Half marathon - any one doing one?

[Cherryminx]

There was a thread last year which I looked at in admiration as I struggled through C25K and then went on to run a 10K. So I can hardly believe that in a fit of madness I've signed up for a half Marathon in May.

Training starts tomorrow! Would anyone like to join me?

Ooch fiftynine, you are both the walking wounded. Hope the shoulder recovers and you haven't done anything serious to it. The night run sounds like fun.

Great going emummy, chutney and Jaggy. I have a similar view to you Jaggy that we should be as proud of completing the horrible runs were you constantly want to quit as much as a pb run.

Not long at all now chutney :)

Mine is 6 days away!! Did 7 miles yesterday and have two quick runs this week planned. Feeling a bit unprepared now with this minging cold setting me back a bit last week and still not 100%. On the upside the weather is looking ok on the long range so far. How are you getting on Sven?

Oooh Sirona I didn't realise yours was coming up so soon!

4 weeks until Sheffield for me. I will need my shoulder fixed by then so I can use my arms to get me up the hills

Another Garmin user here. Mines older now and discontinued the forerunner 110. I keep looking at the newer ones I like the idea of the live tracking so dh and dcs don't miss me finishing. Although I don't need a new one
All my training runs are done now. I didn't do wednesdays run as I started to feel like I was getting cystitis so spent the day drinking water and cranberry juice. All good by Friday so got out and ran 5k.
Now just waiting for Sunday to come round and the ridiculous time I need to be up and leaving.
The half starts at 8.30am I live an hour away from it so need to be leaving 7 at the latest.

Thanks for the Garmins tips everyone!

I think the basic Garmin is all I need too. Although I did spend a while reading about the Fenix 3 at £400! Definitely don't need that...

I assume that you can swap the settings on them so you can use kilometres to measure distance rather than miles? One of them said it does a beep for you at each mile and flashes your pace for it up, that would be great for me, but if I could change it to km.

I hope you're both feeling better today FiftyNine. Winced reading that, you poor things.

Let's hope the weather stays looking good Sirona. Hopefully this cold will pass entirely the next day or so, they do seem to be hanging around this year for longer than normal.

That is early Sven. Will you have to be up even earlier to eat, though I guess the journey will give it time to settle. Exciting

It's easy to switch my Garmin between km and miles, just really annoying when I forget Aye. I'd not thought of the live tracking being useful for that Sven. Like you I don't need new one but.... The DC are quite keen on mine so I was tempted to upgrade. I quite liked the idea of the heart rate zones for intervals, but not essential by any means! Thinking about it not making excuses I guess the live tracking is handy if you're out in the middle of nowhere. Which I often am.

If anybody’s interested, I work for a charity with places available for the Great North Run in September. They have paid the entry fee, and ask that entrants raise a minimum sponsorship amount of £200 for the charity. The charity is CICRA (Crohn’s in Childhood Research Association).

Hello. Can I join in? I have signed up for a HM in September. I have kept it quiet in RL for the time being just in case for whatever reason I decide not to do it so it will be nice to talk about it somewhere.

Hello all and welcome Lenoxo.

Everyone seems to be ramping up the distances and I am too. I did a long post about it the other day but looking back I can't see it.

So to repeat myself did a lovely 9 miler on Friday - quite a lot of off road on a coastal path and through woods and then 5 miles on Sunday. Have a v busy week this week and not sure how I'm going to fit everything in - I thought I might get up early tomorrow but have now stayed up late gazing at MN ....

Until recently I had a pedometer that measures speed and distance but have borrowed a Garmin a few times recently and a bit disappointed to find that my pedometer over estimates distance. Not badly but once you go over 8 or 9 miles the error gets magnified. I like the Garmin but sometimes find that the miles drag when you are constantly "clock watching". With the pedometer I don't know how far I've run till the end so just keep plodding onwards.

Sirona - can't wait to hear how you get on at the weekend. Good luck if I don't post before you run.

