Wrexham Half

I was meant run the Essar Four Villages half in January but sadly it get cancelled because of the weather.  I didn't have another half marathon planned before Brighton so when my friend Ali asked me if I wanted to run Wrexham half with her I didn't take much convincing.  I've already done and loved one Run Wales race this year, Rhyl 10, and Runfest Wales was one of my favourite races last year so I thought it would be good. I've never been to Wrexham before but for some reason I thought it was flat.  I'm glad I checked the race route the day before because I realised that there was going to be quite a few hills and an uphill finish.  

Ali picked me up at 8:30 and we were there within an hour.  The race started in the center of Wrexham and parking was pretty straight forward, we even found fellow club member Dan.  We got to use the toilets in the Waterworld swimming pool and it was nice and warm in there so we stayed in the seating area until the start of the race.  We'd drove through quite a bit of rain on the way there but Wrexham was relatively dry... well it was.. until we went to the start line. The rain started around about the same time as the start count down, I think I was soaked before I even crossed the mat, but the crowds were cheering us on and it was very strange to be starting in the middle of shops.  I tried to convince Ali to go to New Look instead but she was having none of it.

Wrexham Half route

The first mile and a half is down, then up a bit, then more down and then up some more.  At this point I was wishing I'd never looked at the route because every long down we took was going to be a long uphill on the way back to the finish.  I tried to memorise them all, especially the evil one that went round a corner, because i always do better when I know what's coming.  I'm not sure why but I find it much more of a mental struggle if I don't know where I'm going to.  It's like the first time you go somewhere new, it always seems ten times longer than the next time you do it.

Just before mile 2 we went onto a country lane for a mile and then joined the marathon runners who had set off an hour and a half before us.  We joined them around their mile 16 so their pace was considerably faster than ours but there was so few of them going past that it wasn't an issue.  It did mean that the Lucozade was at our first water station around 3.5 miles in though which would have been much more appreciated further into the course.  There were also toliets at each water station too which is useful to know but I spent the whole time convincing myself that I didn't need it.  I stopped for the toilet at Liverpool RnR half (my current pb course) and I think I would have got a much better time if i hadn't.

Wrexham Half elevation

At mile 4 there was a seriously massive hill.  Wait there, let me correct that.... the mile was just a seriously massive hill.  We were warned about it by the locals behind us at the start but it seriously seemed to go on forever along country roads.  It was our slowest mile during the race but we didn't give up and walk which is important to me (I haven't walked during a race for a while now).  After that there was still quite a few up and downs but we got to go back to civilisation again (I don't like the countryside) with parks and houses.  I've only really ran with Ali after she's been injured so usually by the second half of the race the pace slows down a bit and I was expecting this to happen at Wrexham too.  We got through miles 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 but Ali was still a machine and all I could do was try to keep up.  I spent the whole race struggling with breathing, my top was soaking wet within the first half a mile of the race and I think it stopped me from being able to get any deep breaths so had Ali not been there I probably would have given up quite early on.  Instead I learnt an important lesson of mind over matter.  

Thanks to Ali by the time we got back to first road that would take us to the finish we had less than two miles to go and we were at 1 hour 50.  My pb from Liverpool RnR Half was 2:10:48 so I was on track for a new pb.  The only problem was that the hills that we'd enjoyed running down at the start of the race were now in reverse.  Thankfully I'd made my self remember where the hills were and how long they lasted.  Ali started to struggle so I took over keeping us going for the last stretch up a very long and evil hill.  The last mile and a half are the only bit of the race that I actually enjoyed running and ran well so I have no idea how we did it but we crossed the line in 2:06:44.  A pb by over 4 minutes.

After the race we met Ali's lovely friends Janet and Gaynor and went for a feast at Janet's house.  Was just glad to get changed and get a hot drink, the delicious food and cake was a very lovely bonus and it was very nice to meet them both, very interesting ladies! (Also thank you Gaynor for the great photos, I hope you don't mind me stealing them).

