Ealing half marathon race review

Today was the second running of the Ealing Half marathon. The first event in 2012 was a massive success, with slick organisation and a testing route. Described as undulating, many runners argued that it was actually 'quite hilly'. With a slightly altered course from last year, due to works in one of the local parks, many of those who were running it a second time were hoping for a few less undulations to tackle.

This is the second year in a row I've run the Great North Run and Ealing within a fortnight of each other. Great North Run is always my half marathon priority and I am usually desperate to get a good time there. But last year I PBed both races, knocking about 15 secs off my GNR time at Ealing two weeks later. So I decided I would try and achieve the double PB again this year, as part of my York marathon prep.

Unfortunately, Ealing half marathon coincided with my planned last 20 mile training run before York marathon so I'd rejigged my schedule to run 20 miles on Tuesday and use the 13.1 miles of today's race as a final quality workout before I started my taper. I was a bit worried about the extra miles, but I'd done it last year without side effects, so just made sure I worked hard on the recovery on Tuesday and Wednesday to keep me race ready.

I'd reviewed the route map beforehand and thought this year's new course might actually have one more incline than the inaugural route, but I knew it was a drag caused by a railway bridge rather than a hill. Plus it was a road I'd run several times over the year in training so I wasn't too bothered. Also, I noticed that the hills were nicely spread out, with some flat, recovery, straits to get everybody's wind back before the challenge. And of course, a nice flat, finish for the last 3 miles. I felt confident about the course. I just needed everything else to come together.

The pre-race atmosphere was relaxed - it's the Ealing Feeling. It's not often I get to start a race just 10 minutes walk from my house, so instead of having to spend ages in a toilet queue I was able to meet up with a couple of friends who were also running. Everyone was relaxed and looking forward to getting started. I'd decided that my main goal was to enjoy it, to relax and not worry too much about time. But despite this, I found myself heading into position in between the 2:00 and 1:50 pacers, not-so-secretly aiming to hit sub 1:55 again. So much for relaxing!

Then we were off - running along a road I run regularly as part of my training, but this time not worrying about the traffic. The local support was out in earnest, with signs and banners right from the start. We Ealing residents love a bit of free outdoor entertainment of a weekend and it showed today. Families had set up water stations outside their houses, kids were ready with the low fives and people were hanging out of their bedroom windows to cheer us on. Due to the early start of 9.15, Ealing also has the highest number of pyjama-clad spectators of any race I've ever run.

The organisers had gone out of their way to make this a welcoming race. The route was peppered with signage welcoming runners from other countries, each country getting their own sign. There were also lots of signs wishing various runners happy birthday - I really hope the birthday boys and girls saw their names in the right place. This was a lovely addition to the course, and really brought home the community ethos of the race.

Thankfully, the weather today was a million times better than a fortnight ago. I didn't have to worry about rain-slicked road surfaces today, although I did have to dodge an awful lot of spit! There seemed to be loads of people who were doing projectile spitting along the route, particularly in Pitshanger Park just before halfway. In fact there were so many spitters in the park, I started to wonder whether it had been designated a special spitting zone. Spitting is never ideal, but there was so much of it going on, it was starting to get a bit unpleasant.

 

I bumped into a couple of other runners I know mid-race, which is always a treat, and the Beloved cycled round most of the course and provided support at about 6 different points en route, giving me a major boost. I'd managed to get into a good rhythm quite early on. For a couple of miles I was worried I was going too fast but my Garmin said otherwise so I relaxed into my pace and pressed on. I tried to make sure I didn't lose too much speed going up the various hills but focused on maintaining the effort. And I was enjoying it. There was a great vibe all the way round, people running with their mates, spotting their friends and neighbours and getting cheers - it was a lovely race to run. All the churches on the route had laid on extra cheer squads and refreshments, and around mile 10 there was a massive cheer squad with music. I chuckled when I heard Billy Ocean's 'When the going gets tough' blaring out of the speakers, and I was starting to feel quite buzzy.

I didn't pay too much attention to the later mile markers, because I was happy with my pace and I knew exactly where I was, so the mile markers seemed irrelevant. It was only as we turned into the side streets at the end of the race, streets that I run a couple of times a week, that I realised how close we were to the end. I looked at my watch and saw I was well under 1:55 timing. Then the 12 mile marker loomed up and I decided to make this PB the best it could be.

The benefit of running a race on roads you know well is that you know how far you've got to go (I guess this could be a negative too). As the race finishes in the park that underpins my training, including intervals, I was on very familiar ground. I knew when to push and when not to push. And I knew, despite my Garmin having a little nap about the distance, that the time on my watch showed I was comfortably into PB territory. I saw Beloved just after the 13 mile marker, and he shouted 'sub 1:53'. So I went all out for a sprint finish, to make sure I hit a time beginning with 1:52 for a change.

