Bath Half Marathon 2007

This Sunday I competed in the Bath Half Marathon, another event I have now participated in for the second year running.

Having entered last year's race, I was given priority entry this year, and made sure I got my entry in straight away. I was later rather annoyed that the Reading half marathon, another of my favourites from last year, was scheduled for the same day, making it impossible to enter both events.

Given the choice, I may have gone for Bath anyway as it is more of a PB course than Reading, and with the London Marathon just four weeks away, a PB would definitely give my confidence a timely boost.

I wrapped up my training on Wednesday and gave myself 3 well-earned rest days. I also had a rub down with Ali on Friday (still not a pleasant experience but nowhere near as bad as it used to be). I also took care to load up on carbs for a few days, lots of pasta and my beloved jelly babies :)

On Saturday I went to see "I Want Candy" at lunchtime, which, while mildly amusing was a bit of a disappointment. It was advertised as a "British American Pie" but was, I have to say, nowhere near as funny as that classic, or the two sequels that followed it. Still, it helped kill some time and it's nice to see former Eastender Michelle Ryan make the transition to big screen.

After the film I just chilled out at home and watched the England vs Canada one day international. This has been a terrible week for any cricket lover, and whilst I feel they are right to continue with the competition, the 2007 cricket world cup will always be remembered for the murder of Bob Woolmer. Let us hope that the perpetrators of this heinous act are swiftly brought to justice, and let us also hope that the teams now through to the second stage of the competition give us some exciting matches and a tournament that Bob would have been proud of.

I caught a bus from the train station to Bath (no trains at that time, and I wonder how many weekends this summer will be blighted by travelling by bus when I have actually paid to travel by train) and at the station met Daniel, Anthony's twin brother.

I had actually caught up with Anthony at the gym the previous weekend which was really good, I hadn't seen him for a good six months, and he complimented me on the weight loss which made me feel better. He has promised to stay in touch and guide me through the last few weeks approaching "the big day".

I made my way to the race with Daniel and when we got there, one of the things we did was get some pace bands from the lucozade stand (they go round your wrist and tell you what speed you need to do each mile at to arrive at your target time). Unsure whether to go for 1:45 or 1:50, he swiftly told me to forget 1:50 and aim for 1:45. I didn't feel this was very realistic, but no harm in trying I suppose, as long as I don't burn myself out too quickly.

Great Pulteney Street was packed as we assembled for the start, and I had no choice but to start in the 1:45 pen. I was glad to get going and it wasn't until about 3 miles into the race that the crowd started to thin out.

I was keeping the pace at around 8 minute miles for the first 6 or 7 miles quite comfortably but after that it became very hard work. I hadn't enjoyed last year's Bath half due to sore legs, and I knew this year was going to be tough as well, but this time for the right reasons. Somehow I managed to dig deep and keep pushing myself along at the same pace.

A "pit stop" at around mile 9 put paid to any realistic hopes of a 1hr 45 minute finish, but I always feel there is no point trying to run with a full bladder, it will only slow you down. So I braced myself for the last few miles and pushed myself to the end as best I could, even though I was starting to feel slightly faint and really wanted to stop and walk for a while.

In the end I crossed the line with 1:46:36 on my watch, and I later found out my chip time was 2 seconds quicker. So I had beaten my previous PB at this distance by a good 5 minutes, which surely proves I am in better shape for a marathon than I was last year.

I picked up my goodie bag and hung around to watch my brother in law, Richard, cross the line. He was running to raise money for Clic Sargent, a very worthwhile cause. While waiting I saw a few people who had collapsed during the race being taken away in ambulances, which was horrible. Usually this is down to poor preparation or pushing yourself too hard. No one can accuse me of not preparing, but I did wonder how close I was to pushing myself to the point of collapse.

But I hadn't collapsed, I was fine, and so off I went for a burger at Schwarz Bros (best burgers in Bath!!) and a pint before catching the (standing room only) train home. Definitely time for a celebration so I cracked open a few beers and watched "Casino Royale" on DVD and the excellent "Transamerica" later on sky movies. I had earned it.

