Grunty Fen Half Marathon

Since last week I've done no training. So:

- I've been in a bad mood
- I'm wondering how many weeks of marathon training I've lost
- My leg didn't seem to be getting any better

On the other hand:

- I've had to do far less washing.

I went to Sharon for a massage on Thursday, and she did a pretty good job of attacking all the built-up rubbish in my calf. And found a few other spots to apply pain to, too - she's good like that. But all the fresh mini-bruising meant a couple more days of rest were advisable.

So, since we'd entered already and Lindsay's training is going well, we turned up for the Grunty Fen Half Marathon and found it held on a lovely warm sunny morning. I had no idea whether I'd be able to run at all, so the first test was jogging from the car to the race HQ: it took 30 seconds and resulted in no pain, so that was a good start.

On looking at the course map, I found that this was a two-lap course, with the first lap only 5 miles. So I realised I could start, and never be much more than 2 miles from home if things went wrong.

The start: I set off with Lindsay, Martyn and Rachel near the back of the field, and jogged slowly on. It was unusual enough to start at the back, so I wasn't used to having to move in procession for the first 5 minutes. And listen to the entire recording of the theme to Chariots of Fire (is anyone else bored of hearing that at races?)

2.5 miles: Still no pain. And at this point it's easier to go on than go back, so I'm definitely going to complete 5 miles in some manner.

5 miles: I'm back. In one piece. Well, I may as well carry on.

Half way: a marshal / timekeeper was shouting out times, and I'd got there in just under 47 minutes.

8 miles: My subconscious mind must have told my legs that this was the most awkward point on the route, that if I had to stop now I was about at the furthest point away from the HQ. So my legs decided to ache a little. My conscious mind took over and told my legs to shut up.

9 miles: I started seeing people I knew - Alan Jones, Paul Kelly and Mike Mello. I had a few cheery words with them before pressing on.

10 miles: Now my legs really were starting to get tired. But only tired, nothing worse. Occasionally I'd have a few steps where I'd lose my running style, and work my muscles in the wrong way, but I could get on top of that without too much trouble.

The end: Wow. I made it. That was a lot more than I was expecting. Adrian Sherwood and Richard Thackeray were already there, and I got there in about 1:31, so the second half was nicely quicker than the first. A bit of stretching and I could walk with only a slight limp.

So hopefully things will be OK from now on.

Oh yes, the race. Well organised, and I was especially impressed with everything being online, from entering through its own system (no paying an extra £1.50 through Runners World) and paying with PayPal, to the emailed information, and picking up your race number on the day - something Standalone should aspire to. Lots of marshals and water stations and sponges (and the marshal at 10 miles was especially noisy and cheerful, and probably used up more energy than I did!). The only potential problem is the course itself. It was fine this year, since there was only a slight breeze and the sun was shining. But I have done this before when it's been blowing a gale, and out on the fens there really is nowhere to hide. Still, it's flat as a pancake, so could be a potential PB course, if that suits your style.