Brithday Run July 15th 2011 – Llandudno Prom

Only a few months ago I was a member in a monthly run challenge on Buckeyeoutdoors. It included several runners who have many years of experience, and I as a novice was very much a listener rather than a talker. I’m not sure who mentioned it first but the subject of a “Birthday Run” was raised.

A Birthday Run is a run where the individual runs the same number of miles/km as their age, on or about their birthday! For this reason I decided to run 45km (28miles) on or near 15^th July.

I am in the middle of a marathon training schedule so I didn’t want to cause myself any injury or unduely hinder my training by doing the run. So, for this reason I decided to do the run on the easiest terrain I have available locally. The Llandudno Promenade is where I do most of my interval training as it is flat and only suffers with a strong seaward camber. As it is very open it often suffers with the strong easterly winds we have in this area. My main concern was to avoid injury but if I could run a PB on the way then all the better!

During the previous days I had been checking the weather forecast. The forecast had gone from full sun – 20-25C to 15-20C with showers. In the event the day was more the former than the later.

After dropping my kids off at school I parked the car just by the prom and loaded up my sports drink. I had planned to take just 2 bottles at a time – which should have done me for 3 laps (7.6 miles). I had already prepared a single bottle loaded with 300mg of caffeine which I planned to take on the next section after the 2hr mark. Then off I went! My plan, to keep my HR below 130 for the first 2hrs then move it up to 130-140 for the next 2 hours, was going pretty well to plan. I needed to average just over 9 min miles in order to break the 4hr marathon distance.  My first 13 miles were completed in exactly 2hrs. This was a little outside the target but I had kept my average heart rate down to 127 for the whole 13 miles. I was happy to try to push the pace a little now as I knew I just had 2hrs to go and I was on course for a good new PB. As I pushed on my speed increased from 9.15 pace to 8.45 pace. My HR jumped from 127bpm to 137bpm. It was around this time that I spotted my friend, a local runner who is much quicker than me, but whom I had come within 50 seconds of catching in a race earlier this year – see Nick Beer 10km 2011. As he approached he slowed and turned to run with me. We ran on and chatted for about 5 miles, which saw my pace solidly under 9 min pace and my HR rising towards 147bpm. As he left me to complete the run I had been running for 3hrs and I had completed 20.7 miles. I had just 5.5 miles to go and 60mins to complete the sub 4hr marathon.  My Garmin shows how the harder I pushed I only managed to maintain my 9 min pace. My HR was rising and I was very tired. On top of this the weather had been very sunny and I had forgotten to drink all my drinks as planned. I had taken the caffeine drink but still I was getting very tired. As the 25^th mile was completed I had 10mins to go to get in under 4hrs. By this time I was looking at my Garmin constantly and my HR was of no concern to me. I had planned to walk the final 1.8 miles, if I had to, in order to complete the 28 miles. So I tried to push as hard as I could. Unfortunately, as hard as I could was not hard enough. What I experienced was a sort of loss of control of my legs! My cadence had dropped to 77 and I just couldn’t get them to go any faster. I now believe this may have been due to a lack of electrolytes. The sports drink I take does have electrolytes in it but I think I might need some more! Next time I will definitely take salt tabs during the run. My HR at no point went above 153, it’s just that my legs wouldn’t move when I wanted them to. In the end I completed the marathon distance in 4hrs and 51 seconds. A 14 min PB for me and some more lessons learnt. I did get very hot but I countered this with a hat, some factor 50 sunblock and some strategically positioned ice packs! It would be very useful if I could find some of these in smaller sizes. One inside my hat would have been VERY useful. After I completed the first 26.2 miles I took a half mile recovery walk and then completed the 28 miles in a total time of 4hrs 25 min. Well my first over marathon distance run and how did it go? Well, I’m back out running now – just 2 days after the run – with no apparent ill effects. I’m very happy to have improved my marathon time and I’m really looking forward to my marathon in early October 2011. 

Mostyn Mile and Llandudno 10 miler 2011 - Sunday 22nd May 2011

I went into this race with the hope that I could regain the form of my training sessions during April. During some of my sessions I had broken 8 miles in less than 60 mins but as I look back the weather conditions for these runs were almost perfect. The weather on Sunday was by no means the same.The primary issue for me was the wind. Living on the North Wales coast is a wonderful experience. One of the few downsides is the wind! As I approached the start area on Sunday the 25mph westerly wind, gusting to 35mph, was fully in evidence.  The few showers that were forecast managed to avoid the actual running of the race. In fact the primary condition was clear and sunny for about 90 mins. I had previously used 6 proplus caffeine tablets, with 4 sports legs tablets, to help with my stamina. Recently I read some research on caffeine usage for endurance activities which suggested I might do better with 8 tablets.

