Lost again: Salisbury Plain half marathon 2019

The morning didn't start terribly well.  I forgot to bring my watch and my race number and I packed the wrong backpack (sorry love).  We met up with Rollo and Susie at the start area, a rather drab patch of hard standing outside Tidworth military town, worried about what to wear on a cool morning, got warmed up and proceeded to the start line.

Susie, Rollo and the lovely Mrs S at the start

We set off, and a lady strapped to a big dog whooshed ahead, rapidly fading after a few hundred metres.  Every human-plus-dog combo I've encountered does the same.  After a couple of minutes I was ahead of the pack, trying to keep a cool head in the early stages.

Before long I caught the back of the marathon runners who had started ten minutes before us.  I moved through the field and made to follow everyone on a right turn at a crossroads in the track, luckily just catching a marshal shouting 'full marathon this way'. Yes, she confirmed - left turn for the half.  Phew, that was close.

The signs were little yellow flags on the ground. I was on my own, and I kept checking the path obsessively for them, as they were quite subtle.  I was feeling OK and progressing well. I passed the halfway point, crossed a road and checked out a big hill ahead. I heaved my way up and then down the other side.  Where are those flags, I asked myself. Then I hit a T-junction, saw no flags and I knew I'd gone wrong.

Thankfully I had loaded the route onto OS Maps and I could see that a left turn would take me back to the route by drawing the third side of a square, nonetheless more effective than tracing my steps. Nothing gets my adrenaline pumping quite so much as getting lost on a race, and I blasted the next few km, overtaking several runners and trying to reclaim as much territory as I could.

In the end I ran about a mile more than I should have, with about 80m extra climb.  I finished in second place.  I was annoyed; not so much at losing my position as getting lost despite my best efforts.  The final comedy moment of the race was when a young girl rushed past me, colliding with my arm and causing my trophy to fall to the ground and break. It glued together fine.

Susie and then Rollo both finished, looking strong.  Well done Rollo - this was a tough debut half.  A funny old morning, but apart from the navigational hiccough, I was pleased with my pacing.  Here are the results and here are my stats... and check out the moment when I erred and strayed from my way like a lost sheep.

The finishers

Medal and broken trophy... it mended fine