My Robin Hood Half Marathon.....

Feeling lonely in amongst 10,000 people is a very strange feeling.

But this is how I was feeling 100 yards into the Nottingham Robin Hood Half Marathon on Sunday 11th September. My training hadn't gone to plan in the run up to the race, for many different reasons, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to complete the whole race without walking at some point. And the fact that I’d never actually run over 7 miles didn’t help!!!

So, with my planned running partner, Rob Perkins, leaving me at the start line (he HAD been training properly!) I started my “run”:

Mile 1: To my surprise the 1st mile marker suddenly appears! Caught up in the euphoria of the day, all the people around me, people cheering you on, the first 10 minutes flew by.

Mile 2: This isn't as bad as I thought......

Mile 3: Water station. Heaven! I knew from my training that I started to struggle with hydration at the 3 mile mark so I was looking for this point of the run. Grabbed a couple of bottles and carried on.....

Mile 4 and 5: Already by this point in the run I was looking for mile markers. A countdown of sorts. So imagine my panic when 'Mile 4' didn't appear. I kept looking. Was I running so slowly that I wasn't there yet? About half a mile later I realised that I must have missed it! And then, bang on cue, the beautiful sign telling me that I had completed 5 miles appears!! Relief, 5 miles done.....

Mile 6 and 7: Lucozade station. Never has Lucozade Sport tasted so beautiful. Better, even, than the morning after a night out. It was gorgeous. I knew I'd need it as there were a couple of little “bumps” in the Nottingham landscape coming up......

Mile 8 and 9: The "bumps" in the road up Wollaton Vale and up to Wollaton Hall weren't as bad as I feared. My pace slowed but I kept running. And then at some point around here I realised that I had NEVER run this far in one go. EVER. A grin suddenly appeared on my face......

It's amazing how the people cheering all round the course keep you going. People who had run the race before had said how it helps you but I didn't actual think it would make a great deal of difference.

I was so wrong.

At times there were only 2 or 3 people dotted along the side of the road but it was so appreciated.

And then there are all the other runners.

Sometimes you were with the same people for a mile or two, sometimes it was just people passing you. But there were always people who were as determined as you around you. Inspiration and motivation everywhere.

Mile 10: 10 miles! TEN! 3 left! It's all I could think. The change of direction, knowing you're heading back toward the Start/Finish area is such a wonderful feeling at this point. I felt great. I almost picked my pace up. Almost......

Mile 11: I was loving this. I'm nearly there! 2 miles left. That's like running round the block around my house. I felt like Homer Simpson as he tried to jump over Springfield Gorge, "I'm going to make it, I'm actually going to make it......"..... I didn't fail as badly as Mr Simpson did but all of a sudden the tops of my thighs started to burn. I was struggling to lift my legs fully. I was running with a very straight legged motion. But the key point was that I was still running.....

Mile 12: WHERE THE HELL IS MILE MARKER 12?? WHERE IS IT??? This was all I was thinking at this point. My legs were screaming at me to stop but every other part of me was keeping me going. It was only my legs......

Finish: The last mile was a funny one. I was in agony but feeling euphoric at the same time. That feeling of near hysteria when you could actually burst into tears or laugh your head off! I was nearly there. I could see the crowds on the Embankment. I could see people walking home with their medal and goodie bags. Then there was the sign that directs the half marathon runners to the finish line and the full marathon runners to the next half of their race (a minor motivator in that you can think "Thanks God I don't have another 13 miles to do"!). More people cheering you one. This all keeps you going. And then I turned in to the final stretch. Rather annoyingly there is a little sharp bump in the field which nearly finished me but I got over it. And then, as if by magic, my wife and daughters were in the crowd waving at me, cheering me on. That was all I needed. I put my final push in, ignored my thighs and.....carried on at exactly the same pace and crossed the line.

Stopped my stopwatch and phone app (you could have tracked me online as my family did so they knew when to come and see me) and then stopped.

Bliss.

And then some cheeky official type person is telling you to keep moving. Keep moving? Have you just run 13 miles??? But I didn't care. I walked to the first tent where they take your timing chip off, then got my medal, then a photo, then Lucozade and water then a goody bag and then a silver space blanket. OK, it's a shiny piece of foil but I've always wanted one!!!

It was done. I felt absolutely amazing. I can't actually remember feeling that pleased with myself for a long time and I couldn't stop grinning. Tracey and the girls found me and made me feel even better. Quick picture of me looking like an idiot and then a pathetic effort at a cool down before I found a piece of grass to collapse on and the kids were asking for food!

The walk home was pleasant, a chance to reflect on how I was feeling (which was still one of self-satisfaction) and then I got to sit down and do nothing for the rest of the day! Not even watching the recording of Wales vs SA when I got home could spoil the day.

That’s how good I felt. Can’t wait until next year………