So as I left the house at 9.45am for the Mostyn Mile Fun Run with my wife, Lesley and daughter, Emily, I was as ready as I could be. The fun run started at 10.36am after being moved from the previous course.  As the hooter went my daughter Emily ran off with the other older children. My wife and I started off nice and easily. My wife hasn’t run for many years and suffers with her heart and asthma. I was tremendously proud of her as we made our way round the course. She spent most of the route saying hello to the onlookers – I do believe she knows EVERYONE in Llandudno! As we approached the end we were presented with our medals by the Mayor. A fitting end to a lovely run. The wind, which had physically stopped us during the mile was just a sample of what was to come later.

Making our way back to the car, I got dressed for the 10 mile run. Parking in an area much closer to the start line I left my wife to go shopping as I approached the Starting area. There then followed a delay of 26 mins due to damage done to the signage of the race by the weather!

As 12.26pm approached the starting line. The announcer did his thing and we were off!

There was some congestion during the first half mile which probably was as much a help as a hindrance. This mile was run almost straight into the wind and so the crowd would have protected me from quite a bit of buffeting. As mile 1 ended the course turned exactly into the wind. The second mile saw my pace stabilize around 7.40 and my heart rate slowly climb above 160 – this was a hard mile! Mile 3 saw a 180 degree turn and now with a tail wind my heart rate dropped slightly, and even with a 30 sec walk break and a sip of sports drink, I completed the mile in 7.37. Mile 4 was pretty strong with the my average HR climbing to 159. It was during mile 5 that the course turned again into the wind. My average HR climbed again to 161. I was starting to feel the pressure and so I took a 50 second walk break to drop my HR. This helped get my HR back down to 152 but the average was still 161. Mile 6 was also back into the wind as we made our way back past the prom and into the town. I kept trying to keep the pace up but I was starting to suffer with the heat. I had poured 4 cups of water over my head at the water stations but I was still feeling very hot. I managed to get back to the pace but I was paying for it in terms of my heart rate which was stuck between 159 and 164 for the whole mile. Mile 7 was going to be straight into the wind. It felt like pushing through a series of curtains, constantly pushing me backwards. The attrition rate on this mile was pretty heavy. Many people who had past me in previous miles were pulling over to walk and stopping with cramps. I thought it couldn’t get much worse – I was wrong. Mile 7 in 8.26 with a 60 sec walk break which brought my HR down to 148 from 164 – I still averaged 160!! Mile 8 was VERY VERY hard. Easily the toughest in the race, next year I’ll keep something for this mile. Not only were we running into the wind in the completely open West Shore coastline, but the sand was blasting into our faces just to help with our exfoliation!! Another 161 heart rate average, this time with a 167 maximum, and the slowest mile of the race at 8.31. Mile 9 had to be easier. After the 60 sec walk break at the end of mile 8 my HR was down to 151. Again it swiftly returned to the 160-164 range even at a pace of 8.07. Is should say this mile has the added interest of a pretty long hill in the middle of it. As I spotted the final mile marker I knew I could look forward to the wind behind my back on the finishing straight.  The final mile saw me pretty much on my own with only a few runners in the distance. I felt as though I had a small push left in me before the end so I thought a sub 80 min time might be possible. I took the opportunity of the decent to get my heart rate down a little with a 40 second walk break. This got me down to 155 from 164. It felt hard to break down below 8 min pace but once I was on the prom I managed to get down to 7.35. This was partly due to a natural drop at the start of the prom. It was now my job to keep the pace up and hold on for a final push at the end. I was keeping the pace in to the 7.30 region when I saw my daughter Emily of in the distance. She started running by the side of the course and so I had someone to chase!  I managed to keep my pace below 7.30 for the rest of the run, achieving 5.35 for a few seconds as I crossed the line! My heart rate was climbing constantly during this mile and I finally peaked at 174 with an average of 166. My final finishing time was 1.20.30. I had missed my time by 30 seconds but I am happy I could knock another few minutes off in better conditions.

