Today I’m creaking around the office looking a bit worse for wear, but it’s not just typical Monday morning blues… yesterday I ran the 2012 Bath Half Marathon!
I fell in love with Bath when my boyfriend (who hails from around those parts) took me there to visit the Roman baths and wander around the stunning Royal Crescent with its beautiful golden Bath stone buildings. It’s definitely a city you feel is rich with history and culture, and you can’t help but be enchanted by its warmth and beauty. Plus, Jane Austen lived here for a time, so it has great literary connections too!
Squinty in the sunshine, but raring to go
I doubt Jane Austen debated running 13.1 miles around her beautiful city, but I did it anyway. The morning broke to a misty 6 degrees – perfect weather – but by the time the 11am starting gun went off it was bright sunshine and 15 degrees. I even got a little sunburnt!
Lining up with the rest of the runners in Bath
I set off with a fellow runner who was planning a sub-2 hour pace. I kept up with her for the first two miles but realized she had gone off faster than I’d intended – almost a 8.55 minute pace, rather than the 9.05 I’d wanted. Still, I was feeling good and kept it up until the halfway point, and I crossed the line at 56minutes – on track for a sub-2 time. At around the time I crossed the halfway mark, I was passed by the first set of elite runner – and cheering them on gave me a little boost!
Mid-run... looking a little pained
Unfortunately, a hill between miles 7-8 knocked time off me, and miles 9-10 were sluggish. Now I know why they say not to go off too fast, and those early quick miles were catching up to me. By mile 11, I knew I wasn’t going to make sub-2, and felt really demoralized. Luckily, just after the 12 mile marker I saw my boyfriend and his mum cheering me on, which gave me the energy to get up the last hill toward the finish line. I crossed over in good spirits (yup, there’s a smile on my face!) and gladly received my finisher’s medal!
Crossing over the line - I swear that's a smile on my face 
A few hours later, after a celebratory Ben’s Cookie (soo yummy) and a delicious meal at the Crystal Palace pub in Bath, I looked up my official finishing time: 2:02:27. Okay, so not quite the sub-2 I was hoping for, but the last time I ran this race in 2010 I did it in 2:10:55 – so a good 8 mins or so off last time! One day, I will run that sub-2…
March 14, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Well done Amy. I aimed for sub two hours and trained for three months to do it from a pretty poor fitness base. Two weeks before the event I hurt my leg and backed off all training completely and then the Friday before got a really bad cold. Undeterred I gave it my best shot and finished in 2hrs 11mins. I should be disappointed, but I know I can do better and the event, crowds and atmosphere made me realise it was one of those “taking part” moments. That said, I will be back and I am going to run under that clock with a 1 at the start even if it takes me 12 months of training to do it. Not that I said that on Sunday evening or Monday morning though!