May Survive...

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

This race went really well for me. Preparation was good, the weather was sublime, the course magnificent, the marshalls fantastic, the runners friendly and I ran a great race. In all, extremely positive.

My plan was a simple one - start at the back, enjoy the scenery, run slow consistent kilometres, walk through the drink stations and don't worry about the time. As it turned out, I didn't stick exactly to my plan but ran well anyhow.

I started out as intended, at the back of the pack and running roughly 6:30 kilometres. I quickly fell in with two other runners maintaining the same pace and we plodded on together, sharing a few jokes and delving into each others' running history.

The drink stations came and went and I stopped at none of them, as I felt quite strong and comfortable at this pace.

Just beyond the half way point one of the runners I was with stepped up somewhat and I went with them, at first not realising I was doing so, but then feeling good and going anyway. I put in five 6:00 kilometres before falling back to 6:30 pace for the last 4 km and crossing the line in 2h13:37 - nearly a minute and a half inside my "wishful thinking" time of 2h15, and posting negative splits in the process, so I am a happy half marathoner! And the biggest surprise for me - not a single walk break.

So that's that one ticked off - this race has been on my wish list for about 4 years now, so I'm pleased to have finally got there.

Next!