Introducing another of our Bath Half featured runners - 27 Jan 2012
A few weeks ago we asked our runners if anyone would like to share their Bath Half story. We had some really nice responses and so over the coming weeks we will be featuring some of our Bath Half runners in our blog as they prepare for Race Day.
One of the runners who got in touch is Bath Half first timer and running app fan, Martin Borgars, who turns 50 this week. Happy Birthday Martin!
Here is Martin’s Bath Half story:
I saw myself sideways on in the mirror back in the summer, and it shocked me into realising that I had to do something about it. On the same day I had a tweet forwarded to me saying that entries were open for the Bath Half. I saw this as more prompting to get myself in shape.
I decided that I had to be fit by the time I reached fifty (at the end of January 2012), so I signed up for the Bath Half on August 1st.
Having signed up, I wondered how on earth I was going to get in shape enough to be able to run the race. I searched online for some sort of training program, and eventually came across a schedule that had been devised by Stuart Dinwoodie from Chippenham Harriers, http://www.chippenhamhalfmarathon.co.uk/trainingplan_beginners.aspx. It was a 32 week programme. On the day I signed up for Bath Half it was exactly 32 weeks till the actual event.
So far I've stuck to the programme and have lost over a stone in weight. When I started in August I could hardly manage the 5 minutes jog suggested for day 1 of the programme. Yesterday I ran just over 11 miles in 2h:09m which I was extremely pleased with. I'm hoping that time will come down a lot between now and next March.
I have also signed up for the Wyvern Christmas Cracker 10k which is took place in December in Weston-Super-Mare. It was my first race in 32 years and I hoped to complete the course in under an hour and I did – 59m: 39s!
I have been using an app on my mobile called Endomondo which helps me to keep track of my progress on each run. It tracks your route; it tells you how long you took for each mile as you run; it even keeps a record of what music you listened to! It links to the Endomondo website so I can see my PBs, stats and details of all my runs since I started in August.
It's getting harder to get up early in the mornings to go out running these days when it's still dark and a lot colder. I've now bought top and bottom baselayers to keep warm, and a reflective vest so that I can be seen.
I've also had some sports massage as I've needed it to ease the leg muscles. I would highly recommend it.
Let's hope that I arrive at the start line in March fit and raring to go. I'm aiming for a time of under 2h:30m.
Motivation time! - 16 Jan 2012
It has certainly been a much milder winter here in Bath this year; which is always great news for our Bath-Halfers-in-training. However this week the temperatures have plummeted and there has been plenty of early morning windscreen scraping and, I expect, a few less runners heading out each day
We put together a few winter training tips back in November, which may be worth going back to and having a read. The cold air can really impact on many of us as we train –constricting our airways and causing us to feel more ‘out of puff’ as we run. You could try wearing and breathing through a balaclava, scarf or neck warmer, which can help with that ‘burning lung’ feeling
While the weather is chillier, try running (if you can) during the warmer parts of the day when the sun is high, and give your lungs some help with shorter runs on flatter terrain (easier said than done in Bath I know!) Try to focus on breathing steadily
During these freezing days when it feels so much harder to get out and train, many of us can start to feel the pressure of the fast approaching race day. So with that in mind we spent a pleasant hour or so this morning collating some videos of last year’s race to give you a taste of what race day will hold, and how much support will be out there on the streets of Bath
This footage, shot by our runners and our spectators, has been lurking on You Tube for months, but it’s nice to have it all in one place, and we hope it will give you a little boost this week
If the cold weather is all a bit too much, then hitting the treadmill could be the answer for some runners, or just take it a little bit easier if you’re out in the cold. And if you’re running early in the morning, or on an evening, please make sure you can be seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFlRvQ84iU4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hveb-wk18Qk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBMSmcFP9D8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfrmL97PHwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcvh6RtM34&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccZZUFG0aRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCMLhJxrNxk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtKDM92M1u8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzAz6YwCDg&feature=related
Best wishes,
Andrew Taylor
Race Director
Introducing some of our 2012 featured runners - 06 Jan 2012
Introducing some of our 2012 featured runners
A few weeks ago we asked our runners if anyone would like to share their Bath Half story. We had some really nice responses and so over the coming weeks we will be featuring some of our Bath Half runners in our blog as they prepare for Race Day.
