My experience of the Oxford Half Marathon

Earlier this month I ran the Oxford Half Marathon… and here are the details on my training, the gear I used, as well as my performance on the day and the general organisation of the event!

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Ups and downs of training for a half marathon

The main advantage of signing up for a race (whatever the distance) is that it lights a little fire under your bottom to actually get up and train… So that you avoid a quite unpleasant experience on race day. With money on the line and an event “in sight”, it becomes more motivating to get out and run.

I followed the beginner half marathon plan I got when I signed up for the Run the Year challenge. There are plenty others available online though! I edited the plan from four runs a week to three, and counted parkruns as one of those three runs. I made that change because at one point I struggled to find the motivation to do two runs in a row and because I was getting a bit of “runner’s knee”. On the days I wasn’t running, I did strength training at the gym and/or yoga (either classes at the gym or Yoga with Adriene videos at home).

Leading up to the race, I didn’t vastly change the way I eat, mostly sticking to the smoothie – salad – hot meal idea I outlined in a previous blog post. I did eat a bit more around the long runs, as sometimes the idea of peanut butter on toast with a hot coffee kept my legs going!

The “down” part of training for a race is fitting 2+ hours of running into your day on a regular basis. It’s not just the running either: you have to locate your gear, fill the bottle and bladder up, warm up, do a few minutes of brisk walking, actually “do” the run, then stretch, then eat (see above), then wash face (if you wear some makeup like me), then shower, dry yourself off, get dressed… And then try not to keel over! I did indeed feel quite sleepy and floppy after some of my long runs.

In the “early days” I’d also get headaches after the longer runs. But I figured out (on a bit of a whim) that sticking a stock cube in my water bottle before the run fixed it! I guess it might have to do with the salt… If anyone else has experienced this too, please say so in the comments below so that I don’t feel like a weirdo haha.

The running gear I used for the Oxford Half Marathon

Let me just start with a quick note: it is very possible to run races with cheap shoes from Decathlon (or barefoot!) and the clothes you already have (though I’d highly recommend a sports bra if you might be bouncing haha).

Saying that, most of my running stuff is relatively cheap… Except the shoes. But hey, for me it’s worth investing in something that keeps my feet comfortable for 13.1 miles!

Here’s what I used on race day and on the longer runs leading up to the Oxford Half Marathon. I’ve provided links and images for the products I could find online.

• Saucony running shoes – it is worth going to a proper running shop and asking for advice if you are going to invest this kind of money. Mine are falling to pieces and are more adapted to trail running, but their “replacement” gives me blisters. If you have any tips about breaking running shoes in, please share them in the comments below!
• Running socks – the socks are almost as important as the shoes. I like these affordable ones from Decathlon’s own brand.
• Old pair of leggings – they are super comfy and warm on a cold day, but somehow I did still get chafing in places that not many people get to see… I got my pair from GAP, but please share your affordable recommendations, if you have any, in the comments section!
• Anita sports bra – Anita sent me a free sports bra years ago in exchange for a review and it was so good that I’ve remained loyal to them. So that was a clever marketing ploy! One of their big advantages is that they work like normal bras, i.e. they have two straps and close at the back, so you don’t have to wrestle your way out of them like some other sport bras. Please note that I’m not the bustiest of ladies, so this model might not work for you if you are.
• Under Armour compression top – I wear it under my running vests to avoid chafing on the inside of my arms (ouch) and it’s super comfy, it feels like being hugged!
• Vegan Runners vest – I joined the Vegan Runners club a few months ago, so when I received my scholarship recently I thought it would be a good time to buy one of their tops to show some pride and raise awareness.
• Ipod + armband – I have an upbeat playlist which keeps me going. I’m not really sure how people run half-marathons (and more) with just the sound of themselves panting. If you are one of those people, please share the secret in the comments below!
• Garmin vivosport – I lost my Fitbit earlier this year, and I was quite glad to replace it with something that can track my runs via GPS. The vivosport is a helpful and small activity tracker that allows you to know how much of the race is left (ha) and what pace you’re going.
• Water bottle + pouch – this is pretty self-explanatory: if you’re running a half-marathon, even if it’s pretty cold, you still need to hydrate. The “pouch” allows me to carry my parkrun card (with my emergency contact number on it) and even an apple for when I reach an hour running. Yes, it is challenging to eat an apple while running, but I can (kind of) do it.
• Water bladder + small backpack – for anything under 10K I would be fine with just the bottle above, but beyond that I tend to carry an extra litre of water on my back. The backpack I have is borrowed from my fiancé and I personally wouldn’t recommend it for a woman as the front strap is in the wrong place, but it kind of does the trick. 

