On Sunday I took part in the Run to The Beat half marathon and managed a fairly respectable time of 1hr. 54 minutes. Not too shabby considering my training had screeched to a halt due to work commitments and I had events on the Friday and Saturday before race day on Sunday.
I was actually quite surprised by my time as I didn’t enjoy the race at all.
No, it wasn't because I had a few drinks the night before or the fact that I didn't get enough sleep. I'll admit both can’t have helped matters.
Motivation was low on the day because of the complete lack of atmosphere. From the ‘crowd’, from the runners from the musicians.
Now maybe I have just become a running snob. After completing the London Marathon in April and having participated in the Great North and Great South runs perhaps I have been spoilt.
I loved every minute of the marathon, the swelling of noise from the crowd, constant encouragement from other runners, my friends and family interspersed at different points around the course, it was a brilliant day.
This was not the case for Run to The Beat. Firstly there was definitely a distinct lack of beat. I had not taken an Ipod thinking the whole point of the race was the motivational impact of music and from the map it looked like there would be music at every mile. This was certainly not the case, at many ‘stages’ I arrived to find the band adjusting their equipment or seemingly taking an extended break. Rubbish.
There was no beat to run to for the majority of the race.
The next problem was the distinct lack of supporters. Those that were in
attendance simply stared on, offering no words of encouragement or cheers.
I felt deflated and this feeling was compounded by the absence of any camaraderie between the runners. No joking, no laughing none of the banter I had experienced in other races.
The course was surprisingly hilly, there were several steep climbs but at least these were all over with by the halfway point. The mile markers seemed to be missing from mile 8 and the 750 metre mark and there seemed, at the time, nothing worse than not knowing how far you have left, from a pacing perspective if nothing else.
The last criticism of the race I will make is this, plastic cups of water are not suitable drinking vessels for runners.
It is almost impossible to drink in this manner without spilling it down yourself and everyone around you. At least the sight of runners trying to steady the cups whilst running, sloshing water around and finally giving up in frustration provided a little light relief.
Well I had a chuckle anyway.
All in all, not a race I will be rushing to take part in again.
