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So Week 11 was a big week in my training for the London Marathon, it was the week of the Windsor & Eton Half Marathon. Discluding Parkruns, I had never attended an organised race before & I’d definitely never entered an official race for which I’d receive a medal at the end, so this was both extremely exciting & nerve-wracking at the same time. The Windsor & Eton Half Marathon is a very flat course, consisting of 4 laps around Dorney Lake so there was no need to stress about hills. The day arrived, I had my flip belt prepped with food & the weather was an almost perfect temperature, the only downside was the wind. It was windy stepping outside the house in the morning but when I arrived at Dorney Lake with my Mum & Dad we were greeted by a much harsher waterside wind! However, I would find out that it would partially work in my favour later on.
Upon arrival, I went to sign in. I received my running number & an ankle time chip to track my official time. I did my stretches, dashed to the toilet 2 or 3 times than before I knew it the race was ready to begin! I was very fortunate to find my stride pretty quickly. I’m not a fast runner by any means but I am pretty good at staying consistent, however, I was more than impressed with myself on this occasion. I was hitting almost 11 minutes per mile the entire way round (give or take a few seconds). It felt brilliant to get into a rhythm so quickly & it really put my mind in a great place from the start. The 1st half of each lap I was running against the wind, so I had to push that little bit more, but the 2nd half rewarded me with the wind pushing me along. I was a bit worried that as a slow runner I’d find the course a bit empty towards the end as everyone would have finished before me but thankfully there was another 20-mile race going on at the same time so I never really knew where I was in comparison to others.
My parents coming down to support me made such a difference to my mentality on the day. When Marathon training you usually run by yourself & you need to constantly find ways to keep your brain entertained on those long runs. But having them there at each lap cheer me on put a big smile on my face & gave me the extra boost I needed (thank you, mum & dad).
The race flew by & before I knew it I was on my final lap. I mentally checked how my entire body was feeling & I was surprisingly fine! No aches, no pains, I was cruising so I just kept at it. Before I knew it I was coming over the Olympic bridge. “Let’s finish in style,” I said to myself. I kicked into gear & did what everyone says to do, finish strong. Before I knew it the race was done. I picked up my medal of honour & wore it with pride.
It was a very proud moment. This was my 1st official running medal during this Marathon journey & I couldn’t help but think how far I had come since beginning my journey over a year ago. What was even more exciting was that the next medal I’d hold in my hand would be for The London Marathon 2019.
OFFICIAL FINISH TIME: 2 hours 26 minutes 56 seconds (13 minutes faster than my PB!)
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