Racing in Tewkesbury

So I didn't reach my target of 1.30 this morning but I was close enough to feel really pleased with my effort! In the end I had a time of 1.30.51 which makes it the second fastest half marathon I've done.

The day started early as the race began at 9.30 and I like to get to races early to make sure I don't have a mad rush before the off. The drive was uneventful (the roadworks at m4/m5 junction will be going on for years) and I reached the event at 8.30 finding a space in a sideroad just 100m from the start and finish.

I did remember to bring my remaining beetroot juice with me and slurped it down whilst driving up. It was disgusting and I'm glad I had some energy drink to take away the taste. Last night I glugged down the rest in one go. Individual slurps from the bottle just made it much worse. I will have to think whether I try this experiment again.

After picking up my chip, I got changed and warmed up ready for the event. The queues for the loos were  long as usual which always gives the chance to chat to other competitors waiting for the race. There were all sorts running from the complete beginners to those who raced each week and were looking for a sub 1:15 time. Always interesting listening to the chatting in the queue - people I likely won't meet again or if I doing certainly won't recognize.

I set myself back from the elites at the front and started out at 6.52 per mile hoping that I could keep it going and making my desired time. This worked great until mile 8 even with the stiff wind. But at mile 8 there was a long shallow hill - nothing much but really noticeable and suddenly I had a mile split of 7.11.

Runners finishing the race

Luckily, after that the race turned us away from the wind and we had a downhill stretch. The last two miles were superb. Another competitor overtook me at 10 miles and I stuck with him. We pulled away from the runners behind us and although he tried to shake me off, I managed to stick with home rightup until the last 100m when he outsprinted me.

A brilliant race and looking forward to my June race which will probably be in Torbay or Malvern.