The Brighton Half Marathon 2011

I’ve never done a half marathon by the coast before, so it was a treat to take part in the 21st Brighton Half and soak up the chilled and relaxed atmosphere that has become a trademark of Brighton. The other bonus of doing this event was that the course is mostly flat, with a few small exceptions. Despite previously grim predictions for the weather, the temperatures held fairly well and the day was dry and clear with little breeze – perfect running conditions. With about 8,000 runners taking part, the atmosphere was buzzing and I lined up at the start on Madeira Drive with my workmate Rhalou and my husband Eddie feeling excited about the race. Rhal and I had skipped the toilet queues before the race started and ended up paying for it in the first half a mile! Less than 500 yards into the race we began to feel distinctly uncomfortable and made a decision to sprint towards the now empty portaloos to relieve our bladders – a choice that cost us a minute or so off our time but left us feeling considerably more relaxed and comfortable than we would have done otherwise! For the first two miles, we jogged slowly to warm up, as the weather was a bit chilly and our muscles were cold. By mile three, I finally began to feel warm and started to up the pace a bit in order to claw back some time. The race was crowded but comfortably so – it wasn’t a problem to weave in and out of other runners.

Walk this way

When I reached mile four, I was in awe of a man who was power-walking at an alarmingly fast rate, much to the surprise and slightly irritation of many runners who couldn’t seem to overtake him. I tried to get past him myself and struggled! His powerwalking technique gave him an incredible speed! I also checked out an elderly couple who seemed very much in love (holding hands and smiling) who must have been at least 70 and were chugging along fairly consistently. Will I be like that one day? I hope so!As the race progressed, we ran along the main road and then looped back for a final stretch along the seafront – past the beach huts and towards the finish on Madeira Drive. I felt pretty strong for the first nine miles, then began to fatigue slightly around mile nine but fortunately the marshals were handing out bottles of Lucozade at just the right time. It still amazes me on these races just how a good atmosphere on race day can make such a world of difference – when you stop to consider that complete strangers have come out on a Sunday to cheer you on and the fact that you’re running in a beautiful part of the UK, it definitely spurs you on. I got a second wind around mile 11, and my trusty Garmin told me that my speed was averaging a time of 8:43 per mile. I tried to put on a final spurt as I neared the finish line on Madeira Drive when it became apparent that I could possibly finish in just under two hours. Sadly, I missed the two-hour mark by one minute – I blame that loo break in the first 500 yards! Every time I do a race I always tell myself I’m not bothered about the time and that enjoying it is the main priority – that’s true but I always end up competing with my previous time at some point! I hit the finish line to loud cheers from the supporting crowd – it certainly made the hard work and early start worthwhile. Somewhere at the back of my mind was the nerve-wracking thought that I’ll be back in Brighton in April for the full marathon – and there’s clearly still a lot of work to be done to be ready for the big one… ah well, forewarned is forearmed.Overall, a good race – a nice mostly flat route – well organized – with plenty of water stations. Sign me up for next year and I’ll do my damndest to break two hours! The day was rounded off perfectly by fish and chips on the marina – a perfect reward for all that hard work!