What with my last 2 half marathons starting too fast and ending too slow; nagging plantar faciitis in my left foot and failing to manage my hoped for 9 minute mile marathon place for the duration of a flat 15 mile training run I have had to lower my sights a bit. So the revised plan is to go for 4 hour 10 minutes at Abingdon Marathon, that’s 9:30 pace, and Bristol Half would be an exercise in consistency rather than speed with me trying to stay under 9 minute miles for a 1:55 finish. Fortunately I’m not the driven, ambitious sort so it was with a sense of optimistic relief that I found myself driving down to Bristol on a dull but dry morning.

The usual getting lost and confused on the way too and at the start resolved into me finding Vegan Runners Lisa, Andrew and Daniel in Millennium Square with Helena and Jasmijn there to support. This was my first really big event, apparently expecting 14,000 runners, which meant various different wave starts. I was in blue start same as Daniel and he did a fine job of getting us to where we belonged. We then hung about for a good 20 minutes before the expected shuffle, walk then run towards the start timing mat and we were on our way, Daniel soon leaving me behind on his way to a 1:46 finish.

Soon enough we were running up the Portway, a wide stretch of road along the Avon Gorge that we had to ourselves. We passed under the Clifton Suspension Bridge continuing to run about 3 miles along here. We cheered the two racing wheelchairs shortly followed by the bunch of 4 Kenyan men leading the race as they came  back past us on the other side of the road. I spotted Andrew coming the other way, a good ten minutes in front of me. Then my turn for the U-turn, an encouraging reminder that there were thousands behind me, I spotted Vegan Runners Lisa, Claire and Paula coming the other way.

A lot of people had passed me during the first few miles but I had put 1:45 down as my original finish time estimate all those months back and I was aware that I might have started in the wrong wave altogether. Feeling fine though and by half way those around me were at a compatible pace and a few were already starting to flag and drop back. Daniel had warned me that just as you think you’ve finished the ‘goes on forever’ Portway you cross over the Avon then find another long stretch to be patient with.

I swallowed the energy gel I was carrying just before a water point about mile 9, they turned out to be handing out free gels so I’d soon replaced it with a freebie. The last few miles seemed pretty convoluted and I was tiring a bit, I could feel my foot starting to complain despite the ibuprofen I’d taken an hour before the start. There were a couple of short inclines, reviving support and music round Castle Park, a cobbled bit (well setts really I suppose) that weren’t nice to run on. Several times we were running with a flow of runners coming the opposite direction as we seemed to meander all over this bit of Bristol.

Well after the 12 mile marker, when it should be almost over, a stream of runners flow the opposite way and I’m dismayed to think the course can be that far over distance to allow us to back track all the way along there. The penny drops, I’ve already done that bit, those guys are all behind me. I pass 13 miles on my Garmin and realise I need to push now if I want my 1:55 so I manage to speed up a bit, even so a Honey Monster tears past us at an alarming rate dropping about 30 runners on the finish straight.

The Garmin reads 1:54:48 later to be confirmed by the chip times. I’m 4,512th out of what I believe to be 9,975 finishers. I’m pleased it’s gone to plan for a change and reckon I could have been just a little bit quicker as I’m not totally knackered.

After the race I meet-up with Andrew, Jasmijn, Daniel and Helena and we go to the Cafe Kino where I refuel on a fine vegan all day breakfast before the long drive home.

The official photos are very pricey so instead I buy one of the special offer personalised race videos available on-line and have a play at editing it.