So I did the Manchester 1/2 Marathon last weekend which some of you already know. It was a cold start. At least for me. I'm not a big fan of the cold. I started running pretty bundled up. I wasn't sure what to expect this year considering last year I had a personal record time and hadn't had a chance to train much due to some colds leading up to it. This year I was healthier but quite busy and my training was decent but not great.
Anyways, I started running trying to just keep a pace I felt comfortable with. I noticed at the first time clock on the route I was running at an o.k. clip considering that it usually takes a while to cross the starting line. At each pace clock I kept noticing that I was on track to come close to last year's time. My legs felt good and all the training on the hilly off road trails near my house seems to pay off since this is a fairly hilly course. The last mile or so is down hill to flat so I try to pore it on near the end.
The training I did do paid off since it was another personal record with a net time of around 1 hour 53 1/2 minutes. I did pay for it for a couple of days afterward with the inside of my legs being sore. I'm not sure if it is because I may run with a different stride on the trails or just not being used to running fast very often. Oh well. I was happy with my performance and looking forward to next year's race.
Jim
