four minutes on the dot. No seconds, two hours, four minutes. So for me that's a great improvement from burning beach staff and it was 221. And I know last year I ran the winter half I I hadn't done any training whatsoever. I did an eight-mile run on the Friday. I did it in two hours 19. So two hours 21 in Burnham HHR. Now I've done two hours four.
Speaker 1:Obviously I realised that this was on the flat, but then I started thinking maybe I can beat two hours. I put down on my form. I wanted to beat two hours 15. And it's a big race, when it's half it's 4,000 runners. So you know you're supposed to start on your specific pens and that, bearing in mind, you know the color of your bib, which denotes to what time you put down. But I think if I can move up nearer to the two-hour starting pen, then I could have a chance. Obviously, the nearer to the two hour starting pen and I could have a chance. Obviously the time doesn't start till you cross the line, the number. You know the chip on your number anyway. So but so now I'm thinking, okay, maybe if I really push it, you know, with a bit of rest I could beat two hours.
Speaker 1:Um, then I went down to hailing island. It was still warm enough for swims over a thousand yards. That was the following day and a day off did my um, I don't know. Yeah, I did the black park park run um, and that was actually yeah, I think that's my fastest time of the year 25 minutes, 57. I was really hopeful. Um, obviously there's no real elevation on park running 56 feet elevation but that was my fastest park run of the year and that's a week before the winter half is due, so I was more than happy with that. Um, yeah, that was 25. What I say? Yeah, 26, 26, 35, was it? No, sorry, not 26, I'm looking at the wrong week now. Yeah, I said, yeah, it's 25, 57, 26 minutes. And then I just did light, as I normally do on the sunday uh, 26, 56, that was one on the sunday. So now we've got a week to go and I still did 20 miles in total that week.
Speaker 1:Four runs, um, and then marathon, half marathon week. I wanted to take it easy. So on the tuesday um, actually I didn't sleep well that monday night but I did four miles, 836 pace and that felt easy, which was good. Bear in mind the actual race, I'd probably need to run about 908, so that was nice and easy. Wednesday um, I was still very tired and fatigued, um, but I did 3.21 miles, 8, 27 pace, 27 minutes. So that was still good, even though I was feeling really tired and fatigued. So I had a couple of days off, thursday and friday. Now normally I would have a saturday off before a race, but apparently, um, and you can, you can look online and this has been research that says, actually, if you do a little run, uh, the day before your race, it actually helps you in the race itself. It stops you from getting so fatigued.
Speaker 1:Um, and to go three days without a run would be difficult. So I just wanted to plan and also I wanted to do a park run, because I do love to park run, certainly while the weather's nice, and I've been meeting some regulars down there and I'm going to chat with them. So, yeah, I thought, and in fact some regulars I'd met the week before, they said to me, they said I explained to them I was going to be running the winter half and I said, well, I probably will be in next week, I just can't resist. And they said, yeah, you will be. And the thing about it was I had a good sleep the night before, but I just, you know, if you're doing these easy runs three miles, they do say you know you're doing these easy runs three miles, they do say you know probably no more than half an hour and do it easy. And the thing about me is certainly, if you've listened to other episodes, you know that I'm quite competitive. So I was trying to be relaxed and the funny thing was I was relaxed.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, I did the first mile in 844, which was fine. Second mile, 829, but then the third mile, which usually, because it's slightly uphill, certainly last kilometer I usually struggle with. I usually get about nearer the nine minute mile. I did it eight minute, 26. Every mile was quicker and of course it was like a, like a red flag to a bull, because in the final home straight there was a couple of people just in front of me and I think I remember one of the guys had pushed past me earlier on and I was so determined to get by them both so I put a sprint on which I probably shouldn't have done. Anyway, I did and I sprinted and I passed them both and that's how competitive I am.
Speaker 1:But to be honest, I I came through the funnel, uh, to collect my token and usually I'm so tired I have trouble walking the marshall saying I keep walking, keep walking. I have felt hardly out of breath and this is 8, 27 minute mile pace and I know on the race I've only got to do about 908. Okay, it's going to be a lot hillier. This is only a, say, 59 foot elevation but 26 minutes 35. I was actually faster in that part run than the week before. So I was really hopeful for winter half.
Speaker 1:And obviously the ladies I've been chatting to I'd been regularly seeing at the park run there they said you must let us know how you get on the following week. Yeah, I said, no worries, so come the day it's only about four miles from where I live, so in the past I've actually walked up there. You can't really cycle on the lawn walk but I've actually walked there. But I knew I haven't done the park run yesterday I'm not going to walk there and certainly I struggled walking back from the burning beaches half. So I decided I would take the car and I got there really early, half seven.
