Well I did it, 1hr 53min 49sec and chuffed to bits. Thanks to Louise who set off with me as we both decided to try for under 2 hours. Cold morning with a breeze so not bad running weather and the event was well organised to allow you to keep warm indoors till just pre the start, (never had that before a triathlon, maybe it's juist the ones I enter). It was in fact a very well organised event by the St. Neots Riverside Runners, so well done to them.
Keeping with the pace setter meant I didn't go off like 'a bat out of hell' as I would have done, only to die in the 2nd half of the race. I'd been told before the race about the 'hills' that last the first 3 miles and then some steep sharp shocks later on, well I was expecting something more than a gentle slope, I couldn't class it even a mole hill. Yep the 2 in the middle of the run were steeper but they were short, so manageable.
At half way, both Louise and I realised we had more in us and pressed on ahead, at 9.5 miles though I had reached my pace and pressed Louise to go on ahead. I kept this pace up well and even passed a couple of fellow BRJ Club runners who gone off quicker than me. Coming into the last couple of miles we hit a headwind but it wasn't for long and I managed to up the speed again in the final mile and put in a dash for the last couple of hundred metres to the line.
The best bit, apart from coming under 2 hrs, was the great support from everyone along the way, from fellow BRJ club members and friends, to the general public who were there for others but lifted the spirits of us all.
Would I do it again, at heart though I think I'm a 10k runner but yes, now I know what it's like and I know what to expect, how to pace myself etc. It's also good endurance building to help for the 'Olympic distance' triathlons I'm planning for next year.
So St. Neots Half Marathon, you'll be seeing Vivienne from TriSportsPlus again in 2011 (with a challenge to myself of a 1hr 45min time), thanks
