Half Marathon a Month Challenge 2014 - Q1 (January to March)

From previous posts you'll know that my pal Chris Marsh and I had got seriously into running during 2013. As we were both hitting 50 in 2014, we decided to give ourselves the challenge of completing a half marathon each month during the year.

Spoiler alert - we did it! 

Here's a wee summary of the first three half marathons. The rest will be covered in posts to follow.

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18th January 2014 

Chris - Edinburgh - 02:09:42

Frank - Edinburgh - 02:09:42

Due to the lack of any organised half marathons within a reasonable distance (i.e. the entire UK), we created our own half marathon using the fabulous WalkJogRun app. I took responsibility for the course and I based it on a combination of shorter routes I had been running in training. However, I didn't take into account that running along Nicolson St. on a Saturday at lunchtime takes place in very different conditions from an evening run on a Tuesday. We were dodging in between shoppers and folk waiting for buses for about a mile, occasionally using bus lanes to get a bit of a free run. Chuck in 'that hill climb' in Holyrood Park, and also navigating through the Saturday crowds between South Bridge and Queen Street, and our finishing time of just under 02:10:00 doesn't seem so bad in hindsight!

Post run carbs, proteins and electrolytes were enjoyed with Clare and Margaret-Ann at Amarone and The Abbotsford respectively. A nice way to start the half marathon challenge. 

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16th February 2014

Chris - Barcelona - 01:59:15

Frank - Barcelona - 02:10:03

http://edreamsmitjabarcelona.com/resultados/2014/

Chris and I were born in the same week in February 1964, but apart from holding a joint 21st in Viva/Vamps (now the Cathouse) we hadn't combined any other birthday related activities until we decided to run the Barcelona Half Marathon together to 'celebrate' reaching our landmark 50th birthdays.

We didn't travel alone, but were joined by our lovely other halves, Clare and Margaret-Ann, with a wean in tow each, Scarlett and Jamie. It was also great to meet up with Paul and Jelena, who had popped down from Luxembourg for a wee trip. It ended up being quite a weekend, which included partying in our apartment to 4am on Saturday morning, doing the full touristy thing, and going to watch Barca beat Rayo Vallecano 6-0 at the Camp Nou on the Saturday night. By the time the morning of the race arrived I personally was not in a good state to run the 21.1 kilometres, however it didn't seem to affect Chris at all! This was a phenomenon we would see again later in the year.

At the start Chris ran off into the distance and I wouldn't see him again until after the race. It was also at that point I realised that I'd overdone it in compensating for my almost permanent dehydrated state that weekend. About 8 minutes into the run I was desperately looking for a loo! As luck would have it I spotted a few people standing outside a bar near the side of the route, so I left the run and headed there. As I got closer I could see that there were still about 30 folk in the bar at 9am on a Sunday morning, and it soon became clear that they were blootered from all night drinking! I managed to get through to the loo in the back just before they noticed what was going on (like a scene from the Walking Dead), but when I came out the whole place was cheering and shouting drunkenly and making a path for me to run through the bar back into the main body of runners. Given my performance during the remainder of the run, perhaps I should have stayed there.

This was my first time in Barcelona, and it was one of my most memorable visits to one of the world's great cities. Being able to run the Barcelona half marathon as part of it made the whole trip exceptional.

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9th March 2014

Chris - Inverness - 01:58:14

Frank - Inverness - 01:56:46

http://www.invernesshalfmarathon.co.uk/result/38/2014-half-marathon-results/

When we planned our trip to Inverness I checked the various travel options and discovered that Scotrail had some great deals on. Going by train also has other advantages, including no need for a designated driver, so that we could both happily replenish electrolytes on the way home. On the journey to Inverness I boarded the train with a coffee, a bottle of water and a sandwich, however warning bells were ringing when I saw on FaceBook that Chris had already checked into Behind The Wall. He was due to board the train at Stirling, which he duly did. With beers. So that was the start of it, and although it wasn't as intense as the train trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, which was to come in November 2014, a few trips to the buffet car ensued when Chris's cargo was finished.

When we got to Inverness we checked in to the hotel and immediately went to a pub to watch the Scotland v France rugby match (17 -19). This was followed by a nice eve of race meal with a fine bottle of red! Now, previously this would have seriously impacted my performance the next day, but a combination of a very early night (asleep at 9pm) and a late start to the race (12.30pm) obviously aided the recovery process. It ended up that we both ran personal bests!

We were met after the run by Chris's daughter Robyn, who had popped through from Aberdeen to provide moral support! A few electrolytes were consumed in Glenalbyn Bar before Chris and I headed back south, and Robyn back east. A great weekend from both a social and running perspective!