Speaker 1:The racing start till ten and that meant that my car was parked second row back just next to the race village next, not far from the start, which was great, plenty of time to chill out. Um, and in fact I got chatting to a couple of people there one, uh lady who had she'd run loads of marathons and she was currently running even though she had bowel cancer. So, yeah, totally inspirational to me. And she was hoping to break two hours 15. So that was all well and good. And then, um, another guy who in fact I thought there were a couple at first because they were, they seemed to be close together, but in fact they weren't. But he, he was from um, holland I think. I think he'd been currently living in denmark, but he was, he was from holland. He obviously never ran the course either, so I was explaining to them the course and what to expect with the hills. We had a long chat which was nice, nice just to relax, probably about half an hour chat or so, and I explained to them you know they had a bag drop if you wanted to, but you know you're so close, you close, you just leave stuff in the car and that, um, and after chatting with them I decided still still a little bit chilly in the morning, so I still wrapped up well, and decided to go and have a look, just to premiere ourself where I was going to start. So my pen was just on the on the corner. Um, you know, obviously, where the toilets. I'll go to the toilet, while on the toilets were still, you know, q3 and literally, just, you know, just check everything out.
Speaker 1:I always like to get right in front of the start line, look down. The thing about the winter half marathon is, the first mile is the toughest first mile I think will do in any race. It's an absolute killer. See, you know your mileage goes all out. You know your specific time. So it's literally uphill all the way uphill to the statue of the copper horse. It goes uphill turns and it's really steep elevation. I've got here. My Strava elevation 115.
Speaker 1:So you're slightly downhill, certainly where we are, because we start behind the start line and then you're downhill and then sometimes you see deer on the side because on the little wall you get deer and then you're just, and then sometimes you see deer on the side because on the little wall you get deer and then you just up up here and it turns left and I knew a couple of my friends would be running it, but it was. You know, there's about 4 000 runners there, so it's very difficult and unfortunately we couldn't get any internet coverage. So, as you'll find out later, apparently one of my friends did send me a message, but I just wasn't getting it through anyway. So I do still, after all these years, still get very nervous through races and that, but I was trying to, uh, remain relaxed. I knew I'd done more training than last time. So, you know, even if I beat 2015 uh, beat hours 19,.
Speaker 1:Burn a beach half, it'd be a win. And, as I said in previous episodes, any race you do, no matter what distance, if you just run it, it's an achievement. And you know there are all standards of runners at this race. You know runners that would come in like three and a half hours and the very fast one hour six, which I think the winner was this year, year to over three and a half hours. So you know, whereas the burn beach staff, there's only like a few hundred running the half marathon because they're half, and a 10k, yeah, there's 4 000 and it really is a big event in the calendar. I think they do a excuse me, I think, um, they do a 10k on saturday because they call it like a running festival. So, yeah, it's a. It's a really big race.
Speaker 1:I love the atmosphere and, yes, it was a bit chilly in the morning. It's been warmer other years, but it did start to get a little bit warmer. I'm thinking, okay, it's okay, I'm gonna be right, my shorts and t-shirt. Little did I know at that point in time that the race was going to be delayed and I had a sneaky suspicion it would be because I know, uh, when I changed down into my running gear, walking towards the line, I could still see loads of cars coming into the field and obviously they're not going to start the race with. You know, a lot of people not there, uh, but then it's, you know. It's the one thing about it's timing your toilet breaks, you know, and you know, because the queues start forming and we're 4,000 runners there and that.
Speaker 1:So I drank all my sports drink and I was drinking so much. I drank a lot before I left and that's why you need to go to the toilet a lot and of course you want to leave the last possible moment, um, and of course it's not too bad if you're a guy, because you know you can go by the bushes or something, uh, which is what a lot of guys were doing. Um, but yeah, and, and that was fine. But then you get, I got into the start line, and the start line you've got barriers and that's. You have to climb over the barriers or go through the gap and that, and I wanted to start.
Speaker 1:So the 215 pen was up near to the two hours. I wanted to be at the front of the two hours. 50 as near to two hours as possible. I mean, there was all sorts of colored, you know bibs of runners mixed in and that. So it was no big deal. I didn't see my friend, but, um, I would see him later. Anyway, that was fine. But as I have a sneaky suspicion that the race would be delayed by actually I didn't think it would be, but, um, I saw these cars still coming in and that sure enough, when we're on the finish line there and you're crammed in like sardines, so the race has been delayed. Now they didn't say how long it's going to be delayed by.
