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Yep that’s the time I got, it was a little slower than the Hastings half but still pretty respectable I reckon. All through the race I was feeling tired and I think I could have trained a little harder and worked on my fitness as that seemed to be what let me down.
The course was a gradual climb for the first 11 miles and then a big drop and flat for the last mile. The weather was good for it, sunny with a breeze so that nice. I think in total there was just over 500 runners, which was a lot less thasn the Hastings race and I think that might have been part of the reason I ended up running a slower time.
I think at the start I was trying to keep pace with the higher quality runners as they were who I started the race near, as apposed to Hastings where there were alot more runners and I started with the people who were running at a pace I could deal with.
Saying that I did do the first 6.5 miles in 51mins, so I am happy with that. But after that I kept needing to slow right down and every half a mile or so. But it was only my second half marathon and I’m still trying to sort out a proper training schedule to fit in with work and stuff.
I did wake up with aching legs on Monday though and stairs are giving me a bit of a problem! But I’m slowly recovering.
Jersey is a great place to visit, everyone was really nice there and its a beautiful island. I went for some walks along the coast which changes between long sandy beaches and rugged coastlines – if your into watersports this is the place for you. I definitly recommend it as a place to visit.
So now I’m looking to my next fundraising task, which is looking like the London to Brighton bike ride in June, although I have been looking at some events in July as well. Hmm…I’ll be sure to keep you informed. 
Well unfortunately I haven’t managed to do any training this week. ‘ve been so caught up with meetings at work I just haven’t managed to find time. I might be able to find time to do some training on Friday but its the company I work for’s 10 year birthday. So I have a feeling there will be a couple of drinks after work!
Oh well in all the guide’s I’ve read they tell you to take the week before the race off from training, so that you are rested up for the race. So hopefully that’ll mean I’ll do alright.
I’ve booked my bus from my hotel to the start of the race on Sunday morning. If you dn’t already know there is a free bus from St. Helier, all you need to do is book a seat. You can find out more details at the Jersey Half website:
I’ve also heard that alot of flights have been cancelled to Jersey due to bad weather but I’ve checked the forecast and its supposed to be nice – though it might be a bit wet on the Sunday! It’s definitely going to be fun whatever happens and I’ll let you know how it goes next week.
I’ve been a bit rubbish with my blogging recently and thats been mainly because work has been so manaic recently. Just seem to have all the deadlines coming at once. Unfortunately that has meant that training has had to take a bit of a back burner.
But I’m back on course and rearing to go. I’ve been doing a couple of 40 minute, well pretty much sprints, in the gym. I’m going to save me knee for the actual race and so road running is out of the question. I can feel my fitness coming back and I’m really looking forward to this.
Two of the people I am going to be ruinningwith have come down ill which is a shame, although I think one of them is still going to do it – which is great. I’m going to be very careful not to catch any colds between now and the race.
So I’ve posted the course of the race which seems to go across the island and should mean a nice scenic run. I’ve been told by a couple of people now that its going to ba a fairly flat race so that will be great…although I’m preparing for some hills just incase
So with training back on course and my flights and hotel all booked I reackon I’m all set! – I’m going up Saturday so I can just chill for a bit and spending Sunday afternoon there as well. If anyone knows anywhere nice to visit please let me know.
Oh, and don’t forget you can sponsor me at:http://www.justgiving.com/dougplatts with anything from as little as £2. All sponsorship is greatly welcome. Will be back soon to let you know how I’m getting on.
So after having a couple of weeks of in America - great 2 weeks seeing Disneyworld, New York City, Washington D.C. and Buffalo (Go Sabres!), I’m back in Brighton and ready to start some serious training!
I’ve got the Jersey Half Marathon coming up on the 20th May and then the London to Brighton bike ride in June. And to be honest I haven’t really done any training for a while due to being away.
So! I’m going to start a strict training program trying to incorporate running and cycling into it as much as possible. I figure they will both benefit each other and if I do some cycling instead of running every now and then I might save me knees from the pain of last time!
On that note I figure I will do only one or two street runs before my race so as not to risk injuring myself and putting myself at a disadvantage like last time. So will be pounding the tread,ill at my gym tomorrow night and hopefully the stamina will come back without too much problem. I did get a lot of walking in with all the sightseeing in the states. I’ll keep you informed.
So I’m pretty much all recovered from my half marathon at Hastings last week. I was hopbbling around for most of the week but my knee is feeling ok now. I haven’t done any training this week but I have been thinking about what to do for my next event in my year of fundraising.
So far I’ve been thinking about the London to Brighton bike ride and the Jersey Half Marathon.
Similar to the amount of running I had done before my half marathon I have never done any cycling for more than 5 or 10 minutes down the gym. So I am definitely setting myself a task and a half! But I think I could do this. I’m borrowing my bosses bike, just need to get the brakes fixed – very important! - and then I going to start cycling with some of the guys from work who are also interested in doing it. I’m going to go to the gym this afternoon and do a short 20mins on the bike to get things started! It should be low inpact enough so as not to aggrevate my knee. Also feeling a bit restless from not training for a week.
