Headcorn Half Marathon

This weekend I ran the Headcorn Half marathon. I am training for the Brighton marathon at the moment and I am really trying to get as close or under 3 hours as possible as this will then able me to run London next year and qualify for most marathons world wide without having to go into a ballot. In the run up to Brighton I decided to enter a couple of half marathons to work on speed and see where I am in my training. This year the only race I have run is the 45 mile Country to Capital event on which I ran in 6 hours and 32 minutes (PB). I have been training pretty hard running 5 times a week running around 35 - 50 miles a week. I've also been running one speed session which is mainly a 5 mile on the treadmill which I am now down to 29.55 and then trying to get a long run in on the weekends. I managed to find the Headcorn Half on fetcheveryone.co.uk - inaugural event so I thought I would give it a go. I had never heard of Headcorn but it's just outside Maidstone. I managed to persuade my mate Ash to run as well who is training for Brighton also. The race started at 9am and you had to collect your number and chip pre race so it was an early start leaving at around 7ish and arriving just before 8.30. We joined the queue outside the White Horse Pub collected our numbers and warmed up - it was very windy and cold, at the time I didn't fancy running at all. The race started on the middle of the green, around 400 people lined up on the green under a small start sign. The guy was explaining the rules with no microphone so was hard to understand what he was saying, a few moments later the siren went and we were off with a lap of the field to start. It was a bit slippery running around the field at the start but was only 400m and then onto the roads through country lanes. My P.B for a half was around 1.28ish so I wanted to go under that - I believed I could go at around 1.22 (6.16 minute miles). To run at this pace or any quick half marathon I believe you need to go out quick and try to hold on. I went out and ran the first couple of miles in 6.05 and 6.10. The course was pretty flat, there were some hills but was undulating. I went through 10k in 38.50 so I was on for around 1.23ish. I felt pretty good after around 6 miles and pushed on to around 10 miles in over an hour. Unfortunately the last 3 miles were into a head wind and suffered a little and finished in 1.26.22 (16th/380). I was happy with that time as was a p.b and with 6 weeks to go it shows that I am on schedule to break 3 hours. I also have another half in a few weeks so can see where I am then. Ash came in at 1.36 which was PB for him as well so all in all 2 good races. I thought this race was really well organised for the first one - great water stations at around 3, 6, 8 and 11 miles, chip timing and great volunteers. I will definitely be back next year. Next for me is the Essex 20 next Sunday which should be a good race again to measure where I am in my training.