Speaker 1:Anyway, it went to five to ten minutes and you're just standing there, you're trying to keep warm, because it wasn't that warm, and then, of course, suddenly I'm thinking, oh, I need to go to the toilet again and I could see runners you know the odd runner going off in the bushes in the distance and that, and I'm thinking, have I got time? It's now 10 minutes past. I don't like to stop en route and I didn't think I could hold it in, so I jumped over the barrier, went to a bush discreetly and went literally where all the runners had gone, came back in and then I had to jump back over the barriers. I had trouble jumping over the barriers. Some guy helped me over, but yeah, in then I had to jump back over the barrows. Had trouble jumping over the barrows, some guy helped me over, but yeah, and then I just got back just in time because it was literally like 15 minutes. They were just announcing it just as I got back in and then we started moving up and then we were off and I say the first mile. Luckily, because I was a bit further back.
Speaker 1:I couldn't really run that fast and the crowds were brilliant here in Yon, but I tried to anyway pace my first mile and I thought I did a really good job actually, because if you come up the top of the hill you get to the mile marker. I did it in 9 minutes 23. Bear in mind, you know, I need roughly 9.08 to get the two hours, so that's fine, that's that's. You don't want to go too fast on any race, especially on the first mile, but you couldn't on this. And the second mile was almost a minute quick 8, 37 and that was still uphill elevation 33, so that was really good. And then 8, 23 and I was feeling good in the third mile. Now I don't even I've run this course so many times. I've done day before, probably too much. I've done so much looking at the course, route, of course map, the elevation, but the drink station was, but more importantly, looking at the elevation and visualizing them. I'm visualizing to grow, visualizing myself running around the two laps, not feeling tired. So that was fine.
Speaker 1:Third mile 823. Now the fourth mile, that the third mile, slightly down in the fourth mile, slightly uphill, went back down to 8, 55. But that's fine, bearing in mind I've only got to get, you know, 908 minute pace, so this is no big deal, this is fine. Okay, I'm still doing okay. And then the fifth mile came right back down to 8, 37, I was feeling good. It didn't feel like five miles. You know we're almost coming up half distance and then the sixth mile.
Speaker 1:This is where you're coming back to the end of the first lap and it gets quite hilly. And it was up 43 and it was 906 bear in mind I still need 908 average and the crowds were great. But I was starting to struggle. But because I read the course map and looked at the course map so often I I knew that the seventh mile along the Winter Polar Lawns, it's slightly down there. It's a long straight, it's cruising. Luckily it's not that hot this year but it's really hot. It's like a frying pan out there. But it was fine. So I was thinking get past six. And sure enough, mile seven was 8.43. And I know, as you come at the end of the mile seven you're literally coming downhill. I was just over halfway point and when I looked at my watch and I think I was 53, 54. I was 54. So way ahead. You know gave me an hour and six to do.
Speaker 1:You know the second half to get into two hours and I took one of my gels. I took a gel beforehand. You know the second half to get into two hours and I took one of my gels, took a gel beforehand. I just had one gel with me. I think I lost one gel somewhere along the line before I started, but I took one gel, the caffeine gel, just the halfway point. And then I had these dexter energy tablets and I was taking those but I had the jars of going downhill, down the seven mile mark and it was great, lovely, long downslope and I remember this part of the course beautiful. So it's 843. And then the eight mile mark 856, still under that, you know that 908.
Speaker 1:Now the 10 mile mark is where I really struggled, went down all the way down to 925, slower than the first lap, but I think even 10 miles. I was right on cue. I think I had to be 125 to 130, because I've written this on my race plan before, I memorized it so much. I think it was about 130. Yeah, yeah it was. It was one hour 30, three miles to go. It was 3.1 miles to go. Okay, that's 10 minute a mile. Normally that would be straightforward.
Speaker 1:But of course we had the hills coming up and this is where I went classically wrong From previous years. I thought the big hill, which I knew there was a big hill coming. I'd run it a few years ago, my friends which I recorded one of my other episodes where I was coming back from india and ran it with him and he he had to walk up this hill and I said, no, I'll stay with you, I wasn't going to move on, I was literally just slowly jogging while he was worn because he was so tall. Eventually he did run, but a lot of people do walk up it. I thought it's at the 11th mile. Actually it was earlier than that, so the 10th mile was 9.25. Now it was actually the. This is where I got confused. It was actually the 11th mile, okay, the 11th mile. So it was 10 to 11, not the 11th to 12.
