I did write a post on Monday about how I was feeling deflated after running (well run/walking!) my first half marathon on Sunday. But I was feeling very low at the time and I thought my post came across as too negative so I deleted it! Thank you to Sqkr and linda9389 who spotted my post before it disappeared and who both sent me lovely supportive messages 💕
Here is a brief (😂) rundown of the run: I got there nice and early and parked nearby. I met up with a couple of friends from my running group and had a nice chat. Also met the lovely roseabi who recognised my mad mutley outfit! I joined in the warm-up zumba class, which was great fun but had me knackered before I started!
I started the race quite near the back, which was fine by me as I wanted to start out slow. I walked up most of the first steep hill as I didn't want to tire too quickly. Then I was off, keeping a nice steady slow pace. Then the big long Queensway climb arrived, which I had intended to run all of, but I couldn't keep it up and ended having quite a few walk breaks. The crowd support was amazing and I ran alongside a few people I know at various points. I really enjoyed the run for the first two-thirds of the way.
Then coming down the long downhill stretch of Harold Road I started dropping further and further behind the group of Incredible Hulks I had been running behind for a long way, and I started feeling despondent. Worse, as we hit the Old Town my niggly glute started playing up and my leg kept giving way! I had to keep stopping and stretching it out and trying to massage it (impossible as the niggle is deep inside the buttock!).
The whole final stretch along the seafront I had to walk/shuffle along due to exhaustion and butt niggle, it felt like torture! I must say those lovely crowds kept me going though, and I managed to drag myself over the finish line! I finished in 2:36, just 6 minutes over my target time. I met some friends and for about half an hour I felt really happy! Underneath though I felt a bit disappointed with my time/performance.
At home after my shower and some food I was utterly exhausted and felt really low. Even though I posted lots of smiley photos on Facebook I felt quite flat about the whole thing but didn't like to admit it! I had raised money for Dogs Trust so I wanted to thank all my supporters and felt like I had to put on a cheery face for them!
I think the main reason I felt so low was exhaustion from running a half on very little sleep. I have not been sleeping well lately and the night before I got virtually no sleep, so it's not surprising I ran out of energy. A combination of that and the niggly butt meant I walked far more than I intended, and got tired sooner than I expected. Then the total exhaustion afterwards seemed to wipe out the good feelings from the first two-thirds of the race.
As Squeak wisely said, now there is a bit more distance between me and the race I can see it was not a bad race at all. Just wish I could feel a bit happier about it! Anyway if there are two lessons I can learn here, one is to try and sort out my sleep problem, and the other is to work harder on that niggly butt! I am reluctant to enter any more races until I have the niggle sorted. Short runs are fine but I really need to concentrate on the glute strength exercises now.
If you've got this far, thank you for your patience! And happy running to you all 🏃♂️🏃♀️💖
Written by
MutleyShuffle
Half Marathon
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Those Incredible Hulks were something else, weren't they?!!
I do hope you can get on top of your problems and have another go next year!! I rather know how you feel, lack of sleep is taking some of the colour out of life at the moment - it makes me struggle with my emotions, and my race report is also a goner! I wouldn't have guessed; I thought: what a bubbly, lovely woman!!! It was great to meet you xx
If you've not tried a physio, I recommend the people at Sussex University - seemed to give sensible advice, and very reasonably priced too:
The Hulks were great weren't they? I spent most of the second half running near to two girls in green face paint who were part of it. At about 8 miles they were saying they couldn't feel their legs 😂 One of them was really starting to struggle along the seafront so the other grabbed her by the arm shouted "we are doing this TOGETHER!" and just dragged her the rest of the way. It really made me smile 😀
Thanks roseabi, yes, struggling with my emotions hits the nail on the head! It was lovely to meet you too, glad you enjoyed the race and Hastings in general (great chips here!) xx
Sorry forgot to say thank you for the link - I am definitely considering a sports therapist, I have my eye on one a bit more local to me, who is also a runner - she was recommended by someone at my running group so I think I will give it a go.
Yes I have been wondering that too - although it isn't the searing pain often described, more of a dull ache - but yes, professional help seems the way forward! I have messaged the therapist, waiting for a reply... Thanks Abi ❤
Gor blimey she duffed me up good and proper! SO painful! I could hardly walk afterwards! Apparently I have very tight hamstrings which is causing the piriformis problem. The therapist said the massage (torture) should have sorted it out but if not I can go back for acupuncture. I had a 5 mile run last night and it seemed ok, just had a slight ache there once or twice, but today I have noticed it a few times throughout the day so I suspect it is still lurking. I'm intending to do a longer run tomorrow evening as it usually kicks in after 10k, so that will be the real test. I will report back!
