TL;DR - 3hr13'39" - 1:37:55 half split 1:35:44 second half
Headed out just before 7am to catch the first tram of the day. Met another runner at the stop who was not familiar with the ticketing system so lent some knowledge to aid him. We ended up chatting most of the ride into the city centre and onto our connection station at Cornbrook. Inevitably the chat turned to shoes - he was premiering in a pair of Nike Next%. I think he ran well looking at the results afterwards.
Straightforward arrival into the start zone at Old Trafford and took the opportunity to have a final pee using the cricket stand toilets. No problems. Had a quick meander around the start but decided to grab a seat at one of the many picnic tables and chill. I gradually started to take off layers in prep for the bag drop which was easy at that early start time.
Started off super cautious, but in truth I was inside 3hr20' pace from the off. I felt super comfortable and controlled throughout the early km's so kept the ~4'30" / km rolling nicely. Crowds were great at the start but thinned out a little nr Whalley Range/Withington Rd which are residential and it was an early Sunday morning afterall. One guy seemed to be up for annoying his neighbours and might have been in a dispute with one of them as he has his hi-fi speakers pumping out tunes from his flat. Brave lad round those parts.
As we approached the city centre section the crowds picked up and running out and back along Deansgate was superb. Lots of people cheering loudly and making it feel like the big event it is renowned for. I heard a good few shouts for the Sale vest along here and also as I head back out of the city along the A56 towards the start area once more.
The little loop out towards Trafford Wharf was again fairly quiet but passed by easily. Still feeling great at this point and confidence was building I had settled into a good rhythm. Of course a marathon is a long way and I was very mindful the lack of training would surely show later in the race.
Passing through Stretford I knew I was approaching home territory and felt really good to be running once again after the injury layoff . Lots more positivity from the 'home crowd' as I approached Sale. Under the M60 and onto Cross St passing Crossford Bridge the crowds were brilliant and lots of familiar faces cheering and shouting encouragement. It really is great running through Sale wearing a Sale Harriers vest. You feel like a bit of a star for those few minutes. An extra spring in the step is unavoidable and riding the crest of the wave very intoxicating. I did remember to ease back down once I had passed by anyone I knew so not to get carried away. Very important. It's still a bloody long way to the finish and at this point the half marathon is still a good few km's away.
Turning left onto Park Rd nr West Timperley takes you towards Timperley itself. Lots of vocal support once again and passing the halfway point in around 1hr37' I felt good and well under my initial conservative estimated time of sub 3hr20'. I realise I haven't mentioned my nutrition yet; I drank a couple of mouthfuls of water at each station and took my energy gels at 8km intervals as I have done in the past. It was quite a cool morning so no need to pay too close attention to taking on lots of water.
We turn right onto Stockport Rd just before Timperley and head down to the A560 which is the other out and back section of the course where you pass other runners either up ahead or behind you depending where you are in the race at that time. Lots of the faster runners were going well at this point and I saw a club mate going very well as we exchanged motivational shouts to one another and I realised he was going very well to already be through Altrincham and heading for the finish.
I'm still going well and nothing is feeling bad, breathing fine, ankle fine and legs in general fine as we approached Altrincham. I realised as I approached Alty that we were running it in the opposite direction to which I had run the route in the past. There is a small hill to deal with in either direction so it made no difference. I did get a minor stomach stitch around this point which felt uncomfortable but soon passed after some initial pressure applied to the area.
Out of Alty and heading towards Brooklands Rd. A road I know very well from training sessions in and around the Sale area over the years. Another chance to bask in the glory of wearing the red, white and green vest! Superb support once more and familiar faces returning from other vantage points to continue their excellent support. I also clocked some faces I hadn't see in years also calling out my name. Awesome.
I was passed by a club mate who started a wave back from me who was targeting sub 3hr at around 30k. He was slightly off his target pace but I encouraged him to stick at it and save some energy for a push towards the end if he still had anything left.
Turning onto Marsland Rd and then Derbyshire Rd we eventually get back onto the A56/Cross St and the final 7km to the finish back at Old Trafford. As we exited Sale once again the support I received was brilliant and the confidence was really growing now.
By now of course I was working hard but the pace remained consistent and even. I saw my clubmate who passed me at 30k up ahead who seemed to be coming back to me. Realising he was going through a bad patch I picked my pace up to try and join him and potentially help him though this period of the race. I did notice one or two minor twinges of my right calf but proceeded to catch him quite quickly.
After joining him at 36k I immediately moved in front of him and told him to follow me. I hoped he would latch on to me and we could get him moving as we neared the finish line. He breathlessly called out to say he was struggling and for me to keep the pace steady for the next couple of km's. I had been working hard to bridge the gap so sitting in was also in my best interests.
We continued along the A56 passing under the M60 once more with the blaring techno house from an impressively large sound system echoing beneath the motorway underpass. My clubmate would regain some strength and move past me once more around 39k. He would miss his target by a couple of minutes but lives to fight another day.
The route heads briefly towards Chorlton before turning onto Manchester Rd and then Seymour Grove once again where I was surprised to see another clunmate running alongside the road cheering on her parnter who was just ahead of me. She also cheered loudly as I passed by and I knew the end was close by now. My pace had slowed a touch after the exertions to bridge the gap to my clubmate. It was also inevitable I would slow at some point because of the lack of training.
My calf muscles were both now twitcy and threatening to spasm so I kept trying to relax and be smooth. As I turned the final turn onto Talbot Rd with the finish line in sight I was forced to briefly stop for ~10 seconds at 42k to stretch out my right calf. A quick stretch was all that was required and I slowly got back into my stride for the final few hundred metres.
I crossed the line feeling pretty good and not too badly beaten up at all which is fair considering this result was quite a lot slower than my best. Overall I was very happy as my ankle behaved and I proved that my aerobic engine isn't too diminished from the 5 month layoff. Great to be back out there.