We're now only a month away from my first half marathon, and it's all going to get very serious very soon, when the race packs arrive. Training has been going really pretty well all winter, with decent chunks being cut off my training times - apart from this week, when I've had a bit of a cold, and have had to spend most of the time nursing and/or entertaining Aimee.

Since it's my first crack at the longer distance, I decided to do a bit of research into the course itself. It has the reputation as one of the fastest half marathon courses in the country, which makes me confident of setting a good time. But then I traced out the course in Google Maps:

Yep, that's one heck of a climb in the early stages - and I understand it catches a lot of people out. Well, forewarned is hereby forearmed. Won't make it any easier though. After that it's all fairly steady in terms of climbs and drops.

My original target was 100 minutes... and that shouldn't be a problem. Realistically I should be able to do 1h33, which would put me in the top 8% of the field, based on last year's times. With a fair wind, and if I can avoid traffic in the early stages, that 1h30 'dream target' - and a top 5% finish - is surely feasible.

But I'm almost more excited at the prospect of racing against a few celebrities. With the London Marathon imminent, a lot of people use Reading as a warmup - and in previous years, quite a few celebs have done it too. I've already beaten Fatboy Slim twice round Brighton beach... who's the next victim?

It's been a while since I stuck anything up here... so here's a quick update. It's looking like I'm going properly consultancy, unless someone makes me a fantastic job offer very soon (and I mean fantastic). I think I've lined up a few very interesting projects of various sizes, with some very big-name companies, but it's just a question now of signing a few deals (etc). Until then, I'm spending a lot of time playing with various (mainly open-source) software products, really getting under their skin, and understanding how I could sell them to people as a consultant.

Another added benefit has been the extra scope to go out running. I'm gradually increasing my distances, with 10k now being considered a 'short' trip. I did my first ever half-marathon distance yesterday (21.1km), in freezing conditions, and surprised myself with the time. The agony in my legs last night was, er, less of a surprise. I don't want to get carried away, but I can't help feeling I'm capable of breaking 90 minutes, which would put me in the top 5% or thereabouts. That isn't a prediction, by the way. ;)

In other news... Aimee's obsession with ducks continues. Her new favourite phrase is 'It's stuck', which she uses any time something won't move in the direction she wants - whether it's actually stuck or not. The eyesight is still going great, after the operation: still one eye slightly better than the other, but only marginally, and certainly not enough to worry about. The asthma drugs are working, without really getting in the way much. And it snowed last night... not a lot, and it'll be a memory by lunchtime, but these days it's about all we get.

Just a quick note, cos I'm not meant to spend long periods in front of the computer screen just yet. Suffice to say, I had my laser eye surgery on Tuesday afternoon, and barely a couple of days later, I can see clearly without mechanical assistance for the first time in more than 20 years. All went smoothly; I felt a bit queasy, but only at the thought of what was happening, rather than feeling anything at all. The most memorable sensation was actually the smell: that unmistakable scent of burning flesh, mmm, nice. I'm glad the surgeon warned me of that beforehand.

I'm on medical eye-drops for the first week afterwards, and normal eye-drops for up to three months... but it's a small price to pay. Thankfully the protective eye-shields, to stop me subconsciously rubbing my eyes whilst asleep, can go after a week too.

I've just done something extraordinary - I've just bought medical surgery on eBay. Not kidding. I read somewhere that the boss of one of the UK's main laser eye surgery clinics occasionally sells off spare capacity via eBay, at outrageous discounts. So I subscribed to the RSS feed for his user ID, and got an alert this morning of a handful of slots (offered on a 'buy it now' basis only). A few clicks, and a quick phone call later... and we're booked in. With a bit of luck, I should have perfect eyesight in time for Christmas, at a discount of hundreds (plural) of pounds. I've been thinking about it for ages... but it still comes as a bit of a shock to see it booked into my diary.

Just checked the Brighton 10k website, and I note they haven't included my name among the notable entrants. How disappointing. Among those they did deign to reference are Fatboy Slim (who finished a full 4'26 in my wake in 2003) and a certain Ronnie O'Sullivan. OK sunshine, let's see you justify that 'Rocket' nickname.

No doubting the objective this time: a new personal best, simple as that. I've really been putting in the miles lately... in fact, I'll be heading out for an 11-miler this morning. Last week's training runs (albeit in the unnatural surroundings of CenterParcs) were more than encouraging, both coming in at under 42'30, which is more than enough to smash the 44'55 target.

Conditions should be good: the advance weather forecast promises a cloudy, chilly but (crucially) dry Sunday on the south coast. I've invested in some new cold weather kit, and will be wearing race number 3101. I just need to decide on my positioning tactics. There are 3000 in the field, which is quite a lot, and the last thing I need is to be stuck in traffic (again).

After a couple of weeks' break following the relative disappointment of the Nike 10k in Hyde Park, it was time to get serious again. An early start on Saturday morning, on with the 3/4 length running tights, and out I went. And to be honest, I surprised myself. I planned to do a slightly extended circuit, trying to increase my stamina ahead of one last shot at a 10k personal best. But I kept going, and going, and going. By the end, I'd run round the outside of Thatcham, into the centre of Newbury, and home via the 'back road'. And if I'd been bothered, I could have done some more.

Got home, checked the iPod... and it reckons I did 17.6km in a time just under 81 minutes. This despite doing both my fastest ever 1km and 1 mile sections?! That's already comfortably on target to do a half-marathon in 100 minutes, which was going to be my next big target. Give it a few months of training, and who knows what's possible?

The race schedule for the next little while begins (hopefully) at Brighton in the middle of November, then builds up to a half-marathon next spring. The Reading race is on 25 March, or there's the event at Silverstone a week earlier... but there's plenty of choice, with a lot of people looking for events to help them towards the London Marathon. I quite fancy the sound of Gothenburg in early May, too. And, much as I hate to admit it, I'd say it's now more than likely that I will test myself over a full 26 miles and 385 yards. Maybe New York in November, or Las Vegas in December?

I still can't decide what to make of the Nike RunLondon 10k this morning. On the one hand, I'm really disappointed with my time of 46'56 (still unconfirmed). But on the other, my iPod reckoned it was the fastest I've run all summer. How?

In a word: traffic. There were something like 32,000 people running in four waves - that makes 8,000 people out there at a time. It took Matt and I more than a minute to get across the start line, and I felt like I was dodging between and around people for more than half the race. It was unquestionably the most congested race I've ever run in, much more so than previous RunLondon events. I never quite got into my own rhythm, and never felt in control of my own race.

The measurement capability on my iPod is scientifically proven to be a bit iffy. But even so, it reckons I did 10.8km from line to line. Even if I knock off about 300m for its inherent inaccuracy, that still means I ran an extra half a kilometre, weaving in and out... and I can well believe it. In which case, subtracting a pro rata 2'12, we're into personal best territory. You can't argue with the working out, can you?

So, no PB then, without a bit of shaky mathematics. I guess that means we're going to have to seek out another, more PB-friendly event in the next month or two. Brighton, anyone?