There are dire predictions of parking chaos but as it
happens we park practically on the start line, not sure how that happened.
While I make my way to the start line, L makes her way in to
the city centre to find a good viewing point. She’s really going to scout out
the local Waterstones but if she gives me a cheer as I run past all the better.
With half an eye on next weekend’s ‘big’ one, I was more
than happy to jog round this one in another 1:45. When I ran this race before,
in 2014, I got round 1:49 but I was seriously strapped up at the time.
Sadly there isn’t a 1:45 pacer today but there is a 1:40 one. So
I thought I might as well flirt with him and see what happens.
The route is very flat as was shown by my split times which
were incredibly consistent. I also achieved my aim of getting them
all under eight minutes per mile. This is always my aim on a half marathon but it is rarely achieved. My slowest today is 7:41. Which all bodes
well for a decent time, although by the end I am hanging on to the pacers for
grim death.
There are about a dozen of us running with them but when a group of
us stop at one of the later drink stations and the pacers don’t, pandemonium
ensues. Runners end up colliding with each other as they attempt to get back on
pace and in the end a group of us form our own little peloton around 50 metres
behind them.
We do gradually battle our way back to them but never
quite gain parity with them again and in the last mile I let them go. I’m more than
happy when I come home in 1:40:38. L remarks that it was good that I was ‘taking it easy’.
I think she’s impressed.
So a good race, although not a very pretty one once you’ve done
the city centre but it’s pleasant enough and well organised. I could have done
with a different colour t-shirt though, yellow ugh.
I again use my new trainers and all appears well with them
but then it was only a half marathon... next week it isn’t.
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