Asics Watford Half Marathon

I arrived at the start after a solid week of training, with my first track session for a long time in my legs from the Tuesday evening where I managed 12x400m in an average of 67-68 seconds. My calf muscles and Achilles seemed ok after that.

After a couple of miles warm up we assembled at the start line and I could already see a decent field in prospect, despite me wearing my number 1 there were at least four guys capable of making a real race of it.

The gun popped and Martin Williams of Tipton established a lead immediately, one he was to keep all the way to the finish. Martin was fresh from a 66:19 clocking in the Barcelona Half Marathon just last weekend, so was always the favourite.

I settled into a group with Orlando Edwards, Peter Tucker and Peter Freedman. We stayed together until around four miles when we encountered the first hill. I became slightly detatched but recovered well before we dropped Tucker a little later.

I was feeling pretty good and the wind didn't seem to be taking it's toll on the race, despite the strong gusts across the country that day. Perhaps the race is sheltered enough to minimise the effects. Certainly the hills were making themselves known though.

Edwards and Freedman stole a gap on me at the next hill shortly after five miles and I was immediately on my own - not a huge gap but I had lost contact.

I admit I felt a little relieved as I never like running in a group and prefer to run on my own and just grind it out. I felt good despite not being able to go faster.

My calf muscles started to twitch and worry me somewhat as I went through 10 miles in a little over 53 minutes, with the worst of the hills behind me. Luckily nothing came of this and was purely down to descending the steep gradients offered up by the course.

At times I started to feel I was pulling Edwards back to me, and wondered how he would respond had I caught him. Somewhere between 10 and 11 miles I reckon I pulled the gap back to 10-15 seconds, but this didn't shorten and as we hit the 12 mile marker and into Cassiobury Park, Edwards became involved in a tussle with Freedman, which pulled the two men further clear of me.

I was moving well through the park and feeling good as I piled it on towards the finish, seeing a sub 70 clocking was on the cards.

I stopped the clock at 69.40 and was well pleased with the run. The Watford Half course is hilly and never likely to yield a fast time - I'd guess it's worth a minute on a flatter course.

I felt totally wiped out warming down but well pleased. My calf muscles were solid and I only managed a mile plod. I suppose that is the difference between full fitness and where I find myself right now - speed of recovery.

A couple of things that really stood out for me about the race was that Orlando Edwards had been 15th and very nearly two full minutes ahead of me over 15km at Parliament Hill in the Southern XC only the weekend before, yet over a longer distance a week later the gap wasn't even 30 seconds. Also, I ran over 40 seconds quicker in this race than when I won the event in 2008, so this was a decent run.

I now feel well up for the race schedule ahead and just want to pin a number on as many times as possible over the coming weeks and really race myself back to fitness. Anything's possible I think.

Watford Half Marathon 2011

1st - Martin Williams (Tipton) - 1.08'35

2nd - Orlando Edwards (Shaftsbury Barnet) - 1.09'12

3rd - Peter Freedman (Coventry Godiva) 1.09'17

4th - James Lawler (Bedford & County AC) 1.09'40