The Wigan Half Marathon – a race I’ve done before, and one I knew would be super challenging when it came to the 6-9 mile mark. At this point in the race, it’s all uphill! Anyway, let’s get back to the beginning.
I had planned to run to the race start that morning as it was only 3km, and I figured it would be a good opportunity to stretch my legs out and help them to warm up. It was a run/walk, and my legs didn’t feel too great so I turned up feeling a little worried if I’m honest! After having a team photo, dropping my bag off and queuing for the toilets, it was time to head to the start.
One thing I love about the Wigan races is that they’re always so well-organised. There are pacers throughout several different times, you can hear what’s going on at the start line, and you know exactly where to go. Right on time, we set off.
For the first half of the race, I felt pretty good. My legs settled into the running and my pace was consistently between 5:50-6:20. I was running slightly faster than I thought I would be, however, I knew there was a huge hill coming up and I knew I’d be walking some of that.
The support around the course was brilliant. There were some quiet sections, but also some with loads of people cheering us on. Once we got into Haigh Hall, people were handing out sweets, which was super helpful in giving us a little boost!
The hill felt like it took forever to get up, but once at the top, it was all downhill from there. To be honest, I was feeling much better than I expected to at that point, and whilst the last couple of kilometres were tough, I felt so good as I crossed that finish line.
And in writing this, I’ve realised that in October 2024 I ran the Manchester Half Marathon in 2:15:25, with a max elevation of 44m. Five months later, I’ve knocked 4 minutes off that time, in a race with 152m max elevation.
I’m taking that as a big win!
What’s next? My calves are suffering a bit so I’ve taken this week off, and then I’m going to try to get back into the training and get the longer runs completed. My next race is a 10k on the 10th May, and then the ultra is on 7th June. It’s getting closer!
