Sunday 13 March
Milton Keynes Half was my first race of the season so I was very keen to find out if the previous 3 months training would have brought the much needed improvement to my running to allow me to finish the race on the right side of the 2 hour barrier.
In 2010 due to the flaring up of the old bad back I had to satisfy myself with “just” a good PB on the Half; however thanks to Dermot’s ability, vision and support as a coach we did hit good results on the triathlon front in Blithfield Sprint and Perranporth Surf Tri, so yesterday I had an expectation and determination to do well.
Joe, Dermot and I had the luxury of being driven, parked and minded by a top class event crew composed by Bill and Sophie; the only worry was to get to the start line and churn the legs fast enough to get the job done.
I love running even if I am not a sporting talent, and the Half Marathon distance is my favourite due to the fact that does neither hurts like a 5-10k race, comparable to desperately dashing to catch a Bus, nor as I envisage the full Marathon would be like being run over by said Bus.
The day was overcast and it was drizzling, the event has a very large field but is very well marshalled, has closed roads, timing chips for accurate results, 4 water stations, and even 2 pit stops for those in need; starts and finishes from a city centre area with amenities and shops for spectators, so I would recommend it as a race. But not if you are after a prize T-shirt in your “goodies bag” as you would set yourself up for a big disappointment as our friend Joe! ;-)
The first 3 miles were steadily downward facing, allowing me to build a bit of “time in hand” for later on, then a 7 miles stretch mostly flat and the last 3 miles, very cruelly had a few ups that had many runners crawl to a walk. However as the run makes its way on a suburban area there are many small underpasses and frequent kerbs that soon start to take their toll on the legs.
My race itself was very uneventful, I tried to stick to a good rhythm, pushing the pace a bit but keeping constant. It is always hard for non experienced runners to gauge effort, but the burning sensation on the legs at about 6 miles was a good indication that for sure I was working hard. I also kept a close eye on the GPS watch and made sure that at each mile no more than 1 second overall average was lost on the flats, allowing for a bit of spare time for the last few miles where the hills where skulking waiting to slow me down.
The well planned training from Dermot stood me in good stead, and I was able to partially defeat gravity on the last tough uphill stretches and push for the finish line in the dreamed off time of 1:58:30. Somehow within minutes of crossing the line Dermot had me committed to a 1:55 for the next HM in May…! ;-)
Simona
Milton Keynes Half was my first race of the season so I was very keen to find out if the previous 3 months training would have brought the much needed improvement to my running to allow me to finish the race on the right side of the 2 hour barrier.
In 2010 due to the flaring up of the old bad back I had to satisfy myself with “just” a good PB on the Half; however thanks to Dermot’s ability, vision and support as a coach we did hit good results on the triathlon front in Blithfield Sprint and Perranporth Surf Tri, so yesterday I had an expectation and determination to do well.
Joe, Dermot and I had the luxury of being driven, parked and minded by a top class event crew composed by Bill and Sophie; the only worry was to get to the start line and churn the legs fast enough to get the job done.
I love running even if I am not a sporting talent, and the Half Marathon distance is my favourite due to the fact that does neither hurts like a 5-10k race, comparable to desperately dashing to catch a Bus, nor as I envisage the full Marathon would be like being run over by said Bus.
The day was overcast and it was drizzling, the event has a very large field but is very well marshalled, has closed roads, timing chips for accurate results, 4 water stations, and even 2 pit stops for those in need; starts and finishes from a city centre area with amenities and shops for spectators, so I would recommend it as a race. But not if you are after a prize T-shirt in your “goodies bag” as you would set yourself up for a big disappointment as our friend Joe! ;-)
The first 3 miles were steadily downward facing, allowing me to build a bit of “time in hand” for later on, then a 7 miles stretch mostly flat and the last 3 miles, very cruelly had a few ups that had many runners crawl to a walk. However as the run makes its way on a suburban area there are many small underpasses and frequent kerbs that soon start to take their toll on the legs.
My race itself was very uneventful, I tried to stick to a good rhythm, pushing the pace a bit but keeping constant. It is always hard for non experienced runners to gauge effort, but the burning sensation on the legs at about 6 miles was a good indication that for sure I was working hard. I also kept a close eye on the GPS watch and made sure that at each mile no more than 1 second overall average was lost on the flats, allowing for a bit of spare time for the last few miles where the hills where skulking waiting to slow me down.
The well planned training from Dermot stood me in good stead, and I was able to partially defeat gravity on the last tough uphill stretches and push for the finish line in the dreamed off time of 1:58:30. Somehow within minutes of crossing the line Dermot had me committed to a 1:55 for the next HM in May…! ;-)
Simona
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