Great Eastern Run

Today I’m in Peterborough for the Great Eastern Run which is a Half Marathon that has nothing to do with those ‘Great’ and ‘Run’ people.

There are dire predictions of parking chaos but as it happens we park practically on the start line, not sure how that happened.

While I make my way to the start line, L makes her way in to the city centre to find a good viewing point. She’s really going to scout out the local Waterstones but if she gives me a cheer as I run past all the better.

With half an eye on next weekend’s ‘big’ one, I was more than happy to jog round this one in another 1:45. When I ran this race before, in 2014, I got round 1:49 but I was seriously strapped up at the time.

Sadly there isn’t a 1:45 pacer today but there is a 1:40 one. So I thought I might as well flirt with him and see what happens.

The route is very flat as was shown by my split times which were incredibly consistent. I also achieved my aim of getting them all under eight minutes per mile. This is always my aim on a half marathon but it is rarely achieved. My slowest today is 7:41. Which all bodes well for a decent time, although by the end I am hanging on to the pacers for grim death.

There are about a dozen of us running with them but when a group of us stop at one of the later drink stations and the pacers don’t, pandemonium ensues. Runners end up colliding with each other as they attempt to get back on pace and in the end a group of us form our own little peloton around 50 metres behind them.

We do gradually battle our way back to them but never quite gain parity with them again and in the last mile I let them go. I’m more than happy when I come home in 1:40:38. L remarks that it was good that I was ‘taking it easy’. I think she’s impressed.

So a good race, although not a very pretty one once you’ve done the city centre but it’s pleasant enough and well organised. I could have done with a different colour t-shirt though, yellow ugh.

I again use my new trainers and all appears well with them but then it was only a half marathon... next week it isn’t.

Great Eastern Peterborough Half Marathon

We head down the A1 for a half marathon that I’m barely fit enough to run. Actually scrub the barely but I’m still giving it a go.

First problem is parking, which we had pre-booked but it still ended up being a free for all. Somehow they manage to slot us in a pre-booked section although I’ll be blocking people in if I don’t get a shift on with my run.

Having parked, the start is very close on the nearby Embankment. My next decision is how much compression stuff to wear. I opt for two calf guards on my extremely dodgy right leg and one on my not quite so dodgy left leg. Then compression socks on top.

The start pens are in parallel with each other, which is different. They are also very narrow, which is also different. However despite causing quite a bit of confusion, it seems to work well. The narrow pens mean that it takes longer than usual to cross the start line but meant that everyone was nicely spread out from the off and of course your time is handled by your chip.

The route takes us through the centre of town (Nottingham take note) before, I think, visiting every housing estate in Peterborough. This doesn’t make for the greatest of scenery but that is counteracted by the amazing crowds who only have to step outside their front doors to give us a cheer and they do so in large numbers (again Nottingham take note). Great local support, everywhere.

My multiple layers of calf support largely hold things together although I wouldn’t pretend I was running anywhere near freely. Things only get really grim, as regards calf pain, over the last three miles.

At the end they hand me a slightly dull technical t-shirt and medal for finishing. I finish in 1:49, not bad in the circumstances.

The aim of this run was, originally, as a warm up to Leicester in two weeks’ time. I now have until midnight to enter that event before the price practically doubles.

No offence Leicester... but I don’t think I’ll bother.

Monster Mojito Triathlon

I emerge from our tent in Peterborough’s Nene Park at not long past 5am to go register for today’s ECF Monster Mojito Triathlon and collect my shocking pink t-shirt. Not sure that’ll get worn much.

At 7am the serious guys doing the Mojo, the half iron middle distance race, start. This is over the distance I will race in three weeks time at the Half Outlaw. Today I am doing the Olympic distance Mojito instead. Just a 1500m swim, 23 mile cycle and a 10k mile run then.

Half an hour later we start. In theory I shouldn’t be able to drown because the water is only four feet deep. The safety briefing says if we get in trouble, stand up. Good advice. That is if it wasn’t for the weeds, which as I stand awaiting the start come up beyond my knees.

Once we’re off, the weeds are constantly trying to disrupt my doggie paddle, grabbing at my arms and legs, trying to suck me down into the four foot depths of the lake.

Doggie paddle and breast stroke is about as good as it gets for the first 750m as I struggle to catch my breath in the cold water and get anything approaching a recognisable stroke going. Once around the half way buoy and turned for home, I finally sort myself out and discover a stroke called front crawl.

I emerge from the water in just under 35 minutes. A slightly tardy three minute transition then follows as I put on extra kit for the bike leg. The bike is good fun and I even put my new aerobars to decent use. The only problem is my feet, which emerged from the lake resembling blocks of ice and they do not thaw out one jot whilst cycling.

This means that 83 minutes later I am trying to force these frozen stumps into my running shoes before attempting to hobble around two laps of Nene Park on them. The feeling does come back to them at some point and I really find the run quite easy, which is encouraging for the Half Outlaw, where I have to run twice as far, although after more than double the bike distance.

My final time of 2:52:21 sees me 50^th of 78 starters. I cross the line to the acclaim of my backup team, L, Doggo and MD. Both dogs cheering loudly.