First half marathon

[Dendev75]

Thanks for the lovely shout outs and pom poms for my first half marathon which took place at Liverpool on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful day and over 60 of our running club were taking part which was lovely.

I felt ready for it as I’d trained hard and could run for 11 miles without stopping at a good chatty comfortable pace and still felt strong at the end. I felt grateful I had no lurgy or upset stomach on the day too.

I ran with my usual running buddies but when I got to 9 miles I found I just couldn’t keep up and had to walk for a bit. I had found one of our club members walking so walked with her and then we ran/walked the last 4 miles to the end - holding hands over the finish line.

I can’t say I enjoyed it and I was disappointed in the experience as I had expected to be able to run the whole distance but it wasn’t to be.

I was unnerved to see so many young people collapsed on the route too, quite scary really. It was warm on the promenade but I hydrated well, ate a chia charge bar and nibbled on jelly babies so I couldn’t have done any more.

I have decided to try another half in Cheshire in September to hopefully achieve running the whole distance.

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

Well done Dendev75! I am pleased to award you your bright shiny HM badge which you should wear with pride.A first HM is very special. You will learn a lot from this one too. 🏆

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Thank you - I feel I will learn a lot about myself and the experience going forward and that’s what this journey is all about 😊

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

Definitely;I hope that you celebrated this one properly 🥂

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

I didn’t as I was feeling so deflated at the end - I went home and had an Epsom salts bath - but I went back to club tonight for a run and feel more positive about the next one.

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

You have done something really amazing and very tiring. I was hungry for a week after my first! You both look really happy to be finishing 🙂

[AlMorr Half Marathon]

Congratulations Dendev75 on completing the Liverpool Half Marathon, great photo 🏃🏾✔️

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks AlMorr 😊

[Cowladyrunning Marathon]

Great finish photo! Congratulations but sorry you weren't happy with it. It sounds like you did really well for your first half though.

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Cowladyrunning]

Thank you ☺️

[RunWillie Marathon]

Huge well done Dendev75 😍

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

Thank you ☺️

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

Well done and congratulations on your huge achievement 👏🥳🎉 and what a fab photo too!

Race days sometimes don't work out the way we planned and Plan B or even Plan C have to kick in. But the only thing that matters is that you got to the start line and crossed the finish line and you did that.

It is scary seeing ambulances on the route. You’ve read my race report so know the same thing happened during my race too. I just wonder if some people didn't take any water/fuel with them?

Anyway, hopefully you can reflect on the day now and feel very proud of what you have done 🥰

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks Irishprincess yes I’m glad I took part and can learn from it.

I noticed it was a lot of younger people who had collapsed - I just hope all were okay. 🙏🏻

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

Perhaps they pushed too much, it’s so easy to do in race conditions.

[Week7 Half Marathon]

Congratulations on your first HM 🏅 Good luck in the next one too!!!

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Week7]

Thank you ☺️

[SueAppleRun 10 Miles]

That's some distance, I feel your disappointment but do be proud that you finished, you are amazing.

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to SueAppleRun]

Thank you ☺️

[Freecloud Marathon]

Excellent! Very well done Dendev75! You did brilliantly. Don't worry about the stopping and walking, I am now in my third year of running at events and I often walk during them. I ran at a half marathon event last Sunday and got a PB but I walked 3 times and slowed a number of times.

Running in a race is a different beast than running in training, many things can come into play and you did a great job, so good on ya!

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Freecloud]

Thanks and I hear you about training being so different to the actual race.

I think it was because I’ve trained with my usual running buddies and we all run a similar pace but on the day I just couldn’t keep up with them which was so disappointing.

[Freecloud Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

I tried to keep up with a pacer last weekend and simply couldn't do it, and it was a pace I could usually do without difficulty. It could have been related to, lack of sleep, over doing the training or many other things. It's also very easy to start off too fast and then tire yourself out early. I still do all of the above sometimes and have ran in over 50 events at this stage.

