Running blog: how was your weekend running?

This weekend was the end of a slightly easier week for me, part of the cycle of my marathon training schedule. So a track session on Saturday with my club, followed by the inaugural Reigate half marathon on Sunday, which I was supposed to take at an easy pace.

For the first running of a large-ish race it was fantastically well organised, and blessed with perfect weather (though I suppose the organisers can’t really claim credit for that). I suspect if it becomes an annual occurence, they might need to look at putting some timed start pens in, as it was a bit of a scrum getting out of Reigate’s Priory Park. But that was more than made up for by friendly marshals and great local support. It was certainly undulating too – at about mile three, I was wondering if a single stretch would be on the flat.

But, as a friend at my club had said over post-track session coffee, I don’t do easy pace, not in a race. (Actually, it was the rather less flattering: “You are far too competitive, you’ll never let people pass you when you know you could pass them!”). Naturally he was spot on – though in my defence I felt really good – and the advantage of marathon training is that 13.1 miles suddenly really doesn’t seem that far. So, definitely a race I will be doing again next year. Special congratulations to my brother-in-law for completing his first ever half too, especially with a dodgy ankle and badly disrupted training.

So, what did the weekend hold for you – and did it go to plan?

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