Thursday 23 December 2010

Bedford Half 12th Dec 2010


Typically around this time of year I enter the popular half arranged by Bedford Harriers and following the disappointment of the Norwich Half being cancelled due to adverse weather conditions I felt I had to make a point today and finally get some life back into the old legs… Not that I’m moaning after the year I’ve had and the races run but this is my distance and I want to get back into it…

The weather was ideal and despite snow in other areas of the UK , there was very little on the route with a slight breeze so the conditions were ideal…

With my faithful black bin liners covering the all too familiar running vest, even in at these low temperatures, I lined up at the start… The starter moved us forward so it was time to remove the liners, be strong and take on the icy breeze and we were off..!!!

The first mile was spent trying get past the slower runners that always seem to line up at the front but after that it was time to pace myself… A few miles ticked by but I was already starting to feel exhausted… Not sure why even though there are a few hills it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle so it was time to dig deep even at this stage of the race… By mile 6, the feeling started to dwindle and with a steady pace the half way point was reached in 46:27…

As the miles were covered and with any feeling of tiredness gone, I felt if anything that the pace had stayed the same or increased slightly as I started to pass the odd runner… At mile 9, a friend of mine, marshalling, gave a shout of encouragement to which I replied ‘I’m trying my best you know’ before we hit the downhill section at 10…

The few last few miles passed painlessly and by mile 13 I could even manage a quick burst of speed to cross the line in 1:32:18… The slowest I had run this course (by a matter of seconds) but a good day’s works with the second half completed in 45:51 so a negative split…

For those who live in the area, the Bedford Half is well worth a go as the course is a mixture of ups & downs plus the organisation is excellent…

With the last race of the year over, its time to consider my options / challenges for 2011 so watch this place plus I will blog a summary of the year’s events in the coming days….

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