Bath Half Marathon Puns

### Race information

**What?** Bath Half Marathon

**When?** 17th March 2019

**How far?** 13.1 Miles

**Website?** https://bathhalf.co.uk/

**Official time** 1:26:03

**Strava profile** https://www.strava.com/athletes/29822817

### Goals

| Goal | Description | Completed? |

|------|-------------|------------|

| A |<1:30 | *Yes* |

| B |Negative Split | *Yes* |

### Splits

| Kilometer | Time |

|------|-------------|

| 1 | 3:49 |

| 2 | 3:56 |

| 3 | 4:09 |

| 4 | 4:04 |

| 5 | 4:09 |

| 6 | 4:00 |

| 7 | 4:13 |

| 8 | 4:02 |

| 9 | 4:08 |

| 10 | 4:00 |

| 11 | 4:01 |

| 12 | 4:06 |

| 13 | 4:06 |

| 14 | 4:10 |

| 15 | 4:04 |

| 16 | 4:04 |

| 17 | 3:51 |

| 18 | 3:54 |

| 19 | 3:46 |

| 20 | 3:52 |

| 21 | 3:56 |

### Training

I loosely followed Hal Higdon's advanced training plan. This can be found here: https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/half-marathon-training/advanced-half-marathon/. I play squash for my University (around 3000 squash levels for those interested) so I have had to juggle running training with squash training. Squash at least gave me a good base fitness. The main runs I would get in the week were tempo runs, a long run on the weekend and pace runs. I felt these were the most important. The 2hr long runs I managed to get in 25km for each. Definitively helped with the last 5km in the race. I also feel like my mindset played a big part in my training. I learned to love running and giving it my best in every session (Get used to being uncomfortable!). I trained by myself for the most part which was a struggle during winter, but I enjoyed the time alone!

### Pre-race

Race started at 11am. Woke up at 7:30, had a couple Weetabix and a banana. Had my big carb meals 2 days leading up to race day. Girlfriend was over that weekend to support. I had bought Overcooked the game the day before and she absolutely loved it and insisted we didn’t move up a level until we 3-starred it. So at 9am we played a few games! 9:30 we headed to the Runner’s Village, did a warm up and stretches before heading to the start line at 10:45 and taking my first gel that had some caffeine. I was lucky enough to get selected for the sub 90 pen as I had run a half marathon last year in 1:34 in Torbay, Devon.

### Kilometers [1] to [3]

Gun goes off an

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 72%. (I'm a bot)

> The Bath half marathon has gone ahead despite an outcry over it taking place during the coronavirus crisis.

> Rew Taylor, director of the Bath half said he had not received any advice from public health officials not to go ahead. He said the advice from the experts - Public Health England and the local commissioning care group - had been &quot;Consistent that this is a low-risk event, with absolutely no reason for it not to go ahead&quot;.

> On the Bath half marathon&#039;s Facebook page some 1,800 people left comments, with a large number against the decision to go ahead. Many hundreds more have also spoken out on Twitter.

> Lizzie Passingham said she was running with a special educational needs pupil from Three Ways School in Bath along their own route from Saltford towards Bristol with the school dog.

> &quot;We&#039;re getting together some old Bath half kit - a medal, shirt, goodie bag and a finishing tape for him so that he&#039;s still able to experience the &#039;event&#039; as best he can,&quot; she added.

> Were supportive of the run being held, saying it was &quot;One last hurrah for Bath before lockdown&quot;.

Summary Source | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Bath^#1 run^#2 ahead^#3 half^#4 health^#5

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Was running in the Houston marathon/half marathon this morning, great turn out, active crowd. it was fantastic!

Only downside and not even for me really, but tons of cups on the ground and not even around the trash cans. This isn't specific to Houston as this happens at every event. I think we can all relate. The worst is some people were throwing them the opposite direction of the trash cans just because it was more convenient. I've always just dealt with it and wondered why so many people do this.

The reason I'm making the post is because I was running behind a guy who had a good pace going. I'm guessing the person in front of him decided to stop abruptly, (which a lot of people were doing. It's a large event, it's to be expected) and he tried not to bump into them he ended up trying to get out of the way and stepped on a cup. He slipped and stumbled, let out a scream held his knee and dropped to the side of the race unable to move and obviously in severe pain. Just a terrible way to get a DNF on a race he seemed to be doing good in. Worse would be if his injury was bad enough that he tore something and needed surgery.

