What a great weekend 😊 Flew into Newcastle on Friday with the other half Judy, my brother Del and his wife for the GNR on Sunday.
Saturday morning we watched the kids doing their fun runs escorted by parents or grandparents, that was a sight, to see the kids doing their thing, with some of the adults struggling to keep up with them 😊
In the afternoon, we met up with ChrisAllen1 for a drink and a chat, It was nice to meet up with someone else on the forum and Chris and his wife Julie came over as being really nice friendly people. We wished each other good luck as we went our separate ways 😊
Sunday morning I was up bright and early for breakfast, leaving Judy in bed as she and my brothers wife decided they’d make their way to the finish in South Shields. I just had a bowl of Granola and a banana for breakfast before meeting up with Del to catch a shuttle taxi to the start line.
My goodness, the atmosphere was electric with the sheer numbers of runners and supporters. We looked for the baggage bus to dump our bags before making our way to our starting pen. I’d put a projected finishing time of 2.20-2.40 in the application, which put us in the Pink zone, one pen from last. We only just made it before the assembly area closed, it took us the best part of an hour to get there due to the sheer numbers....reminded me of East St Market in London on a Sunday morning 😳
We hung about feeling like cattle at market, it was so cramped but the atmosphere was electric with the tannoy at full blast as they interviewed celebrities like Olly Murs and Ross Noble, who were taking part!
10.40 came and it was start time, off went the elite men which included our own Mo Farah, followed by the masses. It took us all of 50mins to get to the start line, by which time Mo had probably finished 😂
Once we got started we couldn’t make much headway.... sooo many people. It certainly isn’t the run to do if you want a good time but as I said, it’s the atmosphere, electric!
Myself and Del plodded along at about 11min a mile pace, hitting the 10k mark in 1’12”
I felt comfortable up to the 8ml mark when my hamstrings in my right leg started to tighten up 😩 Now, bearing in mind I tore a hamstring in my right leg in February, I really didn’t want to risk tearing it again so stopped to do some stretches. I set off again with Del still by my side, but lowering the pace and taking the odd walk break. It got worse going into the last two miles and Del asked me if I wanted to call it a day.... you can guess my answer 😂 We soldiered on, doing more running than walking, and crossed the line together in 2’44”....... I’d done it and didn’t it feel good inside even though I was hurting outside 🤗
A lot of strengthening, stretching and foam rolling to be done before my next HM the Oxford Half in October 😊
Now where’s that badge? 🤗
Written by
TedG
Half Marathon
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Well done . I think it is a tough run that is saved by the atmosphere/crowds. Running along the A roads is a bit bizarre really. Now you can always say you have run with the great Mo -but they gave him a head start.
Oh wow. Congratulations, what an achievement and what a great piece of bling 😀
Thanks for the great writeup - I've entered the GSR, having never done anything like that before, so it's really good to get details like that and to hear of someone else's success.
Hope you're now rested and treating yourself well 🙂
It looked fabulous on TV Ted, thousands of runners all lined up, and yes Mo finished in about an hour I think!
Huge Congratulations on your first HM...and such a special event too! One you will always remember and be proud of that Medal, that was a hard run in that heat, I can't imagine how you did it!
Hope you recover well...another HM next month?
Looking good in your shiny new badge on this forum too😊xx
Thanks Jan. Yes it was a tad warm but maybe not as hot as your neck of the woods.
Yes, I did wear the medal with pride but tbh, my first thought after finishing was, ‘No way am I going to do the Oxford Half!’
Those thoughts have now vanquished, if I mend quickly, then it’s all go for October 7th. There’s no pressure, I’m not running for charity and there won’t be as many runners 😊
Thank you misswobble , it’s my intention to rest up for as long as it takes. Did some foam rolling yesterday, absolute agony 😩 but as they say, no pain no gain! 😊
I am not much of a fan having foam rolled for rehab purposes. Don’t roll inflamed tissue will you I used a yoga dvd to recover from my marathon, and I highly recommend it It’s about stretching really 💪👍🙂
I know they talk of knots but I’m not convinced 😁 what is knotted exactly ? 🤷♀️ 😃
My gym guy gets the foam roller out post race and makes me do lot of stretches Just go carefully won’t you 🙂. Hopefully you can walk away feeling much freer 🙂
Huge congratulations, Ted, on your successful first HM - you nailed it, and fundraised for a great cause too. Wear your GNR medal and your new badge with pride; you worked hard to achieve them. (I'm in awe - it was only a few months ago that we were both doing the C25K and you were encouraging me along - you've left me for dust now!) Hope you're resting up now and recovering well - take care and congrats again x
Hi L-L - it's lovely to hear from you. Yes, still running and have (stupidly) signed up for the Brighton HM in February (it will probably be snowing!). All I have to do now is work out a training plan that will fit in with work, etc. How are you doing? x
I'm still running too. Did a HM in June and found it quite a commitment to do the training preparation properly. But I enjoyed the event itself. I'd like to do another but Mr L-L is reluctant. Don't know why as I suffered no running related injuries, I think he just begrudges my time out of the house doing "my" thing. Oh well. Leeds Castle 10k on 30 Sep - keeping it shorter and local!
I used a My Asics plan for my HM - you can enter a target time and how many times a week you want to run (2, 3 or 4) and out pops a plan. Simple. Enjoy!
Fantastic run Ted! It sounded so crowded that it is hard to keep a nice and even pace, dodging and weaving. I hope your legs recover well for your next hm adventure.
No I'm doing the Blenheim half, which is hilly but as i run there all the time it made the most sense. I'm hoping for 2andahalf hours but who knows.... im up to 11 miles now so going to leave it at that and just do some gentle runs over the next two weeks. I'mhoping for slightly overcast lol but not as windy as the 7k was!
Take it easy. You have a bit longer until the Oxford half. 😊
Top work! What an occasion to break your duck too! I watched it on the TV and thought about doing it in the future, reading your report makes it a definite!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
First week of HM training, not a great start...
HM - FIRST in my age group.!!
Ran my first ever HM! 
Great North Run-anyone waiting for an email?
First run out since HU HM 💪