Also after last Sunday I think I have developed a real taste for half marathons. I think its because I know I can make a better time than before and would like to see how well I can do. Some people from work are running in the Jersey Half Marathon on the 20th May. But I think it might be a bit of a mission to get there and I will have to stay overnight as the race starts at 9 in the morning!
But after looking at pictures of the route it looks like a really nice place to run. So I’m in two minds at the moment.
If anyone knows of any half marathons going on in southern England over the year can you let me know as I’ll probably be up for it!
So I survived my first half marathon..well just!!
To put it bluntly I feel like I have been hit by a bus!!
I managed it in though in 1hr 51mins which I am happy with. There were hills for the first 10 miles which were killer – I only thought there were hills for the first 5 miles, so that came as a bit of a shock. Towards the end my sore knee was playing up badly. I was fine going down hill and on the straights, but after 8 miles it was agony going up some of the hills.
I think I could make a much better time if I there were a couple less hills. I even had enough energy to sprint over the finish line! But I’m paying for it today, hobbling round Brighton, and any stairs are a killer. 
At least now know what to expect and I think I could shave 10mins at least from my time. I will definitely do another half marathon, its a good test of stamina.
So now I’m resting up and recovering, and deciding what to do next hmm..
So I have tried to rest me knee as much as possible and in about 15 hrs I’ll be starting my first half marathon at Hastings! So the situation so far is that my knee still aches but not as bad but i havent trained on it since Wednesday, but I think I am going to have to block out any pain and just go for it. I’m not really that bothered how I feel after the race I just want to complete it and within a fairly respectable time.
So with everything crossed for good weather and my knees holding up! I think I’m ready for tomorrow morning. Will be sure to let you know how it goes
Well I’m definitely feeling the wear and tear of running on the road. I went for a run on Tuesday after work and did 10 miles in just under 1 hr 20mins. Which is the farthest and fastest I have done outside on the road. Since then though my knees have been aching from the impact on the road. I probably should invest in some better trainers – next time round I will. I’m just hoping I’ll be back to normal by Sunday!
I went for a jog yesterday but could only do about 4 miles and after that it felt like I could do some damage to my knees. So now I’m resting them till the big race. I’m pleased with the time and distance of my run on Tuesday but am slightly concerned that I may have put myself at a disadvantage by damaging my knees. I’m hoping things will be better tomorrow after another nights rest.
Well with less than a week to go I am hoping for fairly good weather on Sunday – at the moment its wet and windy so I think I may be disappointed Oh well, I’m off for a run this evening and hopefully it won’t be any worse than this.
I went for a 15km run on Sunday and did that in about 1hr 20 mins, so im looking alright for managing the distance – but most of my running has been on the flat and the start of the race is apparently quite hilly! So I am expecting that and the weather to bring my time down a bit. Still if I can make it within the 2hr slot I’ll be happy.
I’ve also found out that the Hastings Half Marathon is one of the hardest half marathons around so I have definitely picked a good one to do my first race. Whats the saying “It’ll either make or break me!!”
If you do feel like sponsoring for the Hastings Half-marathon and help raise money for the Amani Children’s Home then visit my secure donation page at:http://www.justgiving.com/dougplatts
On Tuesday I went for run for about 45 mins along the seafront in Brighton, from the west pier to the marina and back. I’m not sure how far that was but it was probably the longest I have run in one go. While I am more training for the time (2hrs-ish) I thought it would be best to get a definite distance under my belt, so to speak.
So on Wednesday I decided to run 10K on the treadmill at the gym. At least that way I would know how far I had run.
Now I set the treadmill at an angle so that it would feel more realistic – the road is never flat (hmm slightly phlisophical!). Anyway I started off at a good pace and resisted turing the speed up to high and burning myself out. After about 4K I picked the pace up slightly – my target was to get this done within an hour.
As the 7K mark cropped up I could feel the tension building in my calves and my legs starting to feel it. As I was making fairly good time – well for me anyway – I decided to reduced the pace right at 8K for a couple of minutes. This left me about 10 minutes to finish the last 1.5K. I finished at a good pace and even though I was pretty done I think I could have gone further. But I had reached my target for that day, will try 12K on Saturday and see how that goes.
I think my final time was about 58 mins which for a first time running that far I thought was ok. All of this running was either up hill or on a straight.
Now a half marathon is a little over 21K and my aim is to finish within 2hours. I have had a look at the course and all hills seem to be in the first 8K so that will be the point where I will be feeling pretty bad – but as long as I can make it through that section within an hour I think I’ll be able to make good time on the rest of the course.
Ha well we’ll see on the day, I could have the wind and rain in my face all the way round and be lucky to make it 3 hours!!
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