I desperately wanted to get a half marathon in before the end of the year because I knew I was faster than my PB of 1:18. I lined up a potential weekend and looked at options in the UK and abroad. The UK options whilst feasible were still a bit of trek (midlands) and probably not the most exciting options. I needed more of an adventure... And I certainly ended up with one!
I signed up for the Benidom Half Marathon in Spain. Whilst it involved a bit of travel it was definitely do-able. And I love the Spanish language and culture. So here is what happened...
Thursday it started snowing in Dundee and little did I know it wouldn’t stop until I tried to get back home! So Thursday night I drove to the Ferry Toll Park and Ride at Queensferry and from there caught a couple of Buses to Glasgow airport. Because I had an early flight I opted to stay overnight in the Normandy (a hotel close to the airport). Our easy jet flight landed at Alicante. From there I caught a bus to Benidorm. There were other runners on the Bus all heading to Benidorm. It was a big weekend in the Spanish town as the full marathon was also on the Sunday. Benidorm according to some of the operators at work was the ‘Blackpool’ of Spain. And there was certainly some truth in that, with British pubs on every corner, high rise apartment buildings and adult amusement stores. It was obviously a slow part of the year but you could tell in the summer it would be jam packed with Poms. When I arrived I bought cheese, Chorizo and bread and sat on the main beach and made sandwiches. It was only 13 or so degrees. But certainly still warmer than the UK. I checked into the hotel Iris. Asad and his sister were very welcoming, they had just arrived back from the UK. I had a kip in the hotel room then went up to the race registration and picked up my chip and number. I found out the race was scheduled for 18:00 on Saturday night, this is very late for a race! After I had my gear I walked up to the Mercado and picked up food for the race (bars, banana’s, water etc) Then I dropped everything back at the hotel and went in search of an Italian restaurant, so I could get some pre-race carbs down me. After that I went for my pre-race Icecream and wandered along the water front and up to the look-out which offered views over the two main beaches in Benidorm. Back at the hotel I checked emails and FB Kim. Hit the hay by midnight.
Saturday, race day! I had a good sleep in then explored some of the shops in Benidorm. I bought Kim some earrings then just bummed around the rest of the day. The only really useful thing I did was buy my bus tickets to Valencia. As the afternoon wore on the weather deteriorated and by 5pm it was bucketing down. Got into my race kit and had a quick photo before heading to the start line to warm up. I was very early, and even had time to nip back to the hotel to change watches because my race watch and run out of batteries! Started near the front of a tightly packed group, as usual everyone had a lot of nervous energy and this built up as we neared the starting gun. Bang! We were off! The crowd cheered and there were fireworks, but I was head down and gone, skipping my way across the puddles. I kept to my usual race strategy and started off slower and so I could pick people off during the run. The course was a double loop along the Benidorm foreshore, and we finished near the start. I ran hard and the last km and a bit I had the stitch but I pushed through as hard as I could. I told myself I would be pleased if I beat my PB but ecstatic if I went under 1:15. So I finished the race very wet, with a killer stitch but absolutely ecstatic because my time was 1:14:40. 20th overall and 14th in my age group. Over the finish line we received a blanket, coffee cup, sweets and an offer of a leg massage, which I could not turn down. More fireworks and I wish there was someone I could share my race experience with but never mind. I trudged back to the hotel and got changed, Asad was there waiting to give me a high five!
It was still bucketing down so I used the heat blanket to keep the rain off. I swung past the finish line again and found my placing before heading to the bus stop. I talked to Kim and Mum and Dad on the way. I picked up some food at the bus stop supermarket, I had difficulty explaining to the supermarket staff in Spanish that I wanted to buy 1 plastic spoon to eat my yoghurt. I ended up buying a pack of 50. I couldn’t sleep on the bus trip to Valencia. I arrived near midnight and caught a taxi to the hostel, because it was still raining. I had a four bed dorm to myself in the hostel, so that was brilliant.
The next day I had an early start because I had a 06:30 bus to Madrid. The weather was clear but cold. Good bus trip. We stopped once for breakfast. We dropped into the ‘crater’ of Madrid. A big city but I didn’t get a chance to explore it because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get to the airport. From the airport I caught two tubes to the airport. No problems. And I was there with oodles of time to spare. So I sat outside in the sun and read. My flight was scheduled for 16:30 but this got delayed and then cancelled because the plan never arrived. Edinburgh airport was closed due to the snow storms which were covering Scotland. So we queued at the Easyjet service desk for at least an hour and half to find another way back to the UK. Other people were booking flights in the queue, but i didn’t have access to internet so I had to wait, consequently I missed out on any flights into the UK that night. So I organised I flight to Liverpool for the following day at 17:30, thinking at the time that it was my best option... I was tired... So easyjet put the stranded travellers up in the auditorium airport hotel overnight, which was brilliant. A massive hotel, and we got dinner and lunch as well. I chatted with other stranded travellers and we formed a bit of a bond, forged from our situation. Kim was brilliant, throughout the ordeal, she looked at alternative ways to get back to the UK and helped me out a lot. So my flight to Liverpool even though it was delayed went ahead. So at least I was in the right country now! Next step was an overnight bus from Liverpool to Edinburgh. We transferred in Manchester where I met a Kiwi guy who was trying to get into the French legion. We chatted and it helped pass the time until my bus left at 01:30. The bus ride as you expect wasn’t super comfortable and I slept in spurts. We transferred in Glasgow and I arrived in Edinburgh about 08:30. Then I was on another bus to the Ferrytoll park and ride where my car was, during this time my boss rung me and asked me where I was! I explained I was on my way! So I made it to my car, now I had the slow drive to Dundee on roads which were very snow and ice covered. Along the route there were jack-knifed lorries and abandoned cars, but I made it ok. I arrived at about 11 a.m. and went straight to work! The end of a long weekend! What a mission!
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