Official result 1.27.32
Distance: half marathon
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2802842518
Training Peaks: http://tpks.ws/SH7HI37PNSLPLQ6DHXGRW7AUOA
I’ve decided to finish off the season with another half marathon. I ran Hackney half in May and was disappointed with my fatigue and cranks in the last 5km. I have been working on my conditioning since. I mainly attribute the improvements to my workouts in the gym. Since May I successfully ran Olympic Distance Triathlon in London and completed 10k hilly run in Greenwich park. I hoped to improve on my result in half marathon as well.
Chiswick half is relatively flat course. Temperature was +10C, without rain (happy face). Start was in 3 waves: under 1.45, under 2.00, everyone else. Course was narrow in many parts, so no surprise about organizers decision. After 10 minutes delay I started in the first wave.
Let me talk about my race plan. Aliaksei Trahkimchyk (my coach) set the following pace:
- 4.15 2 km
- 4.08-4.10 16km
- Maximum effort 3.1km
I adhere to it as close as I could. There was 2 underground crossings, 2 bridges and multiple narrow places. First 14 km we ran in mud and gravel. So all those variations attributed to slower pace kilometers I ran.
I ate 1 gel before the start and 1 gel after 15km. There were 3 drink stations and I managed to grab water at 2 of them.
Overall I ran the most consistent half marathon race, did PB and finished 2019 session on the positive note.
| Km | Pace | Grade Adjusted Pace |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:13 | 4:12 |
| 2 | 4:10 | 4:08 |
| 3 | 4:08 | 4:09 |
| 4 | 4:12 | 4:12 |
| 5 | 4:07 | 4:07 |
| 6 | 4:11 | 4:10 |
| 7 | 4:08 | 4:09 |
| 8 | 4:13 | 4:13 |
| 9 | 4:06 | 4:06 |
| 10 | 4:14 | 4:13 |
| 11 | 4:07 | 4:07 |
| 12 | 4:18 | 4:18 |
| 13 | 4:09 | 4:09 |
| 14 | 4:09 | 4:08 |
| 15 | 4:14 | 4:13 |
| 16 | 4:17 | 4:17 |
| 17 | 4:12 | 4:12 |
| 18 | 4:09 | 4:08 |
| 19 | 4:02 | 4:01 |
| 20 | 4:12 | 4:10 |
| 21 | 3:55 | 3:55 |
I finished 38th overall and 30 in my age group (under 40).
I am not sure I can recommend the race to the broader audience due to following factors:
- it’s less known race
- lack of signs like upcoming water stations, kilometer signs etc made it more difficult to navigate
- casual runners may difficult to navigate because of narrow roads and minimum number of volunteers on the course.
I am grateful to the girl who volunteered to do sport massage for runners pro bono. Such gestures of good will make my happy and hopeful about future of humanity.
In the next blog post I will reflect on the 2019 session and share my thoughts what coming next for me in 2020.
