It’s hard to believe the first three months have passed and we’re a quarter of the way through the year already. At the start, 52 half marathons felt like a daunting prospect but now, it’s become normal to run one every weekend and my weekly routine is fixed to be at peak condition for each race. The human body is an amazing thing and how it responds to training and the repetitive strain put upon it is incredible.
Last week was my hardest half marathon yet. Debatably my hardest half marathon to date, one of the reasons being it was actually 14 miles. It sounds crazy but when you’re used to running 13.1 miles, the extra 0.9 (and 0.25 from going the wrong way!) makes a huge difference physically and mentally. Secondly, it was the hilliest, most uneven half marathon ever, making the difficulty level very high. I must admit, I was looking forward to getting back to a flatter road race, even though I do love a trail.
This week saw me take on another more local race at the White Horse Half Marathon. Run by a local running club, the White Horse Harriers, I’d heard great things about this race and rumours of a really nice route, so I was excited about this one. Last week’s race really took its toll on my body and left me with swollen knees. For me that’s part and parcel of running with arthritis after 6 knee operations and it sometimes happens depending on the terrain. With such rocky, bumpy terrain at the Cleevewold, my knees really didn’t like the lateral movements and stress put on them, and they ballooned. This is the reason why I have ice baths, to prevent this happening, but being away in our motorhome meant that wasn’t possible last weekend.
So, it’s been more of a recovery week than anything, making sure I was ready again for the next half. I’d already agreed to pace a running friend, Rachel, to around a 1:35 finish time (7:15 min/mile pace), so this was ideal for making sure I didn’t get carried away and probably good news for my knees. I was going into this race with a target time and a bit of responsibility; not had that yet this year!
All the usual preparations were done…..hydrated, eaten well, kit sorted and number on my vest, so I was ready to run. Sunday morning was upon me and off to Grove in Oxfordshire to bag half #15. With a 9.30am start and just under an hour to travel, I was up at 6am to leave at 7:15am. Southbound along the M40 I went and I arrived with plenty of time to prepare, just after 8am. ‘Facilities’ used and still well over an hour before the start, so back in the car to chill before the warm up.
After some time relaxing, I got the final bits of my race attire on and met up with my running partner (Rachel) for the morning, along with two other running friends from Banbury parkrun, Sharon and Clare, at race HQ. We made our way half a mile to the start around 9:10am and used it as a warm up so were ready to run, just 13.1 miles of Oxfordshire countryside to complete.
On the start line we bumped into a couple more Banbury parkrunners, Anwen and Bethan, before we all got in position, ready to go.
As we fiddled with our watches and chatted about pacing, suddenly we were off….we either missed or just didn’t hear the countdown and ‘Go!’, but we were off!
Rachel is very much like me. She likes to go out fast and hang in there for as long as she can, so we did just that with 2 miles at 7:02 min/mile and the following 2 at an even quicker 6:57. The quick first 4 miles coincided with a very slight decline for that part of the course. Both of us were cruising and chatting freely as we made our way around Grove and past the finish line at mile 1, before heading out into the country lanes for a big 10 mile loop from mile 2 to 12.
It’s unusual for me to run with someone by my side, stride for stride and talking with me. I’m usually on my own and taking in the surroundings, so there was no surprise that I don’t remember much about the route for much of this run. I do remember seeing Barry Cornelius a couple of times during the run, who is very well known for his event photography, which he doesn’t charge for, and his event website. Our first meeting around 3.3 miles and both Rachel and myself were making it look a lot of fun out on the course…..and so was the guy behind, apparently!
We actually overtook this guy after a couple of miles and he nestled in behind us, literally right on our heels, in between us for the next mile or two. Just before the 5th mile we pulled alongside a guy in blue and had a chat about races for a few minutes before easing ahead. Shortly after the 5th mile he was behind us again with another guy in a green vest, who asked me about my challenge before wishing me good luck. It was around this point we saw Sharon’s husband, Dominic, waiting with his camera as we turned to the left.
Still looking fresh, but the next two miles were the start of a very slight incline and the split times showed that. It was the first time Rachel had dropped a yard or two behind, but she soon picked up the pace with a bit of encouragement and got back by my side. I took the chance of a quick selfie, shortly before passing a pig farm on the right at around mile 6 and Rachel later told me she’d set a 10k PB for her first 6.2 miles of this race.
Miles 7 and 8 levelled off, then down a slight decline with another two quicker splits, none of which had even got close to the 7:15 min/miles we were aiming for, we were well below and had created a nice cushion by now, just in case Rachel tired later in the race and needed it. As we ran through a small village, we went past a lady who we’d been chasing down, as I said to Rachel I thought she’d be quite high up in the order. We then passed a guy on the side of the road in a red top who was sat down tieing his shoe laces. He got up after we passed and tried sticking with us.
