On Sunday it was the 29th
edition of the Hastings half marathon and my first attempt at it.
It was very much a spur of the moment
decision, one that I made at about 11pm the evening before the race. This was
mainly due the fact I wasn’t even aware it was taking place (until a friend at
my hockey game on Saturday mentioned that his wife was running it the following
day).
As the girlfriend was due to work and I had
only planned some study and a training run I thought to myself that taking part
in the race would give me some race day practice for the upcoming marathon. So
in an (belated) attempt at post match recovery I put the calf sleeves on and
set the alarm for 7am.
As I didn’t have a race entry, I thought
that it would be best to turn up early to ensure that I could get in to the
race on the day. Surprisingly, despite the weather, a number of people
obviously shared my thoughts and the entries were flying in.
Once my money was handed over, it was time
to decide on the appropriate clothing for the race. Im a big fan of running in
shorts, but even I could see that was a ridiculous decision to make on a day
when the weatherman was estimating a temperature of 2 degrees with wind chill
making it feel more like -5.
So instead of shorts and singlet, I opted
for t-shirt, thermal base layer, running tights, gloves, and wooly hat…. And
yes, I am waiting for the magazines to come flocking all wanting to put me on
their cover, as you can see from the picture below.
 |
| seriously..hot! |
Previously, I had completed one official
half marathon a couple of years ago and recorded a time of 1:59. From my recent
training, I was optimistic that I could beat this.
However, this belief changed when I started
the running up THE hill…. and kept running. Now, I had heard about the hill
(read mountain) from people that had previously completed the course, and yes
they had said it was hard, but what they had omitted, was the minor detail that
it lasted 8 miles!
This, alongside the maneuvers required to
overtake the normal selection of walkers/fancy dress runners who always seem to
toe the start line with the elite runners, slowed my average pace.
Fortunately, the support was amazing, with
a huge amount of people defying the arctic conditions to offer oranges and
jelly beans to keep us motivated bar the way to the bushes to chunder. The
cold conditions also spurred us on, as finishing would mean a cup of tea!
After 8 miles of incline, the combination
of the descent and the tractor-beam-like draw of the next orange segment prompted
me to keep the pace high, finally finishing in 1:52 - a PB!
After stumbling across the line, and
receiving the rewarding brass medal I hunted down the tea tent and gratefully
threw hot sugary tea down my throat. I then searched (in vein) for a goody bag.
Mini rant - im used to triathlons where receiving goodies is almost mandatory,
but seriously this race was EXPENSIVE and there wasn’t even a flyer!
My disappointment was short lived however,
as when I was sat/collapsed in the changing tent, I glanced up, to see, no more
than 3 foot way, a very athletic female runner whip off her running top before
replacing it with a t-shirt. Not quite a goody bag...but well done Mrs. Runner,
disappointment quashed!
Tongue returned, and clothing donned I made
the walk back to the bus stop and
I must here note that the worst part of the
whole day (including the hill) was the 50 minute wait in the freezing temperature
for the park and ride bus. A 50-minute duration made much worse by my decision
to skip the visit to the bakery in search for a quick return to the car.
Finally, frozen and tired, I was returned
to my car, pleased with my day’s effort. On reflection, I now think that on a
flatter course and with not playing a game of hockey the day before, I think I
can get my time down to around 1:45. A summer target perhaps…
As with all events, as the pain begins to
subside, and with the race meeting its intended aims, my mojo is now
reinvigorated and im defiantly looking forward to the marathon. Job Done.
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