Welcome Lenoxo :) Is it your first hm? I know what you mean about not telling anyone, I've done that before.

Your 9 miles sound lovely through the woods and along the coast cherry.

Thank you, I'll need all the luck I can get

Throat is red and sore so I'm boiling loads of ginger tea with lemon and honey and eating strepsils. Long as it doesn't go into my chest or I get a temp I can run with a sore throat, did it last time (why oh why do I always get sick before an event?) I'll just have to adjust my wanting a specific time for taking it easy, getting round and enjoying the scenery but that's ok by me.

Best of luck for Sunday as well sven if I miss you before then!

Sirona - hope you feel better soon. Being ill before nig race is vvv annoying. Sven - good luck too!!

Morning run did not happen. Wondering if can fit in an evening one tomorrow between getting home from work and book gp.

Yes, it is my first HM. I did a 10k in 2013. Time to get back to running and move onto the next stage.

Hello lenoxo

I haven't read the full thread, is this everyone's first HM? I had a bit of a moment the other day, feeling all pleased with myself after the 10k the other day, then realising that the HM would be like running the same again plus a bit more....gulp! Legs have stopped aching now, so back out for a shortish run tonight.

sirona hope you're better in time for the race.

Cherry running after work and before book group would earn lots of smug points

Sven I also have the old garmin 110. DH has one of the smaller newer ones - is it the 10? I like the idea of live tracking, I too am often out in the middle of nowhere. And loved it when I ran my marathon and people saw me coming over the line . Hope you're tapering nicely

chutney my shoulder feels a lot better thank you. I did a short run last night to try it out and felt OK both at the time and this morning.

Sirona I really hope you are feeling better you poor thing.

Welcome lonoxo

igottastart I think we are a mixture of first timers and more experienced HM runners, but all are welcome here!

DS and my bibs have arrived for Sheffield, I'd forgotten that our names are on them. Very smart. DS reckons he'll do it in under 2 hours. I won't.

Cherryminx DH and I both have FitBit ones and there's a definite difference between our distances, we most notice it at parkrun. I think it's fairly internally consistent, although actually I've not tested that. I feel an experiment coming on. That said, I think my Garmin is pretty good but the other day it seemed to think I'd taken a few trips out and back across the canal.

How frustrating Sirona. I always think whisky helps. Hope the ginger knocks it on the head but not the mental prep you need.

Welcome Lonoxo - we talk a lot so you've come to the right place

Two hours! Damn these whippy youngsters FiftyNine, so lovely you're both doing it though.

This will be my first HM Igotta. It's the first anniversary this week of my first 5k run, a charity one. Will be celebrating by doing the 10k version with the whole family. What a difference a year makes! I really wanted to do the local big HM which is in September but as I was starting out training in January it felt a way off so found one next month. I figure I can benchmark this one then improve my time (hopefully) in September.

Gosh, lots of training going on!
I'm still going hard at it, trying to do 3 short (7-8km) through the week and a long run on Sunday mornings with my group. But its been hard the last couple of weeks because I'm really tired (which is probably down to bad diet! ) but my long runs are going well, so that's good.
This weekend though, I'm supposed to be running 18km with the group but DH is away for the weekend, so I can't leave the kids to go, so I'm going to have to do it by myself when he gets back. I am so not good at running by myself!
The good news is it has cooled down here, its been so humid and hot! I have never wished summer away before!

Only my second official one Igotta, have done the distance a few more times in training. 10k is really good :) I think I found getting to the 10k one of the most challenging distances, that and hitting the 9 miles. The rest seemed easier for some reason.

Fair play LadyC I could never run in the heat at all, it kills me. Possible to wear earphones and listen to some music, book or podcast to keep you company?

chutney Whisky cures most ills... for the night. The next day I find I'm tackling still being sick and a hangover together. I might treat myself to a wee hot one tomorrow night.

