My first half marathon
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| View from the start line queue |
I hadn’t run anywhere near this
distance but felt that this event would be a good introduction to a half
marathon due to the ‘recovery’ interval stages….I was wrong, just as I was
about understanding there to be a ‘few hilly sections’. I heard one runner say
he had lived in Sheffield all of his life and didn’t know where all the hills
were coming from on the day! The ‘recovery’ sections were tough for me as I
find it difficult to stop running totally and then start again at the same
pace. I pretty much went straight onto the next stage each time, apart from at
the two feed stations which had a welcome plentiful supply of water and jelly
babies. If I was a more experienced runner I would have liked to have
jogged/ran through the ‘recovery’ stages and kept more of a steady pace
throughout. Something to aim for!
In terms of my preparation for the event, I had done two quite long runs (for me) during the week so Friday and Saturday were rest days for me, no runs and no gym classes. I had a good night's sleep before the event and made sure my tea on Saturday night wouldn't be something too problematic in terms of output in my stoma bag on Sunday. Breakfast on the day to get me through was two Weetabix and a banana closer to the race.
The organisers had taken over a large chunk of the park where the
run started from and had a DJ booth to get everyone motivated this made for a great pre and post-race atmosphere.
Marshalls were on the whole friendly and really cheered you on, this was helped
by the fact your name is on your race number that you generally pin on the
front of your shirt and it made a massive difference with someone shouting
‘Come on Rachel, well done!’ than just generally encouraging the runners.
Main considerations for me on the day were to keep hydrated as I
think temperatures reached 24 degrees and my wave didn’t set off until just
before 10am so I knew I’d probably still be running at the hottest part of the
day. I took 1 litre of fluid with me as I couldn’t really carry much more
weight-wise and I made full use of the feed stations having bottles of water at
both. I’m mindful of keeping hydrated with having a stoma so I try and take
sips of fluids throughout a run even if I don’t feel that thirsty. I was also
aware that there would be no toilet facilities during the run. I did an
al-fresco bag empty in some bushes at one stage and disposed of the rubbish bag
I’d used in a bin…people must have been wondering what I was carrying! I took
my very basic/just the essentials emergency stoma kit with me in case I had a
leak and needed to change my bag. The chances of this happening were very slim
but I think it was a reassuring comfort to know I was carrying this.
Running with someone/a team of people about my pace would
definitely have helped me on the day. I did have to 'dig deep' to keep going,
particularly on some of the 'recovery' sections where you're walking up some
quite steep hills and wondering if you can keep going let alone start running
again. I missed one of the timing stations and had to go back to it if I wanted
an accurate time. It was quite a way to go back and at the time I was really
annoyed with myself and I must have had a face like thunder. If I hadn't have
been running solo I probably wouldn't have made that mistake and even if we
did, it would have been something to laugh about. It almost became a wall that
I had to get over to complete the run. I felt so deflated at the time that
when I made it back to the station I asked the marshall if I should even carry
on and finish the run. Obviously that sounds ridiculous looking back but that's
as low as I felt at the time.
This was a tough challenge physically and mentally for me and I
didn’t have a time in mind to aim for, I also had nothing to compare my time
to. I was just happy to get round a course that even some experienced runners
see as challenging, to get my first ever sport related medal and of course a
race t shirt to show off my efforts! This probably wasn’t the most enjoyable
event I’ve done so far. I had to keep looking for time stations and I’m not
used to doing that, I was concerned about what fluids I had left during the
run, I kept thinking ‘will this ever end’ as the interval stages make it fairly
difficult to actually see where you are distance wise based on your watch
results, I was running on my own and not with a partner and I think mentally
that can be tough when you’re not used to longer distances and the trails were
incredibly narrow in places which I am used to but not with as much of a
stampede of faster runners behind you at times that are breathing down your
next to get past. Hopefully if I can do this event again I’ll be a bit more
experienced and able to enjoy the scenery a bit more! I would definitely do
this event again and an improved time would be a bonus but not my prime reason
for doing the run.
Highlights from the day: Getting a medal of course!
Making it round the course and still running by the time I reached the finish
line, hearing about the England V Panama World Cup score, a well deserved
burger at the end of my run, discovering how many areas of parkland Sheffield
has and exploring some of these, the downhill sections, the two marshals that
complimented my England supporter sunglasses, the fact I didn't overheat/melt,
emptying my stoma bag during a break in the run and realising I can do longer
distances with a stoma and it's not an issue, the overall atmosphere in the
'race village'
Things I'd like to forget: The handful of portaloos for
the hundreds of competitors, the marshal who told me my England supporter
sunglasses were 'hideous'
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