I ran a Half Marathon

I'm not a runner, not by any stretch of imagination. But yesterday, I (and several colleagues) ran a half marathon - the Oxford Half Marathon. 13.1 miles, or 20 kilometers in non-freedom units. I'm currently sat on my sofa, with aching legs, a sore throat, and on hell of a sense of achievement.

#Time

What was my time? 02:47:29.

It's not especially fast, but it's much better than I was expecting. According to the results page, it's the 6th percentile - which sounds bad, but the fastest runner was only just over an hour. Given my performance in training (more on that later), I was expecting to be walking about half of it, and have a time much closer to 3.5 hours. In reality, I only spent about 20 minutes or so walking.

Around the 7 mile mark, my left hip started aching pretty bad, so I slowed down to a walk to try and rest it. In the past, my right hip has caused me issues, but stretching and exercise has apparently resolved that, or at least moved it. Both sides ended up playing up around the 12.5 mile mark, but I just pushed through.

I could have bought the time down even more if I didn't have the bladder of a child. I stopped completely for a few loo breaks around the route, since I was drinking so much water - from both the exercise and a cold I was fighting. There were some pretty manky porta potti placed around the route, at almost exactly the right cadence for me. There was occasionally a small queue, but nothing to break my flow. Some people resorted to darting into a field, or flocking to 1 specific wall in the starting pen.

#Why

The "why" is the simplest part of this whole thing,, in 2 parts.

Firstly, as was the catalyst for all of this: work. I ran the event in a hot-pink, yellow and orange vest (I know) with "Breast Cancer Now" logos. Earlier this year, a friend and colleague was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. As a result, over 20 of us from Torchbox said we'd run the Oxford Half to raise money for Breast Cancer Now. As of today, we're at over £6000. Having never run, and knowing there was almost infinite time between February and October, I signed up.

Secondly, and selfishly, was for me. Running could have been the answer to a lot of questions in my life. A way to get out the house a little more? A way to fit regular exercise into my life? A way to get fitter? Lose weight? Let out some pent up emotions? In the end, it was all of that and more.

#Am I a runner now?

I'm not a "runner", and I don't think I want to be. My cardio is awful, and I'm not in especially good shape. I've enjoyed losing weight and getting fitter, but I won't be following in our CEOs footsteps and become an ultra-marathon runner. The idea of going for a run doesn't fill me with the dread it used to, but I wouldn't quite call it enjoyable.

Despite spending almost 3 hours of my life solidly running, I didn't once feel the fabled "runners high". The closest I got was the sense of achievement from having finished - which was incredible, but not really a "high". I did feel myself settling into running after the first half hour or so, where my legs felt more comfortable running than they did walking, but otherwise no euphoric moments.

#Training

My training process worked fairly well, for me at least, but it was a slow journey. It started way back in February, when I said "Sure", thinking "How hard could it be", and started going on morning walks to slowly boost my fitness. I only really started running in late April after forgetting what my goal really was.

Being in terrible shape, and knowing nothing about building stamina, I needed help. My brother had used Couch to 5k from the NHS a few years ago, so I thought I'd give it a go. I know from experience that if I need to do something I don't want to, I need someone badgering me - telling me when to slow down to a walk and feeling a sense of almost shame for not running when they say to. The 9 week program of 3 runs per week is meant to take someone from no running experience at all to fairly comfortably running a 5k (as the name suggests). I ended up repeating quite a few weeks, and having life get in the way, so even now I'm still only part way through week 8. The app is great, and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to get running, but I did find myself missing any form of coaching on technique, pacing and the other little techniques which make running less horrible.

My daily routine is a bit of a mess, so the only time I could reliably find time to run without impact other parts of my life was going first thing in the morning. Wake up, grab a banana and head out. That meant I often came back exhausted, tired and even a little light headed - a lot worse than I felt after this. Going that early, with that little energy, was probably a little more hardcore than it should have been.

Since moving a few months ago, my running route changed from being reasonably flat (besides 2 small hills) to a route which would look more at home in a roller-coaster. Getting back to running after nearly 8 weeks off (as "off" as buying a house can be) felt much harder than I expected, and I suspect that's why. Hearing that the final route would be almost completely flat was a relief - which it was.