Don't know who this stranger is, but I feel for him and hope he's doing ok. I think we should all try to do better with cups because a freak accident like this could happen to anybody.

Back to Europe we go the the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland! So get in line, grab a cup of tea or a pint, and instead of the weather, I’ll be talking about the Bath Half Marathon.

&nbsp;

#Bath Half Marathon

Date: March 4, 2018

Location: Bath, United Kingdom

Years running: 36

# of Finishers: 12,586 (2017)

Course Records:

Robert Wambua Mbithi (KEN) 1:01:45

Elizabeth Yelling (GBR) 1:09:28

###AREA/REGION

In the county of Somerset, Bath is located on the southwest region of the island of Great Britain. Home to about 88,859 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Founded by the Romans as a spa, Bath was an important centre of the wool industry in the medieval period, and a spa town in the 18th century therefore the city is preserved for its history, Roman remains and Palladian architecture

/u/Qrszx was nice enough to help out this week so below is some things he suggested for people to do if visiting

• Take a tour of the Roman Baths for which the city was named
• Travel to Stonehenge which is just an hour drive away
• Go to nearby Bristol which has its own great culture and nightlife (huge reggae, hip hop and punk scenes) along with gorgeous scenery
• Cheddar Gorge is also a really fun outing that includes famous caves (and cavepeople!), the origin of the cheese and more beautiful vistas.

So despite Bath being a relatively small city, there is still a wide variety of activities that you can take advantage of if you decide to visit the city including taking part in the wonderfully fast Bath Half Marathon.

###RACE PROFILE [Course map](http

Race information

• What? Bath Half Marathon
• When? March 12th, 2017
• How far? 13.1 miles
• Where? Bath, England
• Website: http://bathhalf.co.uk/

Goals

Pictures

• Me and my friend post race (I'm on the right)

Splits

(The official distance was obviously 13.1 miles but these are the splits I took from the app on my phone, the GPS recorded a different distance.)

About the half marathon

Bath is a reasonably small city in west country England, and the half marathon is by far the biggest event that happens here each year. This year it attracted around 12,000 runners. The course is very flat and fast, and is commonly used to try and beat PB’s by the elites. It consists of two identical loops around the river Avon, with about an extra mile or so at the beginning and end to the start/finish line.

Training

My training was very limited and very much left to last minute. I have a decent base level of fitness due to playing a fair amount of sports at Uni, and I occasionally will go on runs around the distance of 4-5k. However, due to January exam stress and laziness, I left training until very late. I live in Bath and am able to easily access the route, so my training mostly consisted of running the course to work the distance up and try to get a feel for the course. I ran a shorter version of the loop a total of 5 times which ended up being roughly 4.7 miles, and a 9 mile and 12 mile version of the course. The first time I ran the 4.7 mile loop was a month before the race, before that I had done zero training so I was definitely cutting it fine!

Miles [1] to [6]

The first few miles felt really good. The app I was using to track my run was giving me my splits each mile through my earphones, and I was very pleased with my pace. I was slightly aware that I was going too fast and that I wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace, but I felt like I had a lot of energy to spare so at the time I wasn’t too bothered. The o

So, I want to say that I used to run a half-marathon every Saturday and what I feel after two hours and a good cold shower is a mix of laughing and crying, cold good chills, no hungry at all, a blessed mood, etc. Feels like nothing else matters. So, you marathon runners, how do you describe it?

Half marathoners can tell if you relate with my description.

Race information

• What? Bath Half Marathon (my first)
• When? 12 March 2017
• How far? 13.1 miles
• Where? Bath, UK
• Website: http://www.bathhalf.com

Goals

Pictures

• I'm number 7062, my mate is 3668. This was at the finish, after he'd talked me into sprinting the last few hundred yards.

Splits

Training

This was my first half-marathon, and in fact my first attempt at running anything further than about 5k. I've never been a runner, preferring things like the rowing machine or bike, and I've previously done a half-marathon on the rowing machine.

