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Chester Half Marathon
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Peers - by tomorrow i may be counting it too getting stupidly nervous now
It's closed Chrissi, you'll have to nip down to the other one in Bridge St!
Looking like it's going to be a hot one! Kinda glad it's starting at 9 even if it means a stupidly early wake up!
Cup of tea and a muffin for supper, alarm to be set for 7.00, must remember to take my sun cream, it's been a warm one here today. Enjoy the race everyone, it's one I've been looking forward to.
Well done to everyone who finished!
On a personal note, I was very disappointed. Clearly wasn't over the marathon from the previous week and had groin pain from the first mile and generally felt a lack of energy. Had run under 2 hours in training and was hoping for around 1:50, but eventually got home in 2:17. Glad to have got to the end after considering pulling out mid race.
Event was very well organised as always and i'm sure I will be back again next year to try again.
Gawd that was hot!
I was hoping for around 1:40, but plodded home in 1:48. I was just happy to finish as I was feeling pretty used up.
Well done everyone & all the helpers & especially the 3 attractive young ladies in Blacon who urged me on by name!
My calf pinged at about about 5 miles pain for the rest of way round.was hoping for sub 1.30 , finished in 1.36. Lovely weather was hoping for BBQ when got home but the sun has gone in by me . Overall a little disappointed but great race the support at finish was incredible. Great credit to organisers lots of well managed water stations ! Anyone who finished in that heat did themselves proud
i got a pb but not as good as i hoped. still not shaken that marathon off. a goal, 1:39, b goal 1:40. got 1:40:31. boy was it hot!!
amazing organisation though, dont think there was a single thing i could grumble about.
John
skills Magic
Bad luck with the BBQ - it stayed blue & sunny in Sychdyn for my BBQ until about 4pm. I'm now stuffed full of sausage & burger - you might have seen the smoke plume!
Crawled around in 2.15 compared to 2.01 last year. It was hot out there, first 4 miles or so were fine but never found any energy after that. Half of me is disappointed, half of me glad I struggled around. May well have a beer this evening to drown my sorrows. Great event and well organised as ever, I preferred old route through Blacon as support there was always good, the noise upto the finishing line was loud, loud, loud. Back home for roast beef dinner by 1.00 so not all bad
I just remembered something - as I was coming up the final hill before the right turn onto the finishing straight, some guy came absolutely sprinting past! He was swerving through the runners like an idiot!
Is this normal? If so, why do people do this? He must have been strolling round most of the course to be able to finish like that, or if not why wasn't he up with the leaders? I can't quite get my head round it.
First time at Chester today, very impressed with the organisation, water stations etc. Took forever to get out the Racecourse afterwards but I can't say I wasn't warned! Thought the route was a bit dull for a lot of it and the track after the bridge was very narrow for the amount of runners even after we'd been spread out after 8 or 9 miles.
One big gripe though, I don't wear an ipod but can understand some people prefer to, however if you must then at least look around before just veering around in front of people. Not sure if it was just a total lack of spatial awareness or simply lack of race manners but there seemed to be lots of sudden stops needed with people just randomly cutting others up
Richclip : managed a BBQ in end followed by lots of beers
im quite sunburnt! And wish I was not on mornings tomorrow!
Im going to try take a month of running to get over this calf injury, not entered into any more races. Might do chester marathon in October I was planing on running rhyl half and north wales half but for once I'm going to listen to my body
great running everyone
Rubbish time (2.31) way over my pb but glad to have finished at all, given the number of comatose looking bides and dnfs. Managed a sprint for the last flat bIt! My god that was hot. I've got blisters and chafing in some very surprising areas and a nettle sting somewhere uncomfortable from weeing in a field.
Brilliant organisation and the support was amazing, all the way round - the toddler with the hosepipe was like a little angel of mercy
We'll be back next year.....
Comatose BODIES.....
