Leamington Spa Half Marathon - a race report..sort of...

[Windoze]

I've spent this afternoon pondering how to describe this run. My local half marathon...what could possibly go wrong?

8 weeks of training...hill runs...interval sessions...long runs...I am all over it!

2 weeks to go....bad pain round knee caps. RICE it...test them out on a 15k....yeah still hurting....back off and rest...

Trouble is I'm so damn single minded. Its like tunnel vision when it comes to a race....

Anyhow fast track to the day..up at 7am...porridge and bananas done. Slow run from the girlfriends house to the park where the start is and the buzz is amazing.

Over a thousand people. All different shapes sizes and colours. Everyone I speak to has a smile..even the lady who had 10 pees as she was so nervous 🤣

Ok ..the course itself was pretty hard. Steady hills followed by more hills...then throw in some more. I'm not talking Snowdonia type hills...just the ones that wear away at your stamina as they keep coming...gently and deceptively.

Throw in some unexpected sun and your chugging away at nailing your 5k targets...it can hit you later on like a punch from Mike Tyson...

The route is lovely..its scenic..it runs you through all the villages outside of leamington. When i run through these places it made me appreciate what a wonderful and scenic place I live in.

Trouble is I'm so F@@king self competative...at 15k I should have backed off in the heat...but no...I keep my pace...16k...water and gel...17k...glutes start playing up BUT I'm on this...I'm close to my first HM time...18k...I just dont care anymore...19k fecking wheels fell off...

Not quite sure what happened after that but I fell over the line with an amazing bunch of supporters cheering all the runners on.

It's hard this half marathon stuff. I hit a PB. I'm happy with that. I wont stop at trying to take chunks off it either.

When I look back...I enjoyed the Saturday PR with some crazy peeps and happy doggie more...you know who you are

Attached is a picture of a dying man doing a 1:56 HM...

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon]

You smashed that HM goal with a great pace and time! Whoohoo! Rest up, take some time to heal, and enjoy some more PR with the amazing people on here.....until the next race or distance or time goal sucks you into its vortex 😆....then start the crazy all over again 😁

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Haha great advice 🤣😎🥂

[aliboo70 Half Marathon]

1.56! Thats fantastic! you clearly have a strong mind and an amazing attitude to battle through that one! Congratulations! 💪💪👍x

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

Thank you aliboo70 😎😎

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Absolutely blooming brilliant!!!!! What a time.... YEAY!!!!

A great post and great photo of a fit, and fearsome, 56 year old man who is one heck of an awesome runner!!!!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Cheers Floss!! Very kind of you to say 😎😎😎

[C3PO Marathon]

That's an excellent result. Congratulations!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to C3PO]

Thank you C3PO 😎😎

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

Well done. Runs like these often throw up surprises, and you showed plenty of grit and determination, and under 2hours(!) thats a heck of a feat!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Whatsapp]

Thank you WhatsApp. Very good of you to say 😎

[TailChaser Marathon]

Well done Windoze, what a tough, awesome run! Can’t believe you did so well as you were definitely suffering at Parkrun (I know because I was keeping up with you!!). Amazing time but I know what you mean about being competitive with yourself.

Time to chill and look after yourself now 🤗

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to TailChaser]

Thanks Tails. All recovered and ready for the next challenge!

[andystev]

It was hard work, wasn't it? I'd not realised quite how uphill the first 3 miles or so was until I looked at the profile afterwards, it was bit up and down after that too. Too busy fighting the feet to notice at the time!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to andystev]

Yeah AndyStev think it was the heat for me. Hope those feet recover quickly

[Couchpotato2 Marathon]

Well done! That’s pretty amazing. Hope you can now REST on your well deserved laurels

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Couchpotato2]

Thank you coach potato! Recovered and rested! 😎

[Couchpotato2 Marathon in reply to Windoze]

Great. What’s you plan for now? Just relaxed runs for a bit?

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Couchpotato2]

Good question 🤪 I'm working on a sub 23 5k, sub 50 10k. I'm also working on my core and glutes and intend to extend my long slow runs to 20miles this year. Oh also Birmingham HM in October so will be hunting 1:55 and below 🥴🤪.

[Couchpotato2 Marathon in reply to Windoze]

Wow ok! Quite a few plans. I suppose by extending your runs you’ll probably naturally run the shorter ones faster? Gosh, I’m tired reading your goals, going back to lie down

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Couchpotato2]

Hi ya. Yes to a degree. The longer runs do help but I run interval sessions each week. These concentrate on short but sustained paces mile pace, 5k and 10k pace. Including these and hill sprints ( well more like wobbles) have helped me knock massive chunks off in over a year. I was 30-32min 5k and 1:08 10k roughly this last year...

