1:59:15 – Christchurch Half Marathon 2010

Well that’s what my watch says, I passed under the clock at about 2:00:30, but I it had taken me a long time to get to the start line after the gun.

You know I’d like to one day near the elites so you can actually see what is happening with the speeches etc… the only way that would happen, would be as me as a spectator.

The day was a drizzly coldish morning. It was probably the best conditions for me. If it had been a fine frosty morning, my lungs would have done their normal burn and die routine, and at least it wasn’t hailing a sleeting like last year.

Well the first k was the normal dodge and scramble around people. This year seemed worse than previous though, there were even some damn walkers I had to negotiate around, and I had actually started up near the 1:50 sign, and felt bad about that, but I sorta got stuck in the crowd and thought it was good enough. Ugghh, surely people can be realistic and find a best spot for them to be.

I heard someone call out my name near the fire station, and thought it sounded like Zarnia, I saw her on the way back on Peterbrough, I almost offered to swap places and let her finish the race for me 🙂

I was ahead of my first time split at the 1 K… the plan had to be slower, but I wasn’t feeling like I was pushing hard and comfortable, so I just kept going at that place.

Came across Nades, just after that… I mocked her for her Skort (what would you expect of me)… but soon lost her dodging around the crowd, so not sure where she went. I past the 5 K mark and I was almost 4 minutes under my split time… it was time to slow it down a bit and be a bit more conservative, but I was still feeling pretty good… up until the 7K mark that is, then I started to feel the pace I had been keeping up was not going to be sustainable.

I saw Geoff sitting outside his house, so decided it was time to ditch the hat and gloves and threw them at him (though crossing the road back again slowed me down a bit).

I got to the 10 K mark at 54mins… I am pretty sure that is my fastest 10k (not that I race that distance much). When I reached the 11K mark my CP was telling me to stop, I did have a few of those “let just walk a bit” thoughts, but I just smiled and kept on going.

That last half was pure torture… my splits were still ahead, though I was starting to catch up to what they were supposed to be. I actually detest the part that goes around the park and down Harper Ave. At least the road workers guys have flattened it out a bit so the camber isn’t as bad as  it used to be, but it just keeps on going and going, its horrible.

There were points through the park where I just want to stop and sit down and contemplate life, but some reason the legs just kept going and soon I was on armargh, then going around the Crammer Square and the final (long long)straight. I could see the clock tick over to 2hrs, I knew I had a minute and half or so to get there… to which I did.

Thank god I got under the time I wanted. I am not sure I want or need to do the chch half again, for a few years at least. It isn’t the mostest fun race out there.. Its just good for going fast I suppose, and proving what you can do at the moment.

I feel I finally turned a corner with running and with a bit more weight loss, I expect I will start to get even faster.