Mixing it with a pro

Moments after publicising my entry into my first half marathon (October 11, Birmingham) on Facebook, I received an intriguing post from David Langer, Maths graduate from St Anne's, Oxford, CEO of GroupSpaces, Table Tennis supremo (the only reason I have a winning Cuppers medal) and game show legend (Brainteaser, Countdown Krypton Factor). It's fair to say he has some skills (or is it skillz?). He casually announced he'd enter too. Whereas I mulled over it for ages after 3 months of training, he took all of 2 minutes (if that). That's the difference, I guess. Dave has completed various triathlons, made mincemeat of the gruelling Krypton Factor course and is now eyeing up his first marathon. So Birmingham should be a doddle.

Unsurprisingly, David's target is far more ambitious than my own; he's looking to break the elusive 90 minute barrier. My own goal is anything under 2 hours, so I doubt we'll be racing together for long on the day.

I take great pleasure from the isolation of running 10 miles on my own, getting lost in my own bizarre world as I take in the scenery. However, the idea of running with others is certainly appealing. After all, I'll be alongside 9000 fellow runners on race day so I'd better get used to it. Running with someone as athletically capable with as Dave should be approached with caution. There is a real chance I'll end up demoralised. Losing is never nice. Being walloped is even worse. Despite this, it'll be a wonderful opportunity to pick up tricks of the trade from a seasoned campaigner. I'm curious about his training regime, diet and simply want to know how he is able to compete triathlons with such ease. If even a fraction rubs off, it'll be worth it. Also, it's been far too long since I saw David, so this is a perfect opportunity to reignite our formidable partnership. We'll be doing a 10k run to start with and maybe longer runs after.

Thinking more long term, if I do take on a full marathon next year I'll be training a lot more intensely and the opportunity to run with others on a weekly basis may be crucial. I'm tempted to join a local running group; a fantastic way to meet like minded people. However, I'd much rather train with someone I already know and there may be some plausible candidates, Dave included. My buddy Ed has been taking on 10-15 kilometre runs in China this Summer and has expressed an interest in taking up serious running next year. He also presents the problem of being at a much higher level (in more ways than one; at 6 ft 8inches he's undoubtedly the tallest person in my life) and will no doubt surpass any level I have before long. I guess we'll discuss it some more when he gets back.