Speaker 1:So it came slightly early and it was like this really narrow out in the country. You're out in the sticks, whereas most of the courses out open, wide roads is very narrow, like country, like the road bit that goes up, very sheltered, and you know people were walking it and I was pushing hard. Yes, I was pushing hard, but at the same time, back of mind, maybe I was subconsciously conserving myself for the big hill that I thought was still coming at 11 anyway, I could see my two hours going out the window here because I thought this is such a struggle, and I say people walking up it, and that took me what? 10 minutes? 34, uh, which, well, that was my slowest mile yet. And then look at here the elevation up, 45, and then 11 to 12. It comes down slightly, so it comes down 20, but I still only managed 939. I think it really taken out of me.
Speaker 1:Um, but on that 11, just I was in between 11 and 12 miles and there was this guy just in front of me and he was literally limping, um, and yeah, just hardly moving. And I said to him I said, look, just get to the 12 mile mark, because then it's all downhill. We've got this massive long hill, which is, of course, the first mile it would come up, so just get there and you can literally roll down it. Um, and I really felt for him, because I know what it's like to be in that situation when and I've been at Manchester Marathon and really struggled and he was pushing through and, yeah, I just wanted him to finish, but I did actually see him. I saw him at the end and I didn't get to speak to him, but I did see him at the end and all was well. He looked happy. Obviously he had finished, which was the main thing. But anyway, let's get back to what happened.
Speaker 1:So, 12th mile, 11th mile to 12th mile 939 then you get to the top of the hill, which is what I was talking about. Now people start sprinting from the top of the hill. See the cars in the distance, you hear the crowds, but still over a mile to go. So I I'm trying to pace myself and, lucky, I'm running alongside a couple of ladies but like the three amigos all in the line, nice cruising pace. You know you get nearer when, the when you see the crowd either side of the barriers and you know there's several people deep. And as you get nearer and the crowds, of course you've got your name and your number and they're cheering your name, um, and you know there are people really struggling, um, I saw the old person who was struggling, the crowd's saying come on, you're almost there.
Speaker 1:But even though I've run it so many times, the last mile of every race is does seem to go on forever. This and I guess because you're so tired, this did go on forever and I was constantly looking at my watch now in this final mile, because I knew I wanted to beat two hours, but it was getting 157, 158, 159 and I could still see finish line was so far off and I'm thinking I'm not going to make this something. Stop looking at your watch, there's no point. Um, and it was too early to sprint and I thought I just got to keep trying it. And it's very difficult to enjoy it. I mean, I love the crowns but I struggled to enjoy it because I knew I wasn't going to make under two hours and I felt I let my nan down because this is my nan's race. Eight years ago she was lying in hospital dying and I told her you know, you've got to stay awake for one more race, because she was the biggest fan of seeing my medals and that. And as soon as I finished the race I cycled several miles what three, four miles? To the hospital. Luckily she was still alive, she saw my medal, she was so pleased to see the medal and then she died in the in the early hours the next morning. And you know I still wear the cross that she'd given to me, the gold cross, around my neck, and when things get tough on the hills or during any race, always kiss the cross and I know she's running with me. So I felt more disappointed about letting her down.
Speaker 1:That couldn't get in the two hours, so some of the enjoyment was taken away from it. It was still a lovely atmosphere. When I could get near enough, I did start sprinting and of course the crowds they loved it. When you start sprinting, they were cheering me on. I crossed the line. First thing I do is obviously stop my watch, kiss the cross, look up. Thank my nan, you know that she was helping me run through this and I looked at my watch and I thought I'm way over two hours now, aren't I? Two hours, two, whatever.
Speaker 1:I actually was dead on two hours. What two hours? 44 seconds. But I didn't quite break two hours. But you know I wasn't that much over, you know, just a few seconds, so I wasn't going to quibble with that it. You know it could have been a lot worse. Um, actually I, I was in two minds because I think it did. I really push myself because I never felt, you know, so relaxed. Certainly, after putting a beach top I was dead on my knees, but here I didn't feel too much. I was looking to the heavens, you know, thinking of nan, and I walk around slowly, but I didn't feel that that bad. I could walk fairly normally. The marshals are, you know, hurrying me up, but I was fine and I found I was just standing there looking out at the sky, thinking my now, when I heard this voice, jason and, and I looked and I knew she was going to be there. But I never thought she would find each other and that was, uh, mickey victoria, and I hadn't run with her since in june 24, um a few years ago, I think it's back in 2019.
