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Oxford Half Marathon

10/14/2015

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The Oxford Half Marathon - my final race of 2015 - arrived. I had mixed emotions about the day. Part of me felt a little relieved that after this race I could spend what's left of 2015 just enjoying running and my exercise routines without any training pressures; whilst I already know the other part of me is going to miss the focus and goals that an event gives you, even if it is just for a few months. I also felt a little sad as it was the last race day experience I would be sharing with my friend before she moves to Australia - literally the other side of the world! 

We arrived in Oxford the day before the race and enjoyed exploring the city with its canal boats and locks, and the beautiful University of Oxford buildings. We were also delighted to find our hotel was situated right in the centre of the main street of pubs and restaurants, with the wonderful bonus of having a nightclub positioned directly below the hotel itself. This is the second time my friend has booked a pre-race hotel above a nightclub - it is clear I will not miss her hotel choices! Thankfully the hotel actually appeared to be well sound proofed from the noisy street below and the thudding baseline of the club's music - either that or the Oxford night life was being kind to us visiting runners - and I actually slept as well as to be expected pre race. My friend was running for a charity - The African Children's Fund - and it seemed we were soon heading to the pre race meet up they had organised for their runners. It was here I met with another runner who I had attended a training day with earlier in the year organised by Virgin Money for a handful of selected London Marathon runners - what a small world we live in, and how wonderful that running can keep you connected with people. 

The start of the race was delayed by 15 minutes due to train issues and runners being stuck on the way to Oxford, and as we stood waiting to begin the nerves started to creep in a little. I was approaching the race with a bit of a 'do or die' attitude - my last event of 2015 so may as well give it my all! As the woman on the tannoy struggled to stall for time we suddenly surged forward and it appeared to everyone's slight shock we had actually started. Watching my friend speed off as she usually does, I bustled my way through a slightly crowded starting section until eventually I hit some clearer running space. Now time to run my race.

The first part of the course wound out of Oxford's city centre and then took us along a down and back stretch of a long straight road. I had feared this may be a little boring, but with good crowds and runners both sides of you it actually felt quite motivating. I managed to spot my friend running on the other side of the road and catch her attention for a brief high five, and as the turning point soon approached, I felt happy she was not too far in front of me. The first 10k of the race actually went by relatively quickly, and as we turned to approach the small village of Marston I was really, really enjoying myself. I smiled at supporters in the village who were sat on deckchairs watching the streams of people pound down their probably usually very quiet street. I high fived a number of children, which I normally avoid doing, as I clearly rode on my wave of happiness. I could even just about tolerate the young boy who was persistently blowing a vuvuzela trumpet, a noise that could be heard for it seemed miles away! I also drew a wry smile as we ran through small tunnel under the road, which brought back memories of the Great North Run. This time however there was no northern chants of 'oggy oggy oggy' but a polite silence - almost marking the stereotypical difference between the north and south of the country!

With the first section of the race feeling almost a breeze, as I hit the ten mile point things started to become a little harder. Just after passing the ten mile marker I was shocked to be overtaken by the 1.45 pacer. I had not released I was runner ahead of this pace, I knew I was running well, but not this well! Although the pacer got away from me, they were still firmly within my sight. From mile ten onwards however my calves, and the tightness and heaviness which has plagued them in recent weeks, made their presence felt. My legs felt an effort to lift, and my comfortable, pleasant running was slipping away with every step. I really had to grit my teeth to keep going as I was for the last three and a bit miles. The final section of the race was also not really in my favour. The route itself was lovely, winding through Oxford University Park and then back into the city through the picturesque University buildings. The terrain under foot was mixed though, and the uneven ground of the park, cobble roads, and fake mating laid out did not help my calves one bit.
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As the I entered the final mile I knew I was on for a PB unless something truly drastic went wrong in the final minutes! It seemed every part of my body was ready to push on and make it an emphatic PB, except of course my calves. The drive and power was really fading, and I kept hoping to spot the finish archway in the distance to give me some form of spot to aim for and muster a final surge. The final stretch of the race was quite twisting and it was however nowhere to be seen. My watch hit the 21km/13.1m mark and I still couldn't see the damn thing! Finally the pink arch appeared, and I made it across the line in a new PB of 1hr 47mins 14secs. 

As I staggered my way through the water/medal/goody bag stations I was eagerly checking my phone.  Not only was my friend running the Oxford Half, but our other friend was also running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on the same day, and I wanted to see how they had both got on. We had been tracking our friend via the Royal Parks mobile app before starting our own race, and judging by the first section of her race I knew she would have done well; whilst I also knew my friend running Oxford would have finished in front of me, again meaning a good time would have been achieved. To my delight they had both done very well, both under the 1hour 45 minute mark and both getting PBs in the 1hr 42 minute region - a fantastic set of results for us all.  