I hadn't run for around 5 years, and hadn't done any exercise full stop for nearly 2 years. I blame having two kids in that period, which really saps your energy. A few mates had run the Bath Half previously, and I got talked into it by them, along with a few other non-runner friends in our group.

I figured I would follow a 12-week plan, but unfortunately had to condense it into 9 weeks as I had some minor surgery and the doctor told me not to exercise for 2 weeks subsequently. I followed a plan I found online (PDF) which called for 3 runs per week, as I thought I could condense that by doing 4 per week instead.

It started well, although I still shudder at that first 30 minute run and how frequently I had to stop. I did 4 runs per week for 5 weeks, and gradually found my pace (5:45km / 9:10mile) which I could maintain. That would put me right around the 2hr mark.

Life got rather in the way towards the end, and over the last few weeks I was only able to do long runs each weekend, and nothing during the week. The longest training run I did was 12 miles, and I felt relatively confident g

Obviously I started training before I stopped drinking but holy wow is it easier to find time to run when I’m not trying to schedule around benders.

I can't get the race report template to work, so my apologies there.

Date: December 31, 2021 Location: Central IL Distance: 13.1 miles Finishing time: 2:27:50

Goal one: finish it without dying or calling someone to scape me off the pavement Goal two: sub 2.5 hours

Pre-run: I don't have a history of running (tried a few times but it didn't stick) I started running consistently 4 months ago. My schedule is 1 long run a week, 2 short runs, 1 strength day that's 20-40 min. I didn't follow a particular training program but consulted a lot of them and roughly stuck to 10% or lower weekly increases. I've been fully focused on building a base and strength training to avoid injury, not focused on speed yet.

Run: I started slow hitting my times consistently. Though I ran the first mile or two slowish I tried padding a little extra time in on miles 3-6 suspecting I'd struggle at the end. I fueled the same way I did on my long training runs, 1/2 a pack of energy gummies every 2 miles and a few sips of water. Around mile 8 the wind really started picking up and I changed my route to stay in neighborhoods instead of a more open area I had planned. By mile 10 I was really having troubles with my left glute and could tell a problem area on my foot had likely blistered but clearly I wasn't going to let 3 miles get the best of me. I don't typically run through pain because I don't want to push myself to injury but I was determined to finish this damn run. My times on the last 3 miles suffered but I'm accepting it on a first go at this distance and I still hit my goal time.

Post-run: sore as expected but feeling pretty great. I don't have pain anywhere in particular. My foot did blister and is pretty ugly but I was planning to take a few days off after this run so hopefully I can get it under control.

I'm honestly still in a little shock because yes, the run was hard but somewhere in my mind is a voice that still says a half marathon is completely ridiculous, no one does that. But I DID THAT! Next year I'm going to bump up to 4 runs a week and incorporate some yoga into my schedule but for now I'm ordering pizza from my favorite place and chowing down.

Happy new year everyone, thanks to this whole community for being such a great resource!!

So I had a really good friend of mine who had registered for a half marathon in March, pass away over the holidays. He was just getting into shape and was really excited for it. He obviously can't run it anymore but I'd like to take his place in his honor.

The thing is, i'm not much of a runner and said marathon is 9 weeks away. I can comfortably run 3 miles but I've never run more than that in one go. Am I in over my head here? I've viewed some 8 week plans that maybe give me some hope but I just don't see myself being able to run that much. Is it ok if I walk some of it? Could I possibly achieve a jogging pace the whole time? Any suggestions? I'm 27, 5'7", and 170lbs. I've never had a serious injury but I do get shin splints.

Edit: I just want to thank everyone for the kind words and encouragement! I'm probably not going to have the best time but I'm crossing that finish line!

Hi All,

Today I ran a half marathon distance!

I began running in July 2021 as a slightly overweight 42 male - 80kg at 5ft 10.5in.

I changed my diet completely as I was eating so many carbs and sugar my dad bod was in full flow!

I work at a desk all day and did no exercise so knew I had to change my lifestyle. I was unfit.

I started the NHS UK “couch to 5k” plan listening to the podcasts, running 3 times a week. It took me 8 weeks to do that.