Speaker 1:We I first met her practical half marathon. We, she was on my team on a joe 24 and she's gonna be it, but you know the odds of seeing her there, um, she said to me. She said this is a special race, for an emotional race, and I said yeah, because she knew she knew it was. And, um, yeah, so she only just finished in front of me and I totally said to her I said well, whenever I see your facebook post, you know you just finished in front of me. And I gently said to her I said, well, whenever I see your Facebook post, you know you're either on holiday, drinking or you know, but she'd obviously run a. You know nothing wrong with that. She enjoys life at a terrific time. And so we walked through and made a bit of a chat and then she tempted me because she said, oh, she said I'm thinking of doing Marlow half marathon. To me, because she said, oh, she said, um, I'm thinking of doing marlo half marathon and marlo's not far from me and that's, that's in what I think, four or five weeks from now.
Speaker 1:I mean, long story short. I'm, as I mentioned on previous episodes, I'm supposed to be running the abedin marathon in two weeks, but I've just not had the training. And if you listen to my previous episodes, you know when I was a young, so I took it for granted that, oh well, you know, you don't need a lot of training. If you can run a half marathon, you can run a full. Well, you can. But you know, I'm competitive, but I'm not that stupid to think that I can just, obviously, you know, go and run a full marathon, and it's happened in a marathon, which is where I got my pp a few years ago. Flat course, but there's not a lot of crowds there, probably only a few hundred runners. So for once, I'm ignoring my competitors. So I'm being sensible. When you mentioned my half marathon, this was going to be my last race now for the year. Now I'm thinking I'm in pretty good form. Maybe I could beat two hours there.
Speaker 1:Having said that, marlo half marathon is in the chiltons and she went to the uk very hilly, uh, children. So I think it's why I did race to the stones or race italian, very, very. Anyway, I don't go I said, with a bit of chat about. And then she was off to see a friend who I think she said had breast cancer but was running, so quite remarkable. Um, so now I'm not, I'm not not feeling too bad. I didn't have to go to the backdrop because my stuff was in the car. So I thought, okay, drink my water, walk back to the car now. So I'm walking back to the car. Who should, I see? But lady who had the bowel cancer I'd met earlier on and she was going straight home. I asked her how she did. She said two hours eight. I'm like well, great, you want to beat two hours 15, she said there. I said to her did you enjoy the race? You understood about the first month. She said yeah. She said it was great, great, it was really inspirational. A lady with bowel cancer who's done it in two hours, great.
Speaker 1:As I went back to the car, I got my stuff from the car and literally get my cash card and then I decided, right, I'll go and get something to eat. I don't eat a lot of burgers normally, but a nice burger after a run on that, luckily it wasn't too busy. Yeah, not the cheapest of things to get something like nine pounds for a quarter pounder, eight, nine pounds, but you know it's, it's a one-off on that, so I had that. And then I was just, you know, taking in the atmosphere, watching the other runners eat my burger, watching other runners come through and, as I say, you know, runners of all standards coming in at three hours, three and a half hours. I think I was still coming in when I left, but I was walking just aimlessly around the field, just literally looking to see if I could see my friend or anybody I knew from the running community. I was just standing there in the middle of the field and usually come walking across but siggy, who you know, who apparently had tried to message me but I hadn't got it through any message. Come through because no internet coverage.
Speaker 1:Ironically, I did get a text through saying what my official time was, which practically it wasn't spot on the same as my, same as my garment two hours 44. He came strolling across with a toasting. So I said to him I said how did you do? Because he was only beat two hours. He did it, I think it was in. Yeah, it was two hours one minute and I think several seconds. Two hours one minute, 42 seconds. Anyway, two hours one minute it was anyway. But he said to me, he said he had to stop to do his shoe lace-up because obviously I hadn't run with Vicky. So, um, it was a little bit disheartening. I said, look, it's still a good time. If you hadn't, you know, done your shoelace up, you would have done two hours. And I told him what my time was. So, look, we were pretty close. I told him about Vicky because he I think he sort of partly knew Vicky as well. So I said to him, I said you know, you still did a good time, you know, I told you it's a hilly course and hills did get to me at the end, same with him. But he said he felt really good. So I think he realized that. Yeah, and all fair. Great too, me had cycled, you know, from Uxbridge. A good, that must be four miles or so before the race and he was cycling home afterwards, so so it's great to see him. And Vicky um, yeah, and he was cycling home afterwards, so it was great to see him. And vicky, um, yeah, and I was thinking about my nan, I was thinking about in day wasn't wasn't too bad a time and the weather, the weather was nice, got a bit chilly towards the end, but then the only problem I had, like everybody had, was literally getting out the car part so many.
