It was really tough but I did it! Cardiff Half Marathon 2011

Well, I did it again!  Another Half Marathon under my belt!  

It was a tough old route this time as there were lots of inclines,  less spectators and was fairly boring as there were miles and miles of dual carriageways!

The day started off great, meeting with the rest of the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer team at the Novotel Cardiff!  All a bit nervous and apprehensive about what we were about to be faced with! 

It was great to see everyone, especially as we'd all been talking and tracking our progress on the team's Facebook group and the fact that this year there were 60 of is in comparison to last year's 60!

Lucy & I at the start of the race!

Managed to bag myself a buddy, Lucy Walker.  We'd only met earlier the week at The Business Network lunch in Bridgend but decided to stick with each other, at first only had the intention to start, but we ended up going the whole distance together... and more importantly didn't stop for the whole 13.1 miles! 

Although one part of the route double backed on itself, it was great to see lots of people that i knew and gave each other a great wave!

It was an amazing day had by everyone and well worth the effort!  My next step is to invest in a new pair of proper running trainings as my poor ankles feel like someone has smashed them with a hammer!  I think it might be something to do with my 'high arched feet'! 

My MapMyRun app recorded the following results:

Distance: 13.65mi
Time: 02:33:34
Pace: 11:15min/mi
Speed: 5.33mi/h

This is the 2nd fastest pace/speed I have ever run! The other time was only for a 5 miler - so quite proud of it!

My official chip time was 2 hrs 33mins 5 secs.  (35 seconds slower than last year, but last years race was short and I'm convinced this one was longer too!)

Here is a copy of the route!  As you can see - mile 6 - 10 was on the dual carriageway!  Not a great location at all!