In regards to my time, it was officially my second worst time ever for a half marathon and 24 minutes slower than my half marathon PB, however, my time was 3 minutes faster than my Sheffield Half Marathon time last month.
For me, it is now about the milestones and completion achievements whilst enjoying my running rather than racing for times, PB’s and positions, something that I did for years from my early 20s to around 31 years old, a period when I really took my running seriously and was ultra competitive.
I absolutely loved the race / run on Sunday and I will give you a little insight and breakdown into my experience. Aside from my fellow Kirkstall Harriers’ team-mates, out of my friends, only my mate James (Van Der Hunt) and work colleague Matthew ran it this year.
Below: me and James before the half marathon at Millennium Square.
So, race day was upon me, in the case of the Leeds Half Marathon, this was the 13th time for me and at this point now I really am a veteran Leeds Half Marathoner and much more than just an ‘experienced’ Leeds Half Marathoner. I know how to prepare for the race, I also use the same race route for much of my now limited training but as I know this great and fairly tough course inside out, I know which sections to pace myself on and which sections to push on to make some ground up and which sections to stay consistent on. This is the sort of knowledge that running it for 13 years does for you.
Sadly for me, as I have gained more experience and know this course better than ever before, I am no longer at my physical and running peak, atleast not at the moment but I know how to enjoy this race by how I push on certain sections.
Anyway, my mate James picked me up in a taxi from my house at 8:15, we got to town, chilled out in Millennium Square for a bit, had a photo together (which we got a Police Officer to take haha) and as I started in a different pen to James, I left him and went to my area and dropped my baggage off. At the start I was on my own to begin with, went to the toilet, had a warm up on The Headrow by Leeds Town Hall and got ready for the ‘open warm up’. I then saw some of my fellow Kirkstall Harriers’ runners at the start line so we started together.
As my goal in running right now is to complete races for milestones, medals and enjoyment rather than competitiveness and times, I decided that I would take the first 4 miles steady for my usual current pace. This is so I could enjoy the start instead of feeling tired or out of breath early on and also because I know that there are some tough hills in Meanwood and Moortown in the first 4 miles or so.
My fellow Kirkstall Harrier’ Andrew was aiming for around 1:55:00 time and I ran with him for much of the first 4 miles, right until we got to the top of the final hill in Moortown. We had a great chat about running and both mine and his running ambitions both now and in the past, was a great insight for us both. Andrew ended up earning himself a PB so he was over the moon at the end of the race.
So, at the top of the hill, I had plenty of energy left in the tank and I thought ‘right, I’m bombing it down and up the Ring Road’. When I have loads of energy in my tank I have the ability to run at a good consistent pace until the tank runs out and it’s a big tank for a little guy. I let the gravity do some of the work as the first half of the Ring Road is all down hill and I felt great, I must have overtaken hundreds down the slope I was on top form, felt like I was rolling back the years.
The difference is, when I was at my peak and smashing out 1:20 something half marathon times consistently, I was like this for most of the races, I could start off at a fast pace and be consistent throughout with extra spurts here and there, but now I am way past my peak currently in terms of times, this is where my experience of the Leeds Half Marathon comes into play. I know where I can push hard and where I need to hold back and where I need to run consistent but at my average pace, in my current running condition and form, I need to be selective now.
I had my energy gel at that stage on my way down to Kirkstall Road and it gave me an energy boost. So Kirkstall Road and the last 4.5 miles was left for me to complete and I was feeling good-ish and this was the time I knew that my pace had to be consistent but not too strong as this is the stage where it can get boring, a long flat stretch with the sun beating down.
I was looking out for my sister down on Kirkstall Road who lives close by now, hoping to get a boost from her cheer but she didn’t make it out so I then powered through past Kirkstall Leisure Centre where as a local Kirkstall runner I usually get a lot of shouts and cheers which I did, although our usual crowd of Kirkstall Harriers supporting weren’t there this year so the energy boost wasn’t as intense as usual.
Competitiveness & Showmanship...
I kept powering through at a consistent pace down Kirkstall Road, although made sure I held a little back as close to the finishing stretch my competitiveness and showmanship always comes out.
