The drama concluded! (Will she / won't she!) LONG HM report. 😀

[Sadie-runs]

Hello lovely running fiends,

Firstly, thank you to all you lovely people for supporting me through a hairy final few weeks of my HM training. Secondly, I did it! And you know what? I loved every minute of it, more than I ever thought possible. I must have looked like a right loon as I was literally grinning the whole way. (I remembered reading an interview with the lovely Kipchoge, who said that smiling made running a race so much easier, so I thought I would give that a whirl – I am happy to report it works.)

Weirdly, I did not have many nerves this morning pre-race. I felt prepared, and excited. Only slight nerves came from wondering if my ITB syndrome would flare up and ruin my race. My eyes pinged open at 5am, and I sprang out of bed for coffee and time to chill/prepare. Arrived at the race start in plenty of time, pinned on me number, and milled around taking in the atmosphere, chatting to a few other runners. Such a beautiful day! Blue skies and sun...gorgeous. Felt a bit teary at the start line for no apparent reason – I was not sad. Just...teary! Then I got a grip. It was going to be a hot run and I needed to hold onto fluids, not let them leak out of my eyes! (Thank goodness for sunglasses.)

I started well at the back, whilst everyone else zipped off at an alarmingly fast pace. It was a little bit off-putting, as nobody likes to be one of the last, but I kept my nerve, and kept it at a good slow pace. I did eventually take over a few people, but not that many! It was a race full of club runners ... all after PBs it seemed! I felt absolutely amazing for the first 12k. Lots of energy (thanks to carb loading), happy, and no pain anywhere. The marshalls were fantastic; support minimal, as it was a small race, but there was some support and it was lovely. And my boyfriend waited at the 4k mark to cheer me on (as it was right by our flat!) That was lovely. He then caught the train to be waiting for me at the finish line. Off I trotted. So nice to run familiar streets, and pass through my two favourite parks that I train in.

Then! What I had been worrying about actually did happen. Knee pain at 12km. Not unbearable, but there all the same. A bit sharp and achy. Classic ITB friction. Pfffffft. I was so annoyed, as I did not need to stop for any other reason; I was feeling great. But, Sadie the Sensible kicked in, so from that point on I took lots of walk breaks. It did help, but the pain did kick back in whenever I ran. But still, I felt cheery, and pretty confident I could finish this way.

I stopped at 18k to walk for a bit with a lady who was looking very miserable. She was not injured or in any pain, but just kept saying over and over that her head was not in the right place and that she just couldn't run. I so felt for her. But, after our little chat she managed to start running again and overtook me! I must say, my head was very much in the right place. Just my knee wasn't having any of it!

I finished with a big smile on my face with a time of 2:36:01. (My boyfriend was there to see me finish, good lad!) I am so happy I managed to finish, as last week I was convinced I wouldn't make it. But please humour me here…I am a little disappointed though. I had to walk quite a lot of the 2nd half of the race – and cannot help but wonder what time i would have got if my ITB hadn't flared up. I feel a tiny bit cheated. I could have run the whole thing with no walking if it wasn't for that, I felt so good and so full of energy, even in the last 5k. (Please don't judge me and tell me I am being silly, this is a safe space and I had to say it!)

Next up: rehab this damn ITB, do some park runs, run with David_G, and improve my 5k time. Oh, and book my next HM! It was the most joyous experience ever!

Sadie-runs over and out! xxx

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Congratulations Sadie! You did right by your knee for sure. At least you did not push through hard and do any further damage to it. That’s just not worth it. You still finished the race and with a respectable time too. It sounds like a great event and now that you’ve had this ‘dry run’ you are well set to try another HM when your knee is fully sorted. Well done and good luck with the recovery👍🏼

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to Decker]

Thanks Decker . Yeah, I am pretty cautious, and am pleased I had the sense to run-walk the 2nd half. It would have been all too easy to let the excitement get to me, which could have ruined enjoyment of the event too. The good thing is that I discovered I like organised events! Quite the revelation for me. Once I am rehabbed, I am going to try parkrun. I have had the bar code for a year and still not done one! LOL! Thanks for your kind words. xxx

[SlowLoris]

Who said this is a safe place? There are Loris' about.

Impressive run with an injury. What really comes across is how much you enjoyed it. That's how I felt too.

Well done. Great result!

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to SlowLoris]

LOL! I should have known better. Thanks so much, Loris. The knee did not take away from the joy of running the event, and I desperately want to do another! But for now, rest and rehab and plotting and scheming. xx

[Richard7 Half Marathon]

Well done Sadie - no patronising from me - I know exactly where you are coming from.

