Bath Half Marathon

[El Gordo]

Thanks for the excellent reports, guys. I had to finally admit defeat on Saturday lunchtime after my three mile run exposed the calf problems again.

Nigel - I hear that the Bath Tourist Board have a vacancy in their PR Dept, which you may want to consider. I felt like changing my holiday plans after reading your report. Well done on another PB. You're in good form at the moment, in every way.

Griff - congratulations on the first half. One of the best things about the first time at a distance of course, is that it guarantees a PB, so well done on that... I've got a bit of catching up to do. You're a year or so older than me but 18 minutes faster at the half distance. My target for the year is 2:10, and if I can eventually get below 2 hours, I think I'd be happy, in the same way that 4:30 is a notional distant target for the marathon. One of the encouraging things you read is that regardless of the age you start running, you can expect to keep on improving for 7 years or so.

You're right about always learning things from races. There are different categories of learning as well: pace and race strategy, nutrition and hydration, clothing and equipment, raceday logistics, choice of event, and so on.

The chafed thighs problem was one of the first problems I encountered - and solved - when my runs got longer. I tried Vaseline for a while, and it does work, but it's a bit messy. Instead I hit on the perfect solution for me, and that was to wear a pair of lycra shorts under my running shorts. They provide a physical barrier between your thighs, so no chafing is possible.

I'm also looking to do the Bristol Half on Sept 7th, 2 weeks before the GNR. Keep us posted if you plan to do it, and we could have another go at meeting up. Other halfs in the South West that I had pencilled in in sort of feint, dotted lines, are Plymouth and Exeter in May, though I suspect I'll get to neither.

No medal at Bath? That's terrible news. Normally it's a prerequisite for me entering a race.

But again, well done both of you and perhaps we'll all be there next year.

Andy