Another false start!

I’m beginning to wonder whether I’ll ever get back to anything even remotely resembling the runner I used to be!  To be able to have even a few months consistent training under my belt would be a good start!  Since resuming running back in April, after my hamstring injury, it just seems to have been one thing after another to scupper my progress!  First of all it was a nasty fall on the canal towpath back in June (you can read all about that in my last blog post), then a sacroiliac joint problem and now it’s a chest infection that’s been hanging around for the best part of a month and resulted in a course of antibiotics. 

In hindsight I think I was going down with the chest infection when I ran the 18 mile version of the Railway Ultra at the beginning of August, although I didn’t realise it at the time.  I really struggled with the last 5 or 6 miles of the race – my legs ached and felt like lead weights and I felt I was running on empty.  At the time I put it down to the fact it was my longest run since January.  I wasn’t really prepared for the race, having missed yet more training the week before due to the sacroiliac joint problem, and I was only intending to run it as a steady training run. 

I’d done the full 36 mile version last year and, although the multiple out and back course can get a bit tedious, especially with the rough stony path (which seemed to be even more pot-holed this year), it’s a very scenic route on a disused railway line along the River Severn near Ironbridge.

This year it had the added bonus of being on my birthday (and a new Masters age-group one to boot), so we made a long weekend of it and took in the sights of Ironbridge too. 

It also meant I earned the second part of my finishers’ medal – a train carriage to go with the engine I won last year! 

I should have realised, however, that the last few miles felt even harder than they should have done, even allowing for my untrained state and lack of fitness.  To cut a long story short, I developed what I thought at first to be just an ordinary cold, but was later diagnosed by my GP as a chest infection, resulting in the best part of two weeks’ missed training.  It’s extremely frustrating that every time I feel I’m making some progress something else happens to thwart it.  I feel like I’m taking one step forward and two steps back!

Anyway, having finished the course of antibiotics I decided that as I’d already entered the Kenilworth Half-marathon I might as well give it a go.  I managed to squeeze in 4 or 5 days of light running leading up to the race, but this really only served to wreck my quads before I’d even started the race!  I knew I wasn’t going to be competitive at the front end of the race, or anywhere near my course record of 77:37, so I started somewhere in the middle of the pack, which was quite a novel experience for me!  I had a bit of a panic whilst we stood there waiting for the off, thinking “I shouldn’t be this far back!” but then reminded myself of my pre-race plan – to start steadily and try to pick up in the last 4 miles if I had anything left in my legs.  It felt a bit strange having to walk a short way before crossing the start line and being able to get running, but I have to say I quite enjoyed experiencing a race from a bit further back, with no pressure. 

 

I had a bit of banter with some of the other local runners as we ran round, and I tried to offer some encouragement to my Leamington C&AC club mates when I passed them.  The Kenilworth Half is always a great race – very well organised with plenty of friendly marshals who always offer a lot of encouragement to all the runners (and plenty of yummy cakes at the finish too!).  I always seem to have a fair bit of local support out on the course too; as I live within a stone’s throw of the route there are always people I know out the course cheering the runners on.  Living on the doorstep also means I know the course like the back of my hand – I run most of it week in, week out, as part of my tempo runs, so I know exactly where the hills are and every twist, turn and pothole in the road!  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not!  My race went pretty much to plan, although the hills smashed my quads even more and meant I couldn’t push the last few miles quite as hard as I would have liked.  However, I did seem to be picking people off for the majority of the race and ended up 9^th female, and 3^rd W45, in what was my slowest ever half-marathon (1:33:26)!  But that was still faster than my coach, Les, was expecting and, to be honest, after the year I’ve had so far I was relishing just being there and competing in my first road race since last December!  I think I ran the whole race with a permanent smile (apart from maybe the last hill!) as I was just so happy to be out racing on the roads again.