I knew that I would have to take this HM fairly slowly and treat it as a training run. I'd done over 17 miles the weekend before and this weekend will need to do at least 18, so this was a "rest week". In the 2 months or so before Loch Ness, I tended to do two weeks of long slow runs, followed by one week of 10-12 miles (or about 2/3 of the distance of the long run).
So I intended to do the Brighton HM quite slow and now aim for a PB or anything, although i did want to beat my Watford time of 2:21.
Unfortunately I found the race quite tough, I don't really know why other than the possibility of having not quite recovered from the previous week's long run. I went out slightly too fast but slowed down when i saw the 1 mile marker and saw on my watch the time was under 10 minutes (much too fast - even my 2:12 PB at the Stevenage HM last year was an average of 10:05 m/m) but even after slowing down by mile 3 was finding it difficult to keep my pace going. The course was mostly flat, but there were some long, medium climbs in the first out-and-back part of the race. I had a really good stretch for a while at mile 5 as it was a slight downhill and really excellent crowds, but a few miles later I was starting to feel drained on energy. I plodded along as best as I could, had some energy drinks and a gel, but just felt like I was stuck in 2nd gear. I also felt slightly dehydrated, but was drinking plenty of water in small sips throughout the route. I hope I am not coming down with a cold as I have been sneezing more than usual!!! I'd had an alright night's sleep (apart from being woken up in the middle of the night by some drunk couple shouting at each other!) and had plenty of pasta the day before, no stomach upsets or nuisances such as blisters so I couldn't really understand it. I meant to take it fairly easy, but I had no choice, I literally couldn't get any faster.
The course itself was great, and once I'd accepted the fact this would probably be a PW, I tried to enjoy it. It really was a great route, sea on one side and crowds on the other. It basically consisted on 2 out-and-backs (the first 6-7 miles going east and then turning back and heading west, then you passed fairly near to the start and carried carried on west, then turned back to do the last 3 miles east back to the start/finish. I am glad I wore my Shelter charity top as it has my name on it, so got plenty of encouragement!
In the end I finished in 2:29, my slowest time for a HM race and an average page of just under 11:30 m/mil. That is my target pace for the marathon so i am hoping that once I have done a few more long runs and have tapered I'll be able to do that in April for the 26.2. Part of me was very disappointed by my time (who wants to get a PW in a race just 9 weeks before the marathon?!) but I have tried to learn from it and besides it was not exactly the main race of the season but just a training run to be treated like any Sunday morning long slow run at home. Just with crowds and a (very nice) medal at the end. I suppose, say I were to have run that distance/time at home (i.e. not in a race) I wouldn't have been that bothered about the time.
I am going to vary my medium run tonight and do an 8 mile route I have not done since last summer. I also have a swimming session but otherwise will make sure I am well rested before Saturday's long run. The last month has not been that great, whilst I have been managing the distance, my times don't seem to have improved. Ever since we had the snow about 4 weeks ago I have been slower, but the snow has completed melted now so the paths are clear and easy to run on. Or maybe it is the extra swimming sessions I have been doing. Maybe it is the opposite and I am not running enough!! Who knows, and there seems to be so much random advice out there on the internet, I think maybe I will just listen to my body and do what I can do. I am doing the Bath and Reading HMs soon as well, which I have heard are good flat courses with great PB potential, but I do not think I am going to be able to run them quickly and again will have to treat them as slow training runs. I will save the fast HM and PB-chasing til well after London and Prague marathons!! That is when i will hopefully be at my fittest anyway.
Below - some pics! Back at the charity village tent with Shelter!
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