Richard Giles 2.0

Just over a week ago I completed the new City to Surf Half Marathon. I’d been training for it for a few months, bar a week due to a strange knee issue, and all up I have to say it was awesome.

The whole process has been interesting — not unlike managing a start-up — but a couple of things really stood out.

At that sort of distance, food really matters. If I didn’t prepare properly by eating the right food, and taking a couple of Carbo Gel packs with me for the run, I felt exhausted after about an hour. So before a training run that was to last over an hour, I’d make sure I’d eaten well a few hours before, and grabbed some fruit before I ran out the door.

The other issue, and it seems pretty obvious I know, are the hours that are needed for training. I would love to run a marathon soon, but I’m just not sure I have the time to put the training in. Below is a snap-shot of my Nike+ account, showing the training runs I’ve done over the last couple of months. I’d need to up the amount if I wanted to do a full marathon.

Anyway, I didn’t complete the race in a blistering time — literally or figuratively — but I was very happy with the result. Next year I’ll aim for something under the two-hour mark, and make sure I place better than a number that’s less satanic ;).