Brass Monkey Half Marathon

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  • Hipps - if that was the case then me too image Given my HR for pace though I was certainly putting the effort in for those two miles - just not getting the result out. Must have been the head wind. It was quite funny though on the way back, I was struggling a little and giving myself a talking to and said 'come on Eddy, Tony, give me a hand guys' and the wind picked up behind me and gave me a definite push forward - made me smile.
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • I did a long long report

    I am afraid i couldnt even think straight, hey though, maybe eddy stopped me walking

  • Well those inveterate liars,  the BBC weather forecasting team, managed to surpass themselves today "severe gales, sleet and rain" - mmmmmmmmm.  And to think these people are paid with my licence fee!

    Great run, thanks and congrats to Knavesmere Runners. 

    When I packed my bag this morning I made a mental note that my old running kit bag had seen better days and it was time to replace it!

  • I miss your blog Hipps. Where have you posted your report?
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • I have a fetch blog

    will post report now

  • LMH  - Hippo report in on her Fetch blog.
  • I know I have had a rough week health wise, but I was still hopeful of a pb in this race as it is so flat and my previous PB was set on a hillier course in warmer weather.

    The weather was almost perfect for running, hardly the gales and rain we had been forecast, and it was cold, but not cold enough for ice.Perfect!

    I felt very intimidated at the start, because this is such a pb course there were lots of very seriously lean and mean runners about the place.I felt a bit like I should not be there.Happily, I soon bumped into a load of people I knew and had a lovely half an hour socialising and joking to take my mind off race nerves.

    So, down to brass tacks.

    A rather slow congested start, but it didn’t matter, we had chip timing, and then we were off.

    I always do the first two miles of a race too fast, it tkes me about 30 minutes to settle in, but even so I was a bit horrified to note eight and a half minute miles on the garmin.

    “Ill pay for this later”, I thought grimly to myself

    Sure enough, by mile three my guts started cramping badly.I tried to slow it down but was still sub 9 minute miling.

    Miles 4 and 5 were a struggle, but I am told we were running into the wind at that point, I cant remember.I wa still overtaking people and was rather surprised to see how hard some people were running at only five miles in.

    In my head, I was breaking the race down into fractions and percentages of two hours(120 is a nice divisble number isnt it). Only another 90 minutes of this crap to put up with, and so on(yes, I ws suffering).The hour seemed to be taking AGES to get to.

    I noted my 10k time at 53.51 and then after that my brain stopped computing figures at all.

  • Mile seven is always a struggle for me in this race, im not sure if it’s the shapr turn, or the people cheering at Appleton Roebuck, but its been a walking point for me several times.i desperately wanted to walk byt now, and my guts kept threatening to make me stop.Somehow, I carried on, but now people were overtaking me and I was outside nine minute miling.I knew things were going to get worse, as I hadnt reached ninety minutes yet(always a bad point for me in any race).

    I kept telling myself that bad patches pass, and they did, only to return again a few minutes later.By now I had no idea what sort of time I was going to do, but was just determined not to walk.I don’t walk in half marathons anymore.

    Eventually, finally, I saw the ten mile marker and vaguely realised that I was one or two minutes inside my pb (1.28 something, don’t ask).

    This shoild have been a high point for me.I tried telling myself that I now had less than thirty minutes to go but in truth I had no idea how I was going to finish at all, I felt AWFUL.I struggled on, slowing down when the cramps got too bad, just willing myself over each point two of a mile(yes, I was fixated on the bloody garmin)

    Everyone else seemeed to be speeding up on the home straight.I had absolutely nothing left and wasn’t sure how I was going to do the last two miles.

    As I struggled up the hill to the bridge I reasoned that I might still get a sub two, but as there is a bit of a clinb at mile 12, knew that I couldn’t do a pb.

    The marshals and fetchies were lovely, and very vocal in their support and encouragement, but I could barely hear by this point.

    I will never know how I did not walk at mile 12, but I didn’t and eventually the interminable road was at an end, and we turned off to the racecourse.By now I had forced myself to stop looking at my garmin.My guts were agony, and I didn’t want the psychological additional stress of knowing how far off my pb I was.

    I managed a strong, though not a sprint finish, and my first reaction on seeing 1.57.46 was disappointment.

    Could I have pushed a bit harder for a few more seconds?

    Well, no, I couldn’t.

    Sorry about too much information, but lets just say I had bloody diarrhoea post race.

    Literally.

    I didn’t need anything else to tell me I had pushed my body hard enough then.

    God help me, sitting on the loo, I was already thinking that I had another two halves to do in March, plenty of time for a pb, and that I should be pleased with a sub two(anything to take my mind off the pain in my guts).

    It took me about two hours to feel normal again, and sorry I didn’t go to the pub, and sorry if I was short with any of you lovely people who spoke to me post race, but OH was in a grumpy strop and we had to go, and my brain just wasn’t working.

    On the journey home, I had just got my head around what had happened, and was feeling quite pragmatic about everything when a mate texted me my paddock Wood time form last year.

    I did a pb by one whole bloody second-LOL!

     

    Now that I am home, it would seem I have also done a 12 second 10k pb

    Off to find a 10 miler and a 10k to do soon, and lets se what happens in March

     

    The splits

    1.8.30

    28.25

    3.8.33

    4.8.43(slow at water station)

    5.8.49

    6.9.02

    7.9.01

    8.9.08

    9.9.15

    10.9.18

    11.9.17

    12.9.29

    13.9.11

  • Hippo theres no wonder i missed you
  • Gritty determination as ever Hipps! Is your Fetch blog buddies only? I'm registered but haven't seen it - unless you use a different name?
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • I will add you as buddy LMH
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Well, my sentimental return to an almost-PB course 5 years ago was fantastic. The organisation is without parallel, from car parking, cheering marshals and hot showers to help me feel human again image and the weather was near perfect.

