Well... I typed a long post and it failed to send, or even give me the chance to resend it. 🤬
Shorter version:
Half? That’s a full run! Half marathons need a new name! Much respect to anyone doing 2 of those back to back!
Misty, very little visibility. NRC estimate 2:35-2:40 when I set the plan up. Then I missed a month of running to a groin strain followed by a virus from the day after I booked on this run.
Cutoff 3 hours... target 2:59:59.
10k down in 67 minutes... which was good but as my longest run so far was under 13 miles I eased off just slightly. Hit 10 miles on 2:20 pace... maybe I could get under 2:30, that would be wonderful.
10.26 miles... ouch. Sharp pain in the ankle as my right foot lands... and again as I slow. Time to walk... in looking at the watch... at least I can walk in and beat the cutoff... that will do nicely. Then the pain went away almost as swiftly as it arrived. Little test run and walk... all seems good again. I decide at this point to do some jeffing to the line... if I hit the NRC estimate I’ll be delighted. The usual discrepancy between NRC and Garmin comes in... NRC says it’s done, but I’m a corner and a short run from the finish... no worries. Garmin hits 13.1 and the finish line follows soon after.
I know that courses are deliberately measured in 1001m kilometres, so that’s a bit of it explained... and I didn’t take the racing line ever! Who cares, all 3 things say I’ve just completed my first HM.
Nike: 2:24:14
Garmin: 2:28:52
UNM... well, I don’t care, they’re both going to be smashed next year anyway. Time to look at going sub 2.
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UnfitNoMore
Metric Marathon
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Got myself some “bad” grub 🤪 reckon I can have a day off caring what I eat, but I know what you mean. Did have a banana and a weird water that I got at the finish line... little Miss UNM has claimed the protein bar, in fried crisps and the oaty thing already. Had a little protein and lots of junk carbs for lunch 😀
Congratulations to you UNM on running your first half marathon, sorry about your first post disappearing and not sending, your time was well within the cut off time.
Interesting what you said about next year, just hope it's a better day regarding the weather., now go and celebrate 🎉 your run 🏃🏾 😊 👍
The weather was almost perfect, a little damp underfoot, but the mist kept me nice and cool... I just didn’t get the chance to see any deer! I’ll be running Tatton again though, so maybe next time.
UNM, isn't it fantastic seeing the words HALF MARATHON next to your username 😊 🏃🏾 🎓 couldn't happen to a nicer person, as far as junior UNM, she will have to run a 10K first before deciding to run a Half marathon. 😊
Time is on her side... but I’m pretty proud that I’ve inspired her, she was lacking motivation for a while until recently, but I didn’t want to push... now she will push herself again, and I’ll be there to help. Think she has 2 and a half years to be HM ready still... and then I’m unlikely to be able to keep up!
That badge will do me for quite a while... the run today was great and I want some more of them before doing the 26.2 thing.
Well done. I think the chip time can be longer as you can meander. The chip, as I understand it. Starts and stops with passing the electronic eye. If you take corners wide, cross the road to pick up water and so on, you will go wide if the distance
Nike was running earliest too... so that will have captured a slightly different 13.1 as it was on my phone and I needed to secure it away... Garmin started as I hit the start line mat, so the slight discrepancies between them all are not more than a couple of percent off what I imagined at the start. Seems the software update my Garmin got last night may have improved its accuracy significantly, it had been measuring 4.6 on a 5 mile run.
She now wants to run one... explained there’s a minimum age and there’s not a lot of point training up to an event that she can’t do... we will get her to 10k ready for the right time to push on.
This time last year that ankle that complained today stopped me running through my own stupidity... managed one run before the new year and that was a whole half mile... didn’t think HM was gonna be possible so soon! Little Miss is buzzing... and apparently also stealing my shirt now... she walked past modelling it a few minutes ago 🤣
😂😂😂 course she is! I've got a niggly ankle right now, and it's not my usual dodgy one either. I'm nursing it along, hoping it will behave, and taking inspiration from your progress 😊
I had to cut my milage right down... but I was aware I could add it back at a faster rate than c25k or bridge as I wasn’t out long. Ankles can be funny things, but with care and strengthening work they won’t slow your progress overall. I abandoned all speed work as I came back from that injury, and again in the last month of this plan, the slow comfortable stuff is better. Ok, so one run I demolished all my PBs accidentally, but I now look at that as a sign that the strengthening work was paying off.
Wow that is an amazing achievement, well done to you and your little helper! Fantastic time too. I’m in awe of anyone that can cover that distance. Huge congratulations 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks. It’s taken a while to get to 21k, but each km is easier to add than the one before (so far, I don’t think that’s true of km 35 to 42, but they can wait) so you’re well on the way.
Looks a lot worse than it was... almost perfect temperature for a distance run and, in the absence of a light drizzle, that mist helped keep my temperature down... just didn’t see any of the deer!
I enjoyed the plan... and the guided HM is excellent. You’ll probably go over the 13.1 before race day too... which just has to be good for the confidence.
