Itβs been an absolutely brilliant weekend and Iβm writing this still buzzing after the run. Considering the build for this has been, to put it politely, challenging, itβs a minor miracle and Iβm super pleased with myself.
Race day preparations started yesterday with collecting my number and eating out at Zizzis (chosen specifically for the fact they do a pasta dish identical to my usual pre race dinner). We scoped out parking and a Starbucks for breakfast and morning coffee. Important to get the priorities right! Good nights sleep guarantee at Premier Inn guaranteed and I probably slept the best before any event Iβve done. In the morning, the sun was shining and the weather was cold. Perfect for a run.
After a seamless trip into a Worcester and fruit toast/coffee, time to walk down to the start. After the usual milling around, MrU disappeared off for official race photography/family WhatsApp updating/skittles supplying duties. I ran through the plan in my head-4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, get to 5km and see how things are going. I havenβt run further than 5km since covid 8 weeks ago and I was nervous about running out of energy. Plus the complication of a minor hip niggle after picking up a mug awkwardly last week (!!!). The main goal was just to get to the end without anything hurting too much and with a smile. I spotted the 75 minute pacemaker and as a secondary aim, I wanted to stay in front of him.
Eventually, it was time to start and thatβs when the magic happened. This was such a lovely run. A great course with the first 5km around the city and the second along the river. That means thereβs really natural different stages of the run to keep it interesting. The way the route goes around the city means itβs easy for a keen supporter (MrU is expert race crew) to zip around and wave at lots of different points. It felt like every ten minutes I was waving! At about 4km, we did an elite level transfer of a handful of skittles on the run.
i was feeling great and it took quite a lot to discipline to stick to βyou are jeffing this and not going all outβ. I let my run pace drift up a little more than planned as a compromise. That one minute walk was wonderful for reading message from my family and taking pictures. It was such a chilled way to run.
The best part of the race was along the river. Swans. The cathedral. Boats. Dinosaurs.
Yesβ¦I hi-fived two dinosaurs! Crowds are just brilliant for keeping the spirits up. When five miles came up I was really emotional because I wasnβt expecting to get that far still feeling so good. By this point, my pace was picking up and at 9km, I decided to just go with it. All those fast finish runs Iβve done really came into their own and I was overtaking people all the way to the finish line. What a brilliant feeling!! MrU almost missed me because I was over ten minutes faster than Iβd expected. It turns out that running with Mr Jeff is actually quite speedy and I left that 75 minute pacer for dust! I wasnβt far off catching up with the 60 minute guy. Nowhere near a PB but Iβm massively proud of how today went. Nailed both goals. We celebrated with coffee (of course!) and brownies back in Starbucks.
Thank you to everyone who has waved pom poms and said encouraging things along the way. You are all legends and the support here is amazing. Iβll be wearing my shiny new medal and t-shirt with pride!
Written by
MissUnderstanding
Half Marathon
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Absolutely! I had such a lot of fun and managed to rein in my wazzock tendencies! There was a moment where I almost overtook someone right next to the river with no barrier. Thought better of it given my recent history of silly injuries!!
Thank you! It was such a lovely morning. MrU outdid himself today-he seemed to be everywhere!! Itβs great to have such great crew. Luckily he loves the atmosphere of a big event and had almost as much fun as I did!
Thank you! I would absolutely recommend it-especially on a day like today so if you do it, put in an order for blue skies! Worcester is a nice place for a wander pre/post race too.
Thank you Sue! Itβs been pretty much a perfect weekend. Itβs so great to be able to report back such a positive experience. The support on here has been amazing!
π This is one for the bucket listβ¦ 5K round the city and 5k in the countryβ¦ sounds really great! π Well planned and executed MissU β¦ delighted it went so well πxxx
Thank you!! Itβs such a good route. Flat, varied, easily accessible by train or good parking in the cityβ¦ plus a healthy dose of sunshine too. I loved it! The 5km along the river was really special. Definitely one Iβd recommend!
Thank you! I am absolutely still smiling!! Itβs been such a brilliant weekend. I think this one will stay with me for a long time. Iβm already thinking about running again next year!
Thank you! I feel on cloud nine at the moment. Iβm going to run another 10k next month and itβs given me some real confidence that Iβll be running all of that one. Whether that happens or not, Iβm taking todayβs run as a huge step in the right direction
Thank you! I absolutely loved it today and was thinking of you on your own epic 10k too. Back on track and doing it in style? Right back at you my friend β€οΈ
I was confident; the old race magic works again. Great run, and a lovely post bubbling over with happiness. So good to readβ¦brilliant work Miss U πππππ
Thank you!! There was most definitely magic in the air this weekend! An absolute pleasure to share with everyone who has been so amazingly supportive. β€οΈ
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