Mist opportunity

One of my favourite events of the year is the Lode half marathon held in November each year. Lode is a small, picturesque village in the fens just off the A14 to the north-east of Cambridge. There is always a warm welcome, the hospitality is superb and marshals friendly and numerous.

This was my third year and, due to the flat course, I was hoping to improve on my previous times and maybe secure a last PB of the year.

I emerged into the morning mist at 7:30am to drive the hour's journey to Lode. Visibility was down to a few hundred metres and it was cool and still. Good conditions for a fast run, not so good for driving but I arrived in one piece and with plenty of time before the start.

Clear signage and helpful marshals guided me to the field behind the church which served as a car park. A short walk through the village past the local post office led to the village hall and local park. The registration had been improved from last year with more desks and copious safety pins. There was also the usual fine selection of home made cakes that would have done the Great British Bakeoff proud.

While waiting for the start I drank a carton of beetroot juice which I had read can help boost performance. I topped this off with a banana and mars bar. After a short warm up of stretches and a slow jog I was fuelled, limbered up and ready to go.

Another positive addition to this year's sold out race was a timing bar over the start/finish line. Timing chips were also being used for the first time. Everything ran like clockwork - literally!

Following a short briefing and long queue for the toilets we set off at 10am exactly. Last year we had experienced pouring rain and a shortened course due to an illegal rave. This year we had a white out and a full 13.1 miles to cover.

My last long race had been the Northampton half marathon back in early September. I had achieved my second fastest ever time but struggled over the last few miles. Since then the furthest I had run in training was 10K.

Despite this lack of miles I felt fresh and set off with the front runners at 6:30 pace. I was in fifth for the first two miles and well under my target of 6:40 pace. Sensing that I should leave some in the tank I slowed and fell back to 10th position but continued to run a sub 7 minute mile.

At this point the wheels came off. My right side began to cramp leaving me gasping for air and bent double. Nausea swept over me and I was forced to stop allowing a number of runners to pass. I approached a nearby marshal for water and stretched out my side. Feeling slightly better I set off again but my legs felt heavy and I continued to be passed by other competitors.

At this point I had lost a couple of minutes and thoughts of a PB were out the window. I looked across the foggy fields and decided to try and enjoy the opportunity for a long run. Managing 7:30 pace for the next three miles I found my stride and the stitch slowly faded. Before long I was at the half way point.

The route leads out of the village on a tarmac road before turning right onto narrow tracks heading out across fields and dykes. It is completely flat and mostly straight and given the conditions there was nothing to see except the occasional shadow figure up ahead. A couple of bridges interrupt the otherwise linear progress and then you reach the half way point where you double back on yourself and retrace your steps to the village finishing on the playing field.

One of the highlights of this event is being able to pass everyone on the course; either the front runners heading back or the tail runners heading out. This gives a great opportunity to offer a smile and word of encouragement. This year I was needing such solace.

Having turned around I knew there was only a couple of parkruns and final mile to go. However my stomach was still turning over and I was regretting introducing beetroot juice on the morning of a big run. I'm sure it is great stuff but I had broken one of the golden rules of running - never change your diet on the day of a race.

My pace was consistent and I figured if I could continue at 7:30 I would be home in under 1hr 35, not bad considering... Unfortunately as I approached mile 10 my legs began to ache, they felt heavy and unresponsive and I was forced into a walk. I began to berate myself "What are you doing?" I grumbled, "Come on, run you idiot." No response. It was as though my legs had gone on strike. Memories of hitting the wall in Milton Keynes and the struggle to finish in Northampton began to haunt me.

I continued to walk/shuffle and begged some water from a marshal. More people passed me and encouraged me with kind words and smiles but I was sunk. With a mile to go I felt as though I would never finish. Eventually the field appeared. I was now at 1:38 and settling for a 1:40. Despite having only 200m to go it took over three minutes to get to the line and I walk over the sensor in 1hr 41.

It was a morning I would like to forget but looking back I have learnt some valuable lessons.

1. There may be some great foods/drinks out there to help boost performance but it is best to try them out beforehand, not on the day of a race.
2. Half marathons are hard and you need to train for them. Coming into it on the back of a few parkruns and a 10k training run is not enough.
3. Starting fast may be a good technique for a 5K but doesn't work for me at longer distances. Better to start slower and have some in the tank at the end.
4. Compression socks are great. This was my first long run without them and I'm sure that contributed to the tiredness in my calves.
5. Different trainers suit different distances. This was also my first long run in new lighter trainers and I don't think it helped. They have been fine for 5k but lack the support and cushion for a half marathon. Back to the GT 2000 next year.

I look forward to entering again next year as this is a fantastic race, very well organised, great marshals and cakes and a friendly field who travel miles to take part. The new timing mechanism added professionalism to the event. My only recommendation would be for a few port-a-loos to ease congestion, in every sense of the word.

For now I will be enjoying the cold, dark winter nights and the clear crisp winter mornings that make running at this time of year such a joy. I have no races planned and hope to support parkrun through pacing and volunteering more regularly. It has been a good year but I have run hard and need to regroup and build up ready for the spring.