I think if I hadn't got a pb I would have hated the race.  There was nothing wrong with it, I like Run Wales races, great organisation (a marshall at a couple of the road crossings would have been a bit better), amazing volunteers and a route that I think is quite fast because the downhills balance out the uphill and the route was quite interesting.  Not to steal the best break up line ever but it wasn't the race it was me, just wasn't feeling it.  I might have to go back next year and give it a second chance.

Rhyl 10

I did the Run Wales Runfest 10k last year and loved it. It's still my 10k pb. This year I can't really fit the race in (plus I'm avoiding PB courses whilst endurance building) but noticed that the Run Wales Rhyl 10 is pretty much the same route with a bit added on. Plus it started at 12 which is great for us non-drivers because I could get the train. 

2015 Rhyl 10 Medal

When I arrived at Rhyl it was freezing. Race HQ is right next to the Taste Academy cafe which I remembered had nice and under used toilets. I couldn't eat or drink really so bought a bottle of water so that I could stay in the warmth. It turned out to be a great idea because I got to sit and chat to some lovely people from Ellesmere Port and Pudsey Pacers until I had to go out in the cold and warm up. It was so cold that I did the mile with my backpack on so that I didn't have to give up my hoody and do bag check first.  The bag check was pretty straight forward and quick so it worked out well (I noticed that it was outside and didn't think much of it but when i came back after the race they'd covered it with plastic to protect it from the rain.  Very nice people).

Just before the race started I saw some lovely tourist familiar faces and had a little chat. You can find kind smiling tourists where ever you go. 

I didn't honestly think I'd get a pb because I'd already done 40 miles during the week but I thought I might as well aim for one anyways.  I'd signed up to run daily for lent so i had to remember to run so that i'd still be able to run the next day rather than run full out. I planned to negative splits but started too fast so I thought as its flat I might as well get an idea of how far I can run around that pace on tired legs.  The last time I tried to stick to a fast pace I gave up and had to walk but I hadn't walked in a race since October (I don't count the cross country two days after Liverbird cos it was evil) so I thought I'd give it a go. 

Before the first mile I came across Derek Ralph who I knew a bit. We ended up running together and he seriously became my hero. He ran with me at my pace but kept me so distracted that I didn't even think about stopping although his fear of the sea did make me think twice about running on a promenade with no sea and I'll always remember our visit to the grottiest Pontins in the world fondly (he may not though cos I still have his £1.20 and he can out run me). He taught me a great trick too. As the sea was moving but we were on a long straight path I starting feeling like I was on a treadmill and the world was moving and not me, one of the many wonders of my movement disorder. Derek told me to focus on the horizon, simple really but it worked. 

Rhyl 10 Mile original route

Rhyl 10 Mile revised route

 The course was changed quite a bit because of the weather as sandbags had to be put against a lot of the sea front because of the wind. We ended up leaving the promenade a couple of times and a hill (it was probably a lot less steep than it felt) was added at mile 7. Had I not had the lovely Derek with me at this point this is probably where I would have come undone but I was determined to stick with him. Poor guy, I'm surprised I didn't drive him to sprint the final three miles. I recovered after half a mile and then pretty much kept a 9:30/mile pace and even got faster in the last mile.  I have no idea where the sprint finish came from. The clock was going to 1:36 just before I crossed the line so knew I was very close to my pb time of 1:36:07.  I was pretty chuffed to be even close to it but turns out I was actually under it and my official time was 1:35:33.  Without Derek I don't think I would have done it because my head would have got in the way.  Having someone else to run with makes you forget all the self doubt and mind games and makes you realise have you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.

I came 330 out of 462 people which isn't that bad really.  I was around halfway in both gender and vet category so really when i stop doing all these crazy distances and tired leg training I should be able to kick a bit more ass at the longer distances where I've never really benn any where near where I should be compared to my shorter distance times.  I really enjoyed the day, fabulous people, lovely medal and even the cotton t-shirt was nice.

