Central Lancs Half Marathon - January 2015

On Sunday 4th January 2015 I ran in The Central Lancashire Half Marathon Road Race for the second time.

I was feeling extremely apprehensive about this race as I had massively over-indulged both with food and alcoholic beverages over the Christmas Holidays and the few runs I had managed to fit in had been short and slow but felt like very hard work!

My alarm sounded at 7.20am and I got up and dressed in my running gear!  The forecast was for a bright morning but the temperatures were around -1C so fairly chilly.  I didn't want to over-heat so I opted for a single layer long sleeve top, and long tights with compression shorts underneath to keep my bum warm!

After having porridge and a cup of tea for breakfast I was ready to leave the house at around 8am.  I was travelling to the race with a friend who lives about 20 minutes away from me, so the plan was for me to drive to her house and she would drive the rest of the way.  My timing plans were soon scuppered when I went to get in my car.  Despite covering it with sheets the night before it was still heavily iced up both on the inside and the outside!  I managed to clear the outside by scraping the ice away but I had to wait patiently for the inside to decide to warm up!  I was beginning to feel agitated as the minutes ticked away as I hate being late! Eventually the car cleared and I made it to my friends house just 5 minutes late.

The race was approximately 44 miles way from Kendal and after a fairly easy journey we arrived at the race HQ and managed to park at around 9.20am for the 10am start.

There was no queueing to collect our race numbers but then at 9.30am we found ourselves in a massive queue for the toilets.  

There was only 10 portoloo's for a total of 450 runners plus spectators - clearly not enough!  One of my main irritations at these events are spectators who insist on using the toilets when all the runners are needing them - surely it would be sensible for them to wait until the race had started and then go!

We started to get anxious about missing the race start but by now I really needed to go - I didn't fancy struggling round 13.1 miles with a full bladder!

Eventually it was our turn and we were soon heading round the corner to the race start line at a fair gallop!  We had just joined the throng of runners when the starting pistol fired and we were off!  

This wasn't a chipped event and we were starting at the back, not a good position to be in but I was feeling so unfit it didn't really bother me as I knew a PB was out the question, and my main goal was to get round the course in one piece!

Being at the back made it a fairly slow start for me as I tried to weave my way in and out to get some open space in which to settle into my pace.  It soon became apparent that the roads were fairly icy and I had to be on high alert to stay upright!  There were several occasions when I probably looked like Bambi on ice to those runners behind me with my arm flaring around and legs everywhere!  

Although we hadn't hung around at the start line we had hung around in the toilet queue getting cold and for the first couple of miles I couldn't feel my feet as they were that cold (a bizarre feeling running with no feeling!) and then I get the most awful pins and needles in my hands and feet as I started to warm up, it was very unpleasant!

Despite this tricky start I ran the first mile at a 8.36 minute mile pace, then continued at a fairly even pace with a 8.24, 8.34 then a 8.41 minute mile pace.  I was surprised at this point in the race how good I felt  considering the icy conditions compared with how bad I have felt on my recent runs.  To combat the terror of slipping and landing on my backside I tried to focus on a particular runner ahead of me so I was alerted when he did a "Bambi impression" that I had to be careful!

The first water station came at around 4.5 miles, serving bottled water.  I took this opportunity to top up my energy levels with a gel.  By now I had warmed up nicely and was feeling fairly comfortable.

I continued to maintain a steady pace with mile 5 being at a 8.47 minute mile pace, then I did a 8.49, 8.59, 9.05 minute mile pace before we reached another water station and I could have another gel.  By now I was beginning to tire and slow down but I tried to remain focused and pushed on as best as I could with a 9.11 minute mile for mile 9, then 9.25, 9.07, 9.00 and I managed to run mile 13 at a 9.08 minute mile pace which I was pleased with!

It was a fairly flat route with a couple of hills thrown in on quiet rural roads through picturesque villages and small hamlets going around the edge of Preston. The course was well signed and marshaled all the way around.  We passed through Catforth, Inskip and Salwick and went over a couple of motorway bridges but other than that I can't give you much more detail! 


I was delighted to see the finishing arch and tried to push a sprint out of my legs for the final straight but they weren't having any of it!

As I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin I was delighted to see I had finished in 1:56:18, not a PB but an achievement all the same considering the circumstances!

I was handed a rather nice medal, a bottle of water and a banana as I finished.

All in all a very picturesque and enjoyable route which was well marshalled with friendly and encouraging Marshall's and first-aiders on cycles!

My only gripe would be the lack of toilets but this is the same at most of these events and it wouldn't put me off doing it again or recommending this race as one to start the new year with!

The Official results were published within hours of the race finishing and I was pleased with my confirmed time of 1:56:19 - just 1 second slower than my Garmin time! 

You can view the full results here and my Garmin results here.