It might be late September but in west London, at least, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was June on Sunday. I ran the Ealing half marathon, after a nine-mile warm-up. Warm was the operative word. I’d entered the race before I’d signed up for New York marathon, and needed to do 21-odd miles, so I ran to the start line and then kept going. Thank God for the frequent water stations. Without them, I’m not sure I would have managed my coach-prescribed pace for the race section of the run (a shade outside my planned marathon pace).
Almost all runners and spectators in the race wore yellow ribbons for the missing teenager Alice Gross, and the support along the route for runners was fantastic. Two things I noticed during the race, though – first, do people really have no idea of what time they are going to run? Despite starting exactly where I should have done, I spent the first few miles weaving through people. Now, it was a hot day, anything can happen, so absolutely people may struggle and slow down from their initial pace later in the race. But if you are slowing down drastically after 800m, then I suggest starting behind the 1hr 30min pacer may not have been a good idea …
Second, someone once told me it was the flattest half in London. Really? REALLY? OK, it’s hardly a fell race with hundreds of metres of ascent, but there are a few nasty little inclines – and more twists and turns than a Hollywood thriller. Then again, I suppose after 20 miles inclines do have a tendency to morph into small mountains.
Oh, and one more thing – I noticed the Ealing Eagles had several signs up exhorting their own team runners: “Don’t let the club down!”. Is it just me, or is that a bit of a hardcore motto? Wouldn’t: “Do your best!” be a slightly more, well, positive reinforcement?
So, today I am feeling a bit sore and tired (does anyone has any tips for calming twitching muscles? I find it really hard to sleep after my longest runs) and in need of lots of caffeine. Get yourself a nice cup of tea, pull up a comfy chair and share your own weekend tales, mottos and tips.
Source: Read Full Article