Glad the shoulder is better fiftynine. When is Sheffield? I think it sounds great you get to share the experience.

Thanks all. I was getting better - gargling salt water helped my throat a lot but feeling a bit sore again today. Judging from the comments on the hm facebook page I'm not the only one with this annoying cold that comes and goes. Shin annoying me slightly too but not going to moan about it anymore. I'll neck a couple of ibuprofen for both if needs be and I'm damn well doing it :)

I really thought yesterday I would have to pull out of running the half on Sunday
I have cystitis I was in agony yesterday severe pain, blood in wee, temperature and felt really rough. Went to the drs and got antibiotics a 5 day course so I'm covered for the half. The dr was very good and said if I haven't got better in 24 hours come back and we will try another antibiotic.
24 hours later I feel great. slight discomfort when going to the toilet but no blood, temperature all gone
Its been years since I've had it last and thought typical to get it now.

Oh no Sven, UTIs are absolutely horrid, poor you. Make sure you rest loads over the next two days as I find they really take it out of me. Sounds like you caught it in the nick of time as it responded to the abs quickly. Hopefully by tomorrow even the discomfort will be away.

Hope everyones training is going well this weekend and you are ok Sven. Best of luck for tomorrow!

Sub 2 hour in the bag :) Only about 5 minutes or so, waiting on chip time coming through but that's the Garmin reading. Ran past the 2 hour pacers at the start and made sure I tried to keep them behind me. Also pb my 10k time to bring it to 52 mins and I feel chuffed about that.

Really enjoyed it, much more than my first one and didn't feel like barfing at the end this time Shin started niggling about three miles but just ignored it, hip flexor about ten miles I'll probably pay for it tomorrow but right now I'm feeling fine and having a cider :) Am going to book a sports massage this week.

Caught in the what to do now doldrums - there's nothing near me for a few months.

Huge well done Sirona that's absolutely brilliant . Fantastic to have PB'd your 10K and HM times

You need to find something so you can make the most of your fitness hope it doesn't hurt too much tomorrow.

Sven I hope you are feeling better and well enough to go tomorrow.

parkrun for me today, relatively speedy by my standards, and hoping to get out for 8-10 tomorrow.

Fantastic Sirona what a great result! Hope you're not too achy tomorrow. Enjoy that well earned cider!
Aiming for 14 miles tomorrow, need to be up early, yuck

Just wrote a long post and deleted it by accident. Gah!!!

Fab result Sirona. Hope the cider was lush.

Good luck Sven. Hope the UTI is better and that all goes well for you tomorrow.

I did 10 miles today on one of my favourite routes - up a big hill, through the woods and then down the hill and over the fields. Nice now the ground is drying out after all that rain. Took some dextrose tablets with me which seem to help and are easy to eat whilst running. Only one loo stop - have got to crack that in the next 56 days ...

Oh wonderful Sirona, brilliant stuff. Bet that cider tasted very good.

Hope all's well with you Sven and very best of luck today.

That route sounds fabulous CherryMinx. I can live without seeing mud until next winter!

Hope you can get out today FiftyNine

Charity 10k for me today, so hopefully a bit faster than my plodding long runs have been!

Hope your 10K goes well chutney

Sun is shining here so I am off out. Am going to stay on the flat along the river because my shoulder feels a bit stiff after parkrun yesterday.

Sven hope you're going well, come and tell us how it went.

Very good luck with your 10k chutney.

Sounds like a great route cherry. I love dextrose tablets although I find them a bit powdery to eat when running.

Your shoulder still annoying you fiftynine? You must have really hurt it falling.

Thanks all, the cider did go down well, the hot whisky even better and I am sore and stiff today. May hunt out the instrument of torture foam roller. Have tough mudder to start training for now so going to try and keep a long run of 10 miles every other week, maybe start trying some trial running, and concentrate on the strength training for a while.

Enjoy all your runs today, beautiful day for it here. Am looking out the window and my trainers forlornly :)