Cambridge Biomedical 10k etc, 18 May-19 Jun 2025

After competing in the Cambridge Half earlier this year, one of my goals has been to continue to focus on my running before I pursue triathlon again (promise it will come back Tim!) and get some more races in the calendar which are not A races but just great local events to get involved in and for getting race practice in!

Thank you to Tim for devising some great sessions: compared to when I was injured last year, I am so happy with the improvement in my run fitness, especially when I know I can be quite scatty with training sessions!

Cambridge Biomedical 10k – 18.05.25

What more can you want when it’s a race a 10-minute walk down the road and at a leisurely 09:45 start, with a route which extends past your house! Weather was cloudy but not too warm or windy so generally ideal race conditions.

Actually found the time and space to do a warm up (which sometimes struggle with at events!) and despite the sole of my trainer falling partially off before start time (don’t worry we have now purchased a new pair!), I set off powered by a really appropriate pre-race meal of Thai takeaway curry the night before and morning peanut butter toast!

The course was two laps around the campus and the surrounding residential development and associated meadows which including running up and down Addenbrookes bridge four times, which for when you’re used to the flat terrain of Cambridge is not high up on the dream list! I found a good rhythm however and focused on keeping up with two competitors running at relatively similar pace. The first 5k was done at 19.50 pace and did half think why didn’t I just do the 5k when I longingly looked over at the competitors finishing on the first lap. However, I kept going at a relatively consistent pace (dropping pace slightly at the bridge inclines and my always arch nemesis km 7!) before crossing the line as 2nd Lady overall and a PB of 40.10 (well technically 39.33 but accounting for the slightly short 10km course!), 10 secs off the dream sub 40 and feeling really positive for my first 10km race in a while!

Histon Flaming Half 10k – 08.06.25

3 weeks later and this time partaking in a race to the north of Cambridge, in the charming village of Histon! Another leisurely start and a good warm up done again, with very windy and a bit warmer weather. As soon as I set off, I knew instantly that my legs didn’t feel on their ‘A game’ as such but we kept plodding along! The course started in Histon and then wound north into fields with mud and a dirt track! The pace dropped and I focused on trying to keep ankles stable and breathing consistent. Eventually the route merged back into Histon which by that point I felt rather pooped! All my latter kms, while slower than I would have liked, were very consistent.

I finished first lady with a time of 42 minutes (again frustratingly with a slightly short distance!), so my slowest 10k for a while. I felt my time didn’t reflect what I feel I know I am capable of, but it was another race under the belt with some different racing experience and the fun of partaking with friends and a well-deserved roast dinner after!

Race for Land Aid 5k – 19.06.25

Short and sweet you would say a 5km race is and was very much my mindset as I optimistically made my way down to London Olympic Park on a Thursday with a work colleague for a popular event in the property industry with lots of keen runners involved. The sun was out and it was BAKING. I finished my warm up (admittedly not my best) with sweat already dripping down me and thinking about the post-race ice cream and beer that would await me. I was however excited to test out my new race shoes.

An odd race time of 1700, I set off focused on a sub-20 race and feeling confident in the first two kms only to find the 30 degree heat ACUTELY caught up with me at the halfway mark – I suddenly felt grateful for wearing a pair of sunglasses as the sweat poured down. The course was quite undulating with 3 short steep hills and very sharp bends, so a bit tougher than I had anticipated, and I dropped a bit on km 4 then picked it up on the last km. 

Once again another course which was short in the distance (!) so had to continue for another 250 metres to make the full 5km mark at a time of 20:10. Was happy to come 1st female overall although felt slightly disappointed in time (my 5km SB still being part of my 10km race earlier in the year). But another good race practice and confirmation of why it is important to keep consistent with the VO2max sessions which I battle a constant love/hate relationship with (as I am sure Tim will be rolling his eyes to) but are totally worth it for that injection of speed!

That’s the last race for a little while so I’m excited to try get a good training block in and focus on my next A race later this year of the Oxford Half!

Emily Grapes