Telling people that I was going for a run in monsoon conditions might sound like one long joke but the rain which descended on the East of England on Sunday was not that funny and I'm guessing that it would've had Noah thumbing through the yellow pages for ark upgrade specialists. The forecast wasn't too encouraging as I packed my gear on Saturday but the sheer volume of water which fell upon the UK's most Easterly point took me totally by surprise. Last year's event took place in sunshine with a slight sea breeze, perfect conditions which allowed me to knock a huge quarter of an hour off my previous pb. Another 2 minutes were shaved off that mark in April in Norwich but any hopes of lowering my time to the 2:15:00 target which my training had convinced me was possible were quickly dashed by the large amounts of standing water on the course and the strong wind blasting off the sea. This is a major thing at Lowestoft as the last mile or so is straight along the sea wall, after 12 miles it's no fun to have to contend with a strong headwind which is adding its weight to the rain and sea spray!
After grabbing my race number and timing chip I managed to acclimatise with 406 other hardy souls by getting thoroughly drenched on the walk to the start line. Once the gun sounded it actually felt as though I was running in a shower though, sadly, without a temperature control! Part of the course was re-routed as the deluge had created a flood at the foot of the main hill so the nearby car park was used as an escape route, this led to the hill which resembled a water fall. It's a strange sensation to run up hill with water lapping at your laces, its also a strange sensation gingerly going back down the hill again later! My performance was largely as I'd expected it to be and I was actually well in with a shout of getting close to my pb for 12 or 13kms but the weight of water on my clothes and the constant battering of the wind took its toll and I eventually ran out of steam finishing in 2:22:40. All things considered I think that missing my pb by around 6 minutes in those conditions is a moral victory!
The real stars of the event were the marshals, volunteers and supporters who lined the course in vile conditions. I have an idea that the local supermarkets and sweet shops had a run (pun intended!!) on jelly babies in the days leading up to the day, I've never seen so many boxes of the sugary delights being offered though they were less appetising after a while once they became rather slimy!
After crossing the line I wandered to the race HQ tent to grab my medal, tee shirt and goody bag. If you've ever seen footage of animals in migration crossing a river then you'll get the idea of what that scene resembled though on this occasion there were slightly fewer crocodiles...!
The fun didn't stop there, the drive home, which is 8 miles in approximately 15 minutes, took 50 minutes with the roads all flooded. The sight of man hole covers giving a Las Vegas casino style fountain display will stay with me for a while that's for sure.
The photo shows a soggy me about 20 yards from the finish line and ready for the mangle!!
Written by
lardofale
Half Marathon
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What an awesome run for you, excellent time regarding the weather conditions, you were drenched before you even began the run, gets to the bit where you can't get any wetter so you just carried on, if I had been running in those conditions, if nothing else I would have been concerned if water got into my chip timer or any other important thing I had on me, even, the possibility of hypothermia, especially with that gale and spray along the promenade, congratulations on completing the run. 🏃🏾
Well done! Oohh that reminded me of my monsoon peterborough Half last year.........forward a year and we were waking up Sunday morning listening to the rain hoofing it down.....before going out for our HM at Wimpole....not again....please......🤦♀️..........☔️ it stopped raining and held off for the majority of it, it’s no mean feat to get through a run like that.
Well done you, I bet you thought you’d been swimming rather than running.....🏊🏻♂️......
Well done! A great time considering the weather conditions. I know from a friend of mine that Leicester half was cancelled due to flooding on the course, so a brave decision to carry on.
PS My friend and many others still carried on to run a HM as they’d trained for it. Crazy what we will do!
Thank you! I heard about the Leicester cancellation, a nightmare after all the effort I training. Yep it proves that we're a "special ' breed doesn't it?! 😉
Congratulations for keeping going lardofale . That is my worst nightmare for my Great South Run in 10 days time. But you went far further. I hope you have recovered from your adventures. 🏃♂️👏👏🎖
Very well done! I'm not far from you and man, that rain, it was incredible. Thought it would never stop! The fact that you got out there at all is amazing, and being only 6 minutes from your pb in that weather is just terrific!
Thank you! It was incredible wasn't it?! I didn't think that I would ever be dry again! There are other opportunities to get a pb but I was certainly pleased with this one 👍
You did it...in horrendous conditions lardofale👏👏...one to look back on!😁
That photo is very different from your usual ones ( blue skies and sunshine) hard to imagine how you could see where you were going! Huge Well done to you, on your acheivement. 😊xxx
Respect! Nice one. Sounds like you won't forget that race for a long time. A moral victory to be sure by being off your PB pace by only 17 seconds per km - a huge achievement in itself.
Thank you! I did it last year in the sunshine and people were still talking about the year before and it's gale force winds. I have an idea that future events will be along the lines of "remember the 2019 monsoon.....!"
Brilliant race in those conditions! Those manhole covers sound like end of times conditions! I like running in the rain as long as it is not freezing cold. Time to put your feet up by the fire
Thank you! That sums it up nicely! Mind you, in my neck of the woods somebody only has to spit on the road and gridlock ensues! The roads on Sunday resembled a desperate escape from a zombie apocalypse!
Well done! Looking positively, you'll have been well hydrated 😜. Plus think of the exfoliation effects of sand and salt water on your face. Every cloud...
Thank you! I'm sure that hydrating whilst running is generally recommended to be orally rather than via skin saturation!! Good point about the skin treatment however........!
Thank you Sir! There is a small chip in my brain which thinks things like this are a good idea, if i find it i may try to unplug it in future..........!
Great report and well done you for perseverance. 👏🏼🎉 That training regime must have been really something. I’ve been there in windy conditions - bad enough without the rain/torrent as well. You are a runner with grit!
Thank you! I run every Saturday morning at Lowestoft Parkrun so I should be used to the sea wind but this was something else! My training includes lots 5am plodding around the cold dark streets of Beccles so I guess I'm either hardcore, gritty or tapped! 😉
Your choice, then!🤣 But my vote goes to grit. The coldest I’ve ever been was on the high frontage path at Southwold. That wind was straight from Siberia with nothing in the way before the East Coast beaches! ☃️💨🌊 And I had a thick coat & no rain. You deserve your bling. 👏🏼
Oh eck 😳. Awful conditions to be sure but you did it so hats off to you 💪. Once you’re wet you’re wet so you just plough on don’t you. Being cold and wet is no fun at all so you have to press on just to keep warm. Battling strong winds is very tiring 😤. You do feel so sorry for the marshalls etc, and families huddling together trying their best to be upbeat bless em 🙂
The drive home in soggy clothes and squeaky shoes Ew 😁. The thought of a hot bath after my mud run last weekend kept me going Bliss or what 🛀
I hope you’re now fully restored and planning your next adventure 😃👍🌪🏃♂️🏅
I did my first one on my 60th birthday 😃. I aim to do one on every birthday for as long as I can. I did one for my 61st I took 52 minutes off my time 😳😃
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