Valients half

Hi guys and girls and thank you again for visiting my blog page.

Exactly a week after I ran the Brighton Marathon I ran Valients half marathon which took place in Lancashire, Throughout the week I was unsure whether or not to run this race as it was so soon after Brighton. Sometimes my legs felt like they were in pain, sometimes they were not so I decided to do the Thursday night run with my club Red Rose and then decide after that. In the end I decided to do it and I always look forward to races especially if there are also a lot of Red Rosers there too because I tend to treat it as socialising with running as an added bonus.

On the morning of the race, I got picked up by my pal John and we drove down to the race. As we approached the registration area we came across various parts of the route and the route felt like a maze with lots of twists and turns. After collecting my race number and doing the customary Red Rose team photo, we headed down to the start line and I just wanted to get going.

I didn’t really have a time in mind. I’ve learnt that its sometimes best not to because we can then avoid disappointments. I decided to try and keep up with my fellow Red Roser Louise as she is a great runner and I knew if I kept her in sight I could still have a good run.

I remember for the first few miles there was a long straight road which seemed to go on for a long time but I prefer flat bits rather then the dreaded hills.

As we got upto around mile 5 Louise sped up quite far ahead of but I could still see her so that was good enough for me. My legs were feeling quite heavy, quite possibly as an affect of Brighton but by mile 6 I had my game face on and I decided that I now wanted a PB. Louise was quite far ahead now and I realised that if I wanted to catch her I would have to work extremely hard. That’s it game face was on, head down and I was running with my heart and soul because I really wanted to do this. It was quite hard maintaining that speed and I had to vary the pace like interval training.

Whilst I was running fast it felt painful in one way but amazing in another. It felt amazing because I knew I was trying my hardest which meant I was having a good run.

I somehow managed to keep going at a moderately fast pace and by about mile 11 I did manage to catch up to Louise. By now I was tired and in pain but it was just about sticking it out now. It was by now I just wanted the race over and done with.

The line to mile 12 seemed enormous but the road to mile 13 seemed even longer. It’s at this time during a race you run with 2 things other then your legs. you run with your head and your heart.

Adrenaline kicked in now and combining this with a strong desire can help a person achieve a positive outcome for themselves and I was getting closer and closer to the finish line.

Louise was fantastic at this point shouting words of positivity that helped keep me motivated. As I went through the finishing line, I knew deep down that I had got the PB. It’s an amazing feeling for a runner to know that they have ran a good race. The time I got was 1 hour 55 mins and I was proper made up. My first sub 2 hours half!

It just goes to show that if you run with your head and heart anything is achievable unless you have an injury.

Thanks for reading guys and girls!

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