[Couchpotato2 Marathon in reply to Windoze]

Oh that’s interesting, that’s roughly where I am at now (where you were last year). So what would your typical week be like exercise wise?

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Couchpotato2]

Typical week recently over last few months. Run 1 3-5k with 15-30 min interval session to finish

Run 2 3-5k with hill sprint session to finish

Run 3 long run. If I do this on a sat I include a run before and after Parkrun. 10-18k

I always try and get a Park run in either way...so sometimes long on a sun with PR on a sat

[Couchpotato2 Marathon in reply to Windoze]

Thanks, that’s really interesting, will look into a plan for me. I have very changing weeks so sometimes hard to plan but this is useful, thanks

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

🏅👏🏻👍🏻😁 very well done. It's hard to turn off the desire to "win" whether that be a PB or the event itself! You got through it and you got the PB!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thank you Jojo! Yeah sometimes I'm a little too competitive 🤣

[MrFox001 Half Marathon]

Superb Well done. Brilliant Time what will you do when you are fit. Fantastic performance.

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to MrFox001]

Thank you MrFox 😎😎

[misswobble Marathon]

19 km mark is way bad, add in a hillock or incline and you’re dying out there That’s when you rely on spectators to urge you on 🙂💪😃👏👏👏

Hopefully there’ll be some 🙂. It’s good that you’re competitive and won’t quit at that point. Still, you’ve come this far ....... you’ve got to get back to the start line anyway ..... these are the little chats we have with ourselves

Pacing ourselves in the first half is easier said than done isn’t it

You did it though and had a good day. I dare say medals and cakes were involved 👍😃🏃‍♂️🏅🍰☕️

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Thank you misswobble. Yeah that 19k mark huh 😪🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Holy schamoley Windoze, great time there! 👏👏👏 Imagine if the wheels hadn’t fallen off, or if it had been flatter and cooler? You were smokin’! 🏃👍👏🎉👊🥇

I loved Leamington PR (might have said that a few times already .. 🙄), and it was great meeting you and the other VRB’s on Saturday. I think we’re all a little crazy! My dog snoozed all the way home in the car. Her kind of day too! 🏃‍♀️🏃🐕

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thank you Cheeky 😎 got one flatter and cooler lined up!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Windoze]

Looking forward to hearing how you get on at those! Speedy I expect! 🏃🏃🏃👏👏👏

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

Awesome - well done!!!! LOVE this post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Whoop whoop!! 😎😎

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Really well done! You dug deep and your training paid off in spades. Congrats on the PB. Many more to come I am sure 👍🏼👏👏

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Decker]

Cheers Decks 😎😎

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Brilliant! Loving that determination. 19k has been a tough point for me too - just as well it's almost over by then cos some pretty hard self-talk is needed to keep going 😃

Fabulous time too. Congratulations 👏👏👏

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Thank you Linda 😎😎

[Colinsmith Half Marathon]

Well done, that’s a great run - and you look in pretty good nick in that photo to me.

It’s funny, I seem to struggle much more with the mental side (‘this is hard. You can’t do it. You should stop running and walk’) over 5km than 10km and up.

Was your first gel/food at 16k? I only ask as I’d always left eating until about 15k until recently when I’ve started having a first snack around 11k? It seems be working better for me that way and I’m finishing stronger; maybe a little more time for the body to convert the food into energy before the end of the run.

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Colinsmith]

Thanks Colin. For the gels I take 3 with me. One at about 7-10k one at about 15-16k the other is an OMG gimme a boost emergency gel 🤣🤣🤣

[pianoteacher Marathon Half Marathon]

Really well done! That's a great PB 😁

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to pianoteacher]

Thanks Teach 😎

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Great run Windoze! Hills and sunshine and creaky knees(?) but still under two hours!! Brilliant! Well done on your new PB!👍💪😀🏅

[Windoze Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Haha creaky knees 😪 thanks Sandraj 😎

[Lavender1962 Half Marathon]

Well done! What an amazing time, under 2 hours with hills and sun. Wow ! And your even pumped to do your next one. I guess you’ve got the running bug.

[Windoze Half Marathon]

Thanks Lavender. Yup I think I have 🤪🤪

[Sandie1961 Half Marathon]

Great run Windoze. Under 2 hours sounds pretty quick to me and even more impressive that you battled through your wall in such a brill time 🏃‍♂️🎉👏🏻