Hastings Half Marathon

Almost exactly 6 months since I tackled the Windsor half marathon (with an impressive-considering-the-circumstances time of 2.32.34)  I rocked up to the starting line for the 26th Hastings Half Marathon.

I’d taken a bit more of an organised (obsessive?) approach to my training this time – following this intermediate schedule.  As the weeks passed I became more and more determined to complete the full schedule and the odd ache in the knee or wobble in the ankle wasn’t going to stop me.  I ran through the pouring rain and even slogged away on the dreaded gym treadmill when it was too icy outside.  I tried to keep up a couple of climbing sessions and a yoga class or two each week for strength and flexibility as well and all in all it seemed to do the trick.

I’d aimed to stick to 10 minute miles and so come in with a time of around 2.10.  I crossed the finish line with an official time of 1.59.26.  To say I was happy with my time would be a huge understatement, so here is my race report.

My cousin Glen and I started the race running together.  The first couple of miles included a couple of very steep, but mercifully short hills and we got into our stride.  Then we hit the infamous Queensway.  Two miles of a slow and steady ascent.  It suddenly felt much harder, but we kept up the pace and even overtook a few runners.  This was also the longest part of the route without any crowds to cheer you along and it certainly made a difference.  A the 5 mile mark we hit the top of the hill and suddenly psychologically we were on top again.  We knew the toughest part was behind us and it was downhill (literally and metaphorically) from here.

I haven’t taken water with me on my long training runs and I decided not to mess with my habits for the race, so I gave the drinking stations a miss.  It was great to see my Aunt cheering us along outside the Conquest Hospital at around the 6 mile mark.

Just after 7 miles my cousin decided to ease off the pace a bit and so we separated for the rest of the course.  Around the 9 mile mark the course turns down a pretty steep hill (Harold Road).  Whilst I relief for the heart and lungs with was pretty tough on the knees.  I always try to ‘cruise’ downhill, but this was a bit steep for that.

I had expected to reach my low point around the 9 mile mark, as this is what happened at Windsor.  However, I still felt relatively fresh and the prospect of another 4 miles was not too disheartening.

Shortly after the 10 mile mark you turn onto the sea front and then it just those last 3 miles straight along to the finish line.  I think the hardest point for me was probably between the 11 and 12 mile markers.  Marker 12 seemed to take forever to appear and although I knew I was making good time, the finish line seemed to be getting further and further away!

The crowds lining the route for the final couple of miles were amazing.  It would have been easy to miss the 13 mile marker in the sea of people (if I hadn’t been looking out for it!) and I sprinted the last 0.1 of a mile to the finish line.  I was strangely excited to have my name read out on the PA system as I crossed the line!

It seems that the race itself is the easiest part of a half marathon.  The hard work was getting out of bed and pounding the road, towpaths and treadmills for the 12 weeks leading up to it.  Whilst the training obviously made a huge difference to my time, it also made the whole thing much more enjoyable.  There was no way I could have sprinted the last few hundred metres at Windsor in September and yet I felt positively energised at the end of this race.

I know it might be a bit cliched say so, but it really does convince me that if you set your mind to something, set reasonable goals and put the work in, you really can achieve what you want in life.  Now I just need to apply that to all the other parts of my life and I’ll be sorted.

So, what next? I ask myself?  Ideas on a postcard…(or in the comments box…)

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