Barely 30 hours ago I completed the Brighton Half, and it already feels like some sort of surreal dream. If it wasn't for feeling like led weights were attached from my hips down, then I wouldn't count on it being more than a dream.
I wouldn't trade today's pain for anything - yesterday was immense. I was full of nerves before the race, & I'd spent most of this last week fretting about it and having dreams of running in treacle, forgetting all of my kit, and missing the start of the race. Every worry had crossed my mind, but I didn't let the fear get in the way of enjoying myself on race day.
Sure, two and a half hours is a long time to run, but I settled into a really good rhythm mentally, which kept me steady all the way round. The course takes you up towards the Marina, then all the way back down the coast up towards Hove. The stretch towards Hove seemed to go on forever, but my trusty playlist & the crowds kept me pumped. I took time to assess how I felt every so often - not 'Oh God my legs are killing me!' but more objectively, like 'What's tense? What's different? Am I swinging my arms freely? Am I hydrated enough? How's my footing?' A quick body scan every so often just to check in with myself, and then adjust accordingly. This really helped me run strong because I felt so conscious and aware of my movement - when normally I'd just switch off when running on the treadmill. I really wanted to be present and enjoy it as much as possible, after all I'd only be there running this exact day once!
The best advice I received was simply, to smile. I've just downloaded the audiobook of A Life Without Limits by Chrissie Wellington in which she dispensed this secret. Every time I felt like it was a struggle I forced a smile & it instantly flipped my mood.
Everything just seemed to click into place yesterday, and the only things that 'went wrong' per say, was when I squirted half of my first gel all up my arm (but I couldn't help but laugh at myself) and at the last drinks station when I momentarily queued up for the toilets, before deciding 40 seconds on that I could last until the end. It was the only kilometre where my pace was above 6:51which was very frustrating, but hey ho!
I was really chuffed with my time. I tried to place myself between the 2:15 and 2:30 pacers which seemed to work well. I'd love to work on bring my time down to 2 hours, that'll be the next challenge.
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