Thanks Dave. Yes it was my first HM. I know in my head that my time was fine, but can't help feeling a bit disappointed with it! In practice I walked far less.
I'm sorry to hear you endured some struggles and felt flat after your huge achievement. I've been dealing with a niggly butt too and it has been giving me some concern. I started using these stretches/exercises curiousmindmagazine.com/hel... and it seems to be helping. I've recently added trailrunnermag.com/training... once I could run without aggravating my bum too much and so far so good (although everything has fell by the wayside this week due to crazy work getting in the way). It is interesting to hear that others are also struggling with sleep. It seems my new wake up time is between 4-4:30 😔. It must be the change of seasons and stressors plaguing us.
I think you have a great plan. Get that niggly butt figured out, enjoy some non-pressure shorter runs and when the time feels right, see if you feel up to taking the challenge again. Regardless of how the event felt, you still reached a great achievement, even if it wasn't quite the way you envisioned.
Thank you SA, I will add some of those moves to my growing selection! Just need to make sure I get down to doing them! I had started doing some glute strengthening exercises and they seemed to help - the niggle didn't start until about 15k whereas before it was appearing around 10k.
Yes I am going to enjoy some shorter runs - looking forward to my club run tonight, usually around 7.5k.
It's so annoying waking up too early isn't it? My usual time these days is 3.30am! I need to get back to my meditation downloads, they have worked for me in the past. Sending some zzz's your way! x
Ugh, that's frustrating! I was so tired last night I fell asleep before I could even consider a body scan. I actually slept all night and woke up to my alarm! I didn't even hear my hubby get out of bed, shower and get ready for work. I wish I knew what I could do to reproduce it, but I had fast food for supper (it's a crazy week in our household) including pop and a coffee mid afternoon where I was worrie dit would keep me awake but I was struggling with functioning. It shouldn't have been a good sleep. Sometimes there's is just no rhyme or reason to these crazy sleep patterns
For your first half I think you did brilliantly. Congratulations on a huge milestone effort! I’ve also found not enough sleep and/or hydration can really ruin the enjoyment of a long run. Have you ever tried rolling? My coach and some fellow veteran runners swear by it and so I bought a small roller which has eased many of the muscle issues I had in my legs.
Thank you Decker 😊 Yes I have been using a foam roller - and a tennis ball - don't ask!! But my sports masseur friend reckons I need to concentrate on glute strengthening exercises - I will carry on with a mixture of all of the above!
Thanks Marie 😊 Yes I know in my head it's fine to walk some bits, but I walked a lot more than I intended. I remember feeling that way about the Beckley 10k and I thought I'd learnt since then that it's fine to walk, but it seems I haven't quite absorbed the message!! I'm a slow learner!
I understand exactly what you mean. Up to this point I've been really hard on myself when things haven't gone to plan. I wish I could tell you what's made me feel differently this time but I'm really not sure!
Went on a club run this morning and out of the 4 of us there who'd run it I was the only one who'd done any walking - I was also not surprisingly the slowest. The other two ladies are people I can keep us with in training, they're both 15 years+ older than me and I'd done more preparation so techniquely I should have been able to run thd whole way as well.
I think I've sort of come to the conclusion that I'm not really into racing as such. Even parkrun is not enjoyable when I feel I need to perform.
I think maybe that was the difference this time - I wasn't trying to prove anything to myself or anyone else. It just was what it was.
Not sure how the army will feel about my new attitude 😂🤣
Haha! I've just been watching the channel 4 SAS programme - they'd definitely not be impressed 😂
I think it's perfectly normal to have all these different emotions. What everyone who took part on Sunday did was a massive achievement no matter how each of us ended up getting round. That's a really important thing to keep sight of xx
Post-race blues are common (google it) I had them on my first HM.
As others have said, HM is a very long way. It is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done. To add to that, Hastings HM has a reputation for being a very tough one. I have never done it, but I know the route well and I probably wouldn't attempt it myself.
Now you have had a bit of time to get perspective, I'm sure you are feeling differently and formulating a future plan.
For now just know you ran a HM and you have the medal to prove it. Long after the aches and pains subside, it will still be there, and you will still be a HM finisher.
Well I think you’re amazing, that’s a brilliant time. Much that I love Hastings, I would not fancy that HM due to the hills, they are steep! - I wouldn’t even attempt to run them - certainly not in the early stages.....so you’re even more awesome.
Lack of sleep is just pants.....doing a HM like that, you must have super powers!
