Taunton Half Marathon

Taunton half marathon became my secondary target race for this spring when I failed to PB at Newport half marathon.

My primary target is of course Newport marathon but Simon and I have also been working towards a half marathon PB before that race.

Taunton half is a race I’ve done twice before, way back in 2010 and then again in 2014. I wasn’t what I’d call a serious runner back then.

The race in 2010 I only agreed to do the day before to fill in for my father in laws mate. In 2014 I was in awful shape and struggled round after going out too fast.

So I’ve always felt I have unfinished business with this race and what better way to right those past experiences than getting a PB.

Breaking the mental barrier

In the build up to this race I knew I was physically capable of beating my current PB. It was the mental aspect I was more worried about.

As I discussed in my post about breaking my 5k PB earlier this year, I’ve always thought of myself as mentally strong but pushing on through the pain in a race doesn’t come easy to me.

So if anything was going to hold me back it would be my mind.

This race was a rare occasion that I was joined by my personal cheer squad. Steph and the girls don’t come to many races anymore but as this one was less than half an hour from home, they came along.

I met up with my friend and fellow club member David before the race and also got to meet Georgina who’s been a member of the club for a while but who I was yet to meet. The fourth Burnham Harrier in attendance was Jason who was running his 71st half marathon!

Pacing myself

After my warm up and a brief chat with the Harriers, I said goodbye to Steph and the girls. David and I made our way to the start line and I had to push my way through the crowd closer to the start line.

We were soon underway and I was trying settle into my planned pace. Said plan was to run the first 7 miles at 6.50min mile pace then push on.

I don’t know whether it was poor GPS signal or my own pace fluctuating but my was pace was very inconsistent for the first few miles. This course is also not flat. It doesn’t have any particularly big hills but all the little inclines certainly take their toll.

I took my first gel between miles 4-5 as I knew I was pushing quite hard. Again, I don’t know if it was the race conditions, the pressure of going for a PB or something else but I always feel like my heart rate is far higher early on in a race than it ever is training. Maybe that’s just a case of it being a race therefore you are pushing harder than you do in training.

Either way, the first half of this race felt harder than I was expecting it too.

All aboard the pain train

As per the plan, once mile 7 was done I pushed on. This is where I expected to struggle. Mentally, the halfway point felt far too early to push on hard but I knew I always get stronger during longer runs so hoped that would be the case here.

I surprised myself somewhat by smashing out the next 2 miles in 6.33 and 6.41. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the wheels started to fall off.

I was soon back around the 6.50 kind of pace and try as I might, I couldn’t get my pace back down . When I did manage it, I couldn’t keep it there.

Which brings me back to those hills. I was like a boxer, I was never going to be knocked out by one big blow but the accumulation of inclines were like punches taking their toll the more I ran. I was up against the ropes.

The last few miles were a real struggle. I was still confident of a PB thanks to those strong middle miles being in the bank but I knew a super quick time was gone.

PB baby!

So as I struggled to the finish I was determined to push as hard as I could. Over the last few miles I caught and past quite a few runners but there was a guy who I hadn’t caught. He was in my sights during the last mile and I was determined to pass him.

I took him with about half a mile to go when I just went for it. At this point my breathing was laboured to the point I was nearly panting. My face wore a permanent grimace.

PB’s aren’t meant to be pretty and this one most certainly wasn’t. Just before the 200m marker my physio Clive, who was spectating, told me to go finish it off. I think it was closer to the race finishing me off!

With the finish line in sight and the clock ticking closer to 1hr29mins I did my best impersonation of a sprint finish with pain etched on my face.

I’d done it. It wasn’t just a PB but I’d crossed the line in under 1hr29 which wasn’t quite what I was hoping for but more what I was expecting.

My official time was 1hr28.52. It was a 30 second PB. Given everything I’ve gone through to get here, the injuries, the niggles, life getting in the way etc. I really have no reason to be disappointed.

What’s next

So now that’s another distance PB ticked off for 2019, attention now turns to the marathon.

Newport is less than a month away and the nerves and excitement build more the closer it gets.

There currently isn’t a time goal, at least not one I’m prepared to publicise, but racing that distance scares me. I know I can do the distance but doing it at speed is a different animal.

It’s going to take all my mental strength to get through it but I’m confident I’ll get it done. I just have to try to enjoy the experience of my first ever marathon. Until then, the training and hard work continue.