Today I took part in the Cookstown half marathon along with 300 other people. I was participating as its great training and preparation for me as I'm taking part in the New York marathon in just over 13 weeks. I started at the front of the group as i wanted to get off to a good start. As the race got going i was going a little faster than normal and got a shock when i was at the mile marker and looked at my watch and it read 6mins 34 seconds. My training runs are in the region of 8 minutes plus so i realised very quickly that i was going too fast and could pay for it later in the race. After 4 miles i was blowing and i felt like stopping and walking for a while as i had developed a slight stitch. This morning when i got up i was on you tube and i came across a great video which had a message of "Pain is temporary, Quitting is Permanent". For the next 4 miles i kept saying this to myself and thankfully i started to fine my running and got a second wind which was very welcome at that stage.
The track was the toughest half marathon I've competed in with lots of hills and more than half the race in the countryside with mostly livestock for company. Its much easier running when there is people about encouraging you on and clapping you round - thats what i find anyway.
I was keeping a close eye on my time and i was gradually slowing down to around an eight minute mile which i was very happy with. I knew if i kept that pace i would come in around 1hr 40minutes which would be 11 minutes quicker than my best time. So i dug in, grinded my teeth, put one foot in front of the other, time after time and kept going.
I was nearly home and as i ran up to the Mid Ulster Sports Arena, the crowd appeared and the pain started to ease slightly. I crossed the line with a new personal best time of 1hr 41mins and 28 seconds and i was delighted to get home and get a rest.
It was a very tough run but i was very pleased to get round in the time i did. I learnt alt from today and if there was one thing its that i really need to improve my training and commit a little more to this challenge.
Running is a great past time and when i am running(and not in pain) it is a great feeling and i am at my most creative.
This week i will up the ante on the training regime and thankfully i am on trek for New York City.
Remember #NeverGiveUp and #AttitudeIsEverything
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