I had wanted to do this one for a few years now. It’s close to where I grew up and the area has many happy memories for me. Also, it’s a stunning coastline (AONB) and it looked a spectacular course. Oh, and it’s the second fastest HM in the world apparently (Valencia is the first) so a perfect race to test my training and aim for a PB.
It’s also a World Athletics Elite course and the BBC were filming (there’s coverage on iplayer). Mo Farah won it in the first year in a mind-boggling time of 1:00:27!!
I did see the elites whizz by on the other side. Blimey, they are super speedy!
Oh, and Jo Pavey was the 2 hour pacer. She does it every year and rates it as the most beautiful course she has seen.
Anyway, back to me 🤣 In the end, the training lasted 16 weeks rather than my usual 12 because I had a couple of races in the middle and after those weeks I just went back and re-did a few weeks just because I had time. I came through the training with zero niggles or problems so I was feeling strong when I got up at 530 yesterday morning and ready to go.
The roads were due to close at 8am but I wanted to get to the car park early. Even though I use to visit Larne regularly when I lived here, but I haven’t been in years and obviously things have changed a lot and I didn’t know where to go. Google maps got me there by 715 and so I then followed some other runners to the Race Start Hub, about a 20 minute walk away.
A quick visit to the loo and then it was just a question of waiting before we got into our various pens ready for another 20 minute-odd walk to the start line. This is where things got a bit wet and windy! There was no shelter, we were beside the sea and the wind was fierce. I was already cold before it started to rain. The day before I had bought a hoodie in a charity shop and thank goodness I did. But honestly, who would have thought you would have needed a hoodie in August?!!
A pipe band played for us on our way to the start. The same band that my dad played for in his youth 🥰 so I saw that as a good omen. They were there at the finish too, which was just lovely.
Once we got to the start line we just had to wait. For over an hour 🥶 The rain and wind were relentless, everyone was shivering, and I could see the hairs stand up on the arm of a girl in front of me. We all just wanted to get moving. I then started to feel hungry. I had stupidly forgotten my banana which was still lying on the seat in the car! But at that stage I could have done with a bacon butty and a nice big mug of tea 😋
My clothes were sodden and my legs felt numb and I just wanted it to be over. I did think, “why am I here? I should be in bed all snug and warm.” Then of course I remembered all the training I had done and the fact my brother told me the night before he was proud of me and so that was that ❤️
Eventually we got moving and crossed the start line. HURRAH for that 🥳
The legs took a wee while to get going but I was determined to stick to my training pace as closely as possible, so I kept a close eye on my watch to make sure I was on track.
The first few Ks were through the town centre and then along a carriageway but then we hit the coast road and it was just stunning from there on. Because of the weather, visibility wasn’t great so we couldn’t see Scotland. I kept looking out for seals but couldn’t spot any. My brother fishes around the waters and tells great stories about them surfacing and playing with the boat 🦭🥰
As expected, the run along this route brought back memories of my childhood. My dad singing in the car as we headed to another picnic beside the sea, the taste of egg sandwiches and lemonade once we found a suitable spot, mum’s worry that the rocks would somehow choose that moment to fall and crush us underneath even though they had stood there for millions of years 🙂, the Sunday car journeys to the swimming pool and, when I was older, where mum and I often shopped together on a Saturday. Little did I ever suspect that, one day, I would be able to run along this same road. Isn’t life grand?
At Ballygalley Castle we turned around to head back on the return route. I missed my brother and wife who live close by but were away on holiday and I must say I could have done with a boost here. We were now running into the wind and I was feeling very hungry. I took Tailwind with me but, because of the weather, I ended up not drinking enough of it and hence I think I felt “empty.”
It was about this point that my Garmin told me it was low in battery! What??? I had fully charged it the day before so I was surprised. Although it is old and I think maybe on its last legs, so I probably shouldn’t be that surprised. The message appeared right across the screen so I couldn’t see all the data. I know I could have got rid of it by pausing the watch but to be honest I didn’t have the energy 🤣 But it meant that from about 12K I couldn’t see my stats clearly so I had to go by feel a lot of the time.
The last three Ks were hard but I pushed deep and knew that I had been keeping to my targeted pace for most of the race, so I was determined to get a PB on this course.
Eventually the finish line was in sight and as I crossed over I glanced up at the timer and saw 2:28 something. I was so disappointed, and surprised, because I knew my splits should have shown a better time. But by that stage I was so hungry, cold, wet and in dire need of a loo that I put this to the back of my mind until I got back to mum’s.
After the finish line there was chaos. I kept looking for someone to hand me my medal but all I could see was a mountain of a queue going somewhere. I asked what people were queuing for and was told, “everything.” Toilets, bling, t-shirts, food. WHAT!!!
You know I love my bling folks. You know what it means to me. It’s what spurs me. But I was in such discomfort that I was planning to forego the bling just to find a loo and get back to the car for a change of clothes. That’s how desperate I was! I walked past the queue and really just wanted to check to see what the process was at the entrance to the finishers park. When I got to the entrance, lots of people were coming from all directions and just walking through and I couldn’t understand why there there was a massive queue to begin with. I could see there was no one waiting for the loos, so I headed through and that was my first stop.
With much relief, I then looked for my bling (you don’t honestly think I’d have left without it, do you? 🙂). In the end I found some in a container where you could just help yourself! I got my t-shirt pretty quickly (no queue) and off I headed back to the car.
Heaters on, banana and energy bar consumed and a change of clothes and I was beginning to feel a bit more human before I started the drive back. The body felt great, no niggles, nothing hurt, so I was very happy. Job done 👍
It was only after I was huddled in a warm dressing gown and eaten some food that I looked at the official results. That was more like it. I had clearly misread the time on the finish line and rather than the 2:28 something I thought I had, my time was actually 2:23:23, a PB!! I had mistaken the 3 for an 8 on the board 🙄
I am chuffed to bits because I worked hard on those splits and, apart from three, I was able to keep to my target pace throughout. So, the training and strength work paid off 🤗
Needless to say today is lovely weather. No rain, no wind and the sun is trying to break through. If only yesterday had been like this. I overheard a runner say that last year had been a heatwave. Thank goodness it wasn’t that. I’d take wet, windy conditions over heat any day. So, in the end, it was perfect really ❤️
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