So there were 9 of us running the Barns Green Half Marathon today and I personally was very happy to have some company. This was my 4th time doing this race and today was the first time I had company and who better than the HJ lot!
It started off with the usual queues for the toilet – and once that was all out of the way, Emma, Mandy and Nikki decided to partake in the pre race warmup. The rest of us just lazed around chatting ?
Then it was race time! First few miles felt quite ‘swift’ with Mandy checking with me a few times to make sure we weren’t going ‘too fast’ ..conscious we had a long way to go! We managed to get up some of those earlier hills pretty ok and at 6 miles just started to think it was feeling less ‘comfortable’ than it had been at the start.
Knowing the course well…I took my gel at 8 miles….and yup..there it was – that lovely section between 9-12 which is VERY undulating with a couple of nastier hills than previously….and on very very tired legs it’s just an ‘evil’ section of the course.
It was at mile 10 I realised that I was pretty close to getting a course PB if ONLY I could keep it going. Mandy was awesome pushed to stay with me to help keep me going those last 3 miles, although towards the end we weren’t sure who was quite pushing who forward….we just both really really wanted it to end!
Then it was 400m to go…200m to go and it was pure determination that got us both over that finish line where we both pretty much collapsed in exhaustion.
Did I get a course PB….you betcha! Took 1 whole minute off my best time and finally did that course in under 2hr 20 mins coming it at just over 2:19. And a fab result for Mandy getting sub 2:20 for her first Barns Green ??
Afterwards we all gathered for tea (and someone had a pork pulled roll…Mandy) and a chill out before finally heading home.
Great run by everyone on a gorgeous day. Not sure of everyone’s time but think most were really happy with it overall.
Roll on Wimbledon half in 2 weeks! ?
Lorns
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