I did it. I started – and most importantly – I finished the 2015 Brighton Half Marathon. And I feels good. I set myself a challenge, I put in the effort to train for it, I didn’t bottle it, beforehand or during. I met that challenge, raising some money for CoolTan Arts to support their excellent work.
And you can still sponsor me, please.
It was a great day, and much praise on kudos on the organisers for putting on a great event, 25 times now. A massive thank you to the volunteers who stewarded the event, handed out drinks and other countless tasks, which ensured a smooth, safe event for all the runners. And finally, thank you to all the friends, family and bystanders who enthusiastically and constantly cheered and geed up all runners. I (and all the other runners) had the benefit of being warm from the running, so they deserve lots of bonus points for doing their bit for hours in that freezing wind.
It was a cold but sunny morning, requiring the scrapping of ice off the windscreen before I co
uld set off to Brighton for a 9am start having packed (and repacked) my race bag with sweets, sunglasses, water, bananas, gloves, hats, layers and dry kit for afterwards. Made it to Brighton by 8:30, leaving my partner to park the car, and for me to walk down to the start by the sea, along with streams of other runners, friends, families and supporters. Found my pen and with a number of restarts of my phone, eventually got my music working and set up my tracking app to keep me up to date on my progress in time for the starter’s off.
Got off to a cracking start. First 4kms sub 5:45 on average and was starting to really warm up. The sun was shining, the wind had slackened and being surrounded by lots of hot and sweaty bodies, I started to rue the choice of putting on all my layers. Hat and gloves came off about the 2km mark, and I began to consider throwing away my shower jacket when I started to climb up out of Brighton City centre up the cliff through Kemptown when that biting wind returned. And I knew that my choice of running wear was validated.
Having done the Brighton Half several times, I knew that there is an incline, and I had done some hill work to prepare myself. But it went on for longer and further than I remembered. Maybe because it is now in the beginning half of the race now, rather than the end of the race as I remembered it. Those races, I think by then I was so tired, that I didn’t remember all the dipsand its length or I had chosen to block that part of the half marathon out.
And on this up-hill stretch I broke the cardinal rule of long-distance running. I did something I hadn’t trained for. At the drinks station, instead of water, I took a bottle of sports drinks. I don’t use them, hadn’t trained with them, and whilst it gave me a boost it was too soon into the race, messing with my blood sugar levels and unsettling my stomach. Whatever the reason, that climb was a struggle, in the first 6kms, meaning I had 15km to go. I started to freak me out a little – could I do this?
But what goes goes up, does come down, and after a pit-stop at the top of the cliff, carried on with some good km times before leveling off and hitting about 6 minute per km as I started along the seafront and promenade section towards Hove. Broke into the sweets around the 13km mark, and had a walking section, taking a moment to watch the the front of the race passing us on their were on their way back from Hove and heading to the finish. When were we going to be doing that, where was this turn, how much longer can I carry on. Mustering all my reserves I plodded on. With some walking and mostly running, I was soon rounding Hove Lagoon and heading back towards Brighton Marina and the finish line. And although the wind was bracing, the sun was shining, and the time and distance to the finish shrank.
But I hadn’t given up. I had ploughed on. As I neared the pier, with the crowds cheering and shouting us on, I sudde
nly realised that with a bit of a kick up my arse with a pair of size 9 running shoes, I could come in under 2:15, my unofficial goal for the race. I let those going for a spring finish, sprint off and I kicked up my pace to something I could manage and to finish with a time of 2:12:20 seconds.
I’ll count that as a good return to running and only 7 minutes more than my last time for a half marathon, the 2009 Brighton Half.
Time now for a few days rest and for me to reflect on what I have achieved and where I want to go next with my running.
Brighton Half Marathon 2015 & Beyond 