Congratulations UNM...you did it! 👍😄👏👏👏 and in a great time.🙆♀️
I was worried when you mentioned your ankle...and hope it's nothing to worry about. 😐You were able to carry on though and have 'ankle experience' so know what to do about it.
The ankle has been fine since those couple of steps, after testing it I had a decision to make, maybe I could have gone hit 2:20, or maybe I could try and not be running for a while... I don’t like those kinds of maybes, so played it safe. Plenty of time to go faster over HM, like the other distances it’s highly unlikely that I wouldn’t have ever beaten todays time wherever I set that bar.
Well done on the time and overcoming the niggles. Thought the weather for my run was going to be even worse when a torrential downpour hit about an hour before I left the house. Eased off as I headed to the event and had stopped by the time I started with some occasional but very welcome light drizzle as I wound my way through Edinburgh's streets.
Ran most of mine much faster than I intended but my legs just would not be told to slow down. Did end up walking one 200m uphill section, but still knocked a couple of seconds over 3 minutes off my previous PB.
Thanks... and very well done on yours, many congratulations on that PB, 3 minutes is a great slice to take off it. That rain will have cold the air nicely for your start too... good to hear that it was dry as you warmed up too.
Thanks. It looks worse than it was... running conditions were about perfect, and visibility improved as we went, not enough to see and of the deer in the park though.
Run Tatton... well organised, not too many runners, and a damn good young singer before the start, I thought they were playing recordings... didn’t catch her name, must email the organisers, she should go far.
There’s a few to choose from... Tatton has no hills of note... gentle inclines and declines all the way... 95% tarmac... and it’ll have me running it next year!
Wow congratulations! What a grim looking day! I've had my posts disappear when writing on my phone so many times too. I now write them in a note and then copy them to the post. Hope you are warmed and well satisfied with the bad grub now. You've certainly earned it!
Thanks. A niggle here, and an injury there... they won’t stop us, and that’s the most amazing thing really... I used to quit at everything, and today I found myself working out how to manage it, the word quit never came into the equation. I’ve followed in some great footsteps in that respect, yours very much included. Those numbers don’t really say anything important... I may get faster... but I will get older and slower regardless... I’ll always be out there and happy though.
Thanks. Sub 2 is the new mission, sub 2:30 was a surprise today. I only ran the half as it’s a step on the journey to 26.2 and somewhere out there is a guy who once told me I didn’t have what it takes to do that! I can see a handful of HMs first though.
Well done that man. 🎉👏🏼🎉 So glad the ankle issue evaporated quickly. 😮 Hard to keep calm, I’m sure. Extra credit for that! And raring to go again - oh my, must be a real runner here 😄👍🎉. Congratulations.
It was strange... if I’d been in that position a year ago I’d have gone home... but quitting was never an option once I’d seen that I could walk and finish if I had to.
Wooop woop!!! Well done UNM . Looks tough conditions too. Hope you've ate lots of junk food and celebrated 😊👍💪👌ps... Same think happened when I tris to post earlier today, lost it all!
Thanks. Conditions were great apart from the lack of scenery as it was hidden behind the mist. Junk food done... wine done... back to healthy eating tomorrow!!!
Congratulations! Sounds like an extremely well managed race! I love the fire that's driving your next target! The one thing I struggle with is assuming I can get faster, especially over the long distance. Takes strength of mind I haven't been able to find. However, I have no doubt you'll be hitting your target! Massive congratulations again 👏👏👏😍
Thanks. My presumption that I can get faster is based on a few factors, not least that I was already moving faster yesterday until the ankle issue, and also that I dropped most of the speed work on my plan because I’d missed a big chunk of the running early on... so I decided the long runs were really vital, if I had to ditch either of the more likely to injure me risks, speed could go. Sub 2 will remain a challenge, maybe I won’t be able to manage it, but I will give it 100% effort. I did demolish all of my shorter distance PBs in one of my long runs, so something is working! Maybe to be quick over a half I need to be running around the 16 mile mark in training.
Brilliant run UNM. Ankle thing a bit odd. I sometimes get a pain down the outside of my right ankle after a longer run, but it disappears as quickly as it comes. Just a bit of tightening up I guess. Whatever, great effort 👏👏👏👏👍🥇
Thanks... yeah, I think it may have just been my foot landed unusually as I was getting into the tired phase of the run... no ankle pain since. Legs want a run though!
Crikey, it looks very foggy there. Look at the chap blowing his nail! Ha ha. typical race weather
Well done! Sounds like a good race, apart from the twinge, but you ran it off! It's always a worry isn't it but it's amazing how we run these things off.
Congratulations on nailing your first half. You'll be doing them right, left and centre from here on in.
Thanks. I didn’t feel the cold, that guy must be a bit nesh🤣. I did love the distance... maybe it’ll be my favourite by this time next year... and they can be run weekly, and maybe raced monthly.
Don’t you just hate disappearing posts. I now write up in notes and then copy into the post so It doesn’t go down a black hole. Very well done on that first HM , especially as you’d not been well.
Your picture captures your dreary day perfectly. But you did it and got bling.
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