For once, I remembered to race over the line before I stopped my watch - a really bad habit I have picked up over the last year - which probably saved me a couple of seconds. I was done, and I was delighted. I was even more delighted when I got my medal - a really fabulous design, so unusual. We also got a commemorative picture to mark the day. I don't know what to do with that but it's a nice touch from a local artist.

Ealing does the best medals

On the whole, my splits were very consistent

This brings me safely under a 1:55 time and gives me a lot more confidence about my sub 4 hour marathon target in 3 weeks. I know I've still got to deliver the combination of pace and stamina on the day, and keep the negative thoughts out of my head when the going gets tough. But I'm starting to believe I can do it. And that's more than half the battle won.

How to make it through the week before your first half marathon

With my local half marathon, Ealing, coming up next weekend, lots of my friends and neighbours are embarking on their first distance race. It's really interesting to see what worries them about the race, and what they think they should be doing in the last week before the race.

When I first ran a half marathon in 2008, I didn't know anyone who ran races. I hadn't discovered running blogs. My only source of information was the Runners World website. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I would have liked to have known before I raced 13.1 miles for the first time, and here are a few tips that you might find useful in the run up to race day.

1. Don't do anything stupid
This is not the week to clear out the loft, dig up the garden or use that voucher you got for your birthday to go Zorbing down hills. If your kid's party has a bouncy castle, leave it to the kids to play with. This is the week to take it easy and put your feet up as much as possible.  When you get in from work, break out that box set you've been meaning to watch and relax. You could do a Bradley Wiggins and get your other half to carry everything for you all week, but that might be going a bit far. Just no heavy lifting, no running down stairs and, guys, no new high heels, ok.

2. You're as ready as you can be
You haven't run the distance so it's natural to think you're not ready. It's an unknown quantity. You might be worried you haven't trained enough because of a foot injury two months ago, or because your training was interrupted by a cold a few weeks ago, but it doesn't matter now. This is not the week to fit in loads of miles because you're feeling fit and healthy. You can't benefit from long mileage this week, in fact, just the opposite. You need your energy for race day. A couple of short, easy runs will be enough to remind your legs how to run. And definitely no running Friday and Saturday before the race. That 50th Parkrun will just have to wait.

I know what you're thinking "I'm not ready - just one more long run'. But you don't need it and you shouldn't do it. Do not go out and do three 8-milers this week in an attempt to be race fit.
Trust me, if you're bit short of training, the worst that will happen is that you won't be able to run it as fast as you'd like. This is fine. This leaves lots of room for improvement in half marathon no 2.

3. Eat well, but not too well
Just because you're relaxing doesn't mean you should rely on takeaways and fast food all week. Eat sensibly and healthily, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Don't try any new foods after Thursday, and make sure you cook everything thoroughly during the week. This is no time for food poisoning.

You don't need to live on pasta all week - other carbs like potatoes and rice are good too. And you don't need to carb load for days on end. You're running a half marathon not a full marathon, so just eat three meals a day and make sure there's carbs in all of them on Friday and Saturday. Maybe add an extra banana, some Jaffa cakes or a slice of sponge cake on Saturday. If you're too nervous to eat much the day before the race, try 5 small carb based meals and sip on carb based drinks. Squash will do. Red Bull is unnecessary.

If you always go for a curry on a Saturday night, please skip it this week. You will not regret it. And the person who has to use the race portaloo after you will be very grateful.

4. Avoid germs
This is tricky, particularly if you commute or have school age kids. If you're like me and don't mind being excessively paranoid about germs, you can avoid all meetings where you have to shake hands with new people, you can aim to get a spot on the Tube where you can lean against something instead of holding on with your hands and you should avoid kissing people with sniffles (or who have children with sniffles).

However, for most people the best solution is to wash your hands as often as possible during the day and evening. You might start to feel a bit obsessive but it's just for a few days and anything to stop you waking up with a stinking cold on race day is worth it. You can go back to recklessly catching germs after the race.

5. Avoid alcohol at the weekend
I know beer is carbohydrate but if you're racing on a Sunday morning, avoid drinking Friday and Saturday night. If you always go out for work drinks on a Friday, why not stick to the lime and soda for a change? If you've got a wedding the day before the race, then that's incredibly unlucky. It's boring but booze does dehydrate you. If you must drink, stick to a sensible quantity (1?) and something you're used to. Unless your usual is a Jagerbomb.

6. Hydrate before race day
Don't get up on race day and neck loads of water. You will just want to pee endlessly before the race and during it. Instead, drink plenty of fluid Friday and Saturday - about 1.5-2 litres, depending on your weight. When you go to bed on Saturday, your pee should be a nice pale yellow. Something like Magnolia on the Dulux paint spectrum.

Everybody will have different fluid requirements on the day, but we can all benefit from hydrating well for a couple of days beforehand.