On my HM I Couldn't keep up the running and had to walk/run and I too was so annoyed with myself - so I get it.

But that aside you can still be proud of what you have achieved and I am sure this will not be your last! I hope that you manage over the coming months to get whatever is causing this problem ironed out so you get to do it all over again and smash your time.

For now - enjoy the sense of joy - your months of training deserve that 😀

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to Richard7]

Thank you so much, dear Richard. And thanks too for understanding my frustration! It certainly doesn’t detract from my elation at finishing a HM, but I cannot help but think of what could have been if I hadn’t been carrying an injury. x

[Richard7 Half Marathon in reply to Sadie-runs]

Gives you a goal for your next one 👍

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon]

Congratulations! 🍾🥂🏅🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️👏🏻👍🌟 💥⚡️🎉😊

It was so lovely to read of your joy at running your first HM! Well done to you! I do hope the flare up fades away pronto.

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Thank you so much! I am on day 3 post HM and still on a bit of a high. 😁 Running makes me so happy. x

[limberlou Half Marathon]

It still sounds like a great run to me and you finished in a good time. I would take that time happily!! 😁👏🎉🏃‍♀️🍹🎉

Now get that ITB issue sorted #wagsfingerinmaternalfashion

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to limberlou]

Finger wagging appreciated! Thanks dear limberlou . xxx

[Elfe5]

Woohoo Sadie!! I’m sooo proud of you, massive congratulations hug winging to you. 👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉

Hope your ITB settles down soon- & well done for nursing it along carefully. 😄 xx

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to Elfe5]

Aw, thank you lovely Elfe! I am still grinning now. It was such a great experience (bar the knee incident! But then I even smiled through that, clearly I am quite bonkers). Rest and rehab now; I am a gal with a plan! Hope that you are well. xxx

[Sqkr Half Marathon]

You did it! Brilliant! And that sucks about your ITB but you stuck it out, and now you can work on it without a looming deadline. That will surely help! So glad you enjoyed it 😄 And that's exactly how you should feel about your half, not cheated—just inspired by how well you did, and left knowing you can do as well, if not better, when you run it again! Being a bit competitive with yourself is excellent motivation 😁

I get a giant welling up of emotion at the start of an event too. And sometimes in the middle, if there's a flyover or a big landmark, or if my brain wanders onto my reasons for running. But definitely always just before the countdown, not usually tears—but like a big ball of emotion trying to get out of my body. Excitement, pride, anticipation...not sure. I'm afraid to say that six (is it six or five?) half marathons into my running life it still happens, you'd best get used to it 😄

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to Sqkr]

Thanks so much, Sqkr! I truly surprised myself by how much I loved it, and, despite bloody ITB, how easy I found it. I honestly thought at the end, 21k is not so bad! 😂

You are right - dealing with this injury without the time pressure is so much better. Two weeks before the race was not so good (pffft!) and I only stopped running for a week to rest it. This time I am going to take at least two weeks out, and swim and strength train instead. Physio said to resume with short runs, and just go by the feels. Then, build up to longer runs very slowly. I was planning on focussing on shorter bursts after my HM anyway, so all good! 👍

A welling up of emotion - that’s exactly what it was! After that, pure unadulterated glee! Glad I am not the only one to react that way - phew! 😂😊

[alisonx]

Congratulations Sadie 🎉🥇🐱‍🚀🎉 what a superstar

What a great report, so glad you enjoyed it! Shame about that pesky ITB band flaring up but you carried on and i think in a great time too. You are right to feel disappointed that you had to walk, but you know that you could have ran it all and that counts!

Get rested and hopefully sort that injury - then you can go for it again and smash that time

what an inspiration you are 🤩

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to alisonx]

Aw, Alison, what a lovely thing to say! I feel less bad about having to walk bits now - I am actually pleased that I managed to finish with so much energy (though maybe that’s because of all the walking 😂) and it has taught me that just maybe, I will run the whole distance next time with ease! HM training gets you so fit! Thank you again for your kind words. 😘😘

[uncle_wiggy Half Marathon 10 Miles]

Love this Sadie, you've had your problems and you've dealt with them good and proper, but best part of all this is your smiling and joyous! Just fabulous 💐

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to uncle_wiggy]

Aw, thanks Wiggy. 😊 The only way to face a problem is head on, right? 😁 It was such a joyful affair, I really want to do another sometime! But in the meantime, rest, rehab, and short, winter runs to look forward to. 👍 Thank you for your kind words. x

[uncle_wiggy Half Marathon 10 Miles in reply to Sadie-runs]

You're welcome Sadie, facing problems head on absolutely spot on 👍