My first Half Marathon - Race for Life - Lea Valley

A week ago I completed my first half marathon (21K - 13.1miles)! Yay! It was my toughest fitness challenge to date as prior to signing up for the race I hadn't ran beyond 10K...

Half Marathon Training

I trained for about 14 weeks and my training consisted of a mix of sprints, 5Ks, long runs (which increased each week) and weights plus some body pump sessions. Also, I used Nike Run Club app to help with a training programme and found it very helpful not only for tracking runs and to keep motivated along the way.

Race for Life Half Marathon

The race I took part in was a Cancer Research Race for Life at Lea Valley Park. Check out my previous post on why I chose to run a half marathon.

Race for Life is a series of women-only events raising money for research in all 200 types of cancer. The events are great for because you can run, walk or jog.

On the day, I arrived an hour early and there was hardly anyone at the venue...
It was pretty cold too so I contemplated whether to run in a hoodie or not (chose the latter in the end).
The race kicked off at 10.30am and the atmosphere was electric! There was a warm up beforehand and then participants were split into different groups with pacemakers for a few estimated finish times. I went with the 2hr 15mins pacemakers and kept up with them until about 11K when I decided to break away for the final 10K as I felt I could push my legs a little faster.

The Half Marathon Course

The course was a very scenic and tranquil one... It took us past beautiful lakes, streams, farmlands, parks, canals and there was a bit of road running too. Along the course there were marshals and people cheering us on which was amazing! It was heart warming and a bit emotional too reading the signs on participant’s backs about why they were doing race for life.

On the course, there was water and fuel at miles 3.5, 6,5, 8 and 10.5 which is handy as it means you don’t have to bring water or fuel with you and this can help keep you going.
For me, the last 3K were the hardest as I had only gone up to 17K in training. My legs began to feel heavy as they hadn’t felt this distance before… but I had to push through. I finished tge half in 2:06:31 which I am pleased with though I do wish it was under 2hrs, haha... maybe next time?

Race for Life Goody Bag

All participants received a bag of goodies which included deo, moisturiser, coffee, a recovery band, medal and a bottle of water. All came in handy!

Post Half Marathon

I felt exhausted after the half to say the least but was so relieved to have completed it! On arrival home, I could hardly walk... I think my legs just ceased up during the journey home… But all recovered now and my next I’ll be lacing up for Tough 10 - an off road 10K!

I would definitely recommend a Race for Life Half Marathon if you are thinking of going for your first half, plus it is all for a great cause!
Thanks again to hubby for cheering me on and everyone who sponsored the race and helped raise £215 + £42.50 Gift Aid for cancer research! Also, big congrats to everyone who took part!

Let me know if you have any races coming up or if you have any race recommendations...

Thanks for stopping by!

Krista x