Speaker 1:You know I didn't clear off straight. Well, after the race, as I said, I got something to eat, spoke to big ec and, you know, just taking the atmosphere, because it's a, it's a lovely atmosphere and watch some late runners come in, but it doesn't matter when you leave, I don't think you're going to get stuck in the goo coming out from the long walk and of course there was only two exits and they took me to. They took me to the left and then I could only turn if I needed to turn right. So I'm driving back home and I get back home, I'm packing the car and who should I see but seagull on his bike? So he, he had got. You know it was as quick to go by bike, um, so, but you know, I don't, I don't mind these sins because, to be honest, you know, I was just so happy it had been a wonderful day. And you expect these are the big events and that, and I was lucky enough to have a car to drive, so I really wasn't complaining, it was a good day.
Speaker 1:And I think I got back about two or something like that, and I already had, you know, obviously, my burger to eat, and I think I just chilled out until the evening and then had a night's sleep. Then the following day I'd already booked in to go back down to hailing island, um, and I didn't leave early in the morning because I didn't know what shape I was going to be in and you can't check into three. So I think I I did wake up quite early. I didn't feel too bad actually. You know, normally I'm pretty rough. Sometimes it's difficult to sleep night before. You know, after the adrenaline and rest is less. But I felt fine and the reason I was going back to Haley Island was because this lovely hotel in Haley Island um been in for great food. You know, I can really, really stock up on food. I hadn't had a drop of alcohol for the last week because I wanted to really concentrate on the race. So now I could go here and have a beer, some nice wine. My best in all would have this lovely spa. I've got a sauna, a jacuzzi, so I get down there at three, check in and I'm straight into the hot tub, rest those nice legs in the steam jacuzzi.
Speaker 1:Didn't do too much swimming, I just wanted to chill out. Then I had a pint. They've got this lovely pub area, lovely seating, fireplace, and that was quite quiet and nice. I'd already booked my table. Get in there and then I had this nice actually. For starters I had Korean fried chicken and then for the main I had this lovely shin of beef and vegetables. It's like mixing star food. I mean, it's like michelin star food. I mean it's, it's, it's brilliant. Um, and I think they know me down there that at this hotel I see a few familiar faces now, which is nice, you know, the rooms are lovely. Um, sometimes you get a room overlooking the harbor not this time, but it's still nice and peaceful.
Speaker 1:And then I get up the next day and literally just a few minutes drive, 10 minutes drive from the top of the island down to the coast A bit too cold for my liking swimming. I didn't see anybody else swimming. I put a little walk in and I see my usual guy in the coffee van there. So I have a bacon sandwich for lunch and coffee. And then back down to the hotel in the afternoon. So I get back and nip in the spa at four o'clock and, uh, yeah, just just chill out. You know a bit of swimming, hot tub, sauna, jacuzzi again. It was lovely. It's only a three night stay, um, and then, and then on the.
Speaker 1:And then I have another, uh, nice meal. This time I think it's a prawn linguine pasta. I like pasta. Obviously it's a run I have a lot of. And then I had another nice meal. This time I think it was a prawn linguine pasta. I like pasta. Obviously I have a lot of pasta, but their prawn linguine pasta is nice and the wine to do it, terrific, lovely. I mean, it's not cheap. I was only there for three nights, but the wine is beautiful. Go to the meal. I had chicken liver pate for the starters and that was lovely then. And then I thought, right, it's my final day on the thursday. Uh, I wanted to make the most of the spa facilities.
Speaker 1:This time I woke up really early and I got into the gym just after half six. It opened half six and I thought, right, I'm gonna go on the treadmill. I haven't been on a treadmill I don't think, for a couple of years now and treadmills are so because I had problems with my knees and that um and like a torn meniscus basis my knee. I don't think it's really very good for my knees. But I thought, no, I'm only just going to do like a three mile run, 5k, uh, just to get me back in the rhythm after the winds are half. And that's what I did. But I don't know, for me it seems to take forever. You know, you've got TVs to watch and that and you get so sweaty when you're in the gym like that. It's not like. That's why I like running outdoors. But anyway, that's beside the point.
Speaker 1:I did it and the funny thing is, when I came I managed to stop the treadmill. Okay, when I came off I was like wobbling about all over the place I think it's just the treadmills and I don't really get on. But it was what? 3.5 miles, and that was on the treadmill. So you know that that was nice. Yeah, 3.14 miles. So, yeah, I was happy with that. Oh, actually that wasn't. No, sorry, that wasn't on the day I left. No, that was on the Wednesday. Yeah, I'm getting confused here myself. Yeah, the Wednesday. So I got down there on a Monday. Tuesday I went there. Yeah, the Wednesday. So the Wednesday. I told you this wasn't scripted.
Speaker 1:The Wednesday I went on the treadmill in the morning. I thought I'd do it the other way around. Normally I go down the beach in the morning and then I went down the beach in the afternoon and then came back, if I remember right then had a nice hot bath, which was nice. Yeah, so that's what I did. So, yeah, no, it was the Thursday. I remember now Thursday. That's why I did so. Yeah, no, it's the thursday. I remember now thursday. Um, I wasn't going to do any more running, but I got there early.
