Post Half Marathon update

 After the storms of the last couple of days, Sunday 5th October was about as nice a day for running as one could hope for. It started off a bit chilly and breezy, especially as I made the long walk from Cardiff Bay to the event village near the castle, but once the run was underway I warmed up very quickly indeed, and had a good sweat on within a few kilometres.

At the village I bumped into my friend Lee from the local parkrun community, and he kindly took a photo of me just before the start:

And then we were off! Lee's an Iron Man nutcase so I wisely decided to let him run his own pace while I fell back, got my head down and concentrated on the miles to come. I find that with longer runs, the best way not to be too daunted by it all is to break it down into smaller chunks. The hydration stations were at 5km intervals, which is parkrun distance. Nearer the end of the run, I definitely found that it helped to remind myself that there was just a "parkrun" or a "parkrun and a bit" to go. Earlier on, I tend to focus on music, with the length of an album being a good metric for covering a decent chunk of distance. I must admit that the first half of the run is the more enjoyable for me, since it takes you on a long, sweeping course out of the centre of Cardiff, out toward Penarth and then across the barrage and back back to Mermaid Quay. It's a beautiful, ever-changing series of vistas and the sensation of running along the barrage, with water to either side, is fantastic! The second half of the run, which is more about street running through the terraces of Cardiff, isn't quite as enjoyable, not just because there are long stretches where it all looks the same, but because fatigue is starting to kick in as well. I was all right until around the 18 km mark, but then I started getting back ache and needed to alternate some walking and running for the rest of the event, especially because there is a really nasty hill at around the 20 km mark!

Another friend of mine from parkun, Gareth, took a photo of me as I was near this point in the run:

Rather shockingly I was oblivious to Gareth being there, lost in my bubble of music and exhaustion! Sorry, Gareth! One thing that definitely helped, even as tiredness was building, was the amazing boost from supporters along the way. People were there to cheer on friends and loved ones, but also just to shout out positive encouragement to random runners like myself. From the police, race marshalls, the supporters and participants, it was a wonderful show of what this country can be at its best: diverse, welcoming, inclusive, warm. Another thing that helped me push through the tough bits was to remind myself, in a zen fashion, of my marvellous sponsors, and the great support they have offered to Cancer Research Wales. The last time I checked, CRW had raised well over two hundred and twenty thousand pounds via the Cardiff Half, and it's not too late to add to the tally.

Thank you again, all, for your kind support and motivation!

Al R