I knew later I must have worked hard because I was sore for a couple of days after the race, missing my Tuesday track session (horribly hard work but very effective) because of this. But I have trained, because it has been so nice to run in the sunshine after work now that the clocks have gone forward.

Just a few more weeks now, and the big day will be here. And I can tell you, there'll be some celebration after that.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, March 2007

Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon

At the weekend I competed in one of my final races before the London Marathon - the Hogweed Hilly Half.

I picked this because I knew from the comments on the Runners' World website that it would be a more than useful training run; it scored a PB potential of 2/5 and the profile was described as "hilly". Slightly more honest than just "undulating". It also had very positive reviews, which is - albeit in my limited experience - always a good sign.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?en=32534&sp=&v=2

I decided to treat the race as a training run and also to fit in another 6-7 mile run later in the day. I trained every day in the week apart from Monday (even I need some rest after a 20-mile race!) and just took Saturday as a rest day before the race.

I spent a few hours at work Saturday - that may sound really sad but I am starting to get seriously behind which is never good, and it is truly amazing what you get done in a few hours with no interruptions. I managed to fit in a trip to the cinema as well, this time to see "Outlaw", a film about a vigilante gang in Blair's Britain. Not the best film Bob Hoskins has starred in, but entertaining enough, yet at the same time slightly depressing, knowing that we do live in a "yob culture", where custodial and non-custodial sentences are often a joke.

Moving on, I had a good night's sleep before the race and set off. The location wasn't too far from home at all; I drove down the M4 to junction 18 and then travelled about 5 miles to the village of Horton, just outside Chipping Sodbury, where the race HQ and start was located.

I had a little bit too much time to kill before the race but that is always better than being in a rush. Before too long we were ushered to the start line and the horn sounded. The race soon lived up to its description, and uphill stretches were soon followed by downhill ones. In fact, hardly any of it was flat at all. And when your downhill running is as poor as mine, this makes it nigh impossible to run at a decent pace.

Having said that, this was not a course to run round in a hurry, even if I could. On the way I passed through some of the most glorious English countryside and villages I have seen in my life, a timely reminder of why I love this hobby so much. The other runners were all pretty friendly, and on the way I met walkers and horse-riders and everyone seemed in a good mood on this fine spring morning (spring - how nice to use that word in conjunction with running again).

The marshalls especially were fantastic, handing out water at regular intervals - I was careful to stay hydrated during the race - and jelly babies as well. I plan to do some marshalling myself this year to try and give a little bit back to the sport.

In the end I finished in roughly 1 hour 58 minutes, which I was quite pleased with considering the course - the hill at mile 8 finished any hopes of getting close to my PB -, and the fact that it was only ever intended as a training run.

At the end I received a goody bag with a difference - a smart shoe bag with the name of the race and the running club on it. A very original and useful memento, much better than a medal. I also availed myself of a free massage, which was very welcome as my legs were sore not just from the race but a hard week's training.

I did manage a 6-7 mile run in the evening which was fairly painless, so another confidence builder for London. No alcohol to celebrate, as this was just another day's training and I wanted another decent run the next day.

So that was the last of the "tough training" races that I shall be doing for London, and I'm feeling in pretty good nick. Next up is the Bath half marathon on 25th March (where I shall be hoping for a new PB) and the White Horse half marathon the following weekend. I won't have recovered from Bath to get a PB but it is a flat and fast course by all accounts. Throw in a 5-mile race at Highworth the week before the big day and a couple more really long runs and I'm ready and raring to go.

At this stage I have to say I'm really looking forward to London and am quietly confident I shall get round painlessly and in a fairly respectable time. I'm also looking forward to the summer that follows, where I can just enjoy my running and focus on improving my half marathon and 10k times.

So all in all, lots to look forward to.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, March 2007

Gloucester 20 Mile Race

This weekend I competed in the longest race I have done since the marathon last year - the Gloucester 20 mile race.

I was due to compete in the Devizes 10k and had already sent off my application. I was a bit disappointed as when I heard about the Gloucester 20 mile race I knew it would be a much better training run for London (as much as I wanted to do the Devizes race - I used to spend a lot of time there when young and it would have been great to see a bit of the town and countryside.

When I did the Tough Ten Mike Sas, a friend from work and the Swindon Harriers, said he might do the Devizes 10k and enter on the day - suddenly a solution had presented itself to me - let Mike take my race number, so I would be free to enter the Gloucester 20 mile race and not lose money.

I wrapped up my training on Wednesday, although to be honest, none of the sessions I did last week were that hard - I was surprisingly sore from Bourton and missed the track session on Tuesday.

This meant I had three days' rest before the race, partly due to the fact that I was in London on Thursday for the day. I went to see "Sound of Music" in the evening with the MAN ERF Sports and Social Club, but instead of just going up for the musical I took a day's leave and spent the day in the capital.

In the afternoon I went to see a play called "Treats" starring Billie Piper and Kris Marshall (My Family). I actually really enjoyed it; the acting was good and the dialogue cracking. Ms Piper goes from strength to strength in my estimation and I really admire the way she is managing her career and her image - any woman to get divorced from a multi-millionaire and NOT fleece him for all he is worth is all right in my book.

Needless to say I had a few beers during the course of the day, which is not ideal preparation for a race I know, but it got worse on Friday when I had to attend Suzie's leaving do - she has made the brave decision to move on to pastures new, feeling she has nothing worth staying in Swindon for. Bearing in mind her age, her lack of commitments and the qualifications she possesses, who can really blame her?

And yes, I had to go - when it's my turn to go I want my friends to turn up for my leaving do and enjoy themselves, so I have to do the same for them. It was a good evening, we had a private room at the Apartment in Swindon, and later on the hardened party animals - me, Suzie, Tamara, Ajaz, and a few people I don't know so well - moved on to the Walkabout.

It was a cracking evening but Saturday was spent nursing a hangover. In my case, this meant re-hydrating as much as possible. I managed a trip to the cinema to see "The Illusionist" which was good, but something a little more "leave your brain at the door" might have been better at that juncture.

I had a really terrible night's sleep Saturday. I don't know if it was the nerves, the alcohol the night before, or having strange people in the house (my lodger had a friend from Holland over) but I didn't get much kip at all, 4 or 5 hours at the most. I honestly thought about turning off the alarm and going back to sleep, and that might have been the safest thing to do (it was a good hour's drive) but I really, really wanted to do this race to find out what sort of shape I am in.

The journey was not too bad, as much as I dread driving when I'm tired. I found the place easily enough and arrived in good time. The weather was awful and wasn't going to get any better. It was raining and there were strong winds about.

Soon we were off and I already had a pre-meditated plan to go at a nice gentle pace, anything around 9 or 10 minute miles would be fine. It wasn't about getting a time, it was about running all the way round if I could and seeing how I felt at the end.

Whilst the distance made it hard work, it was quite pleasant to run at a steady pace and enjoy the lovely countryside. It was also one of the friendliest races I've done, and at several points found myself chatting or sharing a joke with some of the other runners.

The weather wasn't that much of a hindrance as it turned out, it wasn't as cold as it seemed once I got going and the rain was never that heavy. Wearing my running cap proved a brainwave, as it kept the rain out of my hair and face. The worst problem was the wind, and I was nearly taken off my feet at one point.

As it turned out, I didn't have to walk at any point during the race (except at water stations and to make a call of nature), not even on some of the hills, and whilst the last couple of miles were tougher than most, I didn't find myself slowing down. I crossed the line with 3 hours 9 minutes on my watch, which I'd have more than happily taken before the start.

At this point I realised this was an excellent training exercise for London; whilst I had worried my running had gone downhill after the last marathon it seems I am now stronger than I was then. The gruelling training sessions I am doing - longer speed sessions round the lake, body pump plus running - are paying off, as is the policy of picking tough races to use as training runs.

I still have 7 weeks to make myself lighter, stronger and faster and should be on the start line for London in pretty decent shape. As I write I have managed a decent track session without feeling too sore after the race, which I didn't think would be possible this week.

I have another tough race this weekend - the Hogweed Hilly Half - and then have the Bath and White Horse half marathons before London. Throw in a few more good long runs (without getting lost!) and I'll be on the start line for London feeling confident.

I certainly hope so - the experience is going to be amazing, and I want to enjoy it to the full.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, March 2007

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