Half Marathon Season
Welcome back! How are you doing? Did you find your goal? Hopefully my previous blog inspired you find yourself a training goal to help measure your success?
As i mentioned in previous blogs my training goal was towards the Liverpool Half Marathon. I was hoping to complete the course in under 1 hour 45 minutes.
The Liverpool Half Marathon is a well organised race which is now in its 19th year, a mark of its success. Once again there was a great turnout with almost 7,000 runners taking part. The race this year took place on Sunday March 18th, the weather although a little warm for runners was great for spectators, which lined the route in their droves making for a fantastic family atmosphere, it really does give you that extra little push and motivation when you see the amount of people that turn out to support friends & family.
My preparation in the week leading up to the event had gone well tapering my training intensity down towards the weekend allowing myself time to rest and fuel up for race. The morning of the race, as i am sure the majority of runners will agree is a nervy occasion, what time should i get up? What time should i eat? What time do i need to leave the house? Have i warmed up enough? Do i need a wee?! The list is endless!!!!
With my warm up complete i made my way to the start line, nerves had gone, game face on and 'in the zone'!!! The race was started by Olympic Silver Medalist Kriss Akabusi, his high 5 at the start gave me the motivation to succeed! The usual mix of emotions ensued throughout the race; feeling good, feeling tired, hitting 'the wall', smashing 'the wall' down. Long distance running really is a mental, as well as a physical battle!
11 miles is where the hard work really started for me, but i stayed determined and battled til the end crossing the finish line in 1 hour 43 minutes 44 seconds! Breaking my previous personal best (PB) by 1 minute 35 seconds. I had achieved my goal! The hard work i had put in during training had paid off. 🙂
This is what SUCCESS feels like!
But no time to rest on my laurels! I had also signed up to the Stafford Half Marathon taking place on Sunday March 25th (yes the following Sunday!!).
The Stafford Half Marathon is an event i always enjoy as it is my home town and a chance for friends and family to come and support. The lead up to this event had been disrupted by a cold (Man Flu!!! ;-)), but i enjoyed it neither the less finishing in 1 hour 46, not a PB but 6 minutes faster than the last time i completed the course in 2010.
Overall i am happy with my achievements in the 2 races and look forward to competing and improving again next year.
With this goal now complete, I need to set a new goal and develop a new training plan to help me succeed. I have signed up for the Manchester 10k which takes place at Sport City on June 24th. My current 10k PB is 44 Minutes 15 Seconds something i will have in my sights come June 24th.
Well done to everyone who took part in Liverpool & Stafford Half Marathons, thanks for all the support before, during and after the races.
If you have ever fancied taking part in run or another sporting event there is no time like the present! Get signed up today!!!!
If you have a race coming up or sign up for a new event please share it on my facebook page or tweet me.
As always feel free to leave me feedback below.
Thanks for reading.
www.diversehealthandfitness.com
Me & My Nephew Jayden at the Stafford Half Marathon
Great blog i agree with you as i am also a group fitness Instructor I am always telling my people to work as hard as they can at least for 30mins to an hour. I have to tell them all the time once you feel the muscles starting to work or your heart just starts beating faster just push yourself a little bit further until you really need to recover .