First of all, you've probably gathered that I didn't manage to achieve my target of running a marathon at some time in the 12 months since starting my blog. The truth is, I sort of lost heart a little after my half-marathon injury last October, and when I realised that I couldn't enter the London Marathon because I was supposed to be taking my wife to Mexico for her 50th birthday. I did think about other marathons, but it just seemed as if fate had decreed it was Not Meant To Be.
But here I am again. A year older and just as stupid, and so determined once more to push my body through the 26-mile mill. And just to prove it, I'm back running half-marathons as part of the campaign. But a little more about that later.
So what's changed in 10 months. Well, my trainers for a start. I've got through two new pairs since my last blog entry. I've broken two PBs, got a whole new collection of running event medals, started - and stopped - having physiotherapy sessions on my hamstrings, and discovered a liking for post-run strawberry protein shakes. But I STILL haven't managed to beat my best Parkrun time - two years and counting now since I saw the magic words "New PB!" next to my name on the regular Saturday afternoon email.
The PBs I have managed to achieve were for a mile (under 7 minutes, thank you very much) and, just last Sunday, for a half-marathon. It was at my favourite running course, the Royal Parks in the centre of London. It's leafy, it's scenic and there's not too many long straight stretches to sap your will to keep going.
The three best things about the Royal Parks Half?
1/ The crowds cheering you on. There are spectators lining practically the whole route, especially in Hyde Park, not to mention the bands and drummers and even cheerleaders helping to keep you going. Even on a soaking wet day like last Sunday, people turn out in droves to show their support.
2/ The flatness. There's hardly a hill worthy of the name in the whole 13 miles. So much so that when you do get the odd tiny gradient, you groan inwardly as if you were being asked to do the Three Peaks Challenge.
3/ The organisation. It's well-staffed and friendly, it processes 16,000 runners incredibly efficiently. And it's even got a good app, which texted me my time within seconds of me crossing the finish line.
The three worst things?
1/ This year, the weather. The heavens opened just before and just after the race, which really wasn't much fun at all. Though it did have the good grace to keep to a damp drizzle while I was actually running
2/ The distance between the finish line and the bag drop. It probably isn't actually that far at all, but when your legs are just beginning to seize up, it's a journey that seems to take about half as long as the race itself
3/ (and this is a particularly personal one) The paucity of toilet paper in the portaloos at the entrance to the event village. When you've queued up for 20 minutes, that's actually the last thing you want to discover. I'm bringing my own next time.
Those three minor bugbears aside, I really enjoyed this race. Wasn't sure what to expect as the training had been a bit up and done, but I'd done my distances and knew I had the miles in my legs in theory, if not necessarily in practice. As it was, I ran one of my steadiest races ever, a metronomic nine minutes a mile for the first 10 miles without a single break.
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| Finished! |
God's sake! My first break in an hour and a half. Cheeky beggar. Anyway, just to make sure I got no more caustic asides from the crowd, I ploughed straight on, even sprinting the finish, to end in 1 hour 58.37 - about a minute faster than my previous half-marathon best. And it felt great. Well, not great exactly, but not as muscle-bustingly awful as it has in the past.
Now if I can just learn how to do two of those in a row.
