Oxford Half lives up to expectations?

I turned up to the start of the Oxford Half Marathon on Oct 12th and nearly decided not to run
(http://oxfordhalf.co.uk/).

I'd got a niggle in the hamstring, it was another 6am start on a Sunday, I was definitely feeling tired and uninspired and it was 3C and I was in shorts.

I sat on the floor, on my bag for half an hour looking at the 'bag drop' deciding what to do. I had some food, taped up my toes, etc, etc then eventually decided that I'd give it a go. After all I was there and I'd been looking forward to it all year.

There was a frustrating 20 minute delay in the start which meant that my warm up was utterly gone and I was very cold. I set a target of finishing as I wasn't sure how things would pan out, I certainly wasn't going to set out for a new PB.

The first few miles, I felt every step in my hamstring, but it did ease as i finally warned up. The route was not inspiring but I kept my self busy by talking to other runners. 

After half distance a quick check of the watch alerted me to the fact that my pace was quite good and I could have a good race after all, if everything held together. 

The literature for the Oxford course doesn't say that it's actually multi-terrain which caught me out at 8 miles. I don't like trails as my ex-broken ankle is susceptible to problems. This carried on till 10 miles. By this point it was clear that this course was indeed broadly flat and my pace was well on for a new PB if I could push for the last 3 miles. A quick bit of maths and I pushed on with numbers continuously calculating. Mile by mile a new PB loomed. At 12.5, baring injury or giving up this was going to be my quickest, I dug in even deeper and really pushed for home, lungs bursting, energy failing.

My delight, I finished a little under 4 minutes better that my previous PB.

I'm glad I went and glad I ran. It was a flat, fast course (good), with multi-terrain (bad). the scenery was a bit rubbish too, certainly not as interesting as I had expected. My ratings of this event below.

Happy Running

Forward Planning

Now I know:

1. It's only early October
2. I have another race this weekend
3. The season is not over
4. It's likely that I'll be entering more events before the end of the year.

However it seems that I need to plan for next year already. The 'early bird' offers and the 'privileged' repeat racer emails are landing in my in-box and I would hate to miss out on an event because I leave it too late. It wouldn't be the first time.

So after a rapid consideration my calendar already looks like this:

• 1-Feb-15, London Winter 10K
• 18-Feb-15, Hampton Court Half Marathon
• 8-Mar-15, MK Festival of Running 10k
• 22-Mar-15, Reading Half Marathon
• 4-May-15, MK Super Hero Fun Run (My son has demanded that WE run it)
• 13/14-Jun-15, Blenheim Triathlon
• 21-Jun-15, Enigma Super Hero Half Marathon
• 26-Jul-15, Up Tow, Down Flow Half Marathon
• 26/27-Sep-15, Hever Castle Triathlon
• 3-Oct-15, Bournemouth 10k
• 4-Oct-15, Bournemouth Half/Marathon

And for those keen observers, yes I was in Bournemouth 4 days ago at the 2014 festival. Not to mention many other interesting races throughout the year including locations like Amsterdam, New York and maybe a Disney run in Paris, I think my calendar is going to get a little more populated before very long.

Happy Running!