Speaker 1:As I said, I went and did the. I thought, well, actually I didn't have the hot tub open at that time, someone, a jacuzzi, was there, but I thought, as the swimming pool was empty, I'd go for a swim, because I've been swimming at the beach and on my garment I can set it for pool swim. And I just went back and forth, stopping slightly, but then back and forth again and it was this other guy who was nonstop going as well and that I'm thinking, yeah, again competitive self, I wonder if I can outlast him. And yeah, he did eventually get out just before me, but I don't know how long he'd been in there. Well, only obviously a few minutes earlier than minutes early. Mix the gym only open half six, but in all tyler did 2187 yards, 1.2 miles, one minute, 50s, right every 100 yards, so 41 minutes. I was doing that. Obviously the hot tub wasn't open.
Speaker 1:As I said, I thought I'll go to the jacuzzi. I went in the jacuzzi and it didn't seem really hot. A guy comes and he goes well, we're not exactly gonna sweat here then lady pokes head around, goes no, it's not not working, you have to tell them. And it wasn't particularly. And I thought well, it's just because it was early morning, but I could have gone in the steam room as well. I just couldn't be bothered.
Speaker 1:In fact I wanted to uh, get down to, uh, to breakfast, because I had to check out by 11, so I didn't want to have to rush. The thing was I had to do this exercise because breakfast was included and I don't normally have cooked breakfast but it's included in the price. Every morning I've been having this nice cooked breakfast fairly early in the morning, before the rush starts only by 8 o'clock in the morning and I'm having bacon and iria. To be honest, like I don't put on weight, but I was really greedy, I was having the bacon. Now I have everything bar the mushrooms, because the mushrooms they give me gout. I'm not a fan of grilled tomatoes, but normally beans, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, sausage, a bit of bacon. Yeah, again, be careful with the bacon because of my gout and hash browns. But yeah, so it was a nice few days to to recover um.
Speaker 1:And then today, as I'm recording this um, on saturday I went for my normal park run. Saturday, the 5th of october, went for a normal park run and one of the ladies I've been talking to I just finished the race actually, or it's not a race, it's a park run get my coffee. When she came up to me and said, how did I do? I'm half mouth and I told her I said yeah, yeah, it was um, it was all good and I uh, just on the two hours and that was a bit close and that, and she looked a bit a bit disappointed for me. I said no, it's not too bad really, at least it was on. I thought it was going to be way over two hours but it wasn't too bad. And I told her about my friend and then Ziggy turned up. I didn't know if Ziggy was running and she had a chat with him as well about it. I said yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I said you know, it could have been a lot worse. You know, I said the only reason Ziggy got out for two hours was because his shoelaces up. But was not. It was nice to see her, her friends in bilentza at the moment and she's, I think she's off to japan, so she's gonna be there for the next couple of weeks, but whether she could be there next week I don't know.
Speaker 1:He doesn't have a go to parkruns but in fact my parkrun time this week was really good, actually because I've been having all these cooked breakfasts in the morning. Um, I did it faster than last week. I did 26.05, just over the 26 minutes, 8.19 pace, and what I've been doing is I found I think I found a technique for this now. I never used to have breakfast before, and now I um a banana in the morning, usually about half seven, the rest starts at nine. I have my sports drink, so I put cis tablets in it. Um, I've used to have that before and drink. Drink that before I go A little stretching before I go as well.
Speaker 1:And then I've been starting a little bit further back. In fact, this week it was the 20th anniversary of Parkrun, so Parkrun's been going for 20 years now. Obviously, I've only been doing it the last few years. I think it was my 60th, no, I think it was my 68 park run. Uh, this week, from somebody who said never run a park run, oh, and I met a lovely lady there as well. She noticed me. I haven't seen her for ages but apparently she goes every week and she I don't know if it's her husband or friend, but he's blind, uh. But again, I think he's got some vision because he's looking at this, if he can see a bit. But they're wearing these blue bibs, you know, saying blind runner, and she was asking how I was doing and had a chat and she'd all come here every week. It's just because you stand up near the front. And this is the point I'm coming to.
