A Surprising Half Marathon

As part of my build-up to have a crack at the marathon distance in a couple of months time, I am slowly trying to increase my distances following the schedule I have worked out. However, there are quite a number of times when I just cannot keep my schedule going so I keep on adjusting it (usually downwards).

Saturday is my usual day for an LSD run (for those not in the know an LSD run stands for Long Slow Distance and is designed to build up endurance). The aim is to run at a slower than normal pace but with the intention of completing the distance. As I have a wedding today I ran my LSD yesterday!

I had planned to run 24k or two laps of the Bike Track. Now, because Val had the car and I didn't want to change the course I was going to run, I walked the 1k from home to the start of the track beside the Devonport Aquatic Centre. I didn't feel the cold (and I doubt if it got above 14 all day) but I sure could feel the blustery wind.

As I was walking down to the start I was trying to mentally calculate what pace I should aim for and settled on running between 6.05-6.10/k, knowing that I would slow down in the latter stages of the run.

The fist k was right on 6mins but for the next 4k it ranged from 5.47-6.01. As I headed towards the turning point for the first time at the 6k mark I was hit with a strong headwind (which I found out later was around 40k/hour). Even so, I still managed that last 1k in a surprising 6.05.

The first 2k of the return leg were both under 6/k but for the remainder of that return part of the first leg I was basically running in and out of shelter and side-on into the wind, so I again slowed down to just over 6/k until I ran the last k in 6.29 to the halfway point, which was all uphill.

I commenced the second leg and ranged from 5.49-6.02/k to the turning point at 18k (surprisingly I was able to manage the headwind for the last 1k to the 18k mark in 6.02, which was faster than the first time I ran to that turning point). Knowing that I was just in front of averaging 6/k I wondered how I would go getting to the half marathon mark. My first k after the turn at 18k was run in 5.52 but from that point on I began to slow with every k taking a little longer. However, I still ran through the 21.1k mark in 2.06.22 which means I averaged 5.59.34 for the half marathon (according to my Garmin and not by the kilometre markers) and I took 4.51 off my best ever time for the distance on what should have been an easy LSD run.

From the 21.5k I could feel myself tiring with my last three kilometres run at 6.26, 6.31 and 6.46 (the last of these up the final hill).

Then I walked home to an enjoyable hot bath that Val had once again prepared for me.

Having written this blog it is now back to getting all the paperwork done for the wedding and then completing tomorrow morning's sermon.