Tag Archives: half marathon

Just two weeks after an illness forced me to quit in the Seville marathon, I had the chance to test myself in competition again at the half marathon of Blagnac. This was the 3rd time I ran the race, after I took part in the 2012 and 2014 editions. In neither of those I made an especially good time, always slower the in the Toulouse half marathon, even if I think Blagnac’s one is a bit flatter. In those previous two occasions the morning of the race had been very sunny and I felt too hot during the race (in 2014 it was a bit too windy as well). Therefore, this time, being another sunny morning, I decided to run with a cap in order to cover my head from the heat of the sun. As part of the training for Seville marathon I had run by myself alone a half marathon in 1h39’17”, my second best time in the distance, without any support in the form of supplies or other runners around. This made me confident that I could beat my personal best time in the distance, 1h37’29”, achieved in Toulouse in September 2013 (then in the preparation towards Athens marathon). I would have liked to run behind a pacer for 1h35′, but  there wasn’t. There were only pacers for 1h30′, 1h45′ and 2h. I decided to pace myself from the start aiming at 1h35′, that is a pace of 4’30” per km. I managed to keep that pace until about the kilometres 13-14. From then on I was more on 4’40-45″. But I still was making numbers in my head knowing that I would be able to beat my best time. I just needed to be below 5′ per km on average. Therefore, only the margin by how much would I beat it was in question.

Final sprint at Blagnac half marathon.

In the end I managed a time of 1h35’48” (net time), that is effectively a new PB or PR (personal best or record), a reduction of 1’41” in comparison to my previous PR. You can see below in the comparison of both performances that this time I was reducing some seconds kilometre per kilometre. In the end a global pace of 4’32” vs the previous record of 4’38”:

Comparison of Blagnac 2015 and Toulouse 2013 half marathon performances.

In fact, I passed the 10 kilometre mark in about 44’20”, practically my second best time in the distance. If I had been running a 10k race, I am sure would have been below 44′, beating my personal best in that distance. See below the evolution of the pace, compared with my initial target (4’30”) and the final average pace (4’32”):

Evolution of pace compared to initial target and average pace.

Another good thing of this race is that I get a good feeling after the bitter experience from Seville. 🙂

After 2 months without competing, I took part today in Blagnac’s half or semi marathon.

In this 2014, I am finding it hard to find the necessary consistency with the training. I go from fulfilling a week of training to just run 2 or 3 days the following week. It’s an issue of motivation, engagements and fatigue. That is why, today, I had not in mind pursuing any personal best time in the distance (1h37’29”). I rather checked beforehand the paces needed to achieve 1h40′ and 1h45′ and I targeted at the start line for 1h40′.

The day was sunny and windy. But it was way to sunny and hot, and a bit too windy for some of the long straight streets. Nevertheless, Blagnac’s half is completely flat. Thus, the main issue today was the lack of fitness.

I started with 2 kilometres at about 4’30” and then adapted the pace to try to continue at about 4’45” in order to be under 1h40′. However, in the second half of the race I felt that I wasn’t going to make it. It was hard for me to keep the pace.  Thus, I just tried to maintain a rhythm which was not painful and at the same time would permit to clock a time below 1h45′ and so I did. That is the good thing of having a plan B, or making it (making up the numbers in your head) on the fly (or rather run).

In the end, I finished in 1h44’19” net time as recorded by my Garmin. Definitely not the best half I have done (I haven’t done so many). I take it as a training and a test for Rotterdam Marathon, in about a month (April 13th). I will need to get more serious in the remaining weeks of training prior to that date if I don’t want that marathon to be a nightmare.

After finishing Blagnac’s half marathon.