I saw this race and impulsively entered a few months ago. At 25 euro a pop, a great reputation and a free hat, how could I resist. Jenny also signed up, it being her first half marathon so we decided to make a weekend of it staying the the nearby Viking hotel.

I figured I’d be well recovered from the marathon by this stage (5 weeks) and to be honest I feel I pretty much am recovered with just slight tiredness lingering. I’ve done just a total of 3 tempo sessions since the marathon with the rest being milage, milage and more milage. The plan for me is to focus on building a strong aerobic base until February before tackling marathon training again. I came into this race not really knowing what to expect but prepared for all eventualities. I’m already pleased with my performance this year and target have been exceeded so there was no huge pressure on me for this one, mainly out to enjoy it but if I was feeling good I was prepared to work hard and try nab a PB.

I got a 2 mile warmup done on what was a pretty decent morning for a race, there was a drop of rain just before the start but stayed dry throughout. We got to the start line at WIT sports campus just minutes before the start so no hanging around in the cold. I took my place a couple of rows behind the start with some Leevale club mates. After some formalities and a speech by the mayor, none of which registered with me, the gun went and off we shot. It was a quick start down hill and my plan to start conservatively was immediately out the window though I did settle into a more sensible pace once we levelled out. The trio of club mates had packed and I considered going with them but opted not to and just run my own race.

Miles 1-3

I was running well within myself for the first mile and it felt very comfortable with a 5:50 popping up but a little misleading with the quick downhill start. Then the 2nd mile came, horrible uphill drag and suddenly I was working harder so I backed off the pace a little, the aim being to worry less about the pace today and keep effort consistent. I gradually worked in with a group and once over the hill we upped the pace and hit mile 3 feeling very comfortable.

Mile 1: 5:50
Mile 2: 6:09
Mile 3: 5:39

Miles 4-6

We headed into an industrial estate, spectacular scenery, there were factories of all sizes. There was another drag here and combined with the headwind, pace again dropped but kept effort consistent. I started breaking away from the group here, not a conscious decision as it really didn’t bother me if I was in a group or not today. Once out of the industrial estate it was into the countryside and this was a nice patch as I relaxed and just let my legs dictate a comfortable pace. I definitely felt I wasn’t working as hard as I could have been, compared to say Charleville a couple of month. To be honest there was no drive to really push hard, probably because at this stage I knew a PB wasn’t on the cards, I was still working and wanted a decent time but was just trying to enjoy it more than anything.

Mile 4: 6:00
Mile 5: 5:47
Mile 6: 5:41

Miles 7-9

My splits were already quite erratic but that reflects the mildly undulating course. This being my first time doing the race, I had no idea what to expect around every corner which in a way was good as I working on effort levels rather than pace. Mile 7 wasn’t very enjoyable, another drag and my legs were tiring a little so I backed off but then for mile 8 and 9 I felt an injection of pace and picked it right up again. The slow mile 7 had allowed the previous group reattach before we broke up into a smaller group again and I worked in step with a couple of Waterford AC runners. The back roads were pretty tough on the calf muscles and I found myself weaving around the country roads avoiding the potholes and trying to find decent terrain. Coming up to 9 miles I was still feeling ok and felt confident enough to see it home at the current effort.

Mile 7: 6:07
Mile 8: 5:45
Mile 9: 5:50

Miles 10-13.1

Mile 10 was pretty comfy and I was thinking great I’ll just ease it home for the next 3. Then for mile 11 we turned into a headwind and a drag and I was knocked back a little. A group caught me again which is strange as I’m not used to moving between groups so much, usually if I leave a group I’m determined to stay abreast of them but today I was ok with it, knowing I’d be able to pick it up again. I did pick it up again on mile 12 and I pulled away keeping a good steady effort all the way to the end and really enjoying the last downhill mile clocking a 5:36. The Waterford AC lads had gone well ahead of me but I didn’t put on a chase. I crossed the line 22nd in 1:16:46 feeing pretty satisfied with the effort knowing I could have offered a little more.

Mile 10: 5:50
Mile 11: 6:01
Mile 12: 5:52
Mile 13: 5:36

Summary: 13.1 miles in 1:16:46 @ 5:51 min/mile

There’s somehow still an air of disappointment in that I held out a little hope of a PB but given the year I’ve had I can’t complain too much. I’m finishing the year with a 75:40 PB for the half, a time I would have grabbed with both hands last January. I think it’s been my best distance this year and having raced 5 of them in 2014 it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite, can’t wait to see what I can do with it next year.

Oh and Jenny finished her first half in a very respectable 1:42, apparently loving every step of the way, even the drags. Sandbagger.

So that’s likely it in terms of racing for the year and until February as I continue to build a solid foundation for Rotterdam in April (this is going to turn into one boring training log). A great race overall, enjoyable (for the most part, drags made me a little sad) and extremely well organised, super spread and met some friendly faces, love the hat too.