Unfortunately the 2013 Wokingham Half marathon was cancelled due to flooding on the course I recall and all entries were deferred until this year which so happened to be the day after the Thames Trot.

Not wanting to let the entry go to waste I decided to use this as a bit of a recovery run to shake out some of the soreness and stiffness from the Thames Trot. To be fair, my right knee was sore, legs and groin were a bit stiff (probably due to the uncomfortable slipping around in the mud) and I wasn’t sure how the legs would respond during the race. I waited in the car until about 15 mins before the race wondering why I was running today but eventually coaxed myself out of the car and walked gingerly to the start line.

I decided to run along with the 1.45 group and was actually pleased when the race started, you ran 10 yards (which I managed) and then everyone stopped before jogging a little while later. Fitness test complete, I can at least plod around.

It was cold at the start of the race but when you warmed up it was a lovely cool clear sunny day, almost perfect for running.

The legs were a little uncomfortable for the first few miles but I kept up a just over 8m/m pace and was content to tick off the miles and just see the race out. As I got more into the race, I felt a little more comfortable and kept the same sort of pace going.

I bumped into a couple of people I knew and said hello but pretty much ran most of the race by myself. As I got to 10 miles I started to speed up a bit and ran my quickest three miles of the race which meant I started to overtake a few people towards the end. I hit the final turn made a bit of a dash for the line and finished in 1.43 which had felt fairly comfortable overall after the legs started working. I was fairly happy with the run after the previous days exertions.

The race was well organised and marshalled so it was an enjoyable run but but I’m sorry to say the finishers medal was a bit disappointing, a very “standard” medal. The course is fairly flat, road based and pretty quick for those looking for a quick half marathon in the future.

Local News report and photos here with at least three people I know pictured.

Wokingham Half Marathon website here