I powered up the slope into the city centre and there I was, ready to put on a sprint finish as I was edging closer to the final 100m.
Checkout some photos below...
I started to reach the corner of the turn where it’s then 100m until the finish, up toward Cookridge Street and it’s not as easier finish on the legs as you would think, it is a bit of a slight gradient but for me, I always usually finish really strong and I always give a great sprint finish.
The feeling of butterflies, excitement and nervousness when I approach for the sprint finish is sometimes overwhelming but it gives me tingles and gives a snippet of euphoria during the sprint. It’s the thought of not winning a sprint finish or someone possibly overtaking me. No one ever has overtaken me at the finishing stretch on this race and hopefully they never will. Although I am not as fast now, my sprint finish ability is something that comes natural to me as I natural am very explosive, but most of all, I have always been blessed with the ability to sprint or run hard even when I am absolutely knackered or tired from running for miles. It’s more to do with my natural energy levels than anything, this is why I have always been able to dribble and explosively sprint in football at any point in a match, whether it’s in the first 5 minutes or in the last 5 minutes.
Anyways, I am going off track here, so my sprint finish was one of my best for a couple of years actually and I enjoyed every moment of it. I also heard my name called out on the PA system which was cool, but I can’t actually tell what they said. I overtook loads at the sprint finish and I saw two guys in red tops further up the stretch to the finish so I targeted them two and rallied past them and then took four more out at the finish.
Some of the finishing snaps were caught, see below:
So, my time was 1:46:15, which is my second worse half marathon time ever and my worst ever Leeds Half Marathon time.
My PB is 1:22:45 (finishing in 35th position) in 2014.
OTHER MENTIONS:
Congratulations to my mate James (Van Der Hunt) who earned a PB and broke the 2 hour barrier by 7 seconds, something he has been aiming for, really proud of him. He was running his third or fourth Leeds Half Marathon since his first one in 2016.
Congratulations to my fellow work colleague from Burberry, Matthew who completed his first Leeds Half Marathon in 2:43:00. Amazing stuff !
Congratulations to my fellow Kirkstall Harriers’ runner Andrew who earned a smashing PB, really enjoyed running the first 4 miles with him, was a pleasure and some great chats too.
Also a welldone to all my fellow Kirkstall Harriers’ who completed this great race on Sunday, there was a large ‘purple army’ out in force on the roads and in the crowds.
It was great to see some of my close mates afterwards for a catch up, a few drinks and to celebrate!
Semi-retired from competitive running
(announced on a previous blog in October 2018)
I’ve not been genuine race or competitive fit for around a year or two now and I probably don’t have the time at this point in my life to get back there in the next few years. This is why I semi-retired from competitive running late in 2018 and my running goals are now all about reaching milestones and collecting medals rather than my race times, PB’s and finishing positions.
Secondly, after my disappointing results during last years marathon comeback season, I made a pact with myself this year that from 2019 onwards, I will run half marathons only and I will not run them for times anymore, but for completion and milestones only.
My reason for this is because I am way way way off my running times and performances that I was producing consistently for six or seven years and especially during my physical peak years (between ages 27 and 31).
I don’t train often like I used to and from here I plan to run one or two half marathons a year until I either reach 20 Leeds Half Marathons in a row (which will be 31 half marathon races) or until I hit 50 half marathon races. I have accepted that I am no where near my peak performances anymore and 1:22:00 half marathons are now a million miles away, my goal is to complete and enjoy my races without caring about my time (although it depresses me a little that I can’t run those times anymore).
If I am 100% honest, I have lost my passion and desire for running hard, sadly and I must admit that after 26 years of competitive sport, road running since 22 years of age and all the Good For Age times and over 1,000 competitive games of football since the age of 8, all the athletics, rugby league games as a kid and years of intense training in the gyms, at 34 years old, my legs are now starting to really feel it and the miles on the clock are taking effect in terms of my endurance speed. However, I also have to admit that, particularly in running, I am no longer dedicated to the running and my fitness is now very sporadic. A lot of things have changed in my life the last few years and my fitness is no longer able to be my priority and as long as I do keep myself fit and reminisce about all my previous sporting moments and running achievements, I am happy with that.
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