Malta Half Marathon

On the 23rd February I took part in the Vodafone Malta Half Marathon for the first time. To prepare myself for this race I took part in a similar race last December - the Mdina to Spinola (17K). After that, I was trying to increase the mileage slowly so as to improve my time and also finish strong. In the week preceding the race, I managed to fit in 30Km spread throughout the week.

This race was 21Km long and much harder for two reasons: it was longer and had some hills. I was also not completely aware of the exact route especially since it was changed.

The atmosphere both at the start and along the route was overwhelming. With over 3600 participants, the area in front of Mdina was overcrowded with people warming up and chatting. Those participating in the Full Marathon had already left and our start was scheduled for 9:20am. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit somewhere in the front and since those doing the walk started with us, I had to get past loads of people walking or going very slow for the first 2Km.

It was nice having many people cheer all along the way. There was also music from a number of different bands and musicians. It helped reduce the pain later on in the race which for me started after the 10th km (at my pace of 5mins/km it started after 50mins). I was probably going a bit beyond the pace I could handle and the route was also starting to have some uphills - worst of all the new Dicembru 13 in Marsa to Floriana which slowed me down and went off pace.

It took me a bit to get back to my pace but by that time the pain at the knees and hips due to impact was significant. I was really tired but tried to increase the pace in the last km. the nice and warm atmosphere helped in this. I finished in 1hr 46mins 31sec - very slightly off target by 1min 30sec. I am very pleased with my result since it shows that I improved a lot both by doing distances I never thought I am capable of as well as in the pacing - improved by 8sec/km since December.

Half Marathon Details 

My training has been focused a lot on improving running these months, biking slightly put aside for the time being. There will be a shift from now on to the normal Triathlon routine, upgraded by the fact that I am now under the guidance of my friend and coach Keith Galea. Keith has been there guiding me from before the start of my choice to do Triathlon but is now officially my coach. I want to thank my family and all those who supported me with comments of encouragement and especially my wife Maria and child Elena.

My next scheduled race is going to be the toughest so far on the 30th March - an Olympic Distance Triathlon of 1.5km swim with a wetsuit (sure it's going to be very cold @7:30am), 40km bike and 10km run.

Anatoly