I didn’t know what to do after so just kept adding 10% for a while and doing that 3 times a week before increasing it again.

I got to 10k and then did a 11k in 50/55 mins. I didn’t know whether to keep going distance wise or focus on speed at 5/10k. Someone suggested a half marathon training plan and thought they were mental. After a week or so I figured why not.

I was using cheapish ASICS Gel Contend 5 £50 for most of it so in the last two weeks treated myself to ASICS Novablast 2. I also bought some compression tights and thermal compression tops, snood and gloves to cope with winter climate. Still on the hunt for a cheapish jacket.

For the last 8 weeks I’ve followed the runners world 2 hour half marathon training plan but also skipped a week as I wanted it done by Christmas. I still have 2 weeks to go and was planning on doing the final half marathon on Christmas Eve but not sure I will after today. Maybe I will but at a slower pace!

Anyway I ran the distance today at 1 hour 49 mins and I’m very happy with that. For a break down here’s the Strava Link

I think I’ve found a proper hobby I can continue with to make sure I get my exercise in and not sit at my desk all day eating too much chocolate. My wife and kids think I’m having a mid life crisis and am now too skinny but overall I’m very happy with my progress.

Thanks to all the info here that I’ve found very useful and to Vlad Ixel’s strength and training videos.

Keeeeeeep running!!!

The half I signed up for is in 12 weeks from now - any advice to make sure I don’t completely fail my first half?

Background: Started my training from 0 this past October. I am currently running 3-4 miles comfortably about 3x a week. End of this week, I’ll be doing my first 6 mile long run.

So nervous! Advice welcome. Am I on the right track (if you will)?

——

Edit: Thank you all SO much for the wonderful advice, encouragement and feedback. I honestly feel so lucky to be part of such a supportive community!

Full results here: https://track.rtrt.me/e/HOU-2022#/tracker

Spoilers in thread

I started running in November of 2020, and then immediately succumbed to a pinched nerve and had to rehab for 2 months while I relearned to walk. The pressure on my nerve disabled my right leg, and I knew this injury was recurring because I had let my weight get out of control.

I knew I needed to lose weight (I was 285-290 at the time) to avoid this becoming a recurring issue. COVID meant no gyms, no classes and a tiny NY apartment meant it was hard to do anything at home. So that left running.

I was always one of those "oh I hate running, I'm not a runner" people before I started, but I was so scared by my injury that I knew I needed to push through.

I did runkeeper's couch to 5k, and while it took longer than it should have, I didn't make a ceremony of the 5k. I just did it one day when I felt good. It was a 31 minute run

Same for my first 10k, just had a good running day in Central Park so pushed for it and got it. That was a 1:04:49. I started thinking I could go further and further, that I could hit some of the longer races and not just struggle through.

But for my Half I decided I wanted a bit more pomp and circumstance. I set up a training program (Runkeepers' have worked really well for me) and started doing it. I was running 6-7 days a week, but never really had any wear and tear or injuries (good shoes are so critical, Brooks are my choice) so I kept it going with a goal of running it in November at a sub 2:30 pace.

Then I got COVID in August, so had to pause for a while. While I was vaxxed, the virus immediately knocked me back ~50% in my cardio, I went from 12-14km runs to struggling through 6km.

I tried to give myself permission to pause, I'd seen this linear drop in my weight & my times and a steady climb in distance per week, per month. Seeing myself go backwards was so hard, I was afraid I'd "lose it" and go back to who I was before.

But the most important thing was just to stay consistent, vaxxed COVID still sucks, but once I tested negative I was able to run again, not as fast or for as long, but I kept my habits.

My target changed and I picked the Big Apple Half Marathon in Central Park on December 11th. I had put together a few long runs on flat ground with a 5:40/km pace so I started dreaming about running a sub 2:00 Half Marathon.

