Ealing Half Marathon

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Waiting for the race to start

This is a post I never thought I’d write. At the end of this month I ran the Ealing Half Marathon.

Well, “ran” is probably too strong a word, to be honest. I ran some of it and walked the rest. I finished it in 3 hours and 12 minutes, which to any real marathon runner is probably a ridiculous time, but hey, I’m proud. Particularly as the course was incredibly hilly – I had always thought that Ealing was flat, but nope – and the weather was unusually warm. After slathering myself in SPF50 all summer, I went out without suncream at the end of September and got a bit sunburnt. Bah. I don’t handle heat well at the best of times, and certainly not while exercising – I could feel my face going red, and most of the water I got went straight over my head, literally, rather than down my neck. Kudos to the guy who was watering people down with his garden hose.

It was lovely to see so many local people out, cheering us on, offering us drinks and snacks, and altogether providing a great deal of much-needed support. The course itself was well laid-out and varied enough to be interesting. One thing I would change – the last mile or so was hugely frustrating, as the course winds through Lammas Park: you can see the finish line but it takes a long time to reach it. Ideally I would like this to change, so that you are not taunted by the end that is in sight until you are almost there.

I hoped that I wouldn’t be last, and I wasn’t, which is all I cared about: that, and getting my medal. I was sure that no one would believe I had actually completed the race unless I obtained one. I was very happy to reach the end and have my medal around my neck.

Would I run another half marathon? Yes, I think so. I will have to get back into training, but I would like to beat my original time. One of my friends would like to do the Great North Run, so we’ll see.

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Happy to have finished

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