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Soak Up The Sun

I did it!

After three months of talking about it, blogging about it, training, stretching, pilates, and the interminable waiting of last week, I did it and I have the medal to prove it!

My Medal
My Sprint Finish!

On Sunday 25th March, at just after 12.00pm, I completed the Stafford Half Marathon in a very pleasing and slightly surprising 1:58:08 (sub-2 hours in runners speak). That works out at just over 9 minutes per mile. I even managed a sprint finish - running the last 400 minutes in about 2 minutes.

As you can tell from the before and after shots below, it was hard work on a very sunny and warm day.

Before - Smiling!
After - Still Smiling!


Some thoughts on the race based on the music I was listening too as I ran:

  • Ready To Go - this was my first experience of a big race - almost 2,000 participants completed the event. It was a bit of a scrum at the start but everyone was very friendly and I had a few conversations whilst we were waiting to start. Once the klaxon sounded, it actually took me about 3 minutes to reach the official start point. The route was quite congested in the first mile or so but once we cleared the town centre, I soon got into my running.
  • Shine - everywhere I looked, there were people wearing t-shirts highlighting the organisations they were supporting. There were very moving stories being told in words and pictures. This reminded me of the people who are my running inspirations and the struggles they are going through. Thanks to everyone who has made donations to Cancer Research to support my run - the total raised is now over £300 and still growing.
  • Only Losers Take The Bus - this one always seems to crop up when I'm running up steep hills. This time it was after about 6-7 miles as I was running up the inclines at Tixall. I had slowed down a little bit and just dropped a jelly baby on the floor, as I was trying to unwrap from its silver foil. Spirits were low but lifted when this song came on. I think I may even have sung along - any runners nearby must have thought I had slightly strange approach to encouraging myself along. Thanks MrT for this addition to my playlist - it had the required effect yet again.
  • Promised you a Miracle - this song actually came on twice and I'm not sure why.... but it was a good song for Mile 8 because I knew my biggest supporter MrT was waiting for me at the point on the course. This was the song we used at our wedding and MrT definitely believed that "everything is possible" when it came to supporting me in my half marathon effort. 
  • This Isn't Everything You Are - a Snow Patrol favourite with the two great lines which provided a bit of much needed inspiration as I was struggling in the heat between miles 10 and 12: "Don't keel over now" and "There's joy not far from here, right, I know there is". Those lyrics and my last jelly baby were enough to get me through that rough patch.
  • Good Enough - this was the song playing as I got to the finish line and it feels like a bit of an understatement for how I was feeling - so much more than Good Enough... is there a song called Delirious? There were so many people in the final few hundred metres, the noise was incredible. It was great to pick out a few faces in the crowd as they cheered me home - thanks Jo, Meg, Kirsten and MrT again (who had hot-footed it back from Mile 8 to be waiting for me at the finish). I felt like a real athlete! 
Once the run was over, there were lots of hugs, photos and excited chatter. It was great to go back to the finishing straight and cheer home all the other runners from Potters Trotters too - there were some amazing achievements from all the girls out there and I really enjoyed feeling part of the team. Then it was great to get home and eat treats for the rest of the day... including sausage butties followed by rocky road cheesecake!
Post-race treat - don't read the calorie count!

Now it's all over.... so what next?

I'm sure I'll be setting myself another running challenge very soon. My parkrun PB is waiting to beaten again and I'm running with the 6 Towns Runner (running 12 half marathons in 12 days) for at least part of one of his 12 marathons in the coming fortnight.

Happy Running!

LizT

PS I've also had a race review published on the Women's Running website -  http://www.womensrunninguk.co.uk/staffordhalfmarathon2012.obyx

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