Llanelli Waterside Half Marathon 2015

Lining up for the Llanelli Waterside Half Marathon, I have a strong sense of déjà vu. It’s another cold, grey, murky Sunday morning - just like last year - but with added wind and rain to ring the changes. I’m drenched and freezing cold before I even cross the start line, but it really warms my heart to see Ma and Tom there cheering me on.

And we’re off! I love this course – an 'out and back' along the stunning coastline – but, my goodness, the horizontal rain, gusty winds and mixed terrain certainly make for challenging conditions. Even more so for the marshals who stand at their posts for hours and do such a magnificent job - although I can’t resist throwing a few names at the guy who cheerfully quips as we pass, ‘see, if you had run a bit faster, you could be home by now!’. Nevertheless, I dig in and feel… well, not too bad considering! Fuelled by hearing Ma and Tom cheering as I reach the home stretch, I’m delighted to cross the finish line with a course PB of 2:0:39 coming 9th in my class and 735 out of 1175 finishers overall.

A few post-race thoughts:

• Ma tells me even alpha males were commenting on how tough the race was as they came in – glad it wasn’t just me!
• I always feel outnumbered by blokes at this race… and  that’s because I am: 768 men (most of whom are under 40) to 442 women, of which only 18 are in my age group.
• Being soaking-wet makes for some interesting injuries; Ma reported a few cases of severe chafing among the men, mainly thighs and armpits. I felt quite smug about this until the euphoria wore off and I discovered the band of my sports bra had given me a painful friction burn!
• Will I do it again?  You bet!

Many thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of a wonderful race and a special thanks to Ma and Tom for their love and support.