    Lovely to meet Streaky Bacon colleague, PH, at the start, and not surprsing to find almost 30 Fetchies in the "Marcia" pub enjoying the apres HM image

    Congratulations to all competitors and thanks again to Knavesmire Harriers image

    Just under 1:46 on my watch, so I'm away to check the results.
  • 1:24:06 for me today - a bit faster than I'd hoped but the conditions were nigh on perfect.

    Will Fetch blog at some point when family in bed.
  • swittle, you didnt seem the sentimental type to me

    ;)

  • More great results!

    Thanks Hipps.

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • My first BM - what a great race. All been said - thanks knavesmire

    Thanks too Hippo - great race report
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    hidden depths, PH (well, that's my story image)
  • Great times from everyone.  Well done!

    Hippo - you did really well especially when your tummy was playing up.  It doesn't matter about what other people do just yourself.  One of our club members has been getting really emotional tonight because she got a pb today.  She was wondering if she had gone over the top because she finished nearly an hour behind our fastest member, but she did amazingly well, got a massive pb and we are proud of her.  Congratulate yourself and enjoy it!

  • Your sheer determination makes me feel like a bit of a wimp PH well done on a really brave effort, I was on target for a PB at halfway in around 50.30 , initially looking good 7.41, 7.41, 7.41, 7.41 for the first 4 miles..consistant or what but as soon as i got to halfway my hamstring started tweaking (technical term for hurting) so did a rather sad positive split but still ended up with 1.45.01 my 4th fastest half ever so happy days.

    big thankyou as always to the great Knavesmire organisation, no wonder this race fills up so quick and yep have to agree with the comments about the weather forecasting, almost perfect conditions rather than the blizzards and gales expected.

    didn't manage to meet anyone beforehand but did bump into LMH at the end and said hello, there again we did finish within 4 seconds of each other so not surprising really.

    well done to everyone especially the PB brigade, maybe next time for me but still happy !

    cheers

    beders

  • agree about organisation, top stuff as always

    love the rucsac, but miss the sweatshirt

    Now, i have been a bit ill all week

    i have another 2 halves in march, lets see, hmmmmmmmm

  • Great event today.  Well organised by Knavesmere.  A blessing that we could take shelter in the warmth before the gun.  Had a target of sub-1:45 and came home in 1:39:05 so well chuffed.  Paying for it now with stiff knees.  Will be back next year (if I can get in).

    JogOn 

  • Highlight of the day was seeing Hipps again after nearly 2 yearsimage

    Lowlight of the day was going off very nicely then suddenly losing all power at mile 3 and having to go into disaster recovery mode just to get round in a mediocre 1:41 and felt so carp I didn't even go to the pubimage!!!

    Well done to everyone who ran so well and got PB's - there are quite a few!!

    We really were very lucky with the weather. By 1500 the clouds and wind had gathered and it has been pretty stormy ever since.

    Race organisation and support of the course was again excellent and everything worked like clockwork.
    Chatted to the Race Secretary for a few minutes in the Stand before the race. He told me that divorce had nearly been on the cards as he and his wife filled 1300 goody bags in their  home for two nights before the race.!!!
    It's that sort of dedication and application to detail that makes this such an enjoyable event for all participents 

  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    A very important and well made point, Torque Steer. We are fortunate indeed to have such selfless people providing our pleasure.
  • TS

    big hugs

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    yeah, top organisation

    enjoyed the choc

    x

  • choc ..what choc ?? my damm kids (grown up mind) were at home and nicked the lot grrrrrrr !!

    already posted my thanks for the organisation but your posting TS just goes to show how much dedication and effort the unpaid organisers of a race put in which is well well appreciated ! thanks guys !!

  • Well done Stotfold - super result!

    TS - I shall be very happy the day that 1.41 is survival!

    The way I feel this morning I can't beat myself up over those six seconds, I think I left everything I had on those roads. Maybe next year.................

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • TetleyTetley ✭✭✭

    Well organised by a very friendly team - even arranged for decent weather - its pouring down today up here

    I can't find where I can rate it on this RW  website?

  • Brass Monkey 2009 photos here

    first set of photos from the 2 mile mark

  • LMH
    believe me it hurts just as much as those 6 seconds......................................
  • Were we discussing the Rights and Wrongs of running with MP3 players on this forum last week?  I think we were.  Well, as you know the organisers for the BM don't allow them and yesterday I saw a good example of Why Not:  the group I was running with included one gal dressed in black from head to foot and wearing a black wooly hat.  I soon noticed the reason why:  She was carrying an MP3 player and had threaded the wires up the back of her top, under her hairline and obviously her hat was concealing the evidence!! 

    Well, I'm not here to  judge or preach but I can say this:  she had no idea of spatial awareness and was constantly jostling and knocking elbows/running across people, you guys out there all know how irritating this can be in a race, particularly when you're in a tight group.  That's forgivable, but what was NOT so good was when a car came from behind and - of course the cries of "Car" rang out, because we were on a very narrow part of the course and there was no way this car could get past without runners moving out of the way.   She didn't hear the warning and was running directly in the car's path ..... fortunately someone realised she couldn't hear and ran to catch her and physically tap her on the shoulder.  Not what you want to see happen, I hope it didn't ruin that person's focus.

    So no harm done, but you can see why organisers don't allow them.  It introduces a health and safety issue that might not otherwise be there ......

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