Another Great Run

Six weeks after taking part in the BUPA Great North Run I arrived at the start line of the BUPA Great Birmingham Run. This is the second largest UK half marathon after the one in Newcastle with 25,000 people running.

A group of us from Parklands Jog & Run made the trip up the M1 and M6 in a minibus hired for the occasion. It was a beautiful clear day and unseasonably warm. We arrived in the centre of Birmingham, dropped our bags off and found the starting enclosures we had been allocated.

I was in Orange just behind the Elite and Fastest Club runners. The event was live on Channel 5 and a helicopter hovered above filming the hoards of people warming up before the start. Our wave set off at 10:20 with 13.1 miles ahead of us.

The first part of the course was fast. I find that everyone tends to go off quickly at the beginning as you are full of energy, anticipation and adrenaline but we were helped by the fact that it was all downhill. Having felt out of sorts for a week I wasn't anticipating a good time. At the end of the first mile however I checked my watch and saw six minutes! Suddenly my motivation was back and I immediately started to think PB.

By mile four I was still under seven minute mile pace and decided to go for it. My legs felt strong and I changed my mindset from 'I've felt rough all week and haven't trained' to 'I've rested all week and have lots of energy.'. There was a strong headwind but I managed to shelter behind other runners where possible. The crowds were fantastic and cheered us along with many offering sweets and holding signs encouraging us to keep going.

At this point a gust of wind brought down a shower of leaves and debris from the tall trees overhanging the road. I felt something enter my eye and couldn't open it for a while, it was painful and I considered stopping to rinse it with water. Thankfully a few minutes later it had stopped and I could see clearly again. At this point the route doubled back on itself with the elite runners (now at eight miles) coming back on the opposite side of the road. The leaders passed by in a blur as they closed in on the finish line.

Following my disastrous miscalculation in the Northampton Half last month I had studied the route carefully and felt I knew each twist and turn of the course. Everyone was aware that having descended for three miles at the start we would have to come back up again at some point and the big hill at mile ten was often commented on. What I hadn't realised was that there was another smaller but still steep one at five miles as we passed the Cadbury's factory at the Bourneville estate.

The hill sapped some of my energy but as we headed back the way we had come the wind was now on my back. Between six and nine miles I seemed to find my stride and felt really comfortable counting down the distance as I overtook dozens of people. My aim was to keep a fast pace until the hill, fight my way to the top and hang on for the last mile and a half.

A guy in a green vest (who I later found out was called Ewan) was matching me pace for pace and I tucked in behind him. After an hour I had passed through 8.5 miles. The crowds were still two or three deep in places and bands played music to accompany us. Every church we passed had a group outside, one a choir, another a brass band.

Just after ten miles we reached the bottom of the hill. I had a plan. Still behind Ewan I fixed my eyes on his trainers and kept them there all the way to the top, he was keeping a strong pace slightly faster than I found comfortable. I was tiring and any attempt to look at the obstacle in front of me could have demoralised me significantly. I find hills aren't a problem as long as I don't see how big they are!

At the top I took the front and led us out as we approached the centre of the city. Having run hard for an hour and twenty five minutes I wasn't going to hold back now. Head down I strode out, pumping my arms and fixing my eyes on the line crossing it just behind my pacemaker of the last five miles.

My watch read 1:34:47 but when I looked at the official results my time was recorded as 1:32:50. This left me confused as I had expected to be that quick but the watch clearly had another two minutes on it. A few days after writing this we were notified that there had been a problem with some timing chips for those who started on the left which included me. My watch was correct and my finish time was officially recorded as 1:34:47. This was still a PB by 7 seconds which, given the hills, was a time I was pleased with.

I'll have to wait a bit longer to claim this time.

Once again it was on an occasion when I didn't expect much that I had performed best. Maybe it was the lack of pressure and expectation, maybe the good weather and new trainers, perhaps it was having Ewan and the crowd to pull me along, maybe it was the weeks rest or was it just one of those days? I don't know and I don't care really, a new half marathon PB, my second in five weeks and my third of the year felt great.

One more race to go in 2014, the Lode Half Marathon. Can I beat 1:34 or get even closer to the magic 1:30 mark? It's a totally flat, fast course but can be windy as a result. Watch this space.