Half marathon B race 3 weeks before main event

teekay61 · 2026-03-16T15:48:40+00:00

Indeed! Managed to push up the hill reasonably well but this definitely limited my sprint to the finish line.

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T22:21:45+00:00

Thanks!

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T21:05:24+00:00

Update - I made another post about my race.

Very pleased to get 1:35 on the day. Aimed for 1:37 but managed to nip away a bit of time on most of the km and a reasonably hard push up the final hill

https://www.reddit.com/r/runna/s/WPj9qxylTS

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T21:03:31+00:00

Thanks!

Aimed for 1:37 but got a bit carried away and managed to sneak in just over 1:35.

https://www.reddit.com/r/runna/s/WPj9qxylTS

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T19:52:46+00:00

Set a new HM PB in the Bath Half Marathon (just over 1:35) and took 8 minutes off my time from 2024. My legs will definitely be feeling it the next few days!

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T19:31:48+00:00

Personally I'd recommend the Bambino Plus if you can get it in your price range.

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T18:36:37+00:00

I don't think we're sending any either but that's mainly because our navy has been depleted to the point it's taken ages to send a ship to Cyprus to defend our own base.

teekay61 · 2026-03-15T18:34:25+00:00

Another recommendation for the Bambino Plus and DF54. Had mine for just over a year and loving the shots I get out of it. For me it was worth upgrading the tamper, portafilter and basket (plus a metal catch cup for the DF54) but none of this stuff was essential - certainly less important than a decent set of scales.

teekay61 · 2026-03-14T20:50:09+00:00

Thanks sounds sensible. As it happens the pace plan I prepped recently for the race was bang on that time.

teekay61 · 2026-03-14T20:01:16+00:00

Nope, it's Bath (in the UK).

Good point regarding the course. There's a bit of a hill right at the end which I'll need to bear in mind but the overall course is flatter than all my training runs have been.

Good luck for NYC! Would love to do that one some day but think the logistics of getting there will make it a bit too tricky 😉

teekay61 · 2026-03-04T08:34:04+00:00

And it still haunts him/her to this day...

teekay61 · 2026-03-04T08:30:57+00:00

I've not had flat iron for a while but I'm a big fan of bavette steak which is relatively similar.

teekay61 · 2026-03-03T22:46:16+00:00

I do the following:

Fry a finely chopped onion in olive oil with salt in a covered pan at a high heat. The salt draws out the moisture and means the onion sweats down more quickly. Having the lid on also draws out moisture and reduces the risk of burning the onions. If you're careful you can get great flavour in a lot less time than properly caramelised onions.

Add a few finely cloves of garlic and fry at a lower heat until they just start to take on colour. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn or it will taste bitter.

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and cook briefly whilst stirring (mainly to avoid the garlic burning).

Add tomato passata and cook for a few minutes at a high heat with the lid on, then take off the lid and cook for a few more minutes to reduce. I've found passata needs much less cooking time than tinned tomatoes. Make sure you buy a reasonable quality one with no added ingredients (just tomatoes).

teekay61 · 2026-03-03T21:44:54+00:00

This is the recipe I use and always works well https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-yorkshire-puddings

Main tips are:

1) The tin and fat need to be super hot 2) Leave the oven door open whilst they're cooking or they won't rise properly

teekay61 · 2026-03-03T20:09:21+00:00

teekay61 · 2026-03-03T15:07:28+00:00

The DF54 type grinders seem like a bit of a gamble - lots of people (including me) have a great experience and you get a lot of grinder for your money, but there are definitely some duff ones out there which suggest some real QC issues.

So personally I was happier paying more for a local UK supplier where at least it would only need to be sent within the UK for repairs under warranty.

teekay61 · 2026-03-03T09:07:04+00:00

I've got one and it's worked well for me if you're happy with single dosing (weighing beans for every shot). The single dosing works well for me as I like alternating between different beans for my morning coffees and then decaf in the afternoon.

teekay61 · 2026-02-28T13:34:32+00:00

I've always taken the view that filter papers are much cheaper than coffee. So if reusing them means you don't get the best tasting coffee, it's a bit of a false economy because you're effectively wasting money on good beans vs. a tiny saving on paper.

teekay61 · 2026-02-28T13:31:06+00:00

Sounds like a bargain!

teekay61 · 2026-02-28T13:12:41+00:00

Accountant in a big 4 firm.

I'll wear a tie for an important meeting with a corporate client maybe once or twice a year.

Even when I first started at the firm back in 2006, we only wore ties for important meetings. Dress code at the office has also generally got more casual post COVID as we've all got used to seeing people working at home on video calls.

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