Bristol half marathon

5 days ago I ran my first half marathon up in Bristol as did my good friend training partner and motivator Simon (http://runmebaby.blogspot.com/2010/09/lesson-from-bristol.2 little know facts about Bristol 1) It is a great place to view an urban fox 2) It is the centre of excellence for singing Sweet Caroline.

So, how did it go? well I / we enjoyed ourselves, partly due to the freebies at the start parlty due to wearing poncho's ( which are very effective against the rain) and partly due to seeing many pretty girls.

Bristol is a well run event but the scale of the event was much greater than I had imagined, one minute there were a few people milling about on the grass, the next 1000's snaking their way to the start pen.

How is it that running with over 16,000 people you feel so lonely? The plan was to run our own race and aim for a time of approximately 1hr 45 minutes, use one energy gell and keep sippng water, and for the first 7 miles things were on track. funny how seeing so many people having a toilet stop makes you want to too, so it is better to look for the Kenyan runners who glide or the amputee's for encouragement.

The last few miles of the course twist and turn in a random fashion, which is frustrating as you don't seem to make progress and the mile markers take an eternity to pass, so another gell is taken which is exhausting to devower and had little effect. From 10 miles on it was a mental battle with myself to keep going, not a race with the person in front or someone you need to dodge. Absolutly no energy for a sprint finish at the end but I crossed the line in 1 hr 49.50. My first competative half marathon was complete.

With a big event like Bristol the organisation has to be and is very slick. The handing out of T-shirts as a momento, the wrapping up in tin foil, which is as nice as a childs comfort blanket to the much need drink are all very welcome, but, when your are presented with a substantial medal by a stranger who talks to you as if they have known you for years, and says" very well done" the discomfort you were in suddenly dissapears.
You get medals if you have achieved something special, which is why it is right to give one to everyone who finished .13.1 miles is quite a long way.

ever since sunday many thoughts have gone through my head( what is running doing to me!)Distnace running is emotionally hard work, and for now I would like to improve, that is to say

- My techinique, some runners glide with the lightest of touches to the ground, I hope to do that

- My mental strength to get me through the tough times

- My training - to be better prepared and not run on total fear

- My outlook - be a better sportsman, offer encouragement to those you pass because they may pass you later

- Take part in a few more local events.
- Not get too fixated on times, they will come naturally if I address the above points
- enjoy running, try new routes and terains just enjoy the experience

Sure it took a lot out of me, but so many positives came out of the day which really was great and now I don't know how to end, except it was all good, just like the KFC afterwards.