Everything was laid out for the early morning start. I finished work on Saturday around 7:30pm, as well as going to see a friend for her 40th. They say...
"get an early night before race day"
Nahhhh! It never happens. Your near enough always awake due to pre race nerves coursing through your body. But that feeling is kind of great. Depending on how you look at it. I arrived home at 9:30pm. Which was fine as my fiancé was due home at about 10:30pm. So I had the time to kill.
I was gutted, he was unable to come due to work screwing him around as per usual
:-(. Now running is a big part of my life, and it was my hometown half it was the only thing I wanted him to come too. After all, he hadn't seen me run in a event since last March, when I ran my first 5k. But fingers crossed- he'll be in the stands of the infamous F1 track in Silverstone in under 2 weeks time.
Thinking logically, it's your home town. Maybe a little bit of lie in due to knowing the area, and being all of 6minute drive from the start.
WRONG!!!
Road closures around my area caused my dad to pick me up for about 7:20am. We drove to his girlfriends and then figured out the diversions to a suitably close car park. But thank God. We arrived dead on 8am. I was wrapped up with loads of layers. I seen fellow runners in just a short sleeve t shirt and their shorts/ leggings. No, no, no what are you doing with your life? Are you just immune to the winter cold? Don't even get me started on the people that ran into town, ran a half marathon and then bike rode/ ran back home. How? Why? Yeah, nope, just nope. I'd be on my back before the start of the race or in the back of an ambulance.
I met up with my solider buddy, friend of 3 years who had never ran a half marathon before and gained a late charity place with Coventry's own, Zoe's Place. His plan was to run it in his army gear and a 10kg rucksack! Safe to say, he decided to ditch the rucksack having been out on vigorous exercise back at barracks. He was planning to stick with a younger girl from my riding yard- who'd ran it last year. The time went so, so quick with an estimated 7000 people ready to be hauled off to the start.
If anybody knows Coventry they started on the Burgess from Trinity street, which is fairly narrow to begin with. With us not being set off in waves. I had no clue as to how they planned to set us off. Turned out to be anyone hoping to run anything under 2 hours to the right and the latter to the left. I seen James and Sophie go to the right and waved them good luck. So with the sub time paddocks I got confused and thought i'd entered the sub 2:00hrs. I didn't panic too much, as I'd obviously fall back. No biggie. Massey Ferguson, a local running team. Of whom I would love to join at some point this month, had picked members who were used as pacer with their big green backpacks with their sub times protruding like a flag.
I got over the start for around 9:10am. Which was lovely, flowing and quick.
The first mile was a loop of the city centre. Not too bad. A bit of your infamous dodging ability to get around the congestion. Some people have to hop skip and jump onto the pavement. I clocked in at 9:25 mile. A fairly optimistic start. I wanted at my worse a 2:30 finish, at my best, a 2:20/25. The week prior, I decided to rest completely. At this point in the race, there was no evident pain or discomfort anywhere. Saying this though, I doubted any miracles finish times, even without gaining injuries. My breathing and pace levelled out quicker than usual. I was just glad to be free and doing my snailtastic thang as well as having a Sunday off work!
The second mile went out of the city centre up Lawrence Saunders Road and then onto Mosley avenue. Loved it. A nice breather and slight decline to prepare for what I knew was coming, the horrid Holyhead Road elevation, which I use for my training routes on numerous runs.
I felt great... And then my ankle started to hurt. FFS's. I thought,
No. How? Why?
But screw it, as usual I gritted and bared the pain, with the hope of it residing soon. I was running past the Holyhead Tesco and thought
O, look one of my best friends from school works here, I wonder if she made it to work okay this morning.
Then... BOOM, I clocked her in her uniform standing to the right side. Looking pissed. She obviously couldn't cross to get over to work. So I whistled. She looked at me gone out, like who the feck is this crazy blonde headed bimbo and then clocked on and started waving. I was also about 50meters away from Mr 2:15 pacer! Hello my little friend ;).
With my ankle still in pain, we come to the roundabout that takes you onto the A45 and my local pub where me and my paps go for our weekly Calvery. God, I could do with that". I thought as I passed.
Soldiering on, my ankle still giving me a sharp pain on impacting the ground. This part of the route I'd never ran in my life before. I knew where it was and stuff. But I'd always gone up the Coundon Wedge Drive. But I shall now continue to go this way instead. It's way prettier and less tedious. We were heading for the country side/ greener side of Coventry, better known as Hawkes End. I was now heading into familiar territory. It's good owning a horse you get to learn some awesome running routes!
By this point, 6miles had gone by with kind of ease at a pace of 10:08 mile. Not bad hey!
