The controversy surrounding the extra half-mile at Brighton was all the chat on forums, facebook and twitter yesterday. An accurately measured course, but some poor person placed the cone in the wrong place. As my friend Faye on facebook said: “Wow, I wouldn’t want to be Head of Cone distribution right now!” The story hit the local news yesterday evening and even got a mention on Chris Evan’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show this morning… Here’s my race report.

As we drove across the South Downs on Sunday morning and the sun beamed through the cold clouds, on what looked like a perfectly still winter’s day, I realised I had no excuse. Perfect conditions, a good night’s sleep on Saturday (Mike and I had gone to bed at 9pm!) and carbed up from a lovely meal out on Saturday lunch. Training had been going well, no injuries…. just nerves!

A very crowded and narrow start was quite welcome as it was a very cold day, so the line of bodies kept us warm. As we set off (at 8:59) I felt tired; 53 miles, including circuits, speed-work and threshold runs in the build up to the race was in my body and the first mile at 6:36 felt tough, but I also had a feeling I could keep going, I would just feel it today!

The second mile was also ran in 6:36, I felt okay, not too fast, just a bit knackered. Then my first knock-back came, running alongside me was the sub 1:30 pace maker. Surely not, that’s 30 seconds out. Then I overheard, ‘Yes, that was a bit enthusiastic’ and a few ‘tuts’ from the group. I decided to get away from the flag.

As we ran up towards Rottingdean, I told myself this would probably be the hardest part of the course as it’s a bit of a climb, I remembered from the map that the turn was around four miles. My third mile felt good, but I didn’t bother to look at my watch as I ran into four and beyond (early days, go by feeling). As I turned the corner running around the cone back towards Brighton I was distracted by an unwelcome headwind. I decided to concentrate on getting through my first bad patch and work to a heart rate of 155. So I missed the 5-mile split.

It wasn’t until I hit 6 miles, that I vaguely took in the extra half mile! And saw 6.4 on my Garmin, but as I was running to heart rate, I wasn’t paying much attention to this. By nine miles I realised that .4 had been the extra at every mile marker, and the collective Garmin bleeps had been going off a long way from the marker.

As I was focused on sticking to race pace, I wasn’t paying as much attention as I might have done if I was pacing a group or training. I vaguely wondered if I might have left my watch on before starting and had the .4 still on from the warm up, but I didn’t linger on those thoughts, instead I carried on focusing on keeping the rhythm.

My mind was a bit fuzzy and I decided just to look at the mile splits, which couldn’t be wrong even if the Garmin had mis-measured somewhere en route. And the mile splits continued to stay mainly under 6:50 (or sub 1:30) so I felt good and had some in the bank. Also, I knew by the way I felt, and by the people around me (good!) that I was running faster than I have for a while!

But I also kept hoping that it would all add up at the next mile, and that the rogue mile marker would come right. By 11 miles I heard a marshal shout (only 2.5 miles to go). This made me feel despondent. My watch showed 1:14 at almost 11.5 miles, I realised that meant I had to run two good sub 7s to get sub 1:30!

By 12 miles I knew it was just wrong! I had no idea what time I was going for now. I had hoped to run 6:40 pace, so I just decided to keep going. As I saw 1:30:15 on the clock I was livid. I’d run 6:20 for the last half mile (which even to the end I’d hoped might turn out to be .1).  A nice man encouraged me across the line. I was encouraged by my place (I’d been told I was 8th all the way round – it turns out I was 11th! But hey ; )

My watch measured 13.55 and quickly people started talking. I’d run 6:41 pace, one second off my goal 6:40. I had worked so hard, a tired run, and I’d given it everything, and only to be rewarded with 1:30:30.

P.S. Rumour has it that the sub 1:30 pacemaker was last seen at six miles saying: ‘Don’t follow me!’

Here’s a record of my run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/150854616

The Next Day

Forums, chat rooms, facebook, twitter were alive with disgruntled Garmin users reporting the discrepancy! 13.4 to 13.66 were the distances being announced. Race organisers were contacted, UKA officials etc…

One forum user posted this:

“I wrote to Michael Sandford from the association of UK course measurers about the distance. He checked a few public GPS tracks of the route against his maps and said: “I am able to confirm that the course was over distance due the the turn at the East End of the course being not located in the position marked by the measurer.”

He goes on to say:

“It is the responsibility of the race director to locate the turn at the position indicated in the measurement report. It is the responsibility of the race referee/ race adjudicator appointed by RunBritain to ensure that the race director is using the course as measured is used by race director. A number of measurers have asked RunBritain that race referees/ race adjudicators be reminded about these duties. A gross error like this ought to have been very easily picked up if the race referee/ race adjudicator had actually visited the East turn round and compared the location used with that described in the measurer’s measurement report.”

So there you have it: it’s official.”

The pressure was on!

But the race organisers came good! What must have been a terrible day for them ended well and by 4pm the times had been amended, okay I still think I ran 1:27:44, but I got my PB of 1:28:17. And with such amazing conditions, many were rightly rewarded with their correct personal best on what was a perfect racing day, not least of all Fiona Powell the female first who’s been hoping to run sub 80 minutes for a long time, and no doubt the three first men, who were rewarded with a sub 70 minute time on what was a PB-day.

Here are the revised results: http://brightonhalfmarathon.com/

Here’s some news: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9541935.Brighton_Half_Marathon_organisers_apologise_after_runners_went_too_far/

Well actually – I’m not really mid-marathon training, but today it feels like it. In fact I’ve got 11 weeks to go, so really I’m only getting going! But I always forget about the last three weeks… So I’ve got two months; eight weeks. But where I am now feels like number four of 10 x 800m reps.

I’ve lemsipped today, indication that immune system trouble brewing… But feel in good spirits, so that’s good ; )

So what’s the point of today’s blog then? Well it’s a theme I keep coming back to, and that’s keeping going… keeping at it. Going on with training when tiredness kicks in. It’s part of the reason I do this whole thing. I like to have something that stretches me outside of work and family.

Ironically, the Watford Half was cancelled so my mileage took a dip last week. But I’ve found a rest can sometimes lead to a mini crash and it’s like the foot comes off the pedal and the body says, ‘ah…’ But I’m not meant to be tapering, so it’s a case of getting some sleep, eating well, and getting my head down to it again.

I started this yesterday (Tuesday), and when I woke up this morning I didn’t feel like running. I texted Ju to give myself a few extra minutes in bed. My glands were up, I still felt tired. Out into the freezing cold air and I began to feel okay. I realised I’d never have got out this morning if I hadn’t been meeting Julia.

And I was back from my run at 9am, ready to start work, and feeling better. The ill feeling gone, another 8.6 miles in the bank (and another run planned tonight). Not stopping on Wednesday is important… it makes it easier to stay in the training.

Twenty four miles done, maybe 30 by the end of the day. A long one of 20 at the weekend and then I’ve only got fit in 10 for the other three days to reach my baseline of 60. It’s hard, but it’s easy at the same time. It’s easy when you decide to just step out the door.

I’m a middle aged mum who’s adding up miles, running in weather that’s so cold I cry when I the warmth returns, pushing myself out the door when my glands are up, running around in circles. It could all seem a tad pointless, but as pointless as it is I do love it! I wonder if other runners experience the same feelings? What gets you out the door? What makes you run? Do tell me @therunninged…

I’m pleased to say that The Fitness Book is out. I spent quite a few hours in May and June writing my bit. I wrote the Pilates, Yoga and Cardiovascular section.

Here’s a bit of blurb about the book: