Cardiff Half Marathon - Race Report

Since the Berlin Marathon I had been taking it relatively easy. That meant I hadn't trained specifically for this race, but I knew I had enough miles in my legs to put in a decent performance. I had only ever run one half marathon before in The Hague (see race report here), where I set my PB of 1:30:43. Naturally, this time I wanted to get under that 1:30 barrier.

It was a perfect day for it: sunny but not too hot (15°C), with a nice, light breeze. It had been a bit fresh when I left the house at 7 a.m. but I was glad I hadn't worn my running tights.

At the start I nestled in at the back of the sub-1:30 wave. Right from the gun people were darting around me from either side, but I couldn't have cared much less: I wanted to run this race for myself. The plan was to cruise at around 7:00/mile and then pick up the pace over the last few miles, so when the first couple of miles passed by in 6:50 and 6:45 respectively, I wondered if I should ease off the gas a bit. But I felt comfortable so I kept on, taking care not to get carried away.

Annie had come out to cheer me on at the 3-mile marker, despite feeling really under the weather with a stinking cold (so her support was doubly appreciated!). Public support was sporadic but nonetheless energetic. There was a nice buzz about the whole race, and it was good to be a part of.

My split times remained remarkably consistent -- 6:50, 6:52, 6:47 -- and I clocked 10km in 42:30 or so. A year ago that would have scared the bejesus out of me, but I knew I had enough left in the tank at that point.

From there we headed onto the dual carriageway. There had been a lot of talk about this new section of the course: generally speaking, people were worried it might be a little drab and also demoralising to see more accomplished runners looping back on the other side. But I really appreciated the view as we passed over the marina and tried to take some inspiration from the elites and faster club runners who were zipping along in the opposite direction.

I was enjoying myself. Don't get me wrong: I wasn't taking it easy. In fact, I remember wondering whether I could sustain the pace I had managed so far. My slowest split was 7:00 following a little undulation during mile 7. But otherwise, my legs just kept on going. I was never going to make my target by a huge margin, but at no point did it feel beyond the realms of possibility.

As we headed over the barrage, I did begin to tire. But by then I was so close that I couldn't let it slip. The crowds were starting to build, and along with it the public support. With 200 yards to go, I picked up the pace, twisted around one bend and then another and powered inexorably towards the finish line. The gun time showed 1:30:00 as I crossed the threshold and my official chip time was 1:29:33, putting me in 374th place out of over 10,000 runners. Can't complain!

So another race and another PB. Long may it continue!


Distance: 13.14 miles
Avg pace: 6m 49s / mile
Avg HR: No HR monitor
Conditions: sunny, 15°C