Loch Katrine Half Marathon

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Bitterly cold conditions greeted the runners when they arrived early at Trossachs Pier for the Loch Katrine Running Festival.

The full marathon to Stronachlachar and back started at 9am, followed by a half marathon at 9.30am, and finally a 10k at 10am.

I opted for the medium-sized half marathon, and set off with the intention of running comfortably, just to cover the distance, rather than causing myself too much stress.  Brian McGarrity of Shettleston quickly shot off into the lead and disappeared from view after a couple of kilometres.  I pottered along in 2nd place, wating to fall apart or run out of steam.  I hit 5 miles in 32 minutes; the halfway point in 43 minutes; and 10 miles in 67 minutes. So my target time was drifting from sub 1:25, to 1:26, 1:27, and finally arrived back in about 1:28:14.  My slowest ever half marathon, but I was still pleased to complete the run without totally falling apart, and managed to hold onto 2nd place.