On race day, it was an unseasonably warm day, I wore bad clothes (leggings & a running jacket in 57 degree weather) and I had done next to no hill training, so multiple runs of Harlem Hill

Anyone else here running Fred Lebow next week? Just finished my last long run of training. This is my first race ever after picking up running in March 2020, hoping to go sub-2 hours

Any tips from those who've run this before? I live near the park and did almost all my training there, so I'm well acquainted with the hills. Still not looking forward to doing Harlem Hill 3x during the race, especially on mile 13 😖

Anyway, hope to see some of y'all out there next week!

update: alternated running and walking, discovered i love running but i need more endurance. beat my personal goal of 3hrs 30 mins (was originally 4hrs but I changed it at mile 7 because my pace was a lot faster than i expected). most importantly, i proved to myself that i am more resilient than I ever thought i could be.

my first one i walked because i had to be my moms therapist the whole time and she didnt train enough to even jog. this one im gonna give my all.

I do intermittent fasting. I usually have coffee in the morning, poop, take a few meetings, then go for a morning run. I have run an actual race yet but have felt pretty comfortable running 8 miles while fasted. Weirdly (or maybe not that weird), I feel sluggish if I run after eating (not immediately after but like 2-3 hrs after lunch for example). I plan on running a half marathon in March. Should I start getting used to eating before my runs? What should I eat the morning of the race? Would it be insane to just drink juice on the morning of the race and just refuel with gels?

Info on Today’s Half Marathon!

• 29/M, 194 lbs (88 kgs)
• Total Time (PR!): 01:54:19
• Avg Heart Rate: 167 bpm
• Elevation Gain/Loss: +556 ft (+169m), -642 ft (-195m)

Fun Photos may be found here (Descriptions below): https://imgur.com/a/jVDkxPu

• Photo 1: Post-finishing yesterday!
• Photo 2-3: Splits/Details from Nike Run Club
  • (Started too fast, half-bonked at mile 8, had nothing left at the end)
• Photo 4: Me in a Thai ICU after collapsing during the 2018 Bangkok Marathon
• Photo 5: Chip times during the 2018 Bangkok Marathon

Context: I’d run halves before and put in more training miles than ever, but made a few mistakes that sent me into an only-Thai-speaking Intensive Care Unit for three terrifying days. I don't think I suffered any kind of lasting damage, but recovery was not easy and I’m supposedly more vulnerable to heat strokes in the future.

I’m not proud of how long it’s taken me to bounce back - and I've had a mental block around the half marathon distance ever since - but happy to finally cross this part of recovery off the list.

Personal lessons learned:

• No finishing time is worth potential long-term damage**:** I was so set on reaching my goal time that I ignored my body’s signals (headache, high body temp, altered mental state) as it slowly failed me. If I had slowed or rested - PR be damned – I likely wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital at the risk of permanent damage.

• Train in race day conditions wherever possible: I love treadmills and the control/insight they give me during runs. It also wasn’t possible to run distance in my Bangkok high-rise neighborhood, so I opted for my apartment’s gym when it came to 90% of my preparation. Looking back, doing most of my training indoors in the air con for a race in the intense Bangkok heat and humidity was foolish and avoidable if I had put the extra effort in.

• Training doesn’t end until the race begins: I had family visiting from the US during the two weeks prior to my Heat Stroke Half and did nothing to control my diet, alcohol intake or level of sleep (I had trained so much, I would surely be fine right? /s). I showed up on race day ill-prepped and physically/mentally tired.

• Hydrate or diedrate: If you aren't using a hydration pack, don’t ever skip water stations if you’re in need of water, no matter how quickly your goal time’s pacers are catching up to you.

Positive Takeaways:

I’m now get

Cold, windy, fast conditions - have fun out there!

Hi AR team. A half-marathon I am registered for just announced they are doing a wave start based on bib number (functionally random). The waves will be every 5 minutes in groups of 500. I am in group 10 and was hoping to run in the low 80 range (top 50ish based on past results). Now I am concerned about how to manage.

My concerns:

1. I will not be able to pace off of the people around me.
2. I will spend literally the entire race working around others.

Does anyone have experience running a race like this and have advice?

Long time runner but finally coming around to running my first half Feb. 19. Looking for some good workout ideas other than the classic 400, 800, 1600 repeats....

What pace do you run repeats?

Goal time is 1:23(ish).

Have been doing 400 repeats at 75 seconds consistently the last few weeks

I was wondering if anyone had any half marathons they recommend. I’m looking to run two this year, preferably one in the spring and one at the end of summer/beginning of fall.