Returning to my favourite (and fastest) ever race
I am so excited to have been selected as a Blogger Ambassador for Reading Half Marathon. The race takes place on Sunday 18th March 2018.
I first ran Reading Half in 2012 and was thrilled to achieve a PB of nearly 25 minutes. I finished the race in 1:52:19. Last year, I’m fairly confident that I could have smashed that time. My training has suffered, so it will be interesting to see how it goes this year. I absolutely loved running Reading Half in 2012, but I’ve never returned. I’ve been afraid that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I still don’t really know how I did so well in 2012. I sometimes wonder whether it was down to the bottle of Lucozade that I drank before the start of the race!
Some of the things that I enjoyed about the race were the enthusiastic crowds who turned out to support the runners, the music along the course and the finish inside the Madejski Stadium. I also enjoyed running with my training partner, Irene.
After being ill over Christmas, I’ve not been running as much as usual at all, so I’m keen to get back to training. Tomorrow, I’m attending a Training Morning in Reading.
The morning will start with a workout led by the Townsend Twins, who will also be leading the warm-up on race day. I’m still thinking about studying to become a Personal Trainer, so I’ll be seeing whether I can pick up any tips as well as having some fun!
Next up will be a seminar on pace management led by Ali Galbraithe. I’ve run as a pacer for several events, and it’s a role that I’ve enjoyed, but it’s much easier to run at a consistent pace when you’re within your comfort zone. I’ll be keen to learn how to improve my pacing and maybe even how to go for that elusive negative split.
After a group run, Berkshire Physio will be leading a cooldown and giving an injury prevention talk. I’ve been neglecting my stretches recently, so this might push me into taking more care of myself.
Overall, I’m so excited about this opportunity. I’ll do my best to take loads of photos and will be reporting back on what I’ve learnt.
Have you thought about signing up for Reading Half? There’s a competition to win some great kit for anyone who enters during January, so what are you waiting for?!
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