My performance on the day

It was pretty damn cold on the day. That coupled with running earlier in the day than usual probably explain why the second half of the race felt a bit miserable. I coasted through the first half, gladly receiving high five from the small crowds lining the roads. I was running alongside the 2:25 pacer and it felt pretty easy, so I overtook him and just kept running.

But somewhere around halfway my legs seized up a bit and the experience became less enjoyable. It could have been the cold or it could be that I’m more used to running on soft surfaces as opposed to roads. In any case, I got a bit discouraged and did a bit of walking in the second half. But not enough that my Garmin decided to pause and save my run, and not enough for me not to PB.

Indeed this was my third time running a half marathon distance and every time I have PBed haha. The first one was the RidgeRun, a race with only about nine contestants, which involved quite a bit of getting lost. I finished that one in over three hours. I ran a half marathon during my training for the Oxford half to prove to myself that it was possible and finished in about 2:30. I felt really great and like I could have kept running for ages. And then despite my discomfort, I finished the Oxford half in 2:21:21!

I know I still have a lot more to give and that I could run a half marathon significantly faster than that. The thing is, training for a half (at my current pace) does take time, so I’m unsure of what challenge to take on next. I want to keep running, but when the weather gets grotty I feel like I need some kind of training program to keep me accountable. Please share your ideas if you have any in the comments below!

General impressions of the race

I enjoyed training for the Oxford half marathon but I feel a bit meh about the actual race. One of the main issues is that the “running village” (where the loos and other facilities were located) was a 15 minute walk away from the start. Which doesn’t seem like much but most runners ended up doing that four times during the day, on top of their running and getting to Oxford.

It meant that there was almost an hour between getting rid of our warm layers (on a 4° morning) and the race starting for the slower groups. I reckon I started running about 15-20 minutes after the people at the front. I understand that there are a lot of participants, but a head’s up on this would have allowed me to get my full warmup routine in, rather than nervously standing around wondering when we would start. This is the biggest race I have taken part in, so please share in the comments below if this is common practice.

To avoid this issue, I think they should have started and finished the race closer to the race village. Speaking of the race festival, at the end of the race we were expected to head back there. I was quite cold by the time I got back there. I did appreciate that they had set up meeting points where friends could easily meet up. What I appreciated less was the small portions of food on sale and the loud music being played. I felt like there was a bit too much emphasis on making the race a “festival” rather than focusing on the runners’ comfort, especially the slower runners.

Also, the race followed quite a boring itinerary given the location. It was nice to have crowds cheer us on, but we essentially ran in some of the least scenic parts of a very beautiful place (namely up the Banbury road and back down the exact same way, and to Marston and back). I understand that road closures are a logistical mess, but I think this could have been improved.

I was appalled by what happened around some of the water stations: water was being given out in small cups / plastic bottles. Runners would take them, drink a bit out of them and then chuck them on the floor a few metres later. This is probably quite common at other races, but come on, you can surely run a little bit until you encounter a bin to dispose of your rubbish?

Overall the race is worth doing if you live close to Oxford, but I feel that Virgin Sport could make some significant improvements for the race to live up to its potential and be a more pleasant experience for runners. I think the next race I take part in will be a smaller event.

For a different account of the Oxford half, you can also check out this lovely post on the Morning Coffee Run blog. Did you take part in the Oxford half? Please tell me what you thought in the comments below!