A love affair with the half marathon

My first ever foot race was a 5k that I did when I was 12. It was at my local athletics track, Copthall Stadium, in London. I'd done one training session for it, during which I ran around the track slowly about 15 times. I was well happy with that. It was my first taste of satisfaction at going far and slow. However, as the starting gun went off on race day, I forgot the 'far and slow' thing, and sped off - tiring myself out after about 400 metres. I wish I could say that I learnt my lesson on that day, but it would take me a few more goes to get it right.

My first half off to a false start

I have since come to love ultra marathons. I feel that same satisfaction of going long and slow as I did that day when I was 12. However, I think I'll always consider myself a student of the half marathon.

I'm not sure why the half marathon is so exciting to me, when the idea of 10k and marathons bore me. The half marathon a distance which is long enough to be run comfortably, but short enough not to take up half a day or more.

I did my first half 11 years after my racing debut - when I was 23 years old in Rio de Janeiro. I had an awful race. I had stuck well to my self-made training plan, though I'd only trained along the beach front which was completely flat. Unknown to me, the first 2 miles of the race would be a 100 metre climb and then a 100 metre descent back down to sea level. I started off too fast and ran the hill too hard at the start. I felt like I was 12 all over again as I was reduced to a walk in the final two miles as my back seemed to turn to lead. My time was 2 hours and 8 minutes, and I vowed to one day beat the 2 hour mark.

Asleep at the finish line in Rio

The following five years consisted of dribs and drabs of enthusiastic (albeit unconvincing) training mixed in with some generous dollops of injury time. One day in early 2012 though, my mate Adam and I decided to give the St Albans half marathon a shot. "We should aim for sub 2 hours!", I declared during our first training run together. "Um...", he enthusiastically agreed, and we were on.

Good running, bad maths

I was determined not to make the same mistake again, and with Adam running at my side for the whole race, we maintained a calculated pace from start to finish. Unfortunately, our calculations were slightly wrong, and we left ourselves 6 minutes to complete the final mile if we were to break the two hour mark. Our finishing time was 2 hours and 3 minutes. A good attempt on a hilly course - and a new PB for me. Still though, I vowed to return to beat the 2 hour mark.

Trying (and failing) to 6-minute-mile at St Albans 2012. Image copyright SportCam.net.

Chasing the PB

In 2013 I was back at the St Albans half. Training had been going better than ever, and though I felt less confident in the absence of my running pal Adam, I had the correct mile splits written on my arm and had done a few half marathon distance training runs prior to the race. It was a very cool day, which helped things; and coupled with the fact that I knew the course from last year, I managed to finish in 1 hour and 56 minutes.

Going strong at St Albans 2013.  Image copyright SportCam.net.

Crossing the finish line that year was very emotional, and I thought about the past six years of trying to break 2 hours. I had achieved my goal, but what would the next one be? How fast could I run a half if I sustained a year-long training plan?

"1 hour and 47 minutes" is currently the answer, and I ran it at the inaugural Henley Half Trail Marathon in 2013. It is a completely flat course, and on a cold morning, the conditions were pretty good. Only some muddy sections slowed me down, and I was more surprised than anyone to come in under an hour and 50 minutes. My brother also ran the race. It was his first ever half marathon - he achieved a brilliant 1 hour 38 minutes, and in doing so, proved that genetics weren't the limiting factor to reducing my half marathon time down.

Racing across the line in Henley - 

Back to St Albans

I dutifully returned to St Albans again this year to see if I could beat my previous year's effort of 1.56 - and maybe even set a new PB (1.47).

The St Albans half is a very charming family-oriented race. It is big enough to have a quirky announcer at the finish, but small enough that the marshals all smile and don't blindly enforce stupid rules. The course is rolling hills all the way which always takes people by surprise (I'm not sure why - they don't keep it a secret).

Gradually getting started at St Albans 2014

If you're a mid-pack runner, like I am, the start is always a massive bottleneck. Trying to skip past people at the start is always a stupid idea - you just end up tripping over people around you and you barely make up any ground.

This year, the race day turned out to be a scorcher. By mile 1, there were already people lying by the side of the road being given fluids by ambulance staff. I decided to do my duty of avoiding heat stroke by taking off my vest - something I didn't see anyone else do all day. I'm not sure why more men don't go shirtless in races. It is an amazing feeling, especially when it's hot.

Down the finishing straight at St Albans, 2014. Image copyright SportCam.net.

I put into practice all of those Western States training tips that I'd read about over the years but never managed to put into practice, like pouring cold water over my head at every opportunity (even when I felt I didn't need to)... well, maybe that was the only relevant tip.

I made sure I was well on pace early in the race, clocking up some necessary eight minute miles. I surprised myself by not noticeably slowing down. I felt really good for the whole race. I took a couple of energy gels at around mile 8 just to give me a little boost, which helped me maintain pace towards the end.

I suspected that I was running well because I spent the second half of the race passing a few people every mile. I passed a guy I know, who had been reduced to a walk. He lamented the heat and the hills - a common complaint for most runners.

My finishing time was 1.48 - 8 minutes faster than the previous year, but one minute slower than my PB, which was funny, because I felt like I ran much harder than at my PB race in Henley. The combination of hills and heat must have slowed me down, despite the good race.

Half naked ambition

That said, my times for St Albans keep getting faster, and I'm now putting down the foundation down for returning next year to run sub 1.40.

Resorting to Reading

I've resorted to doing what every slow half marathon runner in search of a fast time does: target the Reading Half Marathon. It's by far the quickest half marathon in the UK, and I'll be interested in really throwing everything at it next year.

I'm a little bit nervous, though. I'm not nervous of having a bad race. I'm nervous of having such a good one that it becomes the PB that I never end up beating.