- Going out for a run and having to wear 3 layers of clothes for the first time. Its a bit nippy out there #
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Alex Vero has made a lovely film about his challenge to run a sub 2.20 marathon, which he hopes might be good enough for him to run for Britain at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
To watch click here.
- 60.58 run in the rain, with Kermode's film reviews in my ears. Time well spent #
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- Yet another low mileage week. Cycling has been filling the gap. But let's be honest, doesn't quite hit the mark in the same way does it? #
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- Finally managed to get out for my first run of the week. 4 mile blast. Feel much, much better #
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- Settling down for a couple of hours of Paula in NYC and Hoy and friends in Manchester #
- A run in the rain and then chasing frogs in the garden. Another typical Friday evening #
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- About to start my new thing today. No matter how old you get, always feels like the first day at big school #
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- Wang Chung singing Barry Wang on the George Lamb on 6Music. Probably the single funniest thing ever on radio #
- Just in case anyone was worried RT @DAVID_LYNCH Here is a picture of my fish: http://twitpic.com/mdlqp #
- Shockingly poor quality of debate on newsnight about the white working class #
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A couple of Sundays ago I ran the Birmingham Half Marathon. This was the second staging of the race, and it also coincided with the staging of the IAAF World Championships. I have deliberately left some time between the race and posting my review. I was not sure if my original annoyance at the poor quality of organisation was truly justified. Now having thought about it. It is. But let me start with some of the things the organisers did well.
The course was relatively flat, with a couple of sharp hills at around 6 miles and then a gradual incline during the final mile. Though not what you could call picturesque, the course did have some nice bits – Bournville village and Cannon Hill Park in particular. And given that the weather was pretty miserable the crowds were not too bad. The water and lucozade stations were frequent and very well organised, and the goody bag was packed full, but could have done with some food. Cranberry sauce as your post race snack anyone?
The trouble is that any of the positives are outweighted by the chaotic scenes at the baggage drop. On paper the decision to use the National Indoor Arena would have seemed a good one. What was not so good was to have one entrance in and one entrance out. I arrived early, and good job too, because when I left with 30 minutes to the start of the race the queue to enter the NIA was huge. Allied to this the staff at the doors and inside were absolutely moronic. More unhelpful they could not have been. Poor signage to tell runners the direction to the start line only compounded the problem.
That said, I did get to high five Kelly Holmes – who started the race – as I crossed the start and finish lines. Which was nice.
Read the thoughts of other runners.