Runfest Wales 10k

Today was an early start to Rhyl, and as always on race day, the sun was out in full force.  Why does it only rain on me when i don't want it too?  As the race is next to the beach I had the man and the dog with me but was still a bit apprehensive.  I hadn't received my race number and communication was somewhat lacking for RunWales so i was worried about how unorganised the race would be.  Also, was a bit gutted that race numbers had names on but I would be nameless because I had to get a replacement number.

After a slight detour (the husband got lost) we got to Rhyl and headed to the race HQ at the Taste Academy, very close to that start (Hint, if you do decide to run this race in future use the toilets at the academy, they don't cost 20p like all the public toilets and they are very under used, especially after the race).  There was a very long line for number collection (Am thinking I was not alone in a lack of packet through the post) and organisers, if you are reading, could really do with someone at the door telling marathon and half marathon runners to go to the front as heir race stated first.  It took about 10 minutes to get my number, which wasn't too bad, and got a nice surprise as it had my name on (Yes i know, simple things... small minds... but it made me pleased anyways).  I ordered a technical t-shirt for an extra £9 (I still don't have many and it's cheaper than buying them in the shop) so we went to collect it before the race, from a marque next to the start finish.  They did run out so was a wise decision.  For those who don't like different distances getting the same medal/t-shirt, they were individual to each distance.

Gizmo 'watching' for me (He's blind)

The routes on the website we different to the actual routes we did.  I'm not sure if this was explained in the packet sent with the running bibs or not as I never got mine and I couldn't find any information at the race HQ about the route either. The 10k and 5k started at 9:30am, first running left along the coast, across two bridges (I loved the very bouncy one, very strange to run on), back to the start then up right along the coast and back to the start.  The 5k people left us and turned around quite quickly on the second leg. I think the marathon and half marathon people (who started 30 minutes before us) did laps of a similar route but it was difficult to tell.  The route is very very flat but it is pretty much four long straight runs.  The run right away from the start seems like it goes on forever and a day but this was probably made worse by the head wind which, whilst not terribly bad (no where near the scale of Mad Dog 10k winds) did slow you down.  Pretty much the entire race takes place on the path along the beach which is very smooth and flat, a bit like running on a running track so it's easy to get a good stride going.  I decided quite early on in the race that it wasn't going to be a PB because of the slower speed and decided to enjoy, and I did.  Although the course was a bit of a mind challange I really just enjoyed running it and made sure i paid attention to how pretty things were around me and how nice it was to run next to the sea.  I think it was of my most enjoyable runs for a long time, i still pushed myself as much as i could but didn't worry about time, pace or people passing me and made myself start slow.

Route on website

Route ran

Although the routes may have changed I have to say that the organisation of the actual race was amazing.  As four distances were running the same route as once each distance was coloured coded.  You simply followed the colour signs that match the colour of your bib and you can't go wrong.  Distance markers were also colour coded and they were pretty difficult to miss.  

Nice negative splits in the second half

Runfest Wales 10k t-shirts and medal

After the mind numbing last run out, I was feeling quite strong for the return journey to the finish and picked up speed but I didn't really look at my watch to see what i was doing.  I did my best sprint finish so far (James almost missed me) and was pretty sure that the clock said 55 something.    My watch said 55:25 so I was pretty sure it was a PB but I never really believe it until i get the official time so I tried to forget about it for a while. Water is handed out at the finish but you have to go to the marque to collect the free cotton t-shirt and medal (Something not made very clear and difficult to figure out when you have race head on.  I'm seriously surprised I don't get ran over or something when I finish a race cos my brain just goes dead). I got changed (At Taste Academy where the toilets were empty)  took Gizmo into the sea, got some chips, cheered on some runners (It's impossible to figure out where they are in the race) and got attacked by seagulls then i got a text with my time, 55:45, a PB and i was pretty chuffed until I realised that was actually the gun time and I'd really done it in 55:20! Almost a minute off my previous time, copper club standard (to the second) and I'd ran for fun rather than time.  One more copper standard and I'll get a trophy at WRR's awards night.

Gizmo asleep on the way home