A couple of weeks ago, after the Intercounties result, one of my friends messaged me to congratulate me on my performance. "It's a roller coaster ride being a runner, sometimes you can hit very low periods, but when it's good it's a great buzz and spurs you on"...
Little did I know it at the time, but looking back two weeks later and this statement is not only very true, but it also provides some good advice for runners out there, whether they be running very well, or not so - things can change very quickly, so make the most of it when you're in form, and just knuckle down and get through the rough patches when things aren't going so great, form is temporary after all.
For ten weeks since the start of the year I have grown as a runner. I have upped my mileage, as planned, and my training programme ahead of Cardiff couldn't have gone much better at all. Four consecutive weeks of 80 miles plus had seen me feeling strong, I'd done all the long runs, the track sessions had got gradually more intense and quicker, and I felt increasingly comfortable and confident in the tempo sessions. Performance-wise, my crosscountry season had gone from strength to strength and I had set a new 5k pb on the road. I felt in peak condition and ready for a big effort at a pb in Cardiff for the Half.
But the one thing that you can't legislate for in training is sickness. And just two weeks shy of race day, two days after possibly my best ever performance in the Intercounties, that is exactly what struck...
Ironically, I had suffered from a chest infection almost 12 months ago exactly, in the build up to Wilmslow Half marathon. That day I got lucky and managed to grind out a new personal best, despite feeling a bit off.
With that in mind, and so much already invested in this race and into the weekend overall already, cancelling was out of the question.
This time around, there was no such luck. I actually felt much better throughout this week, having felt terrible for the seven days previously. Despite still suffering with a cough and spitting up gunk whilst running, I felt capable of still giving it a go for that same target time as I was aiming for. I had come through a bit of a fitness test on the Thursday, as a 20 minute tempo at race pace had gone well.
I suppose there is a difference between a watered down version of a race, and the real thing however. Possibly the added complication of driving for some 6 hours to get to the city the day prior to the race didn't help matters either. The truth is, I knew very early on into the race on Saturday that I wasn't right.
The target I have been working towards has of course been for a sub 70 minute half marathon. To achieve that I had to maintain a pace of 5:20 m/pm or less throughout the race. In the first two miles I just about managed that, with mile splits of 5:17 and 5:21, the truth is though that even at this stage I was already feeling the strain. Mile 3 saw my pace drop to 5:34 and from there on in it was all down hill.
My intended race splits through 5 and 10k was sub 16:30 and 33:00 respectively, what I actually delivered was in fact closer to 16:50 and then 34:50 as I proceeded to drop 20-25 seconds per mile off the pace, every mile through miles 4-9.
There were several points in the race where I seriously considered dropping out altogether. After the fourth mile I very nearly turned around and jogged back to the hotel as it sunk in that I was nowhere near fit enough to run for my target. Instead I decided to try and maintain 5:40 pace for as long as possible and try to see the race as some kind of hard tempo session.
I managed that until the course swung back towards the centre of Cardiff and more or less past the start and finish area. I could actually see my hotel and was again tempted to sack it all off. The main reason why I didn't, is that my only ever DNF (in Lytham Windmill Half Marathon in 2013 - where again I was suffering from sickness) still to this day remains my lowest ever moment in running. I was determined not to have the indignity of not completing a race for a second occasion.
So I plodded on, and it continued to get harder, and slower. Mile ten saw my pace drop to 5:51, and then the weather really turned for the worse - just in case I wasn't already suffering enough! The final 5k was run into gale force winds and horizontal rain and my pace really dropped off to just about 6 minute mile-ing. The final nail in the coffin was being overtaken by Superman at 11 miles. At least I was able to see the funny side, asking him if he'd enjoyed his film premieré during the week...
Mile 11 also provided me with another bit of a pick up however, as I met a runner called Steve Hargreaves for the first time. Steve is a Lytham Road Runner, and introduced himself and told me he was a follower of the blog - it really brought a smile to my face despite the disappointment I was feeling. While I dropped off I'm informed Steve managed to out-run Superman to the finish, so we'll done!
In the darkest moments of the run, I found myself questioning everything that I have done in he build up to the race. Had I done enough? Had I done too much? Was my target unrealistic? The answer to all of these, I believe is 'no'. I simply wasn't fit for the race. It is a hard one to swallow, but all my work came undone through the virus I picked up in he build up. The travelling also probably didn't help matters, but it wasn't the deal breaker by any stretch. I've just got to move on now and focus on the next goals, it is how you respond to a set back that is most important.
Despite the race being a bit of a write off, training had ironically gone pretty solidly through the week, which had led me to believe I was over the worst of the illness. A ten mile recovery run on Sunday saw my mileage back up above 70 for the week.
Total mileage for the week: 73
Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:29
Total mileage for month so far (March): 261
Total mileage so far 2016: 891
Average miles per day 2016: 10.24
