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
