09/04/2024
🏁 London Landmarks Half Marathon
A beautiful race, great vibes, fun entertainment around the course, fun crowds on a sunny breezy day.
When I signed up to this race last spring I was in early recovery from injury and needed a stretch goal to get me back on the road. Starting from scratch 13 miles sounded feasible!
It's got me back into running and now I'm currently training for a 75km (48miles) trail run in June. The training for my 75km practises running on tired legs - which paid off in this half.
I set off and settled into a 9min mile pace - faster than normal but I have to consciously slow down on my long runs! So I decided to stick with the pace and see what happened.
It felt comfortable until around 8 miles in and then the wind kicked in, time to lean in, trust the training process and see if my mental resilience could keep me steady while my legs pounded the streets.
By mile 13 I was ready to slow but I held the pace, realising at this point I was incredibly close to a major personal best (PB). It just wasn't comfortable any more, but I knew there was just a little bit more in my legs that I hadn't tapped into yet.
I came around the final bend, glanced at my watch and realised this PB was possible - but only with a sprint finish.
In that instant I dug deep, switched up to 'top gear' and sprinted to the finish, weaving around the other finishers - I no longer heard the cheering but was totally focussed on crossing that line.
When I crossed the line I could've cried! The mixture of emotions was surreal. I achieved something I didn't know was a possibility, surprise that I had the stamina to persevere, tearful that strangers would cheer me on in that achievement and remembering that this is one of the reasons I love races.
Races give you the opportunity to show yourself what you're capable of, they give you a reason to push through the hard training session, they allow you to challenge yourself at your own pace.
And if they don't go as planned, they are brilliant learning curves!
This week in my email I'll be taking a deep dive into my race experience with more on my mentality to persevere. If you want to receive it, comment EMAIL 💌