This week we’d like to introduce you to three members of Team Biocensus, who will be taking part in the Bath Half as part of a Corporate Challenge Team.
The Corporate Challenge is a team event for businesses, designed to help build teamwork across departments and fitness within the workplace, whilst raising serious money for charity. Runners compete as individuals alongside the general public entrants, whilst also representing their business team.
Ian Vernon
Tim Hounsome
Rich Young
Hello, tell us who you are and a little bit about what you do:
Hello, we’re Tim Hounsome, Ian Vernon and Richard Young. We’re all ecologists and all involved in some way with a local Bath firm called Biocensus.
Why the Bath Half?
We all live in Bath and the Bath Half has a great atmosphere.
Are you first timers or seasoned athletes?
All three of us have run one half marathon before – the Bath Half!
Rich and Tim in 2010 and Ian in 2011.
How’s the training regime going?
It was going really well until Christmas and then I for one (Tim) feel like I’ve put on about a stone! We’ve been out and bought a load of new PE kit in the sales though so nothing can stop us now!
Do you train as a team?
Ian and Tim tend to run together but Rich has to squeeze in his running between a very busy full time job and being father of three children under 6.
Any training tips?
Run lots beforehand, and then rest for a week before the race.
Will you stick together on Race Day or is it every man for himself?
It would be nice to say we'd all run together and cross the finish line holding hands and glowing with a sense of achievement and philanthropic smugness. BUT I reckon it'll be every man for himself. All three of us are quite differently paced.
What's your Race Day aim - new PBs or just getting round?
We're all going for PB's.
Who are you raising money for?
Dorothy House. Tim lost a good friend to cancer this year and she took great comfort from the service that Dorothy House provide. As a result this seemed like an obvious choice.
Thank you for talking to us - we look forward to catching up with you again before the big day
Our favourite stuff on the web - 01 Jan 2012
1st Jan - OUR FAVOURITE STUFF ON THE WEB
So it seems that Christmas has been and gone in the blink of an eye. Did many of you make it out for a run on Christmas Day? It was pretty windy and damp here in Bath - but the temperatures are still mild for this time of year - and certainly warmer than last Christmas
We managed a quick festive break here at Bath Half HQ, but we're now staring down the Race Day barrel and the wheels are well and truly in motion. We've been busy getting ready to send out your race packs and these will start winging their way to you over the coming weeks
While we took a break, we managed to catch up on some of our favourite reading on the web, and thought this might make a good basis for this week's blog post. It's always great to find out what other runners are up to, and to that end we've put together our very own Bath Half Blog Roll
Let us know if we've missed any of your favourite sites and blogs and we'll add those in too - or indeed if you're a running blogger taking part in this year's Bath Half
Lazy Girl Running
http://www.lazygirlrunning.blogspot.com/
A great blog written by a journalist who started running in 2008 and completed her first marathon in April 2010. Her posts are light hearted and filled with her running tales and great advice too. She's very inspiring for all runners starting from a running baseline of zero. She's very obviously, like many of us, well and truly caught by running fever
Warrior Women
http://www.warriorwomen.co.uk/
For all you gadget-geek-runners out there - this is the blog for you. Warrior Woman regularly reviews running gadgets and technology - from watches to shoes - and also reviews the races she takes part in. Well worth a read
Marathon Talk
http://www.marathontalk.com/
Not a blog but a podcast created by runners for runners. Marathon Talk are currently signing runners up to Jantastic - a programme to keep you motivated during the tough winter months. It looks like it will be a lot of fun and is perfectly timed to help you prepare for the Bath Half
Runners World - Yoga for Runners
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/health/welcome-to-our-new-yoga-for-runners-blog/6471.html
In a bid to out-stretch injury, Runners World writer, Kerry McCarthy has taken up yoga. Here he records his yoga journey
Charlie Brooker Becomes A Runner
We recently enjoyed Charlie Brooker's piece in the Guardian about how he became a runner, so thought we would share it with you
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/06/charlie-brooker-becomes-a-runner
Janathon
http://www.janathon.com/
And for any would-be bloggers out there, why not try Janathon, an online campaign to get people running (or any form of exercise really) every day in January, and then blogging about it. Looks like it might be a fun way of getting motivated during the toughest running month of the year