Following the race my friend and I enjoyed yet more wonderful hospitality and cake from the African Children's Fund - a charity I would highly recommend supporting in future - and squeezed in some celebratory drinks in Oxford, before making the long (and I mean long) train journey back to Lincoln. Having won my place in the Oxford Half Marathon via a competition it was probably an event I would never have chosen to run, but I am really glad I did. The whole weekend spent in Oxford was wonderful and the race itself was well supported, well organised, and had a varied, enjoyable and reasonably flat route. Plus with a PB to finish the year off and a free finish line photo sent straight to you, I cannot complain really can I!
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My Training Week: Oxford Half Marathon

10/12/2015

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MONDAY: Monday marked the start of race week, with the Oxford Half Marathon taking place on Sunday. My mind set for the week was to take things relatively steady, just to ensure that my legs could be in the best possible state come race day. I ran today - the first time I have managed to run following a long run in a month! My legs did feel a bit tight after Sunday's ten miles, but I still recorded a reasonable 5.05min/km average time across the 8k distance. Body Pump class afterwards - the new release of this class is officially a killer and I literally felt drained afterwards!

TUESDAY: my usual Body Attack class was not on, which was probably a good thing on race week. I opted instead for a Spinning class, which I think was the first time I had been to such a class in about ten months...this may also not have been the best idea on race week, however I seemed to survive ok!

WEDNESDAY: I attended the 7am Body Pump class today with my friend, and was then debating doing a double Body Pump session by going again in the evening - not exactly sticking to my overall week plan of taking things steady I know! Luckily my 8k evening run felt so good, and my legs virtually painless for the first time in a long time, that I was quickly brought to my senses and chose not to unnecessarily tire my body by doing Body Pump again.

THURSDAY: my last run before Oxford. I headed to the local Common for what was meant to be a steady 9k, but again my legs felt good and it ended up being a relatively fast run - a feeling which I hoped was a good sign for Sunday.
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FRIDAY: I had intended this to be a rest day, but I came home from work with a niggling head ache and knew I needed to get out and do something. My friend, who was also running Oxford on Sunday, and I headed to the gym for a light cross training session (see image) and some foam rolling, which I definitely felt better for afterwards.

SATURDAY: Rest Day

SUNDAY: Oxford Half Marathon - and a new PB! For an unplanned race in which my preparation has been unfocussed and imperfect, and a race in which I have spent the majority of the time feeling unoptimistic about, a PB was a thoroughly welcomed result! I crossed the line in 1hr 47mins 14secs, taking over 2mins of my previous PB. Full blog to follow.
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My Training Week: Oxford Half Marathon

10/4/2015

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This was the first week since Great North Run that I have physically felt in a good enough place to be able to look towards the Oxford Half Marathon on Sunday 10th October -  one week away! I won my place in this race, so it was never really part of the long term plan, hence the rather non existent focused training - but I will be giving it my best shot regardless!

MONDAY: following my 10k race on Sunday I decided to be sensible (for once in my life!) and not run today; especially with my sports massage booked in for Tuesday, which I hoped was going to really rejuvenate my limbs! I thus opted for another forty minutes of cross training, with the addition of headphones and my own choice of music to help get me through, followed by my Body Pump class. 

TUESDAY: started the day with my Sports Massage - it felt amazing on my legs and was considerably less painful than I expected, and thankfully also left me with considerably less bruising than normal! It was fascinating to hear that the tightness in my lower legs I had been experiencing had actually caused my feet to turn in a slightly- crazy how the body works! Body Attack class in the evening.

WEDNESDAY: an 8k run before my Body Pump class. Post massage tenderness was more prevalent today, and my legs felt painful with every step, which did take the enjoyment out somewhat! Managed to keep to sub 5min/km pace though.

THURSDAY: the beautiful evening led me to running around the local Common (see image), as it felt more fitting to admire the setting sun than the usual residential streets I like to roam. The Common can slow me down as the terrain is a little tricky, but again I kept to sub 5min/km pace for the 9km, but most importantly really enjoyed the run.
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FRIDAY: Rest Day

​SATURDAY: I strangely found myself drawn to the treadmill to run today as I wanted to try a shorter faster run. I ran 5k with sprint intervals of 30-40secs and actually quite enjoyed it. Did a bit more cross training afterwards working on hill intervals and some core work.

​SUNDAY: I wanted to run longer today, the last time before Oxford Half, so I knew I needed to make sure I gave myself the best chance of getting through the run after a number of horror long runs over the last month. To achieve this I chose not to take my Garmin watch with me so I couldn't get annoyed or disheartened by my pace. I further opted for a route which I knew was ten miles without needing to rely on GPRS. I had also not ran my chosen route for a long time, so this felt more motivating in itself. All these choices definitely helped the run, and it turned out to be my first reasonably good long run in a long time! My mind however was still wanting it to be hard, waiting for some pain to kick in or for the struggle to start. It feels like my confidence to run long, outside of a race scenario, has been dented a bit and is thus something I need to build back again. I hope today's run has been the first step towards this. 
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