Bristol Half Marathon 2018

Bristol half marathon 2018 was all I had hoped it would be and what a difference 3 weeks can make. That’s how long it’s been since Bridgwater half marathon. I struggled in everyway during that race but Bristol couldn’t have been more different.

Nerves, what nerves?

One of the things that surprised me the most about Bridgwater half marathon was my nerves. They were almost uncontrollable. I felt far less pressure going into Bristol half and was much more relaxed.

I don’t know whether that was down to having a plan for the race or having got my first half marathon post injury out of the way. Either way, I was determined to enjoy the race more than I had at Bridgwater that’s for sure.

Cruising along the Portway

The “runners tummy” I touched on last time out was nowhere near as bad as my previous race. I did however have a toilet incident of a different kind. After arriving at Bristol park and ride, I made my way into the building to use the loo.

Now, I must admit that the signs on the doors aren’t exactly clear but having been here before I knew the gents was on the right. Imagine my surprise when I walked in to find a group of girls in there. They looked at me like I was a weirdo and I quickly walked out very confused and slightly embarrassed. After walking round the building looking for more toilets I discovered I was right after all. This comedy moment also helped ease the nerves.

Sunday evening, one of the girls contacted me on Instagram and the whole situation was cleared up with a bit of a laugh. I think she’ll be checking toilet doors more closely from now on!

Soaking up the atmosphere

Once I was in the city centre I headed to Millennium Square to soak up the atmosphere. Turns out, the only soaking that was going to happen was me in the rain. For such a big race it was like a ghost town. It was understandable though, the weather had the potential to be a repeat of the Severn Bridge race with the abhorrent conditions. I don’t blame those for staying away until as late as possible.

Once changed and my bag was dropped off I started to feel the conditions. It was cold and wet. Not as bad as Severn Bridge but it wasn’t great. The toilet queues were now huge as the crowds had descended on Millennium Square while I was hiding from the elements.

I’ve since heard a few people complain about the lack of toilets at this year’s event. With only 15 minutes before the first wave started, the queues were still crazy long. Luckily I found the men’s urinals by the start line which didn’t have a queue. When I say urinals, I mean a fenced off section around a big bush which was a bit lazy on the part of the organisers.

Alas, I made it to the start line and managed to get as good a warm up in as I could in the limited space.

Do not make a fast start!

For the first time ever I had a plan. Normally I turn up to races with the sole intention of seeing how fast I can finish it. This almost always results in me going off like a rocket and then struggling to settle down.

Heading back into the city

The plan this time was to take the first 8 miles steady before pushing the pace in the final 5 miles. The start was tough. Being a bit of a competitor at times, it’s often hard for me to let so many runners go past me. I was determined to not get caught up in all that though. The plan was there for a reason.

So I focused on keeping my breathing steady and my pace down. This was going well until I really needed a wee. I’ve never had to stop for a wee before mid race but my mind was telling me I had no chance of getting round without going. I’d not long passed the loos on the Portway so I made a dash off the road and into a bush to do my business.

I was glad I did as I felt much better after. It resulted in my slowest mile of the whole race. If not for the plan, I’d have sped up to make up the time.

I really enjoyed the first half of this race. As I wasn’t pushing too hard it gave me the chance to look out for familiar faces up and down the Portway and shout encouragement.

I took a gel around 4 or 5 miles in, in the hope of it kicking in before I upped the pace. As mile 7 approached I knew it was nearly time to up the pace and I was then slightly nervous as to whether I could maintain the increase.

Dropping the hammer

I starting speeding up around mile 7 due to a slight down hill section coming off the Portway. I felt ok though and soon started to enjoy catching and overtaking people.

Starting my sprint finish

It wasn’t long before I was back in Bristol city centre where the atmosphere was great. It always is in Bristol for this race and the 10k. There’s a good mix of live music on the course but for me the steel bands are the best. They really get me going, as does the noise from the crowd.

I was flying now. After initially fearing being able to maintain the pace I actually felt stronger the further I went. This is testament to the work I’ve been doing with Simon and the plan was in full effect.

Leaving it all out there

I kept catching people and overtaking them with ease. I felt alive and remembered why I run, I love to race!

Soon enough I was nearing the end, the gel I took at mile 8 or 9 had done its job. Once on the final stretch I opened my legs up and did the best sprint finish I could manage. I literally left it all out there at the end as I crossed the finish line completely spent.

Finished!

That was it. Plan executed almost to perfection, (minus the wee stop!). My time was 1hr 40.08, 10 minutes slower than last year but most importantly, over 4 minutes quicker than Bridgwater.

Time wasn’t important for this race but progress was. I was delighted with how much stronger and fitter I felt, especially in the final few miles.

Bling!

Top takeaways –

Running to a plan works – This was arguably the most relaxed I’ve felt before and during a race. Being more tactical with races is definitely going to continue.

The structured training is paying off – This kind of goes without saying but without the hard work you can’t achieve anything. Now my efforts are being directed to where they need to be and the progress is already there.

Bristol I love you – The atmosphere of this race sucks me in every time. I can only imagine what the bigger races are like.

Now I can’t wait for Burnham half marathon in less than two weeks.