Shell Chester Half Marathon 2011

Training had gone well before this race. My taper was not quite so successful! My sleeping had been not so great – maybe in part due to caffeine withdrawal. During my taper, which had taken 2 weeks, I had dropped my mileage from around 50 miles per week to 25 miles in the first week and then 8 in the final week. During this time I had put 3lb of weight on and, with the higher intensity of the runs, I had soreness in my legs that had concerned me as potential injuries.

The weather on Sunday 15^th was nice and cool. The only concern I had was the wind. As I’m quite tall and broad I find it quite hard to run into the wind. I had cut caffeine for the final week of the taper, which had led to some withdrawal symptoms! So as I approached Chester I took my sports legs (4) and 6 caffeine tablets 1 hour before the race. I had consulted a few friends on Buckeyeoutdoors concerning my heart rate monitor/strap.  The consensus was that I should try to run without referring to it, so I decided to run without it. My plan was to try to run a 1.42-3 finish time. My training, and other races suggested that this was possible. My fall back goal was to PB and my ideal goal was to go below 1.40!

I decided to do a short warmup as I had hoped to get into my 7.30-40 pace pretty quickly. As the race started, and I crossed the timing mat, the congestion was always going to cause me to drop some time.

Mile 1 went OK but the 7.57 pace was not what I wanted. Miles 2, 3 and 4 went perfectly with an average pace of 7.40. Cadence was fine at 85/6 including a 30 sec walk break in mile 3. Mile 5 was OK at 7.50 with a 40 sec walk break but my cadence had dropped to 83 average. At this time I decided to use my MP3 player to help keep my cadence up. The next mile, mile 6, was a bit slow coming in at 8.06 but this was partly due to me pulling my mp3 player out and setting it up. The effect of this was immediate. Miles 7 and 8 saw cadence back up to 85 average and pace was back at 7.40 average. Mile 9 saw the course turn back towards Chester and straight into the wind.  Pace dropped to 8 min with a 50 sec walk break. Miles 10,11,12 and 13 all included walk breaks and were in the 8.25pace area. As the finish line approached I put in a final effort which saw me cross the line at 7.30pace! I was completely out of it at the line. I felt as near as I ever have that I would blackout! After standing bent over for what seemed like a minute I went to have my chip removed and off to wait for my 2011 teeshirt!

My finish time on the watch was 1.45.59, and the distance showed 13.26, there was a lot of moving around the road to avoid congestion, though my official chip time was 1.46.02.

The race had been harder than I had hoped. My previous training had clearly helped but I am still waiting for the break through into the sub 1.40 area. My age graded performance was 58.72 which put me in 714 place in the race and 132^nd in my age group. This was an improvement on last year as I had placed 750^th with an age grading of 57.62 and 128^th in my age group .

In conclusion, I am happy with my performance, I think I could have done better on a better day but I gave it everything I had on the day and I’m happy with that!

Over the last three years I’m happy that I’m getting better.

In 2009 I came 1341 in the age graded finish times.

In 2010 I came 901^st and in this years race I came 832^nd. Nice to see some room for improvement J

Next race is the Llandudno 10 on 22^nd May – nice and flat – but again the chances of strong wind are high!

Chester Half Marathon 2010

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  (George Santayana)

The weather forecast for Sunday May 16^th was for temps around 13C and cloud cover, with the likelihood of rain showers. It was for this reason that I felt confident heat/wind would not be an issue.

On the other hand my sleep had not been great in the days leading up to this race and I had decided to enjoy my favorite meal of vegetable tikka masala on the evening before. In addition I had not fasted from caffeine as I had done last year. Looking back now this tells me something about how I was thinking. The FIRST training plan I have been following had a 13 mile run at marathon pace, 8.23 for me, in the plan. So it was a happy coincidence that this race fit in perfectly.

I had prepared my drinks before I left the house with 6 scoops of powder across the 4 8oz bottles. 2 of the bottles had 4 caffiene tablets in them. I took 4 Sportslegs 1 hour before the start, as I have done before all of my races, be they bike or running. I was wearing my original Asics Cumulus 6 shoes, my knee length compression socks, my Skins shorts and a racing singlet.

We started at 9.30 exactly. I had decided not to wear my mp3 player, a decision which I regretted later. I had also decided not to wear my white cap, which, in the end, was another error.

