More training, more racing

With a brand new Rebel Runners vest firmly on my back and now a regular at Wednesday team runs, I sought out some new races to get further experience before the Marathon. I entered the Headcorn Half Marathon on the day on a bit of a whim (again). Racing    whilst marathon training is not the easiest thing, as my legs are constantly tired and heavy, but I was needing a challenge.

Unfortunately, I set off too fast (standard) but this time it really did feel like suicide pace. By the time 5k came round, my fellow Rebel Runner Paul who was running alongside me, announced that he had smashed his Parkrun PB. Not ideal for a half marathon! 

However, despite a few wobbles where I thought "why am I doing this" we went on to run a PB of 1.34.11 - around 4 minutes quicker than my previous PB. I was delighted with this, especially as at various points I was full of hate for the course, hills, and my tired legs. I had sore  feet and was almost sick at the finish line - but a good result! 

I also managed 6th female and a mention in the local paper! Not a bad result. 

In terms of training, this was going well. I was building up my long runs and gaining confidence and experience with the running club. Hitting the 20 mile mark at first was challenging - I was very sore and almost mentally and physically drained afterwards. I could hardly think straight and kept doing stupid things and nearly falling asleep everywhere! However, my body adapted to this, and aside from a few foot and knee niggles, the long runs became a regular part of my weekend. 

I had also, rather mentally, booked in for a 20 mile race in Thanet. Whilst this sounds horrendous on paper - I knew it would be fantastic training to run this distance under race conditions. 

After a bit of a false start being unable to find race HQ, we set off along the Thanet Coastal path. Now as the running obsessive I am, I had thoroughly researched this route - and it is what they like to call undulating, i.e hilly! Unfortunately wasn't quite prepared for the strong coastal winds, which at some points meant it literally felt like I was running through treacle! A man turned to me during a particularly large gust and shouted "this is absolutely ridiculous!" I agreed. 

About 10 miles in, my mum and brother had positioned themselves to give me a cheer, which was such a welcome boost! You weren't allowed headphones in this race, so my mind was free to debate many negative things, for example why the heck have I paid for this pleasure! 

I actually paced this race rather well for once - I let the speedsters go ahead and stuck to a manageable enough pace. My last mile was my second fastest which I was really pleased about, and I did a sprint for the line! I felt a real sense of accomplishment after this race. And I liken races a bit to getting a piercing - it hurts at the time but as soon as it's over you want another one...