Cambridge Half Marathon 2016
February 28th 2016
Half Marathon
Returning to familiar scenery to do a race always has that comforting factor to it. A happy coincidence here was that the Cambridge Half Marathon correlated with Lent Bumps weekend, so I spent the Saturday up and down the river watching Sidney Sussex Boat Club do their thing.
Somehow, this amounted to 14 miles of walking, so along with my 2 mile run in the morning this was not quite the "rest day" I had had in mind! I also ended up running a mile or so to the start of the race, not through time pressure but just to keep warm as it was only a few degrees in the morning.
The start area was on midsummer common which was spacious and scenic however I was pleased the ground was not wet. After my obligatory two toilet trips I lined up in my pen and waited for the race to start - which it did, nice and promptly. I must have started within five minutes of the gun, which, being the third pen back, I was impressed with.
Less nice was the immediate constriction of the course (I had to walk around a roundabout) but as I had not run more than 6 miles in the run-up to the race I took it super easy and enjoyed going through the city centre crowds. Once past CUED (Cambridge University Engineering Department) the route widened and I found a nice rhythm round to Granchester.
The organisers (OSB) had banned MP3s for this race, so this was my first running-only (rather than tri) half without music. I had been experimenting with this a little in training and actually enjoyed running in the quiet. It allows me to tune into my breathing and be more conscious of my exertion. I'd ditched the heart rate monitor last summer as I find the chest strap suffocating to wear, so I am trying to train and race by perceived exertion.
About halfway through the course there was a very slight climb which I recognised from the Boundary Half I had run a couple of years earlier. This time it seemed much easier. In fact, I felt so good I started pushing on from the 7 mile marker onwards. Conditions were pretty much perfect in terms of temperature and a slight but not overbearing breeze, and the next few miles flew by.
At about 10 miles I found myself back at CUED, and here I was surprised that there could still be over 3 miles to go of the course, as by my reckoning it was just over a mile back to the common. By 11 miles and once through the crowds, I was starting to struggle a little, and the mile along Chesterton Road I found very difficult - seeing the finish but still with a way to go. The gradual slope up the Elizabeth Way road bridge had my gritting my teeth and I dug deep to pick up again around to the finish.
Looking at my watch I was absolutely ecstatic with my time of 1:53:12 - a PB by over 4 minutes!
I was also rewarded with the biggest medal I have ever received, and a goodybag including some "just-add-water" carbonara amongst other things....
Times
Total time: 01:53:12 - PB!
Standings
FSenior 186/0633 29%
Female 578/2363 24%
Overall 2369/5327 44%
Half Marathon
Returning to familiar scenery to do a race always has that comforting factor to it. A happy coincidence here was that the Cambridge Half Marathon correlated with Lent Bumps weekend, so I spent the Saturday up and down the river watching Sidney Sussex Boat Club do their thing.
Somehow, this amounted to 14 miles of walking, so along with my 2 mile run in the morning this was not quite the "rest day" I had had in mind! I also ended up running a mile or so to the start of the race, not through time pressure but just to keep warm as it was only a few degrees in the morning.
The start area was on midsummer common which was spacious and scenic however I was pleased the ground was not wet. After my obligatory two toilet trips I lined up in my pen and waited for the race to start - which it did, nice and promptly. I must have started within five minutes of the gun, which, being the third pen back, I was impressed with.
Less nice was the immediate constriction of the course (I had to walk around a roundabout) but as I had not run more than 6 miles in the run-up to the race I took it super easy and enjoyed going through the city centre crowds. Once past CUED (Cambridge University Engineering Department) the route widened and I found a nice rhythm round to Granchester.
The organisers (OSB) had banned MP3s for this race, so this was my first running-only (rather than tri) half without music. I had been experimenting with this a little in training and actually enjoyed running in the quiet. It allows me to tune into my breathing and be more conscious of my exertion. I'd ditched the heart rate monitor last summer as I find the chest strap suffocating to wear, so I am trying to train and race by perceived exertion.
 |
| Huge medal! |
At about 10 miles I found myself back at CUED, and here I was surprised that there could still be over 3 miles to go of the course, as by my reckoning it was just over a mile back to the common. By 11 miles and once through the crowds, I was starting to struggle a little, and the mile along Chesterton Road I found very difficult - seeing the finish but still with a way to go. The gradual slope up the Elizabeth Way road bridge had my gritting my teeth and I dug deep to pick up again around to the finish.
Looking at my watch I was absolutely ecstatic with my time of 1:53:12 - a PB by over 4 minutes!
I was also rewarded with the biggest medal I have ever received, and a goodybag including some "just-add-water" carbonara amongst other things....
Times
Total time: 01:53:12 - PB!
Standings
FSenior 186/0633 29%
Female 578/2363 24%
Overall 2369/5327 44%
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