This post is a quick recap on all of the races I ran this year.
I entered 2013 with a marathon personal best of 4:54 and a half marathon time of 2:07:11.
I didn’t have any real goals for the year, only to keep on running and to enjoy it as much as possible.
All in all I completed 1 ultra marathon, 4 marathons and 6 half marathons.
Brighton Half Marathon – February – 2:07:07 (personal best)
This was a very tough race for me. I don’t quite understand why. I wanted to stop at mile 10 as the pain of running was too much. I continued on and achieved a personal best of 4 seconds.
Celebrated after the run in a gay bar across the road from the Promenade where a group of women invited me over to their table as I was sitting all alone and one of them talked about how she had to cut dried shit out of the back of her dog’s coat.
I made my excuses and headed to Wetherspoons.
Still, it was a fun day out. I’ve entered for next year but I don’t think I’ll be able to go unfortunately!
Liverpool Half Marathon – March – 2:02 (personal best)
A good race as ever in Liverpool.
It was held on St Patrick’s Day and I thought I’d be up for a major piss-up after the race.
To be honest I couldn’t be bothered .
I was sick to my stomach after putting everything into the run and spent the next 2 hours wandering around Liverpool City Centre trying to avoid a bunch of drunken twats who were wreaking havoc everywhere I looked.
Paris Marathon 2013 – April – 4:52 (personal best)
Total fucking disaster.
Spent the 2 nights before it high as a kite in Amsterdam, chowing down space cakes and Psilocybe Atlantis like there was no tomorrow.
Turned up in Paris Gare De Nord emotionally wrecked after a taxing experience the previous evening where Samara and Kim Jong-Un were playing table tennis in my hotel room after too many shrooms.
If I’d been piss tested after the race I’d have been disqualified for being a drug cheat.
The run was going well until mile 16 when I hit the wall. I hadn’t brought any fuel with me on the race, my mind was shot after the brain-rape in Amsterdam and I crawled home in 4:52.
Still, a personal best, but it wasn’t enjoyable in the slightest. My face below says it all.
Edinburgh Rock N Roll Half Marathon – April – 2:03
1 week after the Paris Marathon and I was heading back out on another jaunt, this time to Edinburgh.
The race itself was marred by the rainy weather.
I can’t say I enjoyed it, but I felt surprisingly strong given that this was only a week after Amsterdam/Paris.
At the time I was dismayed as I’d missed out on the sub 2 hour marathon mark. It ruined what should have been a joyous occasion.
Still I got a brilliant medal from it.
Belfast Marathon 2013 – May – 4:37 (personal best)
The first marathon I ever enjoyed really.
I made the mistake of carrying Reese’s Cups in my Camelbak and by the end of the race they had melted with my sweat into the lining of the material.
Fucking disgusting.
I hit the wall at mile 20 but this time around I knew I could jog through it and record a personal best after the disappointment of Paris.
In the end I took 15 minutes off my time and then enjoyed a wonderful week away in Crete the day after.
My legs were cramping like hell on that plane….
Lisburn Half Marathon 2013 – June – 2:05
Not much to say about this one, other than it was fun to run on a Wednesday evening for once!
Highlight of the run was downing 3 pints in The Cardan in 10 minutes before my train was due home.
I wasn’t overly impressed with my time, but I already knew I was gonna be off the sub 2 hour pace before I started.
It was all about getting around on the day and enjoying myself as much as possible.
Titanic Quarter 50k 2013 – September – 8:23 (personal best!)
My first ever ultramarathon and it was very fucking painful.
Long story short, I got lost at mile 9, ran an extra 6 miles, had to stop for a few shits in a number of country parks and on one occasion asked for the permission of the Northern Irish Justice Minister to go to the toilet in public.
Still I got through the experience relatively unscathed. I was in last position by over an hour but that didn’t matter.
I’d only started training for the event 2 weeks before the 50k and I knew it was gonna be a challenge.
Not my finest hour, but I got through it and I’m now an ultrarunner!
Rock N Roll Dublin Marathon 2013 – September – 1:57 (personal best)
After 14 attempts at trying to record a sub 2 hour half marathon I finally managed it on Dublin.
It was amazing blasting through the last mile feeling strong as hell right until the finish.
The only worrying thing about the race was that I almost fainted in the shower after the run. I’d put everything into it and felt nauseous for the rest of the day.
Put a dampener on the occasion.
Great Scottish Run – October – 1:56 (personal best)
The Great Scottish Run is arguably my favourite half marathon race as I love visiting Glasgow and the race route is typically quite flat.
The weather on the day wasn’t great but I was delighted to record yet another personal best, especially so soon after the Dublin Rock N Roll Marathon.
I was touch and go for the run up until Saturday evening. I’d spent that Friday in the Cathouse Rock Cub in central Glasgow where I became too drunk and ended up hurling all morning Saturday.
I started to feel much better after some salad and a Crabbies Ginger Beer and then recorded a new best time on Sunday!
Dublin Marathon 2013 – October – 4:23 (personal best)
Everything came together in Dublin.
The crowds were fantastic. The weather on the day was perfect for running.
And I actually managed to complete the entire race without stopping to walk.
Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon 2013 – November – 4:44
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go and get really fucking drunk the day before the race.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to have 2 Margarita’s on race morning.
Maybe going to Las Vegas for 10 nights and running a marathon right in the middle isn’t conductive to great marathon times.
Still, the 10 days I spent there were amazing and I recorded my 3rd best marathon time there.
And I got an amazing medal!