Yesterday morning I woke up bright and early to meet Charlie and a few other Team Run Naturally ladies for the Hampton Court Half Marathon.

I signed up for this race a few weeks ago after reading online that it was a flat and fast half marathon surrounding one of the historic palaces in London – Hampton Court. I thought it’d be a fun warm-up to the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon which was supposed to be my goal half marathon for the season. Even better, Bo and I already had tickets purchased for Hampton Court as my parents had heard great things about the castle. I was elated that my parents would finally have the chance to greet me at a race finish!

When my parents cancelled and delayed flights caused them to arrive in Europe three days late, that resulted in a change of plans for this coming weekend. One of those changes includes us touring Lyon, France versus me running my goal half marathon.  Charlie, Gia and I discussed making the Hampton Court Half my goal race instead and while we all agreed that it would be a game time decision based on the weather, course and conditions, Charlie promised to run with me and hopefully pace me for a PB of 2:06 or less.

My bib arrived in the mail on Thursday, just in time for Saturday’s race! I love that thus far the London race seem to mail bibs to you in advance versus making you pick them up at a chosen location the week of the race. It makes things so convenient!

The race started at 8:30, which many locals deemed to be a “very early” start time. I felt like this time was actually right in line with most US races and understood the need for the start time as most of the course was on open roads. An earlier start meant that we runners would share the road with far less cars which is always my preference. Getting out to the start was easier than I expected and while it took 55 minutes from doorstep to doorstep the train from Waterloo arrived perfectly on time, allowing me plenty of time to check my bag and find Charlie before the start.

After a few frantic texts and phone calls, we found each other near the 2:10 pacing group. While the location was not ideal we found it nearly impossible to squeeze forward due to the crowds. The race sold out which is great for the race’s first year but not necessarily so great for coordinating such large crowds in a small area. This seemed to be a theme throughout the entire morning.

As we heard the race begin Charlie told me that she wanted us to get ahead of the 2:10 pacers as quickly as  possible so we didn’t get stuck in the slower crowds. I agreed and for the first two miles we did exactly that – weaved in and out of runners doing our best to push forward as quickly as possible. We started off around a 9:05 pace which felt tough but doable. However, we then made a turn into the woods and were greeted with lots of mud and uneven footing along with a few bottlenecks as runners merged onto the path. Trying to keep my pace on this path definitely pushed me and as we exited the path and started heading over the bridge towards the lovely Hampton Court Palace Charlie and I were faced with two issues: no one’s Garmin was beeping as we passed the mile marker AND the wind gusts were definitely picking up. At this point Charlie and everyone else’s Garmins were about .4 miles different than the course mile marker. As we passed the next mile marker we realized the issue wasn’t improving.

The short course combined with the strong headwind took all my will power away. I knew that regardless how hard I pushed myself this half marathon wouldn’t count as it seemed we were running a short course. I told Charlie at that point that I’d keep pushing but that this wasn’t shaping up to be a PB/PR (personal best or personal record) day. At this point we decided to enjoy the run together, keep up as fast a pace as possible but not kill ourselves. We started enjoying the sights, talking a bit about other races and plans and taking fuel or water when necessary.

We ran along the Thames Path, over looking the area which just a week ago was severely flooded and enjoyed the softer gravel and more even path. This portion of the path was so much more enjoyable than the uneven and narrow sidewalks in the residential section that it was a welcome change.

At mile 7 I took my first fuel, Ella’s banana all natural baby food which quickly taught me that I definitely prefer the apple and mixed fruit flavors over banana. It was WAY too sweet for me and just unappealing. I guess there is such a thing as too much banana! At this point Charlie was definitely smiling more than me. By mile 8 my outfit was far too warm and my legs were starting to scream and I could feel the lack of training. For most previous half marathons I’ve run at least 10 miles once or twice before the race but due to illness, my longest run was 8 miles at a relaxed long run pace.

Charlie and I both kept our minds in a more positive place by just telling ourselves that we were out for a long run together. Shortly after this point we headed over a bridge, crossing the Thames and finding ourselves in a mixed use residential and shopping area where the course twisted and turned for about a mile. No race course is perfect but this portion just seemed down right awkward. We crossed through construction sites and small alleys for bit before finding ourselves back on the Thames Path heading back towards the finish line.

Charlie and I couldn’t help but laugh about the wind at this point. My ponytail was almost horizontal in the wind and the headwind was directly in our faces. We both got pretty quiet at this point, putting our headphones in and just pushing forward.  We made our way back through the woods again before exiting into the small, residential area near the start. At this point I started to pass the time by looking for Leah, who due to illness opted to cheer at the finish versus running the race. A smart decision as the Paris Marathon is her goal race, it helped pass the last two miles as I had no clue where she’d be. Suddenly we heard someone scream our names and I quickly recognized her huge smile and waving hands! She cheered us on and captured a few pictures as we pushed through the last quarter mile to the finish line.

We crossed the finish line in 2:07 which was not a PB considering the short course but still a strong long run pace as this was now just another long training run for each of us.

It took about 10 minutes to get from the finish line through the queue for fruit, water, finisher bags, and medals but these colorful, heavy metals were worth the weight! Relaxed and happy to be done we greeted my parents who made it out to spectate their first race! It was so special to see their smiling faces after getting my medal. This picture is true happiness!

Of course I couldn’t let my first London race experience finish without a picture with King Henry VIII, who lived at Hampton Court back in the day. Such a fun touch!

Overall, I want to acknowledge the race organizers for all their hard work as this was the inaugural Hampton Court Half Marathon and considering the course flooding they had to deal with just one week earlier, they did a great job. The few things I’d update or consider for next year would include ensuring the course is actually 13.1 miles in length, have a larger starting area or a staggered start, pass medals out immediately after the finish line, and more bathrooms along the course. While I didn’t need a bathroom I don’t believe I saw any along the actual course.

Charlie and I both have our eyes set on the Geneva Half Marathon in May which allows us plenty of time to train for strong races. We each have some big, hairy audacious goals for the race and with 10 weeks of training I have no doubt we can each finish strong and celebrate new personal bests that day along Lac Leman!