24th November The race that might never have happened (pt2)

 



So just another 11km to go, as TOM headed back to the hotel. Unlike the first half of the race which was run in a singular direction, thiscsecond part involved several switch backs up and down side roads, each one branching off from what felt like a never ending gradual climb away from the seafront.

This is where  never ending means one roundabout after another at which I  felt sure we would turn round but at each one we just kept on running further away from the sea. It was at this point that I was finally caught by some of the Hucknall Harriers who had begun the run  in a slower (more accurate) starting slot,but I  was pleased to have stayed ahead of them for so long.

The occasional drumming bands greeted our approach together with several deafening sound systems whose purpose was just to make me run quicker past them before my ear drums exploded. My original  injury  worry was holding up fine but by 11 miles my right thigh had started to tighten negating any effects of the by now slight downhill.

The final mile ran through the heart of the town, or at least the heart if your idea of a holiday away from home was to spend it in a whole street full of. British pubs, eating all day fry ups whilst watching UK sports on humongous TV"s. Thankfully  the end of the run moved back onto one of the main thoroughfare, fantastically illuminated and crowded with enthusiastic onlookers.

A final last 100 metre slog to the finish and I ended the 13.1 miles of the Benidorm half marathon in 2hrs and 12 mins. Only 6 mins slower than my quickest time over such a distance back in 2010. Not bad for an old man.

Today (the day after) I have been trying to just keep  moving as the inevitable  rigor mortis  appears  in my lower limbs, transforming me into a lower limbed Tin man. Mind you even in that state my gait would be markedly more coordinated that some folks staggeringly from bar to bar in search of the  next £2 pint or bucket of bottles for £8.

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