Paris Marathon 2012

Simon - loved your Dad's story. What a character

Did a 'Big Fun Run' 5k with Mrs O today - her first 'mass' event. It was fun, and very well organised and the rain held out until we were getting back into the car.

I'm a great fan of the NHS. It has it's problems, yes, but it is always there when we need it. My Dad made a great deal of use of it over the years and the only bad things he had to say were about the food - he still ate it though.

Iain - I'm jealous of your LSR!

I think the past few days of supporting has taken it out of me more than I thought (probably walked at least 10kms on thursday).  Only managed 21.5kms and even stopped a couple of times to gather myself.  It was awful for the last 10kms.  Think I left it too late to go out and the clouds disappeared as I started to run so got very hot for most of it.   hope I can hold it together for 50 hilly miles on the bike tomorrow!

+1 on the NHS!!!  It's not perfect but it's always there when you need it.  Which is kinda what you want in a health system.

RS - when NZ won their gold medals did you shout 'WE BEAT YOU' in anyone's ear ?

William Wallace and Simon's dad please forgive me, I have just purchased four Union Jacks to wave at the marathon tomorrow  . Still got a nice big Saltire for Freya Murray though.

Ran round Hyde Park this morning - couldn't really get near the women's tri, apart from seeing the hindquarters of the last cyclist as she went whizzing past. But have now succumbed totally to all the hype and have booked tickets for the Paralympic athletics, just to see inside the stadium. I have no idea what all the Paralympic categories mean, so I need to do my homework before I go.

Finally got round to doing the exercises my running coach has given me - they look quite innocuous on paper, but involve lots of squats and now my *rse is very sore  .

Now then, now then.

My take on central governor/brain training (and it's perfectly possible that both books/theories went way over my head) vs 'traditional' theory is that they're not mutually exclusive.

Yes, there's rejection of catostrophic failure theories being single arbiters but improvements to the brain side - which I read as the brain releasing the shackles and allowing maintenance of higher/longer intensity - take place on a subconscious level through improvements in traditional training.  i.e. you make physiological improvements which contributes new data to the mass of feedback sent to the brain and the central governor refines its limits.

Anyway, in central France on the way back.  Haven't ran since Wednesday's failure.  Achilles still feels a bit ropey but is improving.  Going to try to do a steady and slow long one tomorrow.  It'll either be fine or it won't.

I would like to know if the pain in my legs is imaginary or real???  It feels like I have lead weights attached, its awful. Obviously 2.5 hours on tm and 2x5mile walks were to much for me............

DLR - Wishing you have a safe journey home

Dannirr- Interesting.......I think I will be using that when I eventually do ultra.

Looking forward to watching marathon tomorrow. I didn't really plan my hols just so I could see it !!

* Light relief from the techno-mumbo..*

I confess that I've grown to ...er...like the GB kit.I really hated it, at first, but the more I see of it the more I like it. Or, maybe, it's that I'm seeing more of it on the podium...

Anyway...What about that Triathlon finish? Fantastic, eh?

And it's the mara', tomorrow... Like RR, I ,too ,have competed against  our Freya...i.e. I was about halfway round the parkrun when I heard the cheer as she finished. Still, it's worth crowbarring into conversation. (RR, we'll be fab pub-bores when we're mad(der) old bats..)

I was a bit Olympic-ed-out before it all started ...oui, I'd hoped that Paris would get it and that I'd, somehow, get a job...but I'm completely square-eyed and envious of anyone who's actually there....even at the badminton.

Yer_Maj - is your mate as mad as you?

ATM - I got a GB top and whilst I like it, it's a bit odd.

The scoop on the neck is a bit strange - on me anyway - and the material on different panels, is two very slightly different shades od white. One of them goes slightly yellowy when sweaty.

Proud to wear it though.

The reason that you are probably growing to like it is because there is so much blue in it - It's the Union Saltair.

I agree, O, it's more blue than red...but it's a bit 'washed out'. It's not the right colour for the Saltire .So, no, it doesn't really appeal.. I think the 'lack' of red is important. The men's Gymnastics stuff caught my eye...possibly because it's mainly white/red...

But I've seen loads of children wearing GB replica stuff...

* Trying to get head round' Union Saltire' idea...*

 Wiggo? * 'Been in Kelvingrove all day...*

Running Rodent wrote (see)

RS - when NZ won their gold medals did you shout 'WE BEAT YOU' in anyone's ear ?

I couldn't my voice was GONE!

RS! I thought  you were all ' UK-citizen ' now?  * I love this 'nationalism-meltdown..'..*

Jess you little beauty!!!

Jess!