New Forest Marathon - how was it for you? - Events

Guy

22/09/2002 at 19:10

For me it was great for the first 4 miles or so, and fairly awful after that. Going up the hill at around mile 4 the slight twinge that I have had in the arch of my right foot developed into something a lot more painful. By the time I had got to mile 17 the pain had spread to the outside of the foot, and the ankle. I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and that if I wanted to carry on running this year the only real option was to stop. It was fairly depressing to finish the course in the back of a van, but I know that it was the only sensible decision.

How did everyone else get on?

Thanks for all the advice over the past few weeks. Apart from not finishing, I thought that it was a great race (if somewhat more hilly than I had expected). It seemed very well organised, and was through some great scenery.

Did anyone else almost get run down by the bolting horse in the first few miles?

Velociraptor

22/09/2002 at 19:39

Guy, sorry your foot chose today to give you a hard time and stopped you from finishing, but you made the right decision. Hope you manage to get back in full running order before the next race you want to do.

The New Forest is a bit flat for my taste in scenery, but it must be idyllic marathon territory.

Cheers, V-rap.

SS - The Last Unicorn

22/09/2002 at 21:27

Guy - bad luck - but good decision. Hope you get sorted soon.

Wolf with Runs

22/09/2002 at 21:59

bad one guy, but - you're talking to some one who got injured two weeks before the FLM and is just struggling t get back into some kind of form

i did the half and clocked 1.53 (but get this, burnham beeches aug 18- DNF; budpest half sep 1 - 2.07) so you see you will sort it out and i reckon i'll be looking at sub 1.45 by next feb

you will get it back

very good water stops, a few hills i thought and some cheeky ones that you didn't really know you were running up, they were so gradual - also a bit warm (although nothing like the 87F of budapest)

well done on going for the FULL and well done on doing the sensible thing by listening to your bod

Doobs

22/09/2002 at 22:11

Sorry to hear about your foot Guy. Well done WWR on your time. I didn't manage to spot you but did meet Whizzy at the water at the finish.

We both managed to get under 1:45 so are very chuffed. I did 1:43:31 so am really happy as I didn't really believe I could do under 1:45. I tagged along with some blokes from a running club in Chitchester who I think helped me get my pace sorted - big thanks to Simon who I ran most of the way with.

I thought the run was well organised - although I always find that with plastic ups of water I just throw it all over myself. Anyone else get hit by the rascals with water guns around mile 9?

As someone from the flat land of Cambridge I also found it really hilly - must have been one hill per mile!

Wolf with Runs

22/09/2002 at 22:24

i like the 1.43 doobs - that would do me fine by feb. well done!!

water guns - yep got them too - it was interesting..were hey being gits or helpful? i noticed they were behind licked gates which suggests a degree of forthought and intenet on their part, but by the time i passed them let's say 10 mins after you, every one was giving the the "thanks guys" bit - after all it was a bit warm and at the FLm you run under showers after9 miles so maybe they were providing a service...not sure though.

hills - yep lots of em, but not buggRs. i don;t think i've ever had such an uneven set of spilts in a half - only the last three miles looked consistent.

what;s your next one? are you at windsor - and what happened to the others: linda regel and whizzy?

cheers

Wolf with Runs

22/09/2002 at 22:26

i should check my posts before i submit them

what is a "licked " gate?

what is "intenet"?

sorry

Guy

22/09/2002 at 22:33

Thanks for the sympathies from everyone. The day wasn't completely unsuccesful, as my brother came down with me and finished in 4:07, a PB by 27 minutes in his second marathon.

Wolf and Doobs - well done on some great times.

Scar Runner

22/09/2002 at 22:48

Well done for taking the right decision Guy, your time will come I'm sure and hope your foot is better soon.
Congrats the rest of you on your times for the 1/2 m.

Wobbling Willy

23/09/2002 at 07:03

Bad luck Guy - right decision though. I did the half and can only describe it as a personal worse (PW) 2.04 compared to 1.52 five weeks ago - despite the best laid plans.....
all the best - and rapid recovery!

Doobs

23/09/2002 at 08:33

Hey WWR. Don't know what my next one is - not doing Windsor, but I'm not sure how many there are from Oct onwards. Might have to wait until the spring - although my challenge is to keep running between halves, something I'm not very good at.

Glad to hear about your brother Guy - how's your foot today? You definately made the right decision.

Grumpy

23/09/2002 at 10:19

Bad luck Guy, I had a much better run than expected. Finished in 3:56:02 in my first marathon, I was reduced to walking on some of the course from the hill at 19 miles onwards. No twinges from the achilles I was worried about, but I am sore today.

Womble

23/09/2002 at 12:48

WWR, I did 1.53.09 so was probably v close to you at the finish - red vest red shorts (but not the six foot tall slim girl with red/white stripe top and red shorts just a few yeards ahead). Having said here (somewhere) that I was hoping for under 2 hours I was delighted to take 6.15 off my 6.5 year old pb especially on such a mountainous course. Mind you, it was my 6th NF half so I knew what was coming. And the ex-boyfriend finished in 2.11 ha ha ha ha ha

whizzy

23/09/2002 at 14:02

Hi

Yep - really chuffed with my time - WWR - just didn't see you at all - at the start I
was wandering around looking for you - everyone must have thought I was eyeing them up - shame about your time - what's your next one.

Doobs - how are you feeling today, still on a high!!

Yep - I did get the water guns, was grateful for them tho'.

Whizzy

Charlie

23/09/2002 at 14:50

hello all......i havent done the new forest half for some 6 years but i thought i would give it a go again. i had a poor race. i felt my legs were like lead and i had to keep stopping. i dont understand it!! i had such a good warm up race a week b4....i had totally forgot how up and down it was....saying that the last time i did it it chucked down with rain until the last half a mile and i did a better time by 8 minutes!!

Rob Runacres

23/09/2002 at 15:39

Guy, sorry to hear you didn't make it. I had a pretty bad time of it. As an experienced half-marathon runner, I thought I was going to going to breeze this, my first marathon. Oh no. Too cocky up to 14 miles then things startd to go wrong. In real pain by 17 miles and run-walking by 19-20. Sheer will got me through to the end, that and the warm support from the spectators scattered around the course - thanks to them. Cheers also to the St Johns bloke with the shades who checked me over at the end.

Feet now a mess and my quads are shot. Ah stop blubbing, you did it to yourself. Despite all this I'll definately do another, now I now the nature of the beast.

N ick

23/09/2002 at 15:54

Guy
Bad luck, good choice, best of lcuk for next time

Paulie

23/09/2002 at 16:27

Bad luck Guy, a wise but tough decision.

Well done all who did the half and full sepecialy those who did it for the first time - a very special moment.

This was my second marathon and I found it a tough course - so udulating it was hard to settle into a sregular.I was surprised there was only water and no energy drinks.

I also very nearly got flattened by that horse - a time of 3.28 - 33 minutes off my first marathon time of 4 mours so I am well please. Does anyone know how I can knock another 28 minutes off ??

Doobs

23/09/2002 at 17:27

Yep - still on a high today. but my legs are slowly starting to seize up so better go home before I lose the ability to get up from my office chair!

Hilly

23/09/2002 at 20:30

Well done all of you and bad luck Guy. I'm sure you did the best thing and will heal much quicker for it.