Hope you feel better soon, and can reflect on a great achievement - because that’s what it is 👏💪🏃♀️🏅👍
Ahhh, I can soooo sympathise with those feelings. Sounds just how I felt after GSR, despite bettering the time I was aiming for! I suspect it was the walking I did although I didn't plan to, that was the biggest factor in my disappointment. Daft, cos lots of people walk deliberately, plan to walk. It's not a bad thing!
Sleep is essential for both our physical and mental well being. Not sleeping properly will have put you at a huge disadvantage - running your first half is such a big mental challenge: lack of sleep will have allowed the gremlins headspace and it will have confused your emotions, both during and after the race too.
It's a real shame you're disappointed because you deserved to enjoy it, especially after all the effort you put into training. So let's concentrate on the other stuff - you completed a half marathon, 13.1 miles of a very tough course, despite an injury. That's what counts.
The disappointment will fade, even if it maybe doesn't entirely go away (I would be lying if I said I'd forgotten how it felt) and you will learn from this experience which will in turn make you a stronger runner. I hope you have a 'next time' - exorcising the ghost of a bad race (as Sqkr put it) is a great thing to do, and without injury, with sleep you know you can do it.
Be kind to yourself. We are all very impressed by what you achieved this weekend and have no doubt that you should be feeling very proud of yourself ❤🏅
Thank you lovely Linda ❤ I am starting to feel better about the whole thing now. I'm lucky that at least I enjoyed the first two thirds of the race, so I do have some good memories of it. I'm still working on feeling proud of myself but hopefully I will get there! Thank you for your support xx
It's hard when any run does not go to plan, so for this to happen on race day must have been tough....BUT you did it anyway!😀👍 and that time looks pretty decent to me, especially carrying a niggle. PLUS some great fundraising for a fab charity and I reckon you should feel pretty proud. Ask around (here or anywhere) - a Half Marathon is a heck of a long way!!😀🏅
Sorry to hear you struggled with this race, but you look great, and that’s not a bad time at all! Hopefully you’ll get sorted. Having had a Sports Therapist elbowing my glutes to death this morning, it’s probably worth trying the Sports Massage option if you haven’t yet? ❤️
I LOVE your running tights!! What a great charity to support, my sister got her doggie from Dogs Trust 😊🐶. Sorry to hear about your niggles, it is awful running when you are in pain. Many congratulations on completing the HM, I admire you 👏👍
Thank you skysue 😊 Yes they are fab tights aren't they - there were three of us running the HM in them (that I saw!) - they are Tikiboo ones ❤ Yes it was great to raise funds for Dogs Trust, they are a fantastic charity - give your sister's dog a little pat from me! 🐕
Hi..you sound just like I feel in every way..isn’t it weird!!! We ran the same time..I hoped for under 2:30 as a first timer and I have a serious butt niggle!
HOWEVER...we aced this really!!! I am incredibly proud to have taken up this challenge when I never ran 5mths ago..my family and friends are so proud and helped me raise loads of money for #spinalresearch...London Landmarks half marathon was my run..most wonderful experience and superb support!
When we recover lets lace up those trainers, get back out there and realise how fab we did 🙋🏻😘
Aw thanks Fun-free 😊 That's funny you had just the same time and niggle as me! But you are right, we aced this! Yippee! That's amazing you running a HM after just 5 months! Well done! 😁💪👏
A superb result MS! Blimey, with a glute issue and leg giving way that is a cracking time!! I saw some photos in the Sussex sport blog, as they did a joint write up of Hastings and Colchester HMs they were covering. I was surprised how many ran in fancy dress at Hastings - seemed to be a lot more than Colchester 😀. Well done! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks Macmac, you are very kind 😊 Yes there were loads in fancy dress, they were amazing - some looked so heavy and hot (the armadillo in full armour for example!) I don't know how they did it!
Sorry to you felt a bit deflated afterwards I think we've all been there. It can feel a bit of an anti-climax for some reason/or no reason at all. Not sure which. Might be our brains malfunctioning due to loss of nutrients or sommat ?
Dont worry about walking! I walk when I need to, and I think it's a positive thing Walking more can mean finishing the job in one piece. I walk the hills too, to save puff. I think you enjoy the race more as well if you're not flogging yourself to death. We want to enjoy ourselves at the end of the day.
I hope you've managed to get some sleep and have perked up since race day xxx
Thanks misswobble, yes it did feel a bit of an anticlimax for a day or two but I'm feeling a bit happier about the whole thing now. Still not sleeping well (got to work on that!) but have booked myself in for a sports therapist session on Saturday so hope I can get to the bottom (boom boom!) of my butt niggle. Yes I really need to take on board that it is OK to walk bits, and even a good strategy - still can't shake that feeling I am cheating! 😁
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