Who would like to join an autumn 2020 Half Marathon Group? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️🙂

[linda9389]

Hi everyone!

We are proposing to start a new Half Marathon group next week over on the Marathon and race support forum.

Some of you may already have places in autumn events and, like me, are wondering if they will go ahead or whether they will be cancelled. The camaraderie of training and completing your HM in a virtual group seems more relevant than ever in these challenging times of Covid-19!

Anyone can join the group - whether it’s your first half marathon or your 101st, whether you planned to run it solo or in a mass participation event, whether you’re already part way through a plan, not yet started or not even chosen a plan!

We will each follow our own plan, with our own target HM date but will share info, ideas and experiences with a good helping of the type of support that HU is famous for!

There will be advice available on choosing a plan if you need help sorting through the mass of available options.

We do recommend that people have run 10K before embarking on a half marathon plan.

I’m due to start my own HM training plan next week - in theory for Oxford HM on 11th October, but it may well become my second virtual HM ...

From next week, roseabi and I plan to write weekly posts to help keep us all motivated, encouraged and informed! Your input to these posts and discussions will be invaluable as always.

Let us know in the comments below if you are interested in joining the group 😊

And keep an eye out for more posts over in the (misleadingly named!) Marathon & Race Support forum healthunlocked.com/marathon...

roseabi and Linda9389 xxx

[Redcello41 Graduate10]

Yes please! Am hoping to do another HM in September, race or virtual! 😀

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

Fabulous! Great to have you back on the team. The posts will all be over on the Marathon &race support forum, as before 👍🙂

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

Did you sign up for Bristol Redcello41 ? It’s at the end of September. Irishprincess and I have, and it would be fun to continue where Bath was supposed to IF it goes ahead! 🤞🤞🤞

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I doubt it’ll go ahead Munks but at least we can probably run a virtual one. The bling beckons..... 🏅

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

I agree, it’s highly unlikely IP . But yes a virtual race would still be fun. 🏅 😀

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I haven't signed up for any HM officially yet - I was planning to run the Nottingham Half with a friend of mine which is the same day as the Bristol Half actually but we've decided to just wait and do it next year. So that technically frees me up to do the Bristol Half if it goes ahead. I'm still planning to run a Half Marathon on the 27th September, be it real or virtually! The question is for me is that if the Bristol HM doesn't go ahead, will they just defer everyone to 2021 or will they allow people to still run it virtually and send out the t-shirt and medal, just like Bath HM did? What do guys think?

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

All things being equal I think they’ll offer us a virtual run to claim the bling. Go on RC...... 🏃‍♀️🙂

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

That's what I'm hoping but they may not. I am tempted though...

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

Maybe send them an email and ask the question? Simplyhealth are usually pretty good at replying, even at the moment

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

Yeah that's a good idea, will drop them an email! Will let you guys know what they say of course 😀

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

I have sent them email to ask what they are going to do if it is cancelled, so now we will wait to hear what they say

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

I am seriously considering signing up but I just want to wait until they reply to my email asking if they will offer a virtual race.

On another note if I do sign up, they obviously ask for an estimated finish time and I don't know what to put. My Bath Half time was 02:57:00 but I definitely want to push for a faster time this time round. I'm doing a 02:30:00 training plan and cycling in between my runs which I wasn't doing before in my last hm training so I'm hoping to knock some time off, but is it unreasonable to want to knock off half an hour?

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

It's definitely not unreasonable to put that on your entry!

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

ah okay cool! Just wanted to double check hahaha!

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

The Great North Run website (also SimplyHealth) greatrun.org/great-north-run says :

Places are deferred, or can be refunded minus a £5 admin fee.

It also says 'No. Finisher T-shirts and medals are not available for the Great North Run'.

In answer to 'will there be a virtual GNR it says 'We are working on some big plans to mark the occasion. We will start to share these with you in the next few days, so please watch this space.'

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

hmmmm that's what I saw too, we shall have to wait and see...

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

Not unreasonable at all, sounds like a plan to me 💪🙂

[Redcello41 Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Cool, I'll call it a plan then!

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to Redcello41]

Fab!

[AllezLeChef Graduate10]

No half marathons planned but still hope to do the London Landmarks next Spring. Count me in for all the top tips

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to AllezLeChef]

Great stuff! I'm sure you can add some more of your own now too. Did you get an automatic deferral to 2021 for LLHM?

[AllezLeChef Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

No. Still waiting to hear from Parkinson’s UK. Unfortunately the contact at Parkinson’s is currently furloughed

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to AllezLeChef]

Ahh! Fingers crossed 🤞

[Stephen_UK Graduate10 in reply to AllezLeChef]

@AllezLeChef, I am in the same boat. Waiting to hear from the charity if they can simply move my place to LL 2021.

[Kevin41 Graduate10]

I’ve been thinking about building from my regular 10k distance to HM so this seems ideally timed and the motivation I need. Count me in please!

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Kevin41]

Perfect! Great to have you on board. The weekly posts will be made in the Marathon & Race support forum, so you may want to join that forum if you haven't already. The easiest way to be make sure you don't miss any of the HM Group posts is to follow myself and roseabi

Do you have a training plan in mind yet or are you still to choose one?

[Kevin41 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

Thanks - I will follow you both now. I am still yet to get around to choosing a plan but I will make sure I do so in the next few days!

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Kevin41]

No rush - I'm just checking to see whether we need to start posts with plan advice or whether everyone is sorted 🙂

[PurpleFish59 Graduate10]

I’ve come back to this post about 10 times since I first saw it and chickened out until now. I’m in the last 3 weeks of a plan to improve my 5K speed, which has included the occasional 10K and I’ve thought for a long time this is where I’d like to go next. I’ve no plan and I’m not signed up to an event, but would like to be in the group to help get me started!

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to PurpleFish59]

That's it we've got you now😍!

Huge welcome to the group 🙂. Well done for not chickening out - this is an opportunity to try something new, definitely not something to fear. The previous three HM groups have all been a lot of fun but above all really, really supportive. Sounds like you have a great base to start HM training from. There will be more advice about choosing HM plans in the first post if you're not sure where to start. In the meantime, good luck with finishing the 5k speed plan 👍

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to PurpleFish59]

I just spotted that your reply is in the Bridge forum. I should have also said in my reply that the weekly posts will be made in the Marathon & Race support forum, so you may want to join that forum if you haven't already. The easiest way to make sure you don't miss any of the HM Group posts is to follow myself and roseabi

[PurpleFish59 Graduate10 in reply to linda9389]

Thankyou, I found it this afternoon 😊 you’ve made me feel very welcome and I already feel better about the challenge!

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to PurpleFish59]

That's fabulous. It's a lovely forum, just as the C25K and Bridge to 10K foums are 👍