Anyone else training for a half marathon?

[golemmings]

I graduated from c25k earlier this year and ran my first 10 race in June. A friend has told me that I can do a half marathon in the autumn so I've signed up for one.

I'm a week into the training programme (using the rw one for 2:00-2:15 finishes) and I'm finding it really hard going.

Is there anybody else who is doing a half who wants to share moral support/abuse/highs/lows?

Hi, Dh is running today (gnr) does anyone know how to track his progress? Hope everyone else's run goes well! Hopeful I will find my way to the finish point without getting lost. X

think it will be on www.greatrun.org/north somewhere as long as you know his number!!

10k: 56:56. 5k, 10k and 3mi pbs.

Will be back to check on the gnr-ers when I get home.

Hope all you GNR-ers have had a good race! I took dd (age7) for a run along the Ridgeway this morning. She managed 30 mins trotting along and chatting as she went - bless!

2:23 here...ow I hurt.

Woohoo! Lexi you made it! Fantastic time. Hopefully you are now having a nice long Epsom Salt bath soak.

Well done golemmings on your pbs.

Well done Lexi! That's brilliant. I did 12 miles this morning and can barely walk so heaven knows how you feel! Hope you are having some well earned cake.

And sorry, brilliant PB golemmings!

Well done Lexi! How do your legs feel? How does the rest of you feel?

Any news from tired and one?

Well done Lexi & Go.

I managed 2 hrs 10 mins so v pleased as that was my target.

Not so great trying to get home now though as its taken ages so far & sat nav is predicting 10pm (not good for little ones with school tomorrow!).

Congratulations you've all done so well. Did you manage to meet up?

Well done one. I hope the traffic is kind to you and your journey is ok.

Thanks Go - traffic is a nightmare & it's raining now which is crap but the boys are all being good so that makes things easier

Wow - well done all! Great times too - I'm just going to be happy if I make it to the finish line!

thanks peeps and well done onedev - great time! It was a tough course - just felt like it was all uphill, there must have been downhills but they weren't very noticeable. The last hill was a killer - I was hardly doing much more than walking pace from mile 11 mark. But my strava app shows I did all PB times at some snapshot within the run (31m for 5k, 1:03 for 10k, 1:36 for 15k and 1:43 for 10 miles) which I'm pleased about!

I had another night in the b&b booked but since I was back there having a shower at 4, decided to have a turboschlaf (nap) and see if I felt up to driving home. I did, and got here a few mins ago (4h40 driving).

What a long but exciting day! Mainly my knees are feeling creaky but my neck/shoulders are a little tight and something around my hips to groin is making its displeasure known. I'm sure it will all shake out in a couple of days.

I am oddly uninspired to do another right now. Maybe 10k at the end of the month.

Where did you stay Lexi - it took us 4 hours from me finishing just to get back to the hotel where our car was parked?

I actually thought it was ok re hills. I had another thread a while ago specifically asking for advice on the GNR & someone there mentioned how tough the hills were, so I've been specifically running up every hill I could find this last month so that definitely helped me.

I'd like to do the Birmingham half in a couple of weeks (although haven't entered & meant to be out with in-laws that day!) as although I did enjoy the GNR, I'm really not sure it was worth the logistical time, money & effort!

The traffic sounds like a nightmare! I'm still a bit worried that I won't make it to the finish line since that longer run which made me feel so rubbish afterwards. I think I just have to accept that I'm going to do it veeerry slowly! For me, doing a half marathon is something which, even a couple of years ago, II would never in my wildest dreams have thought I could ever do. So I need to forget about my time altogether and resist getting carried away by the crowd and the adrenaline at the start! I'm assuming that however slowly I run, there will be some people slower than me?

holmes - everyone told me that if I could run 10 miles, I could run a half marathon. On the day itself the atmosphere and other people there carry you along. I think your run is the same day as humble and I are doing ours, so let's stick together!

Is there a time limit to your run? The ones I've done usually have a limit of 3 hours after the last person has crossed the start line. After 6 miles, people who aren't running at that pace are picked up. That's usually enough of an incentive for me to keep up the (slow) pace - the last one I did was 2.45 and I was by no means last .

So sorry, I thought I'd posted congrats last night to the GNR-ers - but can't see a post from me. Well done, brilliant times but sorry to hear about the nightmare journeys home.

Hope you are feeling good today!

Well Done fellow GNR's - well mentally today I am buzzing but physically I am struggling.

My knee held out until smack at the half way zone - then began this unbearable pain for the second half of the run. At 11.5 miles I felt that I could not go any further- I had ran all the way until then (I was by 'Elvis'). Limped to side of road and St Johns ambulance woman was there - I asked if she had anything for my knee- she replied that if my knee was so bad then perhaps I should consider calling it a day - I started getting tearful and sat on the kerb.

Some lovely lady and young lad (teenager) said "come on pet- you've done all the hard bits- its all down hill now- you can do it"- They picked me up under my arms and jogged with me (for about 10 metres)- the Elvis bloke was shouting my name "come on Emma- you can do this"- so off I hobbled in a fairly tearful state.

How I made it to the finishing line ill never know!!

My target was 2.28 mins- I did it in 2.33 mins (toilet stop and meltdown by Elvis) so all in all im pleased.

Most amazing day ever however trying to get out of South Shields afterwards really put a dampener on the day. It took us two hours to go 10 miles- we had to drive back to Bham- I was so tired.

Highlights-
The locals- what brilliant, amazing people. I know if it hadnt been for their support I probably would have given up at 11 miles

really well organised

that 'feeling' when you see the sea at South Shields

the camaraderie when all walking to the start line.

The feeling at the end. I just ran farking 13.1 miles!!!

Lowlights-

DS2 and DP missing me finishing
DS2 and DP standing out in rain
trying to get home.

I would do it again but leave family at home-

wow and wow again tiredemma what an amazing achievement, your post almost brought tears to my eyes. It sounded really tough. Fantastic.

well done VeryUnderstandablyTiredEmma! you must have really dug deep to get up and get going again, that is utterly brilliant. That spirit is what it is all about, I am sure. That Elvis was pretty good too so I am glad he cheered you up!

onedev I was in a B&B in a village just outside Durham. but my secret weapon was the Nirvana coach transfer service, which I think I boarded at about 3.00 (and is for family and friends as well as runners; when they dropped us at the start line they took the supporters to the finish line). They were parked about another mile's walk north along the seafront (just past the permanent fairground) which was quicker to walk than all the cars that were coming out of the car parks. The coach then went back towards the finish line, and up the hill from that roundabout just in front of the baggage buses. We drove part of the run route in reverse and we could see the last few people walking it, and the road-sweeper truck coming along behind them, and loads of the local kids playing with all the discarded powerade bottles. It was very sad to see a solitary runner (well, walker) forlornly going through the 'Bupa Boost Zone' without anyone left there to cheer her on.

Oh Emma huge congratulations that takes serious guts. And how lovely of those folk.

I have just had root canal at the dentist. Puts running nerves in perspective I can tell you. Except you don't get numbing drugs for that... Darn it! That St Johns person should have given you novocaine..