7. Sleep during the week, not the night before
Don't worry if you don't sleep the night before a race. In fact, I'd be more worried if you slept like a log the night before. Pre-race jitters are absolutely normal, and don't ease off with experience either. Focus on getting an early night Thursday and Friday, so you're well rested before the inevitable pre-race nerves/excitement/adrenaline kicks in. In fact, those jitters will be good for you on race day so embrace them and don't panic.

8. Don't let the weather forecast change your plans
We've had a good summer to train in and the weather has been lovely. But did you watch the Great North Run last week and think 'I better buy a waterproof in case it rains on race day'. Well, don't. Save the money. If you're worried about getting wet, a waterproof won't help - in fact, you'll still get wet but from the inside out as you sweat up so much inside the waterproof. Just make sure that you pack dry clothes to change into after the race, particularly if you plan to head out for a celebratory pub lunch afterwards. And don't forget dry shoes - if it rains, your feet will be the worst hit. A towel or a facecloth can also be useful after a wet race.

If you wear glasses, wearing a cap might be sensible in the rain, but at least try one in a training run first so you can make sure it fits ok and doesn't have any pressure points.

Even if the weather is bad on race day, you will still enjoy the experience. So relax, stick with your planned outfit and make a mental note to rehearse a brolly hat for next time.

9. Nothing new on race day (aka Advice you'll read online and want to ignore but shouldn't)
Don't wear anything on race day that you haven't trained in and know is comfortable. Not even so much as a sock.

The same applies to food. You should have eaten plenty of breakfasts before training runs, and you'll have worked out which ones were digestible and which ones gave you runners' trots. Make sure you stick with a breakfast that has worked for you in the past. Just because you read/hear somewhere this week that someone else swears by Nutella on crumpets or poached egg with Jaffa cakes doesn't mean you should try it on race day. Stick to what you've eaten before. If you're travelling to the race, try and make sure you can have the same breakfast at your destination. Save the food experiment when you're training for your second half marathon.

10. Never underestimate the toilet queue
You will want to go to the toilet before the race. Your debut nerves will put pressure on your bladder, it's inevitable. So leave plenty of time to go to the toilet at the race start. The rule of thumb is - the closer it is to start time, the longer the toilet queue. Sometimes unimaginably long. Don't underestimate your waiting time, and if you're really nervous, allow for two visits. If you don't have to wait long, brilliant - this gives you extra time to soak up the fantastic pre-race atmosphere.

And pack toilet paper, just in case you're at the back of the queue behind someone who didn't skip their Saturday night curry. You can always dump it in a bin if you don't use it.

11. Don't go off too fast/use pacers
If you've consistently trained at 9 min 30 sec pace for weeks, and you find yourself starting the race at 8 min pace, no, you're not going to surprise yourself - you are just going too fast. Slow down.

Running too fast is the factor most likely to ruin your race target. This is not just advice for the half marathon newbie - this is advice for us all. Races are exciting. They start and everyone heads off running full pelt. Many of those will be running too fast. Don't be one of them. Stick to your planned pace and if you're feeling good at mile 8, you have my permission to accelerate and test yourself.

The best thing you can do is use the race pacers. These wonderful people that give up their races to guide you round in a specified time are worth their weight in gold. Want to do 2 hours 15? Then find the pacer closest to that time and stick with them. Even better, introduce yourself and let them know your plans. And when you hit your target time, make sure you say thank you.

12. Plan in advance where your spectators will be
If your family and friends are coming to watch you, get them to decide where they will be in advance and tell you. It is much easier to for you to spot them at a marker than for them to spot you in a mass of people. There is nothing worse than hoping to see a loved one and missing them, so plan viewing spots in advance and stick to them.

13. Don't convince yourself that something is going to be a problem
Is there a big hill you're dreading on the course? Try turning it around and thinking positive thoughts. You've never run this race before, so how do you know you can't do it? Even if you found it tough in training, race conditions are different. You'll have 100s of people to run it with. You can beat that hill, don't let it beat you before you get there.

14. Run your own race
If you've trained with a friend for weeks and you've also planned to race together, then great. However, if you've trained by yourself and you bump into loads of people you know at the start, beware running with them. If all the mums or dads from your kid's school are doing it, ask them what time they are aiming for. And if it's much faster than yours, wish them luck and arrange to meet them at the end.
The same goes for running with your partner. If they're taller/faster/more experienced than you, with a different target, don't start with them as you'll inevitably fall into a faster pace.

The only time you should be running with faster/more experienced runners than you is if they're a pacer planning to run a slower time for your benefit (see 11).

 

15. Savour it
Enjoy your race. You are guaranteed a PB. You will definitely have a brand new experience. You only get one first half marathon so make the most of every minute. You'll have plenty of time after the race to reflect on those things you'd do differently second time around...