Anyway, mutually convenient beer transactions aside, I'm sure you're all itching to know how I got on!
Well, my official time was 2.43:17, which is over 16 minutes faster than last year. I'm chuffed to bits, especially because I stormed into the top 100 finishers in 97th place! BOOM!!!
After our usual, boring, pre-race evening - huge bowls of spag bol, garlic bread, an almond Magnum and a lot of water - Sam, Andy and I were up with the lark after a decent kip. We've got our pre-race prep down to a fine art now, so we were porridged, coffeed and watered up to the hilt by the time 8am was upon us. Then it was the dreaded wait. I often think that the waiting is worse than the event itself and my guts were supporting this sentiment - oh well, at least it gave me something to do in the hour before we set off and running up and down the stairs to the bog gave me an early warm up!
It was a near perfect day for running yesterday. Indeed, it might have been a little too perfect. A lot of runners will tell you that they don't like going out in near cloudless skies because, even on a cool-ish day, the sun can still be powerful enough to burn you. I think it's a function of having salty, sweat-soaked skin, coupled with a wind-induced mild exposure effect and the sun's strength itself. I prefer a cool, overcast and even slightly drizzly day for such endeavours. That said, it was snowing heavily for the event two years ago, so it's all relative!
The turnout was great down at Spen, with way more runners than at last year's event. I conservatively estimated that there were about 350 participants which, although encouraging to see, was putting my aforementioned beer-buy-back scheme at risk!
The usual Spen suspects were all milling about when we turned up and it was great to know that we'd be running with some of our friends and supported by the rest of them, who had volunteered to marshall the route. Also present was our good friend and neighbour, Sally, who was nervously making her debut at the distance. Actually, this was Sally's debut at any distance over 10 miles, as I don't think she's taken part in a half marathon event before, so it was a brave step!
So, after a bit of pacing about and the obligatory team photo, which was as haphazard as ever (several members conveniently absent - I'm looking at you Robert Moon!), we lined up on the track for the start.
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| The GB Olympic team has nothing whatsoever to worry about... |
So, off we set, through Cleckheaton and up the big slog of a hill to Scholes. Almost immediately, my shin splints started giving my gyp and I felt like my left knee was about to pop. Not good. Not good at all. Undeterred, I knew that if I got into my flow and tried to distract myself by having a bit of a chat to Rob Moon, I'd soon be in my stride. There's always the magic six mile marker too, at which point all your aches and pains seem to disappear! Here's hoping...
As we crossed over Halifax Road, just before the "mad mile" down to Clifton, the first of our supporters was waiting - Lucy. With hollers, whoops and screams of encouragement ringing in my ears, I pressed on to the four mile mark, all the time conscious that Sam was 20 metres or so behind me. Sam has a rather annoying habit of ghosting me right at the end of races, so I let Rob press on and dropped back slightly to enquire whether it was a deliberate tactic of hers to keep me ahead of her, or if she was struggling a bit. Turns out her recent back issues were giving her discomfort and she was not intending to go all Kenyan on me in the last mile after waiting patiently to strike!
Feeling sad for her, but knowing that she's a tough little beast who would no doubt be pressing me hard in the final couple of miles, if not already ahead of me, I decided to stick to my plan. My splits up to this point had been encouraging and I was comfortably getting through the miles in eight and a half minutes or so, which was decent bearing in mind it was all uphill.
I'd had my usual quandry, pre-race, about what to wear. I'd opted for my Spen vest with a short-sleeved Helly top underneath. I was now regretting this, so I ditched it in Rob and Kirsty's garden at the eight mile point, advising Rob (I'd caught up with him again) that I wanted it washed, pressed and returned by the morning!
So, the race unfolded and I dug in through the tough bits, trying my hardest to enjoy the easier bits while continually evaluating my body, my breathing and my state of mind. Thankfully, my usually niggly toes, were behaving. I think it was because I'd talcum powdered them, which I will definitely do again from now on.
With about four miles to go I was really feeling it, so I decided to walk briefly, while eating my dextrose tablet stash. It proved to be a wise choice because I smashed through the last two miles in under eight minutes, despite my over-sensitive chunder reflex kicking in on more than one occasion!
So, I averaged 8:09's and was the fifth Spen man home! I'm well pleased with that and I really think I could complete London an hour quicker than last year. Might sound far fetched, but it's practically flat and I've got another six weeks to go!
Sam came home in 2:49 and was the first Spen lady to finish! Brilliant performance, to say she wasn't feeling comfortable during the entire race. She still managed to knock ten minutes off last year's time, so she really needs to stop being so hard on herself! Most impressively, Spen's ladies won the ladies' team prize, due in no small part to Sam's efforts - like I said, she's a tough little beast!
Andy came home in 3:26ish, having struggled to locate satellites for his Garmin and then struggled with the heat and terrain. He lives right by the river Trent, so his training is mostly on flat terrain - walking up the disabled ramp into the Poppy & Pint does not count as hill work, no matter how many times a week you do it! Still, a sterling effort to say he's not specifically training for anything. Good work, Boutros, good work.
Andy actually overtook Paul on the final lap round the track, while Paul struggled with crippling cramp in his hamstrings. I really felt for him, having been there myself before, so I ran over and helped him to cross the line, before stretching his knackered limbs for him and giving him our remaining Snickers!
Last but not least, Sal came home in an excellent 3.33, which is a cracking performance given the terrain and the fact that she's never run an event of this nature before. She was rightly delighted and we're all proud of her efforts!
So, it was then back to the ranch for ice baths, sausage butties, loads of tea, a few cans of Guinness, six nations rugby and then, later, off out for a curry!
A couple of days rest beckon, despite what the training plan says - I'm not making the same mistake I did after Liversedge and doing five hilly miles the night after!
Over and out for now, kids!
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