Nottingham Half Marathon

Nottingham Half Marathon

16th September 2007

Race #6 – Report

This was my first race since may and the Edinburgh Marathon. I was looking forward to this race as it was my local half marathon and attracted a good field. I had heard that the course was very hilly so I was not going to go gung ho for the PR and risk injury for New York.
I awoke around 7.30am and after a light breakfast and a gentle jog around the block I set off for Nottingham. It felt a little strange today as this was the first race I had gone to alone. What this did however was give me time to clear my mind and focus on the race.
On arrival in Nottingham I soon realized the scale of this race. Of course a number of the runners were entering the full marathon. It was a beautiful day so I picked a spot on the grass and started preparing for the race. As I went through my bag I realized that I had left my Garmin at home. “Fantastic start” I thought to myself. All that money spent and I leave it at home. I was planning on using the watch to pace myself throughout the race and if close towards the end, I could push for that PR.
After handing my bag in I made my way to the start line and after a ten minute wait or so we were off. I only vaguely remember the first mile or so. The first thing I remember clearly was early in the race we had to climb up towards Nottingham Castle, on cobbles!! This was a challenge so early on as you want to get to the summit as quickly as possible, but not too quickly that you use vital energy stores needed at the end of the race. Once at the top I was please by the long descent down the other side.
The next phase of this race again was a bit of a blur. The next thing that I remember was again another challenging hill. This time the course leads up past the Queens Medical Centre and into the grounds of Nottingham University. The grounds are very hilly and the climb was long, however the support at this point was fantastic.
After another welcome descent down the other side the course led out towards Wollaton Park. It was at this point that the heat and the two challenging hills started to take their toll. It was around the half way point and with no pacer I had little clue of my time or current pace.
I soon pushed through the oncoming fatigue, just in time for another challenging hill at Wollaton Park. The support here was again fantastic and this hill although probably the longest was the most enjoyable due to the support and how close the crowd was. It was after this hill that I realized why they called this a challenging course.
After the course led out of Wollaton Park I took on fuel and water at the next station and really got into my stride. I was pretty confident that I would not get the PR, however if I could at least get close I would know that it is a huge improvement on my last half marathon time as that was an almost flat course, apart from the first two miles.
At around mile ten the course comes back on itself and it was here that I really started to suffer. I had clearly pushed the hills to hard and was paying for it now. The final two miles were tough but I pushed through them. Coming towards the finish line the crowds grew, and so did my fatigue. I saw the full marathoners split off for the seconds thirteen miles and remember clearly thinking that I was happy not to be one of them.
The crowd support was amazing for the final few hundred meters, and as soon as I saw the finish line I kicked it (be it a little early) and came across the finish line a little over two minutes outside my PR. I was happy that I was close but unhappy knowing that if I had my Garmin I would have easily got that PR. However I was not subdued as I had done it. Two down, one to go. I collected my medal and energy bag and made my way to my car.
The next time I line up at the start of a race it will be in New York City. Come on!!

Conditions: Warm, Sunny

Time: 1:52:06



"Divide your race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."