Last Saturday week I completed my 4th half marathon of my running career and I am noticing each one is getting easier both physically and mentally as I keep getting stronger.

‘Waterford Half Marathon’ was scheduled in early December 2015 but was cancelled due to the floods. This may have been a blessing for me as I was probably more ready for it now than I was in December after coming off a tough few weeks post my first marathon. Instead I dropped down in distance over the Christmas period and ran a few 5k’s and got myself sharp again.

The Waterford course was different from pervious years due the some parts of the course still being flooded but I knew I would get a decent race. Mile 1 was flat and fast and clocked it at 4.45. Mile 2 to 5 was mainly flat with a few small hills but we kept a solid pace. The road surface from mile 5 to 9 was uneven and energy sapping but we were still moving nicely. Around half way through mile 9 there was long dragging hill and I found myself with an uncomfortable stitch that made the hill even tougher at that point in the race. I dropped a small bit in pace but once it flattened out I started to feel better and got back into a good pace and finished strong. I was happy to come away with a 50 second PB (65.09) and 2nd place.

Overall this was another good experience and I also recovered much quicker after this one compared to my last few so a lot of positives can be taken going forward for the busy few months ahead.