Speaker 1:Lately I've been starting a bit further back. So obviously, as soon as the hooter goes, the timer starts, and I've always wanted to start the front to my official park run. You know it's the actual time, um, so what I I've been doing, it's just starting a little bit further back. When I start near the front, there, just maybe one road back, I start off too quickly and then everybody runs past me and I get, you know, right, obviously everybody's about 600 runners here, but they pass me and I get a bit depressed. So it just, you know, it seems like hard work and if you always start off too quick in any race, that's what happens. So I've been starting a little bit further back and to be honest, it doesn't really make a lot of difference. Literally five seconds. The official time they gave me this week was 26 10 and on my strava, on my garmin watch, it was 2605 and in fact now on strava they've got this. Obviously we're getting this all over the place now.
Speaker 1:Ai, artificial intelligence, they've got artificial intelligence. Description here they say excellent rung with a strong finish, pushing into anaerobic zone. The pace and aura, both elevated compared to recent workouts, demonstrate and improve fitness. Well, thank you very much, ai. Anyway, so 26.05 compared to 26. There for your time, 26.10. So it's no big deal. Maybe if I was going for a PB start near the front. But you know, so for the last few weeks I've been doing that and it's been improving my time. So that was great and it was a lovely sunny day.
Speaker 1:Today, just in church and t-shirt again, I'm still proudly show off my 50 part on t-shirt and shorts and yeah, it was lovely. A nice chat, say, with Siggy and uh and my other friend, that lady who had um, and she had run a good race as well, and I say she's off to Japan for the next couple of weeks. I won't be seeing her there, say Siggy might be there, but yeah, so it was a nice race. I didn't feel that tired either, so my fitness must be improving because I sprinted towards the line, as I always do, and managed to catch up a couple of people in that and walking through the final I felt fine. Normally I'm struggling, so it was a really good.
Speaker 1:Park run today, nice to run on the 20th anniversary of my 68th park run. So tomorrow I don't know, I'm thinking Sunday I might do a run, but I'm probably not. I'm looking more towards Monday and see how I feel. I'd like to do a slightly longer run on Monday if I can start the week off well, but that's saddening. It's five weeks to Marlow. So I've got to make a decision. Am I going to do Marlow or not? I'm very tempted to because all I've got this fitness I could keep it up.
Speaker 1:I say Marlow is very undulating to whether I will break the two hours, but I've never run it before, so it'd be nice to do a new race. I think years ago I went and saw a couple of friends have run it because I think they do a 10 miler. They do several races 10 mile, 5 mile, half marathon, yeah. But I've got to expect it's undulating, it's hilly. But it'd be a nice challenge if I can get a few 20 milers weeks in and if I can keep doing these long runs of at least the 130 mile run a week up to race week, a bit of hill work, and that there's a good chance I could, you know, finally beat the two hours. And you know well, certainly for me anyway, at the moment, time seems to fly by so quickly. You know, I'm sad that summer's over. We're.
Speaker 1:Luckily the weather's not been too bad here at the moment. Obviously, in four or five weeks' time it might be a bit colder. I might have to run wearing leggings. That might be the only thing. I don't normally run winter races. Why I say that? I normally run the Dublin Roundtree in October. Normally it's quite sunny then. I've been running in T-shirts and shorts, so there possibility I could be here. We'll see. But yeah, I'm genuinely tempted because if I don't have a race to aim for, I mean obviously I still do the park runs. My I can. You know, even for someone like me who loves running can be a bit haphazard. You know, we're getting the runs and I can let myself go a bit while I've got this, this fitness. It'd be nice to continue up to christmas.
Speaker 1:And then you obviously look forward to uh marathons coming in for next year, and a friend of mine is running london marathon. He's always already got his spreadsheet out. How many weeks is uh exactly until london marathon? And he's giving up alcohol, crisps, biscuits, everything. And he's got this spreadsheet and he's working to a tight, you know, and when you work it out in weeks it doesn't seem like a lot of time, even though it's back in April and we've got around to spring again, which I'll be looking forward to.
Speaker 1:I'm not very much of a winter person, so I don't like the cold, the cold nights and the draining dark in the morning. So, yes, it will be interesting to see what plans I have next. So I think I will sign off on this episode for now and, yes, I'll record my next episode, which hopefully I shouldn't leave it so long. Hopefully, in about a week's time I will be able to tell you where they'll be running the, the marlow half. As you can probably tell by my voice, I'm very much leaning towards doing it.
Speaker 1:Uh, because it's a local race, not run it before and while I'm feeling good, it seems a shame to waste, obviously, my fitness and obviously because I should be doing the abedin full marathon. It'll be a sort of a consolation. Also, it's very near to my birthday it's a week before my birthday, so it'll be a nice little birthday present, especially if I get it in the two hours. So, watch this space. I think I probably will, but I'll let you know in the next episode and I'll see you then on the next episode of 30 Years of Running Marathons. See you then. Bye-bye, thank you.