Week 7 in couch to 5k (where I stayed for the last few weeks) is 25 minutes solid running (with a 5 minute warm-up/cool-down walk either side). On my route, that's about 2.2 miles - quite a lot less than 13.1. My longest time being out running was around 40 minutes (on week 8, 28 minutes of running). Both are a long way from half marathon times, which is exactly why I was quite so nervous and pessimistic as the event drew closer.

#The run

#The night before

I don't live in Oxford, and the idea of a 07:30 bus into the city centre was already tiring enough, so I stayed in a hotel the night before (and after) so that I could wake up and start rested without any logistical stresses. The event ran shuttles from a few Park and Ride locations, and having stayed in the Peartree Travelodge before, I just booked in 2 nights there, knowing I'd not have to worry about getting in on time.

As a hotel, it's a Travelodge. Unlike a Premier Inn, where they're all the same, a Travelodge can be hit and miss sometimes. This one is definitely on the lower end, but far from the worst. The bed was fine, I got to choose to be on the ground floor (no stairs for me), and the WiFi was serviceable (even if it was an added £7 total extra). Not the most luxurious place to stay, but it had everything I needed to rest up.

Peartree is a large roundabout on the M40, on its junction with northern Oxford. That meant it had an actual rest stop. There was food, but it wasn't the best. I knew I needed to eat something sensible beforehand, to give myself the best fighting chance. Simple carbs, a little protein and not too much fibre was most of what the internet was suggesting. However, my only real options were a KFC, Waitrose and Greggs. When I stay in hotels, it's sort of a treat for me, so I opted for KFC. There was plenty of protein, some bread, potato (albeit fried) even a little veg, and coupled with some fruit from Waitrose, I think I did ok - it wasn't terrible for a run if you squint hard enough, but still tasted good.

In the few days before leaving, I caught a cold off my son. When I get a cold, the first thing to go is my energy levels, exactly not what I want before a run. On the Saturday, just a few hours before leaving, I was sat on the sofa toying with bailing completely. I obviously didn't - stubbornness and FOMO came to my rescue here - instead of their usual jobs of keeping me out way too long in the past. The cough, runny nose and slight headache were a concern, but I made sure to dose up beforehand. Cough medicine and cold tablets really do work wonders. I'd considered ibuprofen for the congestion, but thought that thinner blood was probably a bad idea during a run. Instead I just took half a dose before bed to try and clear things up a little, which it did.

#Before the run

The night before, I'd picked up some breakfast. For years I've never really been a breakfast eater, but I'm slowly starting to pick it up again. I knew this morning though I'd need all the energy I could get. A bowl of instant porridge, a banana, and a flapjack were my breakfast of choice. I didn't end up eating the flapjack, and only half of the porridge - last night's dinner was sitting fairly heavy, but I'd hoped there was enough energy to start me off right.

That morning was unbelievably cold and foggy. It's 1 thing reading the temperature as 4 degrees, it's another to be standing in it in the middle of a field in shorts and a t-shirt experiencing it. We'd aimed to meet at 8:20, so naturally I got there early. In reality, we didn't need to get there that early, or me earlier than that - an extra 20 or so minutes in bed would have been much nicer. On arrival, I instantly headed for a hot drink stand to try and warm up.

The run starts from pens. Not like sheep, think more like a long street with various entry points. I was in pen E, out of F. I'm not a runner, so the organisers want me out of the way of the good runners - and frankly I want to be out of their way anyway. The competent runners of our group were in pens B and C, whilst the rest of us were spread between E and F.

Before the run, there was a chance to drop off bags. I didn't use it. I did the run carrying a camelback with a 2L water bladder, snacks, my phone, hoodie etc. It was a little heavier than I may have wanted, but it beat the alternative of being dehydrated.

#The run itself

The first few minutes felt weird. I'm used to running on my own, and I like it that way - no one else to comment on my technique, see when I slow down or distract me. But this time, there were so many people around, runners and spectators alike. I'd not quite realised before the event there were nearly 15k people running this too, but it really showed as the event started.

As mentioned before, I have the bladder of a child. I think I stopped at every single loo station there was. The queues weren't quite as bad as they were in the event village, but it was still a few minutes of stopping each time. Fortunately, I felt much lighter and with more energy once I'd been, so that probably helped account for a little of the time.

