But that is not all. While waiting to meet Jonnie in a hotel lobby the day before, who should walk past but living legend Haile Gebrselassie. It’s not really my style to hassle people for pictures, but this really was a once in a lifetime moment!

While you’re here, check out our Strava group and join in!

• It maps all your runs, bike rides etc, working with a wide range of Garmin GPS devices and smartphones.
• It is really easy to use and has a very pleasing aesthetic.
• It automatically compares your routes with everyone else and, best of all …
• … it picks up on sections of your routes and allows you to see how you’re doing compared to other people.

So, particular stretches of hill, like Jacobs Wells Road, or maybe a path up from the Avon through Leigh Woods, and iconic sections of flat like The Chocolate Path have had hundreds of runs recorded. And you can see how you’ve done compared to everyone else! Don’t worry, it is possible to cut it by age and weight (although you do have to pay a bit for this level of geekery) and you can easily hide your start and end points too, so no one can see where you live. Check out this map of Bristol.

But the best bit of all is that we can all join the Bristol Running Resource Strava Club, and then we can see how many miles we’re doing collectively, and find people who share our passions even more easily. C’mon - all you need is a smartphone and Bristol can run together!

If your answer to any of those questions is in the affirmative then read no further.

Alternatively, find your way to Wild Stripes, the home of Bristol designer Claire Templar, who has put together a fantastic range of yummy thermal base layers that bring out the human being in any athlete (or would be athlete, or fireside hot chocolate lover). You’d be in good company, as they’ve been named-checked in The Guardian.

Wild Stripes is a really wide range of colourful base layers made from soft, durable and highly sweat-wicking polypropylene. Claire brings the vision, and has the garments made ethically in New Zealand by the same company that made the high performance Ice Breaker merino thermals - a family company founded in the 1920s.

I tried a zippy with thumb loops on in the gents of the Tobacco Factory - a cold harsh environment immediately made cosy as I slipped the snug fitting garment over my shivering frame. Favourite things about this top - soft and warm, thumb loops (no wind up the cuffs), high neck, and nice and long (no wind up the back).

Being a practical kinda guy, I eschewed a perfectly nice beanie for a sleek little pink skull cap that I could wear under my woolly hat, or under my cycle helmet, as well as being more appropriate for a cold morning run.

So, cosiness and fit - tick. But the colours and stripes are great too.

I’ll be wearing mine on the streets and by the fire. I’m also DEFINITELY going to take them up to 4500 metres when I go to Ecuador in a couple of months. Look out for the pictures.

You can buy Wild Stripes gear in the online shop or track Claire down at one of her many market stalls listed here.

In case you’re not familiar with things here, our monthy listings are the most reliable source of information on races within about 30 miles of Bristol - that’s more than enough. I also post to another feed that gives a summary of what is coming up in the next week or so, which updates to Twitter and Facebook.

Our list of clubs has been recently updated with a few new groups, and out list of therapists is also growing, although I only list thoe that give a reciprocal link unless they are “non-profit”, such as the University clinic.

Pretty good, eh?

A few years ago, Bristol & West Athletic Club decided they needed to engage with recreational and new runners, partly to create a supply of more competitive runners for their teams, perhaps to access sources of funding, but also because it is simply the right thing to do if you are passionate about running.

Keith Brackstone and Chris Elson, both very experienced runners and coaches - the real deal - were the principle engineers of this change, and they now have open, friendly groups meeting and running weekly at locations all across Bristol. (Check out the "clubs" listing on this site.)

Another pair of passionate people have also set up a number of groups for women. Starting with Frenchay Runners, then Brislington runners, and now under the name Just Jog, they have received funding to set up new groups specifically to engage more people with running in the inner city. They are so passionate, they have even joined me to help keep this website going!

And of course there are just regular groups and clubs too - way more than in past years. What's going on?

Bristol Runing Resource has some new helpers so we’re going to see if we can reinvigorate things. Next up, May races, and the weekly reminder list for April coming soon…

I couldn’t bear to keep looking at a dead site, so either I delete it, or perhaps, dear reader, you would like to take it on?

If you are interested, let me know. I’ll collect expressions of interest until the end of the month, and then pass ownership to the person who I think will love and nurter the site best. Then I’ll do everything I can to help.

I hope you’re on target to hit the mileage that you need ready for the big day.

I feel like I’ve - finally - got back into half marathon territory for the first time in quite a long time. Yesterday I managed a slow run of over 10 miles. As a result, the legs were a little stiff this morning, but at least no damage was done.

Last year I never managed to get beyond 10 miles in training for the half. I started building up the miles too late. Given that we’ve got a couple more training weekends to go before this year’s race I should hopefully manage at least one 13 mile training run. It would be the first time I’ve managed that for three years. Every year one thing or another seems to get in the way. I’m crossing my fingers that doesn’t happen again!

You don’t need to have run the full distance before the race in order to get round. I know runners who have turned in some fast times for the half without ever running that far in training. But personally I always feel a bit more comfortable if I stand on the start line knowing that I’ve done it.

Race day usually turns out to be quite hot. We’ve had some pretty rotten weather this year so it’s been difficult to do any acclimatisation. At least the race this year is in late September for a change, so maybe it won’t turn out to be sweltering. Who knows?

Whether we’re faced with rain or sun, and whether you’re running the half for the first time or the fifteenth time, I hope you have a great day.