Wow, my first half marathon and what a hot one that was! The first 6 miles or so were hell on earth but surprisingly I reached the half way point bang on where I wanted to be despite struggling with the conditions. Then at mile 7 my body just stopped, it wanted no further part in this. One quick loo break, a couple of Jelly babies, then I gave myself a good talking too and I managed to get going again. Unfortunately my target time then went out of the window and getting to the end was the new goal.
With special thanks to all of the supporters/volunteers out there that really lifted me when I needed it, I managed to get around in a disappointing 2.10 but in the end I was extremely grateful to make it to the finish with just a few blisters having seen the condition of some of the poor people keeled over at the side of the ride.
Roll on next year so I can have a shot at a very modest PB target I have set myself.
Looks like it wasn't just me who ran a 'mare then. The heat really took it out of us all.
Looks like a lot of people performed below their personal expectations yesterday. There did appear to be a lot more people struggling than I have seen in previous years and unfortunately more ambulance sirens.
I am going to try again in Rhyl at the end of June.
I noticed a lot of sirens as well yesterday and hope that everyone who did take ill are all on the mend now. I will try again next year for the sub 2 hours which I had managed quite easily in training and pray that the sun does not come out again.
Well done to all that did finish as that was brutal
Brutal explains that finish perfectly!! That takes out any chance of a good finish. The last 200m or so is nice but the preceding 1k is just horrific!
Wow that was hot - i thought it was just me but by the sounds of it the total energy drain by 1/2 way was normal. I started heaving at around 9 miles and after seeing all the bodies (hope they are ok) on the side decided to walk plod slower the rest. 2.35 in the end which i'm pleased with as my target was only 2.30. Couldn't fault the organisation and quite liked the route, thought the finish was amazing the crowds managed to perk me up enough to sprint ish for the line once i could see it. I agree the little boy with the hose was an angel and the 3 children a littel further on with giant water pistols.
Think i may be back next year
It was very tough and that hill at the finish nearly finished me off. I was with the 2hr20m pacers for a lot of the race who were absolutely brilliant.
The kid with the hose was a godsend and the organisation was top notch.
I was amazed how difficult it was for the ambulances to get through due to people wearing headphones. I hope the people at the side of the road are all okay.
When they're banned - they're banned for a reason.
Headphones were an issue but so were people in the wrong pens walking up the flyover to the fountains roundabout less than a mile in. Not quite sure what was going on there.
I got a position about 10 feet behind the 2 hour pacers in the hope I would follow them at least halfway and try and kick on from there. By the time I shuffled to the start they were out of sight! Not that I could have followed the way I was feeling
I was with the 1:50 pacers for the first three miles, but there is no way i felt like I could keep that pace in the heat. Settled back and ran my own Slower race and still managed a PB 1:57:03 and first time under 2 hours. Some great support out on the course, even in the remote bits. That hill near the finish nearly finished me off but some encouragement from several other runners got me going again. Great friendly race. I will be back next year in search of sub 1:50!
I started with the 2.30 pacers who were just brilliant but found it quite congested around them so after pulling a little ahead of them i settled in there running just within earshot so i knew i was at a steady pace. They went by me around 9 miles when i started to slow but i decided not to push to stay with them as by that point it was all about finishing. Would love to of been able to run with them properly they were a right laugh.
Rubbish time (2.31) way over my pb
Just realised how very disrespectful that sounds to everybody who (like me) gritted their teeth and suffered to get over the finishing line. It wasn't rubbish, it wasn't even rubbish for me - I was just feeling brassed off after all the training that it hurt so much and felt very inadequate compared with the leader board!
It's easy when you read these forums and hear tales of 1.20 HMs and endurance athletes doing inhuman things to get intimidated and think that a 2.30+ HM is somehow second rate and it bloody isn't! Even putting your socks and shoes on and getting to the starting line is better than 99% of the population I'm guessing so I'm actually feeling quite good about the whole thing now I've given myself a talking to.
Well done all!