And so the marathon season gets into full swing and a group, based in the likes of London, Aberdeen, Bournemouth (I like coaching people in Bournemouth, work this one out!) and Hong Kong tackling Manchester. Really nice set of results with big PBs by Charlie H 2.53 (17 mins improvement), Jason M 2.55 (3 mins), Jason C 2.59 (21 mins),  Carrie C 3.36 (17 mins) Suzanne M 3.59 (41 mins) and jet setting entrepreneur Jack B a few ticks away from his with 2.56. Jason C is an outlier in rate of progress – Berlin 2018 was a 13 minute PB with 3.20, further progress with a 2.23 for 20 mile which he didn’t think could be sustained for the full 26.2 – and then out pops a 2.59. Great to see, albeit unusual – half marathon PB is mid 89 mins! Also in an unseasonably warm Rotterdam Megan A snuck a minute off her best with 3.37.

Fast forward a week and a fine 2.40.48 in Paris by Nathan, an 8 minute PB and notable negative split - what happens if you shift from tri-training to running a focus. Equally fine but for different reasons was Richard B's marathon debut at Brighton, 2.59.53, very good conversion of his other PBs and obvilsy some satisfying numbers the right side of a certain barrier.

Two weeks earlier there was a marathon winner, and in his home town too. Iron man (but not Ironman) Martin G polished off his longest long run in his London prep with a 2.44 to win Conwy in North Wales. That’s about target/current Marathon Pace plus 30-35 secs per mile. Nice work if you can do it.

Then on to Boston - which isn't really a PB course becuase of the brutal later hills and, often, the capricious weather. So, great runs by Owen to clock a 6 minute PB in 3.18, at age 51, and ditto Adrian H with his PB 3.03, after over a dozen attempts at the distance