Half Marathon success!

As this is being written, I am seriously suffering from DOMS - and I know it’ll only get worse tomorrow! To give it its full name, Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS), is pain and stiffness which you can suffer in the 12-48 hours following on from exercise. It is more common when you start a new exercise programme or have a significant increase in intensity – which is what I have done!
Yesterday, I completed my first ever half marathon in Milton Keynes in 2:00:17 – a fairly respectable time for a beginner! Although I was nervous before the start, managed to get into my stride fairly quickly and I felt quite comfortable for most of the race. Looking back at my race tactics (turn up and run) I think I should’ve planned the race a little more carefully to prevent me from slowing down in the latter stages.
Up until the 8 mile mark, I was averaging about 8.30 minute miles, which is the fastest I have run for a long time, I felt really comfortable and the cold I had been suffering from all week had disappeared just in time. My race splits were:
5km – 26:45
10km – 53:56
15km – 1:22:43
20km – 1:54:25
21km – 2:00:17
It’s quite handy really, because you wear a micro-chip with your personal details on, so you can have your individual time at the end. So it doesn’t matter if you miss the start because you were in the toilet (ok, I admit that was me) since your time doesn’t start until you cross the start line. The only downside is that you look like a criminal on day release with an electronic tag on!
I now know that I need to really work on my fitness for the marathon, as it will only get harder as the miles roll on. I also need to learn the art of pacing myself (something that I have always found difficult) so that I can remain strong all the way through.
Thanks to my folks for coming to support me (although they were compensated with dinner and wine afterwards!)
This week's challenge is to get down the gym more to get my fitness where it should be!