NSPCC Milton Keynes Half Marathon

So, the time has arrived and the preparations continue to be disastrous. To cut a long story short I've completely lost my application pack, so travelled to the venue early in the hope of being able to enter on the day.

Thankfully as I arrived and told the organisers my story they completely believed me and handed me a new pack free of charge. With this change of luck I made a donation anyway to the NSPCC since I was expecting to have to re-enter. The sky tried to rain, succeeded in dropping a few spots of drizzle, but this was to be all we got.

Quick stop off at the ambulance for some nipple plasters much to their amusement, and the run started. My race number was 1492, the number of Columbus, but I ran the race more like Columbo! (that's not actually true but I just wanted to make that joke)

I started near the back at the 2hr 30 marker, but soon got overtaken by just about everyone in the first half mile. Determined not to set off I convinced myself that everyone else was going too fast, but the truth is I never saw most of them again. But I was happy with my early pace, and by mile 2 latched on running alongside a girl who seemed to be running at my pace. She was a Paula Ratcliffe lookalike so looked the part, but obviously she was running with the slowcoaches at the back so that's where the similarity ends ...

Two miles later I decided to speak - not sure if I was freaking her out by running next to her but not speaking, and from that point on we kept each other company for most of the rest of the race. I'd established that the first 3 miles or so have always been difficult especially recently, but all seemed fine as I ran through the first 8-9 miles. Mile 9 was slow, as my companion (I never found her name) began to struggle, and though I continued comfortably, I still never overtook anyone, apart from two injured runners and two blokes stopping for a piddle.

At about 10.5 miles I felt a second wind - having slowed down a bit I knew I could complete but saw that I needed to speed up a bit to match my Silverstone 2hrs 30 time. So I showed my companion a clean pair of heels and left her for dust (and many other cliches). My speed got better again and in all honesty I had no trouble accelerating slightly to the finish. I probably overtook 50-100 people in the last 2 miles, which felt really rather good.

And I finished, in 2 hrs 29 minutes. My fastest mile was mile 13, to my delight, and I genuinely feel I had a lot more left to give. Perhaps my company was slowing me down somewhat but I was very grateful and she really made the race smooth and fast. Whoever you are, I wish you well, congratulations and good luck in the New Forest marathon in September!

I don't think my blog posts today have done justice to the amazing difference mentally and physically (but mostly mentally) between last Sunday (my long run only lasting 5 miles) and today. Whether it's running with others, or in events, that brings it out in me I don't know.

Today I was prepared to give up running for good if it all went badly. But it didn't, and so I won't. I'd even go so far as to say I might start liking it again now! If only I knew how my mind worked and could harness it to like running more most of the time! No matter, the rest of today has been about spoiling myself - and a jumbo frappuccino, a roast dinner and a glass of wine later, I'm rather pleased with today.