Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
Bedford Harriers Half-Marathon
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
You've got a good 4 weeks or so to do a bit of hill training to put mind at rest. Do your next 10 mile run somewhere with a few little hills / do a weekly hill session on a treadmill.
Andrew - this will be my first half as well. I'm up to 9 miles now and have a hill session planned on treadmill for tomorrow.
Current training plan is to do a 10 miler and two at 11 miles before dropping back down to 8 the week before the half. Plus a weekly treadmill hill session, a brisk 6 miler and an easy 3 - does that sound reaonable to the more seasoned amongst you? Feel reasonably strong on my long runs but they are very slow.
Thanks for the info on the course. Sounds like it's not quite as testing as Keyworth Turkey Trot, which I'm pleased to hear
I actually think this is quite a fast course. I unexpectedly ran a PB there a couple of years ago. It's gradually uphill for a lot of the first 9M, but none of it is steep. And you can push hard to the 9M point because it's all downhill from 9-12.
I remember getting to 9M really hurting, and nearly a minute down on PB pace, but I made all that up in the next 3M and actually felt better at 12M than 9M!
I'm probably going to do it again, and if I do will be trying to pace a couple of clubmates round in sub 75 for the FLM Champs qualifying time. So if anyone wants a pacemaker (and I'm 6ft5, so a good windbreak if it's breezy!), look out for a group of St Albans vests at the start.
What would be the nearest train station then?
According to Multimap its Kempston Hardwick but according to national rail no weekend trains from London starting from guess what 14 December
Sent off my application today. Was cheaper than I remember and you get a sweatshirt this year rather than a calendar.
The training is going well and I hope to be able to beat last years time of 1:47:48.
I am thinking about entering this and driving from London (E1) on the morning. I dont have a car but would consider hiring one if we could get a few people together to cut costs. Noting certain yet but would anyone else from London be interested?
Ro
Following on from my previous post, if anyone is already planning on driving from London and have a spare seat, I would be willing to help pay fuel costs.
Regards
Rohan
As good a course as any for a first.
Agree with Paderms - also ran a PB on this course although you wouldn't think of it as particularly fast. I think the fact that it is downhill between 9 and 12 when you are usually gettign tired means you pick up more speed there in relative terms than you might lose in the first 9 miles.
Not sure much stops at Kempston Hardwick at any time. Bedford station is nearest and well served but would need a taxi to the start. However haven't checked recently but there are a lot or engineering works at the weekends on the Thameslink line at the moment so definitely worth checking if trains are running through and when they start. There probably will be trains but might not be any early ones or might start from St Pancras or Kentish Town rather than running through.
The other risk is that although it is the one line up to Bedford there are usually what I call Bedford Services and Luton services. The latter run from Luton down but tend to stop at all the stations. The Bedford ones do stop at Luton but after that only Harpenden and St Albans before running fast to London (and in reverse). The risk is that at the weekend during engineering works all the trains stop at all the stations which could mean quite an early train to catch.... assuming the early train is running !!
www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk
for information
Ok so I did what I should have done before and checked.
The cross London is indeed not working. It will be from St Pancras and looks like it will be a stopper.
Just to confuse it further the new timetable starts that day (although that day will presumably be a special timetable) and it isn't online yet so you can't check. They don't usualyl change too much but I am not sure I would trust the railways too much to get to the race.
My number and chip have arrived! Very excited as this is my first half.
Am London based also but my parents are Bedford based so staying over on the Saturday night.
Why don't those coming from London meet at the station and share a taxi to Wootton?
I have just signed up. Plan on getting the 7.04 from St Pancras to arrive at 8.20. Should give me time to get a taxi to the race with plenty of spare time. If anyone else plans on doing the same, let me know and we can split a cab.
R
Woohoo, only found out about this on Friday at our club. Cheque is in the post today with my entry form.
10am start, oh no!
according the website for this event i am a senior male when i am exactly the opposite (they've got a list of entrants thus far)! not sure if it's an error from them or me - better email them.
i've been looking all over the bedford harriers website trying to find last year's results - can anyone help? i'm trying to determine whether coming last is a genuine possibility or not...
Last place (1385th) in 2007 was 2:54:20
Not very good at adding links but this should work
Bedford 2007
TC
according to my 10k time (one of those race time predictor sites) i should do 2.19 - according to my LSR pace looking at 2.36. my first half so more concerned about finishing than anything else.
thanks for the link topcat.
Well I am on the entries. Looks like only about 350 left so wouldn't be surprised if this filled up before the day.
My main concern here will be making sure I can get finished, chanegd etc and then down to Wembley for the Race of Champions especially as Lewis Hamilton is taking on Chris Hoy in the pre-event entertainment !!
Hi people, does anybody have a spare seat travelling from London as the trains do not seem to be running from London on the 14th to the local station.
Will pay for my seat and help out with eth costs etc.
J
You're not kidding. I didn't bother with the bag store, just ran to the start from the car park in a field as a warm up. BIG mistake - after hob nobbing at the end, I couldn't run back to the car park, so had to walk wearing just my race kit in lashing down rain. By the time I got to the mud-slide that the car park had turned into I was frozen to the bone, and my fingers were too cold to untie the car key from my shorts. It got worse - the main entrance to the car park was blocked, so if I moved my car then it would make an alleyway for people to get out. I ended up having to ask a complete stranger to fumble in my shorts to get the key off
Great course, though, and I'm coming back. Possibly disguised in sunglasses regardlessof the weather....
Are the hills as steep as it looks on the profile?
Hashette - I'll fumble in your shorts for you this year..... any excuse to warm my hands up to be honest
Can only re-iterate what I said before about hills. I don't like them and I almost ran my PB here last year (within 4 seconds and that was on the much flatter MK course !) So I don't think it is a big problem.
The saving grace is that the most obvious big hill is at the end ..... and you go down it from mile 9 -12. There is a bit of an incline after you enter Wootton and turn left near the end but only for about 300M and nthe sound of the public address at the finish spurs you on. You go back down for the last 150M as well.
My big problem is that I need to gett to the race of Champions at Wembley after this and I know the car park can get muddy and am concerned about getting stuck... might persuade the wife to drop me off and collect me..... although that would preclude me from any shorts fumbling even if it was just for innocent hand-warming
Before anybody reports this to the moderator, I should point out I do know Hashette