Great North Run - 1h 35m 24s

Report to follow ...It had been a long two weeks since I injured my hamstring. The recovery had gone well and although it was never going to be perfect I felt confident it would hold up during the race. I spent all my time putting bags of ice on my leg, taking ibuprofen for the swelling and gently stretching the muscle. What I really needed was something to take my mind off the injury, and on Saturday morning that’s exactly what I got. Unfortunately, it came in the form of another injury. It was 24 hours before the race and I went out for a light jog to loosen up. After a long stretch at the track I lazily jogged home and somehow managed to fall down the steps at the end of my street. I came crashing down, falling flat on my face on spraining an ankle in the process. Immediately the pain was intense. I picked myself up and hobbled home refusing to entertain the thought of not being able to compete in the race. How was I going to manage this latest setback? Yet more ice and ibuprofen.

Sunday morning arrived and the ankle was quite swollen. A bag of ice and some ibuprofen to start the day. Mentally I stayed positive. I wasn’t about to pull out now. In the past I’d played many football matches with ankle injuries. The mass participation of the Great North Run makes preparation on the morning of the event quite a drawn out operation. I left the house at 7:40, a full three hours before the race was due to start. On arriving at the start I met with team members from the Jubilee Debt Campaign and posed for a picture or two with Jonathan Edwards. Then after dropping my baggage in the bus I made my way to the red zone start. It was still early enough that I could do a few warm-up jogs in the start area before planting myself firmly at the front of the zone. Slowly but surely the zone filled up and pretty soon there was no space to move. My hamstring started to feel a little uncomfortable and I could feel the ankle swelling by the minute. With half an hour until the start I took a double dose of ibuprofen hoping it would take my aches and pains away. I wasn’t feeling particularly confident in my injuries anymore and planned to start the race at 7 minute mile pace.

Eventually the gun sounded and it took a mere ten seconds to cross the start line. For those at the back of the field it could take up to 45 minutes. I cruised along at a seemingly comfortable pace. Surrounded by elite club athletes and other red zone starters there was no need to dodge and weave past slower runners and walkers. The first mile flew by, but I was shocked and dismayed to see that it had taken me just over 6:20 to complete. Given the circumstances I knew this pace was a mistake. I slowed to a 6:40 for mile 2 but I felt this was still too fast. By mile 3 I was already starting to feel as though this was not going to be a good day. My ankle was really aching at this point and although I hit the mile marker in 6:52 I didn’t feel good. To make matters worse the sun was shining and it was unseasonably warm for the time of year. I had to decide whether to push on and hope I could sustain the pace or slow down and lower my targets. Nothing in me suggested I could achieve a good time this year and the only sensible option was to slow down. Memories of walking up that hill between 10 and 12 miles still haunt me and I wasn’t about to let that happen again this year.

The stretch between 3 and 5 miles is a steady uphill and a real test at the best of times. I maintained a pace that felt comfortable, clocking mile 4 in 7:16 and the next in 7:36. Reading through the pre race magazine the course elevation plan shows the next 3 miles are all downhill. If only this was a reality? Sure it is one of the easier parts of the race, but there are a few unexpected inclines to take care of. I’d settled into my running by now and although not feeling great I maintained a pace of around 7:12 per mile for this section. I perhaps could have pushed on through this strectch but I knew the toughest part of the course was approaching.

A tough incline followed and my legs really felt it with mile 9 being the slowest of the race at 7:57. I was really beginning to hurt by now. All thoughts of sub 1:25 or even sub 1:30 finishing times had been erased from my mind and I focused on the task in hand. Mile 10 provides a brief respite before the final long uphill and I clocked a 7:26. Then as I started up the longest and last incline of the course my hamstring started to ache. Surely after all this it wasn’t about to die on me now? I shortened my stride but tried to maintain my leg speed. It seemed like an age before I hit mile 11. Reassuringly I was passing as many runners as were passing me. There was also a few who were stopping by the side of the road and starting to walk. Eventually the 11 mile marker reared its ugly head and I clocked it at 7:52. Continuing upwards I knew the end of the hill and the race were in sight. Buoyed by this thought mile 12 proved significantly easier than the previous one, even if it was only 15 seconds quicker.

In 2003 when I set my personal best I completed the final 1.1 mile stretch in 6:33, averaging a speed of 5:57 min per mile. That wasn’t about to happen today but I pushed myself as hard as I could to record 8:02 for the home stretch (7:14 min per mile). The crowds down this final section were great and the noise spurred me on. I tried to block out the pain and for brief periods I shut my eyes. Not sure why this helped but it seemed to help me focus on just running, rather than constantly eyeing the finish line. The 800, 400 and 200 metres to go signs seemed to drag the last mile out, but as I turned the corner into the final straight I gave it one final push and crossed the line in 1:35:24. I was exhausted and had to work hard just to keep walking down the finishing funnels. Removing the timing chip from around my ankle proved a real challenge but fortunately I didn’t cramp up or pull any more muscles.

I had mixed emotions at the end. My goal was a 1:25 half marathon and I hadn’t got anywhere near that. Anything over 1:30 was always going to be a disappointment and so it proved. However, there was some solace to be found in my performance. To be running with not one, but two injuries and in the heat was always going to be tough. Although I took no pleasure in my time, I couldn’t fault myself for effort. I’d given it everything on a day when things hadn’t gone well. Not only that but I managed my race well. In the past I would have pushed on regardless in pursuit of a fast time and paid for it dearly in the final stages. At the same time it would have been easy just to settle for finishing the race and ambled to the finish line. As it was I settled into a pace slower than usual but capable of producing a finishing time that maybe I’ll look back on with pride in years to come.