In training, I ran to podcasts, almost all tech related. I thought it'd be something to keep my brain interested whilst I was doing something which felt horrible. In my last week of training, I tried switching to music, knowing that's probably what I'd be using for the event itself. I was really surprised at the difference it made. Music helped my brain zone out of the horrors I was going through even more, keep a decent rhythm and pace, and motivate me that bit more - there's nothing like a good playlist to keep you going (and here's mine).

#The aftermath

Having never been to an event like this, I found the finish line really anticlimactic. First, I thought the finish was about half a mile sooner than it was - turns out it was just some branding, a DJ and an archway. The finish arch itself was impressive, with many more people around it, but once you crossed through it, things just stopped. On the hand, that sounds great - I'd been running for almost 3 hours, and I didn't want to do that any more. But everything afterwards was a slow walk with people handing things to me - the medal, shirt, drinks etc. The vibe of the event had completely died. That might be because people were tired, but the contrast to the rest of the event was fairly jarring.

The concentration of people in that area was also incredibly high - not only all the runners and organisers, but family and friends. That many people in a small area is a nightmare for phone reception - which made trying to find people interesting. Fortunately, a few people hung around after the finish, so we could celebrate together. Others, having finished nearly an hour before me, had said their goodbyes and gone home.

Something I was never warned about was the cold. Not the cold weather before the run, not even the cold I caught a few days before, but the cold you suddenly feel after stopping running. I had my hoodie in my bag, but even with the ambient 12 degrees, I was still shivering. There were people before the event with foil blankets - I now understand why.

After the event, we were pretty hungry - and so was everyone else apparently. Finishing at an ideal late lunch time meant finding somewhere to eat was almost impossible without a booking. Most restaurants were a 30-45 minute wait for a table of 6. A few of the Oxford locals lead the way, and we eventually found a small greek place we could sit in and get a bite, which was more than needed by that stage. There was a similar story with buses, where both the buses we passed in a 20 minute wait were both full. Surprisingly however, Uber wasn't that bad.

When I got back to my hotel, I was looking forward to a nice hot shower. Hotel-quality showers aren't the best in the world, especially at a Travelodge, but it still felt great nonetheless. Some people suggested a bath, but I'm a bit too tall to fit in those hotel baths, not to mention I have no idea how deeply they're cleaned.

#The evening

I got back to my hotel around 3:30, giving me ample time to recover and still have an evening. Honestly, I felt pretty good - surprisingly good even, almost suspiciously. My legs are naturally aching, my joints are stiff, but all of that is expected.

On the way to the bus to the park and ride, we were planning what to have for dinner. After an event like that, I think you're allowed to eat anything you like without feeling guilty. I still had a few snacks in the room which pushed me through until dinner time. I didn't really fancy KFC twice, even if the thought sounded pretty good, so I got a burrito delivered. In hindsight, I should have got the burrito the night before, and KFC tonight, but hindsight is a marvellous thing in these situations.

I spent the evening sat on the bed, watching TV, and writing a few notes for this post before my brain forgot them all. And it was exactly the evening I needed - especially with a cold and after a manic week. I'm not one for an early night in a hotel - it feels almost like a holiday where the normal rules don't count - but I was definitely looking forward to a lay-in.

#The morning after

My only plans for the morning after were to get up, pack, and drive home - I rather sensibly took the day off work. I ended up sleeping 11 hours, somehow. I felt surprisingly good (albeit clearly quite tired). Everyone says it's the morning after which hurts the most, since you've spent many hours not using or even moving the muscles and everything locks up. But I just don't.

Because it was late morning on a Monday, the roads were pretty clear, so I made it back home in record time. Once home, I did the same thing I did the day before: at on the sofa, watched TV and tried to recuperate after what I'd just done.

#Repeat?

A question kept coming up after finishing: Would I do this again? Honestly, I don't really know.

On the one hand, it was a great experience. The atmosphere was incredible, I achieved something great, and getting into running has given me numerous health benefits. However, I don't think I'd get the same kind of enjoyment out of it if it was just me and a few other competent runners doing it. If a bunch of us do it again next year (or similar kind of event), I'd definitely consider it (if life allows). I might even consider doing some Half Marathons a little closer to home, so I can share the experience with my family, but as I said in the beginning: I'm not a runner, and I'm ok with that.