The first time I had run this race I had chatted to 2 people on the road which both served to keep my HR down and ease the pain. This time I was doing a 9.30-30 run walk. The race was a much more solitary experience because of it. I believe that I can run faster with the run walk but I’m not sure it was worth it.

My plan for the race was to try to keep to a 8 min pace for as long as possible. My hope was that I could bring it home in 1 hr 45mins. This would mean 8 min pace from start to finish.

As the race started everything was going to plan.

 1^st mile in 7.50 AHR was a bit high at 153 but I had my walk break to come.

2^nd mile in 7.51 AHR was also high at 158 but my concentration was on the pace and not my HR. Another mistake – I will not do this for the marathon!

Miles 3 through 10 were perfectly on pace. The first 10 miles were completed in exactly 80 mins, a new record for me for this distance!  My HR had breached the 160 level after just 5 miles though. Looking back now to last year’s race, I had completed the same 10 miles in a time of 1 hr 29 mins and 54 sec, so a PB for the race was definitely on the cards.

After having a problem, at the start of mile 11, with my watch I combined the resetting of it with a walk break. This one lasted just under a minute, longer than required but needed as I was feeling pretty tired. Mile 11 was completed in 9.12 including the walk-break. Mile 12 was completed in 8.45 including a 40 sec walk break. As I approached the hill during mile 13, I was finding it pretty hard to keep everything together. I started my favorite phase of the race – the rabbit chase! Looking up I saw the least fit / most tired looking runner in front of me and tried to push to catch them. Normally I feel like I am pressing the “NITRO” button which helps me find the last dregs of energy in my legs. This time there was nothing there. I tried again still nothing there. Now I was running down the other side of the hill. Still there was nothing, I was hanging on for dear life! As I cruised to the line I was passed by a runner who had been behind me for 5 miles. I had failed. That’s how it felt and that’s how it still feels.

Not a very positive run for me, lots of lessons to learn. Everything from needing to reduce the risk of suffering with the heat to considering some entertainment on the route.

On reflection I ran a PB for the distance of 1 hr 47 min and 48 sec. I broke my PB for the race by 8 mins and 30 sec. I easily ran the 8 min 23 sec pace that my marathon training plan asked for but I set a target and I failed to achieve it. Next time will be different…………………………..to be continued ;)

The Chester Marathon takes place on Monday 31^st May 2010 in Chester, UK. Please pray for me on that day if you can as I will be running it for my Mum who died of Brest Cancer 8 years ago. 

Chester Half Marathon 2009

I've now had a few minutes to get my head round the fantastic experience which was the Chester Half Marathon.

My training had gone pretty well with a weeks break 4 weeks out from the race due to a fall while running.

My wife is a nurse and she did an amazing job fixing me up - I was back running pain free after 7 days.

My final week taper saw me reduce my mileage to around 10 miles before the big day.

The weather forecast had been suggesting light rain and winds during the week but the weather looked fine as I approached the Chester racecourse at 8.30am.

As soon as I got there I parked up and took my Sportlegs, a natural product, which I have found helps reduce leg pain on longer events.

My nutrition plan was to fill both my 250ml Fuelbelt bottles with the High 5 Energy Source 4:1 with 3 caffeine tablets (a total of 150mg) in each. I also took a caffeine gel with me just in case. For recovery I always use Torq Recovery.

With the weather looking windy but clear, temperature around 10C, I decided to wear just my running bib and shorts with my compression socks. I'm not sure they make any real difference but I think they might , so they must at least as a placebo! 

Having completely failed to notice the massive Male Changing Tent sign, I managed to change in one of the toilets which was pretty warm, if a little cramped. 

As the race time approached I downed 2 gulps of Energy Source I'd made in addition to my bottles, locked my car, took the key off - as I was going to have to carry it around with me, and walked the half mile across the race track to the starting area. I had brought an extra t-shirt with me just to keep the wind off so as 9.25am came round I took it off and tied it to a fence, for later retrieval. As I approached the start line, with the other 2100 people stupid enough to turn up, I noticed the timing sections laid out behind the line. I had been advised, my a friend to get as near to the front as possible but the idea of standing with the 1-1.15 hrs group seemed a little ambitious.

I decided the 1.45-2 hr group looked most inviting so off I went trying to get into that section.

The most striking thing about my fellow runners in the this section was the large number who were running with I pods and MP3 players.

