Sunday 15st February 2009

First of all a big apology if you have been following my blog and found that nothing is happening or so it seems. I will make a bigger effort to update this daily from now on....


Yesterday I found myself running the Mörfelden half marathon only two weeks after my last half marathon. It came to my attention that Mörfelden had its own half marathon running around my training ground – the forest. I entered without thinking too much about it and then realised it was due to start at 0930hrs. Currently the temps are a bit nippy with temps below zero and today we have 4” of snow to boot.
I went to collect my number at 0830hrs and the temp was -3°C which didn’t inspire me at all to go out an hour later and spent a couple of hours running around the forest. Still I duly went at 0920hrs for the 0930hrs start and there were about 400 runners I think. I have just checked and the total numbers of finishers was 313. Maybe the others were put off by the cold..!!!!
I started well and not too fast this time having maybe learnt a lesson or two from the Watford half marathon. I soon found a pack of three to ‘attach’ myself too and happily nestled in behind them for the first hour. The run was configured as an 10.5km circuit so we had to run it twice. I found this a little hard to run under the finish line and then carry on and do it all again. My pack of three stopped for drinks and I decided to carry on as I was in a ‘groove’ so to speak. I soon found another couple of runners who were running together and at a pace that was just slightly faster than mine, but manageable. As we got to the final mile I got a stitch and had to slow, but not to a walking pace, on this run I had maintained a run and a stable one all the way round. My average pace was 5:45/km or I think that came out to 8:30/mile. Finally the stitch went and I finished – wasted but under the two hours. I was happy with this time as it had been my goal. Final official time was 1:57:23 and a position of 297.I was a bit disappointed that more runners finished in front of me than behind, but finishing is what counts....
Five more weeks training before the big one in Rome.

Sunday 1st February 2009

First of all sorry if you’ve been following this blog and had felt that it had suddenly come to an end, it hasn’t...!!! It’s been hard though since Christmas as we went skiing straight afterwards and I did not manage to run whilst in the Alps. I hiked a mountain a couple of time and felt I’d done something towards training but no running.
Today I participated in a half marathon in Watford – UK. It’s like a practice at running with others, so today I ran with 1999 others instead of just me on my own. The weather was cold and blowy making it feel colder. We set off and I managed to pass a good number of runners. The weather warmed up and it felt good. After about 4 miles I started to be aware that runners were now over taking me! My pace was slowing and that old kids tale about the tortoise and the hare came to mind. Still I kept going did battles with all the hills on this run. In Frankfurt where I train in the woods there are NO hills and these would prove to be iterating. I was caught by some people I’d met earlier at the half way point and ran on with them for a mile or two before their pace was getting hard to keep up.
With only two miles to go a small pack passed me (on a hill) with the 10min/pace runner. I got determined and dug in passing the pack and making a fair bit of distance between me and them. We rounded a bend and I knew we were into the last mile with my legs getting worn out. The 10min pace runner passed me again as the road started to rise before me, I wanted to keep her in sight and pull it out of the bag in the final half mile. I just could manage that and so I ended my half marathon in 2hr 6min 57 sec. Happy enough but would like to do better in the coming weeks.