The swift half

Yesterday was my longest run since Athens, as I took part in the Bideford Half-Marathon. It was a good race, with a picturesque course and lovely supporters, although now that 24 hours have passed my lingering memory is not the actual race but the delicious homemade cakes available at the finish!

The start was rather underwhelming, with the line set up in a car park facing away from the quay. But the finish more than made up for it, showing that the course had clearly been designed with the end in mind rather than the beginning. There were some hills in the first half, but after mile 7 it was basically flat all the way home. The sun was shining the whole time, which added to the pretty scenery along the river and the general holiday atmosphere that seemed to have taken over the town as people turned out to watch the race.

I was not aiming for any particular time but got round in 2 hours 9 minutes, which is not far off my personal best for a half, so I came away very pleased, and still feeling that I had some life left in my legs. Enough in fact for a bit of a sprint finish for the last 100m!