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Seaford reporter shares experience of half marathon run
HAVING made a recovery from running 13 miles in the recent Eastbourne Half Marathon, Seaford reporter Joanne Smith shares her experience and explains why she chose to take on the challenge.
IT'S a cliche, but seriously, if someone had told me two years ago that I would sign up to take part in a half marathon I would have told them they were mad.
But that was then. And having decided to take the plunge and agree to taking part in a fitness feature back in October 2008, I realised that I actually quite enjoyed exercise.
I had always wanted to lose a few pounds and get fitter as I used to be quite a good runner and the sporty type back when I was at school. Back then running was in the family, with my dad having completed the London Marathon twice and other courses including the Hastings Half Marathon along with the Eastbourne and Hailsham Fun Runs.
So when a colleague asked me a few months ago about the half marathon I decided to be spontaneous and said I joined them as well, knowing there was no way back after that. I figured that having been a member of the gym at this point for about a year and having knocked smoking on the head in the New Year that my body might be a bit more up to scratch to complete the feat.
But then there was training for the event. Although I knew what it was like to run on the treadmill for 20 minutes I had absolutely no experience of running in all weathers outside.
Fortunately I'm lucky enough to live near the seafront which is usually busy with joggers putting themselves through their paces during the day and night.
I have always been nervous about outdoor running but knew I'd have to bite the bullet if I wanted to get in some training for the big day. During the months leading up to the half marathon I was able to build up from running about a mile around the block to a 10 mile run, which took in a lot of the actual course itself.
With the day looming closer I felt quite excited but also a bit nervous. In total there was seven of us called The Mayor of Eastbourne's Charity Team who were taking part and raising funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
We set off but it took a good mile or so before the runners filtered out, with many of the elite athletes leading the way.
I decided to keep at a steady pace in a bid to not run out of energy later on. Coming up to the much talked about hill about three miles in I decided to walk most of it and take a bit of a break in the hope that I would be able to increase my pace on the way back down the hill.
Although at this point the course is said to be easier participants had to reckon with biting winds on the way back along the seafront. When the worst of this part was over the fact that I had completed more than half the course kept me going.
The last part of the 13 mile stretch was largely made up of a run around the harbour area. I did start to flag a little by the 11 mile mark but was also relieved there was only two miles to go. When I finally crossed the finish line, along to cheers from family and friends, I felt exhausted but it was a great feeling.
It was good to know that I had set myself a challenge and completed it. I would definitely be up for doing a similar run again, but I haven't gone as far as committing myself to a full marathon yet!
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Weather for Eastbourne
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
