On Sunday, November 3, I ran in the Auckland half-marathon. It was the second time that I have completed this event, and I am very pleased with my time.

The course was the same as last year's. It starts on the waterfront at Devonport, then snakes along the streets around the harbour, before reaching the Harbour Bridge. This is the highlight of the run. It is one of the few times that people are allowed to walk or run along the bridge. The official photographers are there too. I did a huge leap in the air for the camera, but I think the photo was mistimed. After the Harbour Bridge, the run continues along to the Viaduct and finishes with a lap around Victoria Park.

Vanessa was waiting for me at Victoria Park, but she was too slow with her camera. Perhaps she thought that I would be slower than what I was on the day! (To tell the truth, I thought that I would be slower too!)

My pace throughout the whole run was comfortable. I maintained a 5 minute km pace. This was easier this year because they posted markers signalling each km. Towards the end, I realised that I had the energy to increase my pace, so I did. At the 17km mark, my time was 1 hour 22 minutes. That would give me another 21 minutes with which to beat my best time - I knew that it was attainable, so I went for it. When I reached Vanessa and Victoria Park, my time was just over 1 hour 38 minutes. I sprinted around the rest of the course, being careful not to run into other people or twist my ankle on the uneven ground. At the end, my time was 1 hour 40 minutes and 23 seconds. A new personal best! But, so close to achieving my goal of breaking 100 minutes.

Who knows what sort of time I would have got if I had trained properly? I am really looking forward to the next half-marathon!