'I entered the Brighton Half Marathon and this is how it went'

Maybe all of those feelings. Despite the early 6am start, I woke up with pure excitement for the day ahead.

I had prepared well for what was going to be my first ever half marathon. Waiting for the train, there were a handful of other runners at the same station as me.

They were easily identifiable by their brightly coloured shoes. I could feel the sense of excitement growing.

I knew that the most important thing was to enjoy the day and have faith that all my training had put me in good stead to complete the 21km circuit around Brighton and Hove.

A quick picture before the half marathon started (Image: The Argus)

Boarding the train we were greeted by carriagefuls of runners, again all wearing shorts and bright shoes in the frosty temperatures.

I was running for the Sussex Beacon, and the Team Beacon hub at Leonardo Hotel on the seafront helped alleviate any lingering fears with its welcoming atmosphere.

The charity supports people with HIV and money raised this year is for an inpatient unit nurse.

I even got to speak with Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey, Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle and two more city councillors who were running for Team Beacon.

From left, Argus reporter George Carden, councillor David McGregor, councillor Bruno De Oliveira, council leader Bella Sankey and Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Image: The Argus)

I joined the steadily growing crowds of runners on their way to their start place. It was about 30 minutes of waiting then suddenly we were off. The journey had begun.

It took a while for the mass of runners to get going but as we turned up past the Sealife Centre, it started to spread so you could get into your stride.

While my fitness leading up to the half marathon felt good, my knee had been causing me some discomfort. This nagging pain started only three kilometres in, much earlier than I expected which was a slight cause for concern.

All smiles in the early stages of the race (Image: MarathonPhotos.live)

However, I focused on my pace and keeping good running form. The pain would subside and occasionally flare up.

The crowds became thicker as we moved back into the city and towards The Level. People held up motivating signs and cheered us all on. There were even children handing out jelly babies to give runners a much-needed energy boost.

I felt great during this middle section of the run and kept my pace faster than expected. The knee was not giving too much discomfort so I kept on pushing. It was a cold day but I was just grateful for the lack of rain and fairly sunny weather.

Running past the Royal Pavilion around the six mile mark (Image: MarathonPhotos.live)

As we got to Hove Lagoon and turned onto the seafront, it was a stark reminder of the February weather.

The wind battered everyone’s faces and did its best to slow us down on the final stretch. I had family and friends dotted along towards the finish line which was a lovely morale boost to keep my pace up in the final 20 minutes.

There was plenty left in the tank and I finished the half marathon with my fastest kilometre although that last stretch did feel endless. Having packed-out crowds cheering either side was just great.

Feeling the pain on the final stretch (Image: MarathonPhotos.live)

I finished the race in 1:55:06. My target was sub two hours so I was incredibly happy with this result.

I embraced my family and friends and then we went to the Barley Mow in Kemp Town for beers and a much-deserved Sunday roast.

I would say to anyone considering doing a half marathon, do not hesitate. The feeling of being cheered on is indescribable. It was a surreal day full of joy - and I'm so glad to have raised £335 for a great cause.