Bath HM: That was hard! Suppose any... - Fun Beyond 10K & ...

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Bath HM

SkiMonday profile image
SkiMondayUltramarathon
17 Replies

That was hard! Suppose any race where I’m aiming for a goal close to my limit is going to be hard but this was supposedly a goal that should be comfortably within my reach. I guess I discuss that a bit further on...

As the photo shows, it was a glorious sunny day for this (and a comfortable temperature too).

Anyhow, my goal was to complete the HM within two hours. Plan was to run the first 1k at a relaxed pace then up my pace to 5:35 /k and hold there, maybe giving it some more effort over the last 5k if I felt up to it.

As planned, I started off at an easy pace, picking up to target pace after the first 1k. If anything, my pace was then a little faster than target but I was still running at a comfortable pace, my average hitting 5:30 which gave me a comfortable margin for later on in the race.

It felt like there was a steady climb from 9k to 10.5k. Looking at the Strava trace, it’s actually an up and down over a river bridge followed by a flat then a climb of 10m over 500m for a total ascent of around 15m. Not really a lot of climbing but I tend to ease back on the climbs to save energy so it knocked my average pace a bit. Not enough to put me into the “red zone” but it eroded my comfortable margin. The last 16k of the course consists of two loops of the same circuit so I knew I’d have to repeat the climb (and I’d seen what the finish climb was like!)

So, by 17.5k, I was back on the climbing section with all my margin used up. OK, some of the perceived climb was psychological but it still had a detrimental effect on my pace. I gave it what I could but didn’t feel I had it in me to recover my average pace so I realised I wasn’t going to make my two hour target. Then I turned into the finish section!

The finish is a climb of 15m over 200m. Without a doubt, it’s the steepest part of the course and not what you want at the end of an HM. I resorted to running it at a sustainable effort. It’s unfortunate that the end of the climb isn’t visible for most of the way up. With 50m to go, the course turns off the hill onto a flat section to the finish. That’s where I gave it everything I had left.

My watch and the provisional results give exactly the same time which show that I achieved my goal with 14 seconds to spare! Had hoped for a bigger margin than that buy, hey, goal achieved!

Next up is the Newport Marathon somewhere around March next year. Before that though, I’m going to ease back for a while. Should help my knee tendonitis settle down (it’s not a problem whilst I’m running but it would be good to sort it).

The total climb for this was 76m. About a month ago, I ran a local 10k with an average pace of 5:28 /k (giving a chip time of 54:15) and that had 95m of climbing. Wasn’t organised enough to write a race report for that but it did suggest that I was on for a good time on today’s HM. Maybe I was a bit under the weather today. It would be nice to be able to run a sub two hour HM without having to put so much effort in. Maybe if I add some longer runs to my training that would help. Although, right now, I’m easing back for a bit.

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SkiMonday profile image
SkiMonday
Ultramarathon
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17 Replies
linda9389 profile image
linda9389AdministratorMarathon

You beat your target.

You got an absolutely awesome time!

That's all you need to focus on.

Oh but that final climb ... that alone puts me off 😱

Good luck with resting the knee 😊

Katnap profile image
KatnapMarathon

💪 result! Great run SkiMonday

🐱 Katnap 🐱

misswobble profile image
misswobbleMarathon

well done Mike! Sounds like a really tough route. A hill at the end when you’re tired is torture! You did it though 😀💪🏃‍♂️🏅👏

MissUnderstanding profile image
MissUnderstandingHalf Marathon

Amazing time! That hill at the end is just pure evil. Somehow I didn’t clock it on the first lap and practically had a heart attack when I saw it. Managed to crawl up but that was all I had.

Congrats fellow runner! Hope you managed a nice glass of something cold at the end!

cheekychipmunks profile image
cheekychipmunksHalf Marathon

I’m so glad you got to run Bath at last SM, and awesome that you achieved your target! 💪💪

I’m now doubtful if I fancy it with those hills. Ok over a short run, but HM distance? 😱 Did you enjoy the course? Maybe they’ll revert to the original one - one day? 🙏🏻 🤞

Still you did it! 🏅🏅🏅

SkiMonday profile image
SkiMondayUltramarathon in reply tocheekychipmunks

Thanks CC. I found the course hard going but that’s because I was chasing a target. If I’d approached it like the Forest of Dean HM (which is much hillier) I think it would have been much easier.

cheekychipmunks profile image
cheekychipmunksHalf Marathon in reply toSkiMonday

How were the hills compared to the Bristol HM? I found those rather annoying!

SkiMonday profile image
SkiMondayUltramarathon in reply tocheekychipmunks

I found the hill on the Bristol HM a doddle. Although all I did was stand there and attempt to be encouraging! To date, I haven’t run it so I can’t compare.

mrrun profile image
mrrunUltramarathon

That’s top job man, well done! 👊👊👊 In this game looking cool and delivering results can be hard to achieve, but you’re cruising!

SkiMonday profile image
SkiMondayUltramarathon in reply tomrrun

Cheers mrrun. Towards the end, I definitely wasn’t cruising but, I guess, part of the game is appearing to be cruising when we’re not!

RunBrianRun profile image
RunBrianRunHalf Marathon

I think you’re being a bit harsh on yourself. You got a PB on a tough course. Any PB is a victory worth celebrating and especially any sub 2 hour HM. 👍 Well done 👏👏👏👏

Freecloud profile image
FreecloudMarathon

Wow! That was some run and a string of PBs on the way to boot!

Very glad you reached your 1/2 marathon PB target. I hate it when you can see the clock ticking towards your target and there's not much you can do about it. But as you said, you gave it your all at the end so well done sir! You're an inspiration.

Enjoy your rest before you train for the marathon.

Week7 profile image
Week7Half Marathon

Really enjoyed reading this post.Good run!

Irishprincess profile image
IrishprincessAdministratorHalf Marathon

Whoop whoop! Well done SM 💪👍 All your training clearly paid off. And wasn't it perfect weather? 😎 I wonder if they’ll revert to the original route in time?

I wish I’d been there to share your success and a beer afterwards! But next time….

Decker profile image
DeckerUltramarathon

Result! Well run Ski! 👏👏👏

Cowladyrunning profile image
CowladyrunningMarathon

well done on achieving your target! Amazing run!! 👏 those hills sound cruel!

Frenc profile image
FrencHalf Marathon

Well done SkiMonday 😊. Especially with that final climb. Enjoy easing off a bit.

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