The dust has finally settled now on what was a really great event, the Liverpool Half Marathon 2013. The thing that made it is such a great event wasn't the organisation- although pretty good- it wasn't the course or the support- which was ok- it wasn't the medal and t-shirt at the end- which was good. What made it great for me was all the reactions of my club mates to their own experience of the day. Some smashed PBs by ridiculous amounts, some got through it carrying injuries or niggles and some were happy to put the demons of 'last year' behind them. There was also a large number of first timers. And, by first timers I mean first attempt at the distance and also first time racers!!! Every single one of the people I spoke to, or read about did something that made them feel good about themselves on Sunday and that is what I believe to be the magic of running. No doubt the next time some of us pull on our running shoes we will be so disappointed with what we do that we will want to sling that medal and wear the t-shirt to gloss the door frames and skirting boards!! I was thinking of writing a mile by mile account of my race but the miles have merged and my tunnel vision has rendered my memory of the race, outside of 10 feet in front and 2 feet either side of me, a complete blur. I know who was cheering and pushing me on, I just can't remember where you were!! The synopsis goes like this: Aimed for 8 minute miles, got 8:01's. A new PB at the distance of 1:45:02, my third PB of the year at 13.1 miles. All thanks to fellow Strider, Rob, for doing a truly mind-boggling pace-setting job!!! Well done to everyone who took part and thank you for pushing yourself to the limit, so I could push myself to mine.
Talking of limits, isn't it funny how we ask our bodies to do things that they aren't supposed to do, or things they have never done before? I have been thinking about this a lot over the last three weeks or so and I am struggling to comprehend why I get frustrated or disappointed with myself when things don't work out. The Spring marathons are a matter of weeks away. Manchester, London, Paris to name but a few, are getting really close now and I know a lot of people who are training for one of these. I remember reading somewhere that the human body is only designed to hold enough fuel to make it move about 20 miles. So, if this is true, then every time somebody completes 26.2 miles, they have been able to persuade their body to do something it shouldn't. And then, not only do you want it to go further than ever before (possibly), you want it to do it in a time limit!! The investment in the training is a feat in itself. 12-16 weeks, maybe more, of complex plans, structured routines and personal sacrifices that can often impact your 'whole world' just so you can do it in 'sub-whatever'. Seasoned marathoners, improvers, or debutants- you all have my respect and support if needed. Most of all you have my best wishes...go and get 'em!!!
Earlier this month I asked my body to do something it had never done before and thankfully it responded with a resounding 'go on then...I'll give it a try'. At the start of this challenge I outlined two goals; 1) Complete a 5k, a 10k and a Half Marathon in each calendar month, and 2) Get a PLS Group 2 time at all three distances. The first part takes a bit of planning but is do-able. The second would take effort, training, discipline and a bit of luck. The times needed to achieve this part of the goal are 22:09 for 5k, 46:00 for 10k and 1:42:33 for the Half. To achieve this goal for the 5k distance I would have to make my body move faster than it has ever done before over a distance greater than 100 yards!! It would have to do 1000 metres in 4 minutes 25 seconds...5 times....back to back. It doesn't sound like an amazing feat does it? But remember, I have never done it before. I have actually never even asked my body how it would feel if I asked. Until 10am on Saturday 2nd March in Halewood that is. Crossing the line in 22:09 felt awesome, yes I was tired, yes I nearly fell over a bit but if I had...I would have looked up at the laughing faces with a broad grin on my dial!! Somebody described a 5k race as "take a deep breath and hold it, run, and vomit at the end". I like that. As I mentioned before, there is often disappointment and that disappointment is usually harsh and unfair on yourself. My disappointment came when I realised that the goal times I had set myself for the year had to be beaten, not equalled, to qualify for the illustrious PLS Group 2!!! Where did that 1 second go? How could I have ran that race differently? Why did I have that bag of crisps two Wednesdays ago? I've got nine more goes at it!!
I'm almost a quarter of the way through the challenge now and I am loving it! On Good Friday I am taking part in the Salford 10k, in which I am number 69!!! (Insert rude joke here) That will be 9 down, 27 to go. So far, I have hit 5 PBs, lost an inch off my waist and got a new haircut. Recognise!!!
