Thorpe Half Marathon

Brr. Beginning the day in minus temperatures, I found myself questioning my sanity as I left the comfort of my warm and toasty bed to run for two hours in the freezing cold… And what’s more, we runners pay for the experience!

Missing this run wasn’t an option. Last weekend, after a migraine from hell and a serious lack of sleep (and a little bit of fear about my performance, if I’m completely honest) I was a no show for a half marathon event. One that I’d been excited about for months. And that I’d spent all week regretting missing as pictures popped up on social media of happy runners showing off their well- earned medal bling.  I'm a sucker for a snazzy medal... Plus, this race would be a very rare chance to run the same event as my husband as a friend was happy to watch the monkeys.

Monkeys packed off, and absolutely sky high (apologies Debbie!) and we were on our way. As we approached Thorpe Park the car park was quickly filling up… This was a bigger event than expected. We shivered in the car perhaps a little too long and by the time we ran to the portaloos for the customary pre-race wee, quite a queue had built up. Of course, we joined the slowest moving one and missed the start of the race. Doh. Sprinting to the start we joined the throng and got going. My Garmin watch did not want to though. It finally sprang to life shortly before mile 1 just as I’d managed to break through the bottleneck of runners. It came in very handy though as I kept checking my pace- something I don’t usually do during a run. I had toyed with the idea of running with my husband but decided to chase a pb instead. Plus I’d have driven him mad chatting away about the kids and whether we had left the grill on (no we hadn’t, phew!).

I was hoping to keep to an 8.45 minute mile pace for the majority of the run and figured that way I would have some time to play with should I need to take the last few miles easier. As I got going I worried that I was running a little too slowly, a quick glance at the watch showed that actually I was running much faster than planned. Whoops! It was great to feel like I was flying during these early miles… And then the hill. I could have sworn it was meant to be a flat course and then out of nowhere the hill from hell appeared. A long, steep, never-ending slope. Other runners around me began to walk. My glutes were on fire! I managed it but that hill had taken it out of me. Pressing on, I continued to make good time. Another glance at the watch and I realised I was about to set a new 10k record. Yes! 53 minutes 33 seconds. A good minute off the pb I’d set just last week. And in a half marathon! My mind wandered back to when I first started running and I’d plodded around the London Winter Run in 1 hour 11 minutes; running a 10k in under an hour seemed like the Holy grail then and now suddenly, in a half marathon, I’d managed it in just over 53 minutes. Go me! Wonder Woman! I was on top of the world.

I necked my first gel at mile 7. It was around this time that my mind started to work against me. Like Gollum, I argued with myself. ‘We set off too quickly… we hates this… our legs is hurting’. Shut up! I carried on, watching the other runners ahead. Choosing ones to follow for a bit before they left me for dust. I began to panic. Silly me setting off so fast, I’d never get a pb now, time to aim for a sub 2… and then at mile 10 I worried that perhaps that was out of my grasp. Clamping eyes on a strong runner ahead, I reasoned with myself. I had plenty of time, even if I slowed right down. As long as I can keep up with that runner then I’ve got this. Mile 11 I nearly had a little cry. My legs felt like jelly. I half considered stopping and waiting for my husband. But I was this close! I carried on. As I passed mile 12 I got a second wind and sped up, in fact that was my fastest mile during the whole race! Sprinting past the finish line I realised I’d achieved a sub 2 time. Cursing my watch, I quickly checked the live results from the web. Bloody hell. I’d only gone and ran the thing in 1 hour 55 minutes and 29 seconds. New pb set!

I mentally high fived myself as I scooped up items for my goody bag (an impressive haul I must add!), a huge smile spreading across my face. Thorpe Half- I came, I saw, I conquered. Now to go sub 1 hour 55.

Freezing but happy! Thank you Thorpe Half!