I had already decided in the car to leave mine off both for safety reasons and so as to really experience the race. As things transpired I was very happy I had.

9.29am

Feeling very nervous

9.29:30 am

Feeling very nervous and chilly

9.29:45 am

Feeling very excited

9.30 am THEY'RE OFF! - Yes those people up ahead are definitely OFF! I on the other hand am not.......

I still haven't moved yet

9.30:30 am

Nope, still not moving yet

9.31:00 am  

I can feel that I might start moving soon - but not yet

9.32:00 am

I'm just starting to run now as I cross the starting mat and click my watch on.

The first few hundred meters of the course was heavily lined with friends and family, my family was almost certainly still tucked up nicely in bed, my wife is definitely not a morning person and had been suffering with the same head cold that I had for the last few days.

As the I started to see clear tarmac ahead of me I tried a best I could to keep my heart rate down. Trying to stay below 150bpm was my target for the initial few miles. This stratagy would leave me with some speed left to finish strong. Also following some other advice from a friend I targeted 8.50-9 min mile pace. As I came to the first mile post I was running at 9.04 pace. I was happy with that, as I had avoided any problems with the crowds and kept my HR down to 154 with a cadence of 81. This first mile had included the steepest hill in the course so that was out of the way!

As I made it to the 2nd mile post my pace was stuck at 9.04 and my HR was down to 151. I was reasonably happy but I knew I'd have to be a bit more active with my pace in order to do my best on the day. I started to look at my watch on a regular basis and upped my pace to 8.50. Took my 1st drink which went down well.

During the third mile I struck up a conversation with a guy who was looking to break 2 hrs for the first time. He seemed like a very similar kind of person to me. He'd always been active, which I have not, but he'd been bitten by the running bug in the last year. We ran together for a couple of miles at which point my pace required me to push on - so I wished him the very best and moved on. I would have been very happy if that had been the only person I had met on the day but that was not to be.

Mile 3 came at 26min 49 sec, a little beyond my hoped for 26.00 time but I was still feeling fine, not sore and I could push harder, so I did!. I upped my pace to 8.45.

Around half way through mile 4 I came across Paul, a guy from Wigan who I ran with for the next 7 miles. He was a strong runner but was clearly designed for strength rather than speed. We had a great chat as we ran covering both of our life histories. It is one of the enduring memories of this race and I feel very privileged to have met him. 

The only downside about chatting while you run is that you pace tends to drift, and it did. Mile 4 was at 8.53 pace, mile 5 was at 9.02 pace and mile 6 was at 9.06 pace.

I hadn't worried to much about going out slowly as we were running into a 30 mph wind on the way out.

At the turn around my time was 58.50 with an average HR of 154 and cadence of 81. It had to be easier running back, no?

At mile 8 the time was 1.12:42 I was going to have to push on to get as far below 2 hrs as I hoped. I was feeling fine but I could tell I couldn't push too much more or I'd start to suffer. I'd been warned that mile 10 was a killer as the hill that we had run down during the second mile would feel twice as steep on the return. Just as mile 9 finished the rain started. Mile 9 at 1.21:54.

The rain was still only light and the wind from behind was really helping, I had been taking my drink regularly and I was feeling fine with no soreness.

Mile 10 at 1.29.54 the hill had raised my HR from 154 avg to 163 avg and my cadence dropped to 80.

Just after this Paul had to take a toilet stop and told me to go on, he'd see me at the finish.

Mile 11 at 1.37:50 I had a bit left in the tank so I decided to push on imagining I was doing a 5k. My HR was steady above 160 which meant I was going to be running out of energy soon - but how long could I hold on?

Just as the mile 12 sign came into view the hale started to fall. The hale stones felt like pins being shot into the back of my legs and neck.

Mile 12 in 1.46.50. Slower but I hadn't noticed.

The hale and rain now meant that I had to watch my footing on corners but I gave it everything I had as I ran toward the line.

Finish time 1.56.18.

I had done it.

I was completely wasted. I could still walk and as I walked back to my car to get my recovery drink my left leg started to cramp. Running as best I could I made it back to the car only to have to ask a passing person to open my car as my I couldn't grip with my hands to put the key in. The following moments were concerned with trying to get warm and stretch as much as I could in order to avoid cramps. I'm sorry to say, it was only later that I remembered Paul and tried to make my way back to the finish line. I never did meet up with him again but I think it's likely we may meet next year as he mentioned this race is one he does every year.