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Freecloud]

You’re right, I think it was a lack of a proper breakfast and I started off faster without really realising as it was a long uphill at the start.

[misswobble Marathon]

Well done Devs! Great job 😀💪👏👊✊

Here’s to the next one 🥂

I hope you’re feeling good today 🙂👍

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Thank you, no aches afterwards just sore toenails 😬🤣

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

I apply layers nail varnish to try and mitigate the damage 😁

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

I wear funny silicone toe protectors. 😂

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

Do they stay put? 🙂

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Yes the smallest ones do and have protected my toe nails and from getting blisters. 👍🏻

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

Thank you. that’s worth knowing. I always end up with battered feet 😩

[Lavender1962 Half Marathon]

Congratulations! 👏👏 Well done! There’s nothing wrong with walking occasionally. First one done and already thinking about another.

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Lavender1962]

Thank you ☺️

[aliboo70 Half Marathon]

Well done Dendev75 on your 1st HM, it's always a learning experience so don't be hard on yourself! Like the smiley photo at the finish line! 😀 💪😁🏃‍♀️

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

Thank you ☺️ I was glad it was over 🤣

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

That’s a great photo Dendev75 and a fab achievement 👏🙂 - remember this was your first Half, so you should be proud that you did it and certainly not disappointed! It’s great that you are planning the next one and you will be a stronger and wiser runner by then! In the meantime, enjoy the bling!🙂🏅

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you ☺️ I will take on board all these comments from everyone and move forward to the next one. 😊

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon]

Hello Dendev75,

Many congratulations on completing your first ever half marathon distance. I am sorry plan A didn't happen, but thank you so much for sharing your experience. What a lot of your club took part with you and how lovely to have one beside you for the latter stages. Already another HM to look forward to. Wow! That didn't take long!

Like you I do hope that those that needed medical help have recovered.

I have entered my first ever half marathon, although I am not confident that I will make it to the start line on May 18th. I shall continue trying but I have a problematic knee.

I hope that you are recovering well. As you have already been out for a club run, that must be a very good sign. 😊🏃🏻‍♀️🥇

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Thank you for your kind words. ☺️

Ooh May, let’s hope your knee settles down so you can continue training and get to that start line. I’ll keep everything crossed for you.

[Cantstopmenow Half Marathon]

Congratulations on your first HM. I was thinking about you. It's not easy to judge pace in race conditions and the cobbles on the long waterfront stretch are not great underfoot! You got the job done - so well done to you! 🎉

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to Cantstopmenow]

Thank you, I know I set off too fast and didn’t consider the hill at the start - I’ll learn ☺️

Those cobbles were vile 😂 I was totally cobble dodging 😱

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Sorry I'm so late replying to this. I do hope you're feeling better about it by now. It reminded me of my first GSR experience. I beat myself up for walking and was so flat, low even, afterwards. I posted here and everyone was incredibly supportive. I've been back and slayed that demon, but it did teach me a few things: sometimes things don't go to plan (next time will be better), walking is OK (I now build walks in at every drinks station and make them useful) and actually just going and finishing is a great job (even greater if it was hard work and I didn't give in) 😊

[Dendev75 Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Thanks - I was so low afterwards and I didn’t moan about it - I just didn’t want to talk about it which was difficult when my running buddies all seemed to enjoy it.

I’ve learned from it and I really like your idea of building in a little walk at each drinks station.

Next time I’m going to get up earlier and eat a bowl of porridge then later have a banana about an hour or so before the race. I’ll have a wee as close to the start time as possible because half the time it’s all in my head (I stopped at loos for a wee in the half and didn’t need one and it made my legs seize up after waiting round).

I’ll also keep my pace slower from the beginning and not try to keep up with my faster club members as I burnt out.

Looking forward to my next one ☺️

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to Dendev75]

Lots of lessons there. Going out too fast was part of my problem at that GSR too. I don't always get it right, but I'm much more mindful of a steady start now. We live and learn, and cime back even better - one of the many things I love about running 🥰