By mile 9, Rachel had started to become much quieter and I could tell she was working hard. We were now heading back towards Grove and the roads seemed to be slightly uphill again. As we approached a right hand bend we saw Dominic in front. It was the perfect time to act like a clown and take Rachel’s mind off the hard work. Dominic caught it perfectly…
The guy in red still just behind and the lady we passed, now fading and quite a way back. As we ran past Dominic on the bend, it wasn’t long before Barry Cornelius was there again with his trusty lens. Still looking strong, despite the fact it was getting harder.
We were nearly at the next milestone, mile 10, and only a parkrun to go! I hate that saying!!!
I could hear Rachel breathing heavier now and I was taking the lead a little more, trying to keep her at pace. With a 7:14 min/mile we crept under our target pace for that mile and other runners were catching and overtaking. Another quick selfie at the 10 mile marker and despite a redder face, Rachel still looked in good form.
The real work was just beginning, trying to hold pace, not only beat that PB, but to smash it. As we overtook a couple more runners who were started to struggle, a few also went past us as they kicked for home. Two more splits just under the 7:15 target and we’d reached the final bend. Just before that, with around 800m to go as my watch rolled over the 1:30 mark, I put the question in Rachel’s mind when I said ‘Can you break 1:34? You have 800m to go!’. She responded and gave it everything she had left around that final bend, with plenty of encouragement from the crowds either side of the funnel and me barking at her to sprint. The last push was all worth it as we crossed the line in 1:33:46 with around a 4 minute PB for Rachel.
She was even too quick for the camera!!!
We walked through the funnel to claim our medal…..no, wait…..it was a mug!
We got our breath back as we chatted to other runners and waited to cheer in our friends, Sharon, Clare and Anwen. Both Sharon and Clare finished with PB’s too, so a good day all round, especially when we found out later that Rachel claimed 8th lady and 3rd in her age category…..a superb achievement.
So how did I get on? Here’s some stats from the race….
So what did I think about the event as a whole?
I can only comment on my experience, so others may have a very different view.
Organisation/Facilities: 4/5 – Leading up to this race, the pre-race information was sent out via email and over there Facebook page too. It was informative with detailed parking instructions, maps, addresses and timings, so I knew exactly where I was going. Once at race HQ (local school), I was there early enough to park less than 50 yards away from the main door, which meant I didn’t need to worry about using the baggage drop. There were toilets in the hall by HQ but only a couple. I didn’t see any others elsewhere but I had read there were some near the start too, which was a short walk away. HQ had a big hall with tables and chairs to relax before and after the race, for both runners and supporters. The baggage drop was in another part of the school and it had a changing area too. It was very busy but looked like they had a good system in place for those wanting to use the baggage drop. Before the race there didn’t seem to be any pre-race brief or countdown, if there was, we didn’t hear it. Out on the course there were marshals a plenty, who were great at informing runners about cars, which side of the road to run on due to it being on windy roads with no closures in place, and they were encouraging too. I didn’t notice any direction arrows as marshals were at every junction instead, but there were mile markers and ‘keep to the left side of the road’ signs. All in all it was pretty smooth and nothing really to moan about. It wasn’t perfect, but definitely good enough.
Route: 4/5 – I’d heard good things about this race and to be fair it didn’t disappoint. It was flat, it was fast and on country lanes, it was pretty scenic at times too. The only downside for me was that, as it was so flat and all on country lanes, it did look all the same at times and no real changes in the direction or scenery can make it a little monotonous. Sometimes a hill, some woods or running through a town etc can make the time pass with more to look at. Mind you, after last week’s beastly hills, the flat road surface and fast route was just what I needed for this one and I did enjoy it, hence the 4/5.
Medal, t-shirt & goody bag: 1/5 – Much like last week, I walked away with none of the above. I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular as it was a cheap, running club race, but I wasn’t expecting another kitchen item! A mug as a memento and a bottle of water is as good as it got. Not being a tea or coffee drinker, the mug will probably end up collecting dust in a cupboard I’m afraid. It is a cute little design, so it deserves something for that!
Price: 3/5 – As mentioned above, being a local club race it was cheap and cheerful. I’d be a little disappointed to receive a mug and nothing else if I’d paid £20-£30, but at £12-£14, you can’t really complain and isn’t really bad value for money if you aren’t really in it for the bling.
Overall, in my personal opinion…..I thought it was a nice race and decent size; not big enough to get lost amongst the masses, but not so small that you felt like you were running alone the whole time. The course was pleasant, marshals encouraging and the atmosphere was good. With a low cost and a flat course, I could be persuaded to run it again, so it’s a 3/5 from me.
Next on my calendar is the Burnsall Trail Half Marathon, on my way up to Scotland for a half term break with my family and half #16/52. It’s trail and it’s up north, so I’m expecting hills……so bring on the Burnsall Trails!
Remember, if my challenge or the effort I’m putting in has inspired you and you’d like to donate, I’m very grateful of anything you can spare. You can donate through my justgiving page here.
Run 'til you Drop! 