Cambridge Boundary Run (Half Marathon) 2014
March 2nd 2014
Cambridge Boundary Run is a race run by the university running club - the Cambridge Hare and Hounds. It is a circular marathon, with a stop at the halfway point for those doing the half.
My motivation for entering was threefold: Cambridge is flat, it was cheap (£12) and I needed a half marathon before the Edinburgh Marathon in May 2014.
To prepare for this race, I read loads of stuff on the internet, about what foods to eat and when, how to taper and what to wear. I think this caused me to get everything wrong, in future I'm going to stick with what's familiar, even if that means no carbs the night before, a short run two days before and tight lycra!
Race day came and I felt awfully nervous and sick, more than ever before. I'm not sure why as I've run half marathons before (although not for a long time) and had done a 13 mile training run two weeks before. Managing just two mouthfuls of toast (which I never normally eat anyway) for breakfast is never a good sign....
The race HQ was a Holiday Inn and I was largely unimpressed. They had use of about three rooms - one for registration which was freezing as the door to the yard where the five portaloos were (for 300 people) was open. Another for a men's changing room (no women's changing room though...) and one for general bag dumping. In terms of changing my options were a bag filled room with people lurking in it, or a portaloo. Hmm. Making my way to the start line I was glad I'd done the early loo round, the queue was still about 20 strong with a minute to go, and that was even after all men had been banished from the line to find a 'suitable bush'.
The start was about five people wide and soon constricted to a path about one and half people wide. I can only assume this route was designed by arts students, as 300 people, five abreast, at race pace does not go well into such a narrow constriction, giving a 200 m walk at the start of the race, and an average pace that is never going to help you later on....
The rest of the route was fairly room, crowds soon being dispersed by their speed variations. I found myself doing a comfy 09:30 min/mile pace for the first 5 miles, tackling the one gentle incline fairly well. Somehow when I came to about 7 miles in, I absolutely died. Struggling to keep a 10:00 min/mile pace I made it through the exposed science park area and across the railway to mile 9 where thankfully I had a bit of a second wind (possibly perked up by some water) and was back on pace by Granchester meadows, the prettiest bit of the course. The part through the village afterwards was a bit soul-destroying, but I got to mile 12 and hoped to be able to improve my speed just a little in the last mile. This, unfortunately was not to be as the last mile was about a third headwind run, a third very muddy and freshly ploughed field (I was in my road trainers, the right decision for the race overall but tricky in mud) and a third steep bridge over to the finish.
Generally I was OK with my time, but felt that I should have been able to achieve it for a lot less effort. Time to train I think!
Total time: 2:07
Cambridge Boundary Run is a race run by the university running club - the Cambridge Hare and Hounds. It is a circular marathon, with a stop at the halfway point for those doing the half.
My motivation for entering was threefold: Cambridge is flat, it was cheap (£12) and I needed a half marathon before the Edinburgh Marathon in May 2014.
To prepare for this race, I read loads of stuff on the internet, about what foods to eat and when, how to taper and what to wear. I think this caused me to get everything wrong, in future I'm going to stick with what's familiar, even if that means no carbs the night before, a short run two days before and tight lycra!
Race day came and I felt awfully nervous and sick, more than ever before. I'm not sure why as I've run half marathons before (although not for a long time) and had done a 13 mile training run two weeks before. Managing just two mouthfuls of toast (which I never normally eat anyway) for breakfast is never a good sign....
The race HQ was a Holiday Inn and I was largely unimpressed. They had use of about three rooms - one for registration which was freezing as the door to the yard where the five portaloos were (for 300 people) was open. Another for a men's changing room (no women's changing room though...) and one for general bag dumping. In terms of changing my options were a bag filled room with people lurking in it, or a portaloo. Hmm. Making my way to the start line I was glad I'd done the early loo round, the queue was still about 20 strong with a minute to go, and that was even after all men had been banished from the line to find a 'suitable bush'.
The start was about five people wide and soon constricted to a path about one and half people wide. I can only assume this route was designed by arts students, as 300 people, five abreast, at race pace does not go well into such a narrow constriction, giving a 200 m walk at the start of the race, and an average pace that is never going to help you later on....
The rest of the route was fairly room, crowds soon being dispersed by their speed variations. I found myself doing a comfy 09:30 min/mile pace for the first 5 miles, tackling the one gentle incline fairly well. Somehow when I came to about 7 miles in, I absolutely died. Struggling to keep a 10:00 min/mile pace I made it through the exposed science park area and across the railway to mile 9 where thankfully I had a bit of a second wind (possibly perked up by some water) and was back on pace by Granchester meadows, the prettiest bit of the course. The part through the village afterwards was a bit soul-destroying, but I got to mile 12 and hoped to be able to improve my speed just a little in the last mile. This, unfortunately was not to be as the last mile was about a third headwind run, a third very muddy and freshly ploughed field (I was in my road trainers, the right decision for the race overall but tricky in mud) and a third steep bridge over to the finish.
Generally I was OK with my time, but felt that I should have been able to achieve it for a lot less effort. Time to train I think!
Total time: 2:07
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