1st Annual Cambridge Half Marathon

On November 13th I ran the 1st Annual Cambridge Half Marathon with 4,560 of my closest friends! The race was run from the Cambridgeside Galleria.

The Galleria Mall was kind enough to basically shut down all Sunday morning so runners could assemble for the race and have a wicked party afterwards. It was a great location and nice to be in an area slightly warmer than the outside!

The race started at 8AM, so it was still dark when I arrived at the mall around 6:30. The Dunkin Donuts in the mall was open so I was able to get my fix. I had picked up my bib and shirt Friday afternoon, so all I had to do was hang out and stay out of the way.

Eventually I found my friends Don Keren, Andy Brown and Stephanie Koh. Andy was volunteering and had to head off to for bag check duty. Stephanie hung out for a while, gave me a parking validation sticker and then headed off to meet up with some other friends.

Don and I parked our cars a few rows away from each other near the garage exit. After we picked up some giveaways from the vendors we headed to our cars to warm up and get ready.

Running the Cambridge Half Marathon

Around 7:30 we headed out of the garage and towards the corrals. We thought we were lining up, but soon realized we were on the wrong side of the barricades. With no opening in sight, we squeezed through like everyone else.

It was much warmer being crushed into everyone around me. We were in the 9:00 to 10:00 minute pace group which seemed right to me. My plan was to run 9:00 minute miles.

Don wanted to go back in the crowd a little bit more. He didn’t want to get caught up in the initial rush of the crowd and go out too fast. That made sense to me and I wasn’t looking to set a PR anyway. I had a plan to run a steady pace and see what happens.

Just before 8AM they made some announcements and someone sang the National Anthem well. They let us go around 8AM and it took about 2 minutes to cross the start line. It took another few minutes to break into a consistent jog.

In no time we were making our first left onto Cambridge Street and passing the Lechmere T station. Cambridge Street soon crossed Third Street and we were on our way.

Course Map USATF Course Map

We hit mile 2 just outside of Harvard Square. It was cool running through Harvard Square and not worrying about traffic and having to stop for pedestrians. I was with about 5,000 pedestrians at that point.

We ran through the tunnel and out Route 2 towards Somerville. We hit Mile 3 about a quarter mile before Porter Square and continued out Mass Ave towards North Cambridge.

At this point I was feeling comfortable and running below my 9:00 minute goal. The crowd was thinning out a bit and I told Don to go run his pace and not to let me hold him back.We stuck together for a few more miles. Over the next few miles I took it easy on the hills and Don started to put some distance between us.

Around Mile 4 we went into the Alewife Linear Park and the neighborhood streets through the Alewife section of Cambridge. Eventually we linked up with the Fitchbug Cutoff Bikepath which meanders behind the Alewife T station and all of the office buildings on Cambridge Park Drive.

There are homes right next to the bikepath and it looked like some of them didn’t even have driveways! Awesome! I thought. What a different way to live.

On the north side of the bikepath the marsh area was open to the public through raised walkways. I think I’d like to visit in the summer time.

After we left the Alewife T Station area, I wasn’t sure where I was. All I knew was that we were headed for Belmont.

By now I was running by my self. Don had pushed ahead and I didn’t see anyone else that I knew. This let me pay attention to my pace and continue to try and slow down.

Around 6.5 miles we made the hairpin turn around in Belmont under the big stone bridge and headed east on Concord Ave.

We hit Mile 7 near Belmont High School. We were more than half way and my beverage bottles were near empty. I had run this section of road for a 5K two summers before and was comfortable that I knew the area.

As we approached the Fresh Pond Rotary we took a left onto Wheeler Street and continued onto Terminal Road. We then ran under Alewife Brook Parkway and through the parking lot of the Whole Foods plaza. Somewhere in the parking lot we hit Mile 9. Still more than a 5K to go!

I was now grabbing a water at the stops and took one of my gels around mile 7. I was way beyond any distance I had run in months. Since I wasn’t in shape I had to keep my energy levels up and control my pace.

We hit mile 10 on Garden Street about a half mile west of Harvard Square. Now we were down to a 5K. The home stretch.

Nothing hurt and I didn’t feel horrible. I was going to make it.

We ran through the south side of Harvard Square and then turned onto Broadway for the run back into East Cambridge. It was so funny running down these familiar streets.

Somewhere on Broadway with about two miles to go I came up on Don. I couldn’t believe I caught up to him. Don has run three marathons this year and has a fourth planned. I figured I wouldn’t see him until the finish area.

I tried to get him to run with me but that only lasted a short distance.

To the Finish

As we ran down Broadway I began to recognize streets and buildings. We were headed towards Kendall Square where I spend my days.

We crossed the rail road tracks and took the left onto Galileo Galilee Way. The GG Way turns into Binney Street and crosses Third Street on our way to the finish. I’ve driven these streets thousands of times, and I think I was running faster than traffic often flows.

It was cool to run past buildings I have watched being built over the past few years. At this point in the race I was exhausted but made a point to be a tourist in my own neighborhood.

As we ran past Third Street I began to wonder where the hell Second Street was. How far away is First Street?

Just after we turned onto First Street my watch chimed in Mile 13. But I didn’t see a mile marker. I knew I was running ahead of the markers for many miles, but I really needed to see mile 13 soon!

Fortunately the finish was within sight but so far away. It seemed cruel to tease us with the finish in sight. It felt just like running down Boylston Street. Like a dream where you struggle to move forward but never get anywhere.

Finally I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. The clock said 1:58 and change so I felt like I missed my goal. My watch said 1:56 and it turned out that my official time was 1:56.

Full Cambridge Half Marathon Results

Goals, Challenges and The Plan

When I’m in shape I can run a 1:58 half-marathon, no problem. When I’m in shape my goal is 1:50 and I dream about 1:45.

Feeling like a fat old man, I was not confident that I could reach 1:58. What if I ran out of juice or my knees started barking? I guess I would walk it in.

My goal was 1:58 and I had a plan. I brought my own hydration and two gels; I was packed a little heavy for a half. But my plan was to try and run 9:00 minute miles and keep my body fed.

If I could keep my energy levels up and avoid a cramp I knew I could do 9’s. Many miles were too fast, but in the end my average pace was 8:45! It was a back of the napkin plan, but it worked.

Apre Half

I hung out at the finish until Don came in. He was only a few minutes behind me. He looked pretty solid but wasn’t pleased with his time. I think he pushed to hard and didn’t bring any supplies. They had some sports drink on the course, but I guess it wasn’t enough.

Don had to head out to New Hampshire so he didn’t hang around. I stayed for a while, gathered some more product samples, hydrated and headed for home.

When I got home I felt exhausted. Between getting up early, a solid run and a few beers, I was wiped.

The next day I was ready to sign up for another half. I was a little tight on Tuesday and worked out in the gym. I felt much more confident in my recovery and running after running The Cambridge Half Marathon.

Run well my Friends!

Andy