In conclusion, the Chester Half Marathon a good race? Would I do it again? You bet! It was a really fun introduction to racing at this distance and I met some really nice people. I made it a point to thank all the support staff on the road as I am very impressed with the work they do completely free of charge.

On reflection I have to do it next year so I can get a new PB

2011 Nick Beer 10km Race Report

The Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales, could never be considered and easy run. With 700m of climbing it doesn't take any prisoners. At least the weather was looking good for a reasonable run and a pretty straightforward destruction of my PB. The last time I did this race was 2 years ago. I had completed the course in 53min 33sec. It had been the second race I had ever run. I missed out on the race last year due to a family issue but this year I was going to take my PB down in a big way.

If you’ve read my 2011 Pier to Pier race report, you’ll know that the weather had really hurt my chances of a sub 45 min 10km but this time the weather was set fair. My prep had been great. I’d tapered properly, running for less than 1hr in the previous week.  As I said the weather was almost perfect. I would have preferred a slight drizzle to cool me down even more, but the big danger – the wind – was looking very easy.

I met my friend Richard just before the race for a warm-up. Richard is a pretty quick runner. He completed this course in 43.22 just last year. Unfortunately, Richard was involved in a car accident just a few months ago which has given him some difficulties running. So it wasn’t clear how well he would perform.  We just jogged very easy for 400m and I did a few strides on the return.

As the clock came round to 12.00pm the horn went and the first runners started. I crossed the line after about 1 min and turned my watch on. I felt really strong from the off. I suffered in the first half mile from runner congestion which added about 30 seconds to my time. First 1km in 4mins 45 sec. My heart rate was already in the mid 150s. The next kilometer continues the uphill and was completed in 4 min 41 sec. My cadence was averaging 172 per minute. My normal cadence on the flat is nearer 180 in these shorter races but the ascent of the Great Orme is not to be taken lightly. Even though it climbs a mere 500 ft over the first 4km it feels relentless.

 I had hoped to get to the top of the Orme within 20 mins. This would have given me 90 seconds to catch-up on the long descent down onto the West shore of Llandudno.  On this occasion my slow start meant I was at 21 min 20 seconds when I reached the top. It was clear to me that the 45min target was out of the question. Now all I had to aim for was as good a time as I could on the day. As I descended off the Orme my pace was a pretty consistent 7.25, still to slow for my original target but fair as the climb had really taken it out of my legs. My average heart rate was in the 160-165 range, normal for me on a 10km. The most interesting part of this race is the run up Church walks. Even though the climb is just 100ft in total, over half a mile, it needs to be planned for. The number of people who have to walk up this hill is crazy!

Anyway, my ascent of Church walks was well below 8 min pace so a fair time was still on the cards. I had been chatting to a guy as I ran down the far side of the Orme and this had helped to keep my heart rate in check. Now as I passed the 8km mark he was finding it hard to hold on. The final 500m of Church Walks is a decent onto the North Shore Promenade. This comes at a great time for the tired runner. If you’ve pushes the boat out getting to the top of the hill you can choose to take it easy and recover while still keeping a sub 8 min pace. This is what I did. Kilometers 8 and 9 were completed in just less than 8 min pace. I didn’t have a target time in mind at this stage. I was just running as fast as I could without burning all my energy. At this stage in a race I find it useful to spot someone up front that I think I can catch. On this occasion I had noticed a guy run past me down the back of the Orme and for this reason I had him in my sights! As the final km started I estimate that I was about 50m down on him. As I spotted the 500m to go sign I had reduced that to 20m. Strangely, no one had past me by this time so I felt I must have been going strong. I passed him just before the final 250m sign. In front of me were 3 runners. One young guy who looked a lot faster than me, an older guy who was just holding on, and a woman who is well known in these parts for wearing luminous kit! It’s at this point in any race that you find whether you’ve got anything left in the tank. I targeted the crazy lady and “pushed the nitro button”!  I had the amazing feeling that I was flying! As I crossed the line I found that I was! My Garmin showed a pace of 5.16/per mile. In addition, I saw, for the first time ever, 180 on my watch as a real max HR!

Lessons learnt from this race are; Set a reasonable target time and my training needs to be more specific! Next race is the Chester Half Marathon in May J