by ajay khandelwal » Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:15 pm
Sunday Blog
Sussex Beacon half marathon
Decided I would get train down and Ninder and baby Priya and my mother would come down by car and cheer me on at finish. Wasn't sure how this was all going to work out, as Priya is only 5 weeks old.
Woke up at 7 and had 2 shredded wheat and a banana and walked to Forest Hill train station and alighted at East Croydon.
Decided things were going too smoothly, so decided to order a coffee 2 minutes before 8.29 train to Brighton was due to arrive. Guy serving coffee was really slow, and started to count out my 8.01 pence change in pound coins, slowing down with the last five coins, 5,6,7,8. I ran towards the train, runners got on, doors shut. Aw! Read the notice on the side of the platform, 'doors may close 30 seconds before the train is due to depart.'
Next train was 8.52 which would get me to Brighton 9.50. Start time for the race was 10.00. I wondered for a few minutes why I missed the train, was a good sign. Got ready on the train and jumped in a taxi out the other side to Madeira Road. Grabbed 4 pins to put on my race number and gave my bag to a race Marshall and asked her to put it the bag storage for me, which she kindly did. Briefly thought of Maria David, who was alway cutting it fine to the start of bike rides. I remember when Monty would tell us all to be ready 9am sharp for rides in Mallorca, and we always had to fetch her from a cafe, where she would be reading the papers! I was on the start line 10 am and off.
First 4 miles weaving through the town I felt good, didn't go too hard, remembering what they told me in the club, go slow, go slow. Chatted to a fellow BHF rider. About mile five picked up the pace and found I had done 6.5 miles in 1 hour, thats sub 10 minute miles. Ran well till mile 7. Then shooting pain in my right knee. Probably because I'd never run more than 7 miles ! Running is much more painful than cycling, it hurts with every footfall. I slowed down, but decided to keep going, knowing the pain would subside, as the endorphins did their work.
I enjoyed running up the drags, and letting my body freewheel down the slopes. View was great along the coast, and there was live music to cheer us on. Found the going hard after mile 9, so started chatting to other runners who were walking, telling them to keep going. That really helped me, as most of them started running. I saw a couple of guys walking who had blown me away at mile 5, and told them to get a move on too ! Towards the end, I saw a friend who had broken a rib and was suppoting his wife do the run. All of this kept me going, and helped me ignore the fact it hurt.
When we got to 12 miles, we had a nice run in along the sea front. There was a woman, Leona, running for a cancer charity, and we decided to go for a sprint finish. So, I got the crowd shouting, and we went for it, which was great, just like the sprint finish at Charlwood, except for the small fact that I was in position 2 thousand and something in a field of 3,000.
Couldn't see Ninder or Priya at finish so was gutted, esp. with all the cheering and sprinting ! Clock time showed 2.17, chip time 2.14.25. Thats about 10.5 minute miles I think. Ninder arrived at finish 2.20 (my target time) so we caught up for some fish and chips, feed and nappy change, and return to London.
On the way back, I read about the Marathon de Sables. £500 to enter, 3 year wait, 151 miles in six days, carrying your own kit and sleeping bag. No supporters in the desert, temp upto 50 degrees. I can tell you now, not one for me. Type of thing Slyvain would be up for though ?