HalfMarathons -Recommendations?

[robertf]

Andy and all -

Following suggestions from Andy on another thread on this forum I have now made the - very scary for me - decision to set my next goal on running my first half-marathon, ideally in the Spring or early Summer. Up until now my maximum distance is 10k.

So, can anyone recommend a good first half marathon race in London or the South East? Is there something like the Nike 10k? eg: well organised , mass participation event, mixture of beginners and experienced runners?

thanks
Robert

[gblackman]

good Half in the South east, in the early Spring/summer

There are probably a few, for support would recommend the Hastings Half marathon, (although has got quite a hill on it) but for support it's excellent. normally about 4000 would do it,
In march/April time i think!

Another large one is the reading, large turnout, pre London marathon race. April time again, although i have heard you can have a few problems crossing the start line...never done it so maybe someone else can advise.

The New Forest from Brokenhurst, may be too late for you, but is in September, and is a lovely one for about 800 people, about 200 do the full one too, but very scenic course...lovely well marshalled etc.

Just a few that i can think of at the mo!
hope this helps!

[El Gordo]

Good for you, Robert. Great news. Believe me, the step up from 10K to half marathon is very doable in six months.

You can do half marathons all the year round, but the golden period is March and April. The ones I've done at that time are Reading (twice) - on March 7th next year, Silverstone (same day I think), and Fleet (Hampshire).

Fleet's a nice event, scenic, about 1000 runners, but the course is a bit up-and-down. Silverstone is flat as a pancake and takes place on the grand prix circuit. If you're an F1 nut you'll think it's wonderful. Otherwise, you may find it pretty dull, like I did.

Reading I have some loyalty towards, as it's the nearest half to me. It's come under some criticism (including some from me) because for the last 2 years it's started late. Last year this was caused by the Cortina drivers of Whitley Wood refusing to stop driving along the course, and the police wouldn't allow the race to start till it had been cleared. For 2004 the organisers are starting the race in Whitley so that the area will be cleared first. The course is better next year as there is now only one hill (and not a bad one). Also, the race ends up in the Madejski Stadium which is a nice touch I think. Shades of Berlin and Gothenberg...

But it's a good event. Very large (about 10,000 runners I think) and well marshalled. Nice chunky medal too. Also, they use champion chips, so you get a very accurate time. All in all I'd recommend it. The temporary website is at http://www.readinghalfmarathon.co.uk. It will be replaced by the proper one soon. There are also a couple of long threads on the Runners World forums about Reading 2004.

I should do Reading, but I'm supposed to be doing the Bath Half the following week, and I'm a bit wary about 2 halfs in 2 weeks after injuring myself doing that last year. (The Bath is full now. Overflowing indeed.) Haven't decided yet.

There are plenty of others but I've not done them, so can't speak from personal experience. Wokingham in early Feb is another flat one that I hope to do next year. It coincides with the father-in-law's birthday though, so I'll have to massage the politics before committing myself.

Any other recommendations from anyone?

Andy

[Griff]

Wot!?! You've got no choice Andy. I'm determined to drag a PB out of you in Bath.

[Griff]

As well as Bath this year, I did the Bristol half. I would say that I preferred Bristol to Bath however.

The Bristol course and the organisation seemed a tad better and I finally cracked the sub 2hr barrier.

[El Gordo]

Originally posted by Griff
Wot!?! You've got no choice Andy. I'm determined to drag a PB out of you in Bath.

What do I not have a choice about, Griff? I'm definitely intending to do Bath. It's Reading that I'm not yet sure about.

I agree that a PB at Bath is long overdue.

Cheers

Andy

[Griff]

Errr!........ Misunderstood your post. had a feeling you were going to do Reading in lieu of Bath, possibly.

Cheers mate!

[robertf]

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like the Reading half is the one to aim for . Now...gulp.....I need to take the plunge and apply to enter it! Feel bad about this since I have not yet run more than 6 miles in one go. Still as you say this is agoal to aim for!

thanks
Robert

[El Gordo]

Well done, Robert. Reading's a good choice, as it has a real big-event feel to it.

Reading 2002 was the first race I ever entered, and I was quite nervous about it. You can read the reviews of the race if you dig back to early March this year and last year. I was a bit fed up this year because of the late start, and because I pulled a calf muscle, but once my grumpiness had dissipated I decided it was a great event.

It's a popular choice for London Marathon trainees, and there will be loads of other people doing their first half marathon that day, so you won't be alone.

I always think that if you can do 10 miles you can do a half marathon; the crowd and the occasion lifts you through the other 3 miles. So think in terms of inching your way towards 10 miles. As I said, there's a Hal Higdon training schedule that deals with the distance, so take a look at that.

I'll probably do it again, but if I don't I might volunteer to help out in some capacity. Either way, it would be good to meet up for a... for a cup of water or something like that.

Let us know how the training's going.

Andy

[robertf]

Cheers Andy. To compare notes....what kind of time did you run the Reading? And what is your usual 10k time? I'm now at around 64mins for the 10k, wondering what I should be aiming for realistically for a first half?

[El Gordo]

The first time, in 2002, it was about 2:32. This year was 2:20. If I can eventually do a half in under 2 hours, I'll be happy, but that's a bit of a way off yet.

My 10ks is just a few minutes faster than yours. I've been hovering around 60 minutes all year but haven't quite dipped beneath it. I think I'm about 20 annoying seconds off it still.

As it's your first half marathon, I'd say your primary target should be the distance itself. Just aim to get round comfortably, and to enjoy the experience. As long as you train moderately well, I'd say you can expect to do it in 2:30, plus or minus 5 minutes. If you got very serious about training you could come in well under that time, but to be honest, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that approach. Just aim to steadily increase your fitness, and if possible, do a long run once a week, starting from 5 or 6 miles, and gradually working your way up to 10 miles or beyond. If you can eventually run 13 miles or more in training, all well and good, but as I said earlier, as long as you can get to 10 without self-destructing, you will be absolutely fine. I know 13 might sound like a mountainous task but you'll be amazed at what you can do as long as you approach it intelligently, and follow some kind of plan.

Make sure you keep us informed of your progress.

Cheers

Andy

[Debbie]

I'd add that the half marathon is a really great distance. It feels achievable, but you also get more satisfaction from achieving it than for a 10K.

I did my first this year, the Windsor half. Fantastic, very well organised event. Maximum 6,000 runners, well-marshalled, plenty of water stations and wet sponges, and the entire event was traffic-free, being run all within Windsor Great Park. It WAS somewhat undulating, but nowhere near as bad as I'd feared, and all in all it was a very enjoyable race and one I'd do again. I'd recommend it but it's in September, which is probably too late for you. Why not try a spring half, see how you get on, then you might want to enter an autumn one too!

My goal time was 2 hours but I finished in 1:51:05, which was a definite bonus!

[El Gordo]

Well done Debbie, great time. I've been put off Windsor by all the stories about the hills. Might reconsider for 2004.

Cheers

Andy