On Sunday, I completed the Folkestone Half Marathon! I was one of the last across the line mind you but I did it. The race started off pretty well for me and as the first 3-4 miles went by I was averaging a speedy (for me!) pace of 10:30 mins/mile, and amazingly, I managed to beat my previous 5k time by 30 seconds and my 10k time by 3 minutes!
Unfortunately, this speediness did not last, and the course was pretty hot down by the sea and although there was a bit of a breeze, it didn't seem to reach me until the last couple of miles. My energy levels began to gradually drop off after mile 9 I started struggling and found myself doing a bit more power walking than I would have liked. I kept going though - didn't once come to a complete stop and was spurred on by words of encouragement from the race marshals and the good people of Folkestone out for a Sunday stroll (I even had one little boy offer me his half melted ice cream as I looked hot, bless him haha!) I finally made it up the never ending hill 12.5 miles in and over the finish line in what I made as 2Hrs 42 mins but the official time published was only 2Hrs 39mins and 16 secs, so i'm happy to call it that ;)
Overall, it was a good experience, the whole event was really well organised and there was a great atmosphere - the encouragement and positivity from people all around the course was second to none. Considering I have only really been running seriously for a little over 4 months, I was happy with my time but can see how I need to work on my speed and stamina if I have any chance of making it to the Brighton Marathon finish line!
Now the plan is to have a week off while the hole in my mouth heals then keep on running 2 to 3 times in the week with a long run at the weekend to maintain my fitness for marathon training which I've scheduled to start in mid-December following an 18 week plan. I must use my weekly training for tempo runs and really get to grips with them if I ever hope to improve my speed, oh and lose a bit more weight too because carrying round the equivalent of a full set of month old sextuplets with me all the time does not make for an efficient runner!!
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