Haddington Half Marathon by laverst1 at Garmin Connect - Details
The course is described as undulating and it is. It seems to be constantly up and down like a roller coaster. There are not many flat sections and there are a couple of big hills, but compered to the hills on my previous half-marathons on Skye and Harris, it was like running on a salt flat! It was a really tough race though. I pushed myself hard and was aiming to beat my PB and even get under 1hr 45mins. I knew that to achieve 1hr 45mins I had to do every kilometre in 4:59 or less so I was racing myself and my Garmin the whole way around. Between kilometres 5 and 6, I slowed right down from 4:32 to 5:05. After seeing 5:05 on my Garmin I slightly panicked and upped the pace again, finishing kilometre 7 in 4:50. Of the 21 and a bit kilometres I ran, I only went above 5mins 3 times, and it was this that produced the time that I am so pleased with.
Concentrating?
My quads were stiff and sore from the Berwick Law hill race on Wednesday and at about the 4 mile marker I really started to feel them and had to toughen up mentally and push myself on. I can't really use my stiff quads as an excuse, because that's basically like using the excuse that I wasn't fit enough! It was one of the hardest races I've ever ran due to the challenge I set myself and the distance.
The weather was typical Scottish running weather. I was able to at any point in the race complain to myself about the wind or else it being to hot!
This race was also remarkable for being the first time I tried an energy gel. There was a water station just after 7 miles and I decided I would take the gel just before that, allowing me to dispose of the packet at the water station, and also I can get rid of the taste if necessary! I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. It was OK. Bit weird and a lot more liquid than I was expecting. I have no idea if it helped. The only way I would find out is if I re-ran the race without it and I have no intention of doing so.
So it was tough, but I had a great result and it's a great race. It's small, intimate, and the course is nice. I'd recommend it to anyone thinking about a half marathon. The standard seemed to be quite high and it's mainly club runners that take part. I didn't notice anyone running in flippers or dressed in a deep sea diving suit!
Still loving the half marathon distance and looking forward to my next challenge of sub 1hr 40mins.
Delirious?
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