At this point after however, i rarely looked at my time just the distance with regards to Mr TomTom runner. Mr 2:15 pacer was still in front. As we were on the decend I caught up to him. But on the inclines I lagged behind. I thought...
It's hopeless. Just aim on not burning yourself out and getting up to Hollyfast Lane.
The second drink station was 7.5 miles in. I'd taken a SIS gel at around 7 miles as planned. Sue, a yard local was volunteering giving out the electrolyte shots. Unfortunately she didn't recognise me. The water station, I grabbed my water selectively off Vicky, and screaming at her, Shannon and Nicole, whom I went to school with. Again, with the amount of runners running by, they eventually clocked on to who i was! Haha. The top of Hollyfast I seen a banner that my fellow Yardians had made, as well as more people from the stables outside the gates. I was frantically waving, jumping shouting "Team Hollyfast Meadows" as I ran by, again they took a about 3 seconds to click on to who I was. But reciprocated by shouting my name and words of encouragement. This definitely helped. I was feeling pretty tired by this point the gel hadn't seemed to kick in. But thankfully I knew Tamworth road was coming up- a lush decline of which, felt like Heaven on earth! Ooo yeah. Luckily my ankle had stopped hurting too.
Mile 9 was running down Long lane and back to go back onto the Tamworth road where I'd see Mr and Mrs, Glenn and Sophie Harris who cheered me on. Just before the turning I'd got off the toes of Mr 2:15 pacer. My plan was to stay partially in front. Which I did, I didn't manage to look over my shoulder until going onto Coundon Green road. But he was probably 1 minute max away from me. Still fairly close.
Mile 10. Woow, I was well and truly F'ed. I don't remember Birmingham being this hard, but I'm sure it was down to the 8 mile gradual incline that ultimately took the wind out of me. Running past Bablake playing fields, there was no Mr 2:15 pacer anywhere In front of me. I wanted to stop so badly and told myself
Suck it up. Your a flimsily 3:1 miles away from the finish, don't let your brain decide this. Darling, you have to do this + 16.2 miles for your marathon. Get a grip fam.
So I took another SIS gel and ran through my mini mental wall. My legs were sore, my feet hurt, my shoulders hurt form my Trex running arms.
Eghhh, come on Mr finish. Come to me!
The last 2 mile run into the city centre saw me thinking.
Nicole, why didn't you just go to work this Sunday?"
I'd missed ringing my Stepdad, who was going to meet me at the end Lawrence Saunders, heading back onto Radford Road. To be honest, I was too tired to even contemplate pulling my arm band off in case of dropping it. New phone, not going to risk it.
However, I took it off at the final hurdle incline and read over some of my pre race messages. Which again, proved to get me through to the 12th and a half mile. From here I hit the snailtastic turbo, I just visualised the final 0.60 mile and the finish being at my finger tips. The final 200 meter I gave it everything I had left in the tank. I don't know what it is, but with my headphones in I can always, and I mean I always seem to pin point my dad out through the other spectators in their hundreds. Daughter/Daddy mind GPS Locator or what?! He clocked on almost immediately too. Aha. Him and Helen were cheering me on.
I did it! I crossed the finish of my home town half. Ecstatic doesn't even cover it! I was over the moon... And that was without looking at my finishing time on my watch. As always you have the runner congestion for medal and goody bag collection. After this, due to the small finishing area you went up Trinity Street and back down on yourself, on the opposite side. This spare cooling down time gave me time to look on Mr TomTom.
I cried...
Was it because of failure or that of success... ???!!
Keep on scrolling....
A bit more.....
I can gladly say I finished in a whopping 2 hours 11 minutes and 19 seconds. Knocking off 14 or so minutes off my Birmingham Half time. All this consistency training really paid off.
I can be equally as proud of My lanky solider boy, James who completed his first half marathon in 2 hour 5 minutes and Ms Sophie who stuck with him and finished with an amazing time of 2 hours 4. Great effort guys!
All round I was amazed at this event. I can't believe it's took me this long to decide to do it. It's an amazingly organised event. Shows the good parts of my hometown and her secret, luxurious country side. Call me bias! But I love my city! The medal was also stepped up from last year which was a bonus and is by far my favourite!!!
As always, I did this for my Nan, who was taken away from me on 24/12/2014. She is still my rock, my guardian from up above, who's memories and music we use to line dance to gets me over that finish line. I remember always saying to her when it was on that I'd love to do it. But I was crap at running. Again, I proved myself wrong and gained a PB in the process. Consistency and dedication is the key to success.
My official time was sent in a text. It was bang on from my GPS TomTom watch!
For my favourite part of the evening. The photos....
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