 |
| A Proud Dad and Sophie at the finish |
 | |
| Caught unawares at the Percy Hedley marquee and what about those stockings! |
 |
| Before the race |
Yes, my training paid off and I came safely through the first half marathon that I have run for a number of years. The sun shone, the crowds cheered and I ran a controlled race to finish in a quite decent time. What more could I want, apart from a sprint finish with Mo ?
It is a year or two, or more - quite a few more, since I could run a half marathon in 1.23, in fact my last Great North Run was 1.29.30. That thirty seconds under 1hour 30 was vital, for at the time I vowed that if I couldn't run under 1.30 then I wouldn't run another. That was until my lovely daughter, Sophie, said that she had an entry for this year.
How could I get an entry and accompany her - at her pace?
The first part of the question was quickly answered when fellow harrier, Louise Griffin, told me that local charity for the disabled, The Percy Hedley Foundation, had entries available for runners. Could I raise some sponsorship monies for them? Of course I could.
The second part was a little more difficult, Sophie refusing outright to run with me, stating that I was too competitive to run at her pace. Competitive, moi?
So, at 10.15 am Sophie and I parted, she to go to her White starting block 2.00/ 2.15 hours start and I to my Orange 1.35. I will confess that the latter time was never my finishing target, but everyone tells a little white lie for their target, don't they? In my mind, I had always planned to run 8 minute miles, which is a 1.44 finishing time.
Come 10.40 am and away we went, going through the start line just four minutes after the elite. The first couple of miles takes you slightly downhill to the River Tyne and over the iconic Tyne Bridge. It was now a struggle to hold back as my fellow runners set a reasonable pace encouraged on by very enthusiastic crowds. 7.05 for mile one, 7.35 for mile 2 and 7.32 past Gateshead Stadium for mile 3.
Passing the stadium I spotted a neighbour of mine, Andrew McKegney, who I introduced to running some years ago.
"What time are you looking for, Andrew? " I asked.
"Same as last year, 1.43", he replied.
"Well, we have a couple of minutes in hand and can ease off , a touch " I cautioned as he started to open a gap ahead of me.
Half a mile down the road I caught him again going through mile 4 in 8.08. The road now climbs, passing Heworth Metro. Still climbing it was 8.24 for mile 5, my slowest of the race. Having taking onboard a Lucozade Sports drink (4.5m), I added some water at six miles (7.53), leaving the energy gel I carried for the half way mark. I also had a salt stick capsule in my short's pocket to take at 7 miles (7.31). In all this activity I passed Andrew without seeing him.
At 8 miles ( 7.41) I took my last refreshment, before knuckling down to the tough section up to the eleven mile mark in South Shields. Nine miles was 8.11 and the most suprising sight of my regular race rival, Harry Matthews. I have raced against Harry of Elswick Harriers for almost thirty years and he is always ahead of me. Today with a quick greeting and without changing pace, I was past him. 7.48 for 10 miles, 8.06 for Prince Edward Road (11 miles) and a definite climb. Then that glorious first sight of the sea as you turn onto the sea front for the 12 mile marker (8.00).
No matter how many times one does the Great North Run, you will want to sprint this last mile and a bit. Sometimes you can actually do it. Other times, there is nothing left in the tank. Today, I felt quite good and picked up the pace. With 800 metres to go and the end in sight I thought that I was sprinting, but my watch told me otherwise and I headed for the line in 7.40 for the last mile.
Over the line and I felt good, oh, so good. What on earth had I been worried about ?
After collecting my race pack, including that so important, Great north Run Tee shirt to add to the growing mountain of tee shirts from my 100 race challenge, I headed to my sponsor's marquee. The massage on my sore calves and quads was much appreciated, before reluctantly refusing further refreshment, for after recovering my bag (and mobile) from the baggage bus I needed to contact Sophie.
"I have just passed 12 miles, Dad". Sophie replied to my question as to how she was doing.
"Excellent, I will see you at the meeting point, soon" I said, proudly.
Doesn't she look good, very, very good for someone who has just ran their first half marathon as a relative new comer to running?
Statistics
Sophie finished in 2 hours12.06 for 17,698 th position.
I finished in 1hr.42.43 for 3,068th position and 2nd V65.
57,000 ran.
PS
Today, Monday 12 September I have asked myself the question what shall I do for Race no. 79? The Tynedale Harriers 10 Mile Jelly Tea Race, next Sunday , 18th Sept., of course. My achillies injury had prevented me from doing this race last year over its new, hilly, very hilly course. After yesterday's GNR, there is nothing to fear, is there?
No comments:
Post a Comment