VLM 2013 Outsiders Thread

PS - Can this thread get moved to the Spring Marathon bit, I can never find it?!?!

Does anyone know if you can have numbers transfered?

I have a friend who has a place deferred from last year but no longer wants to run it. I'd love to take up her place.

No you can't transfer numbers under any circumstances. Your friend uses her place or loses it I'm afraid.

I wouldn't try to speed up Khanivore - you are doing just fine. Better a bit slower than you'd like than injured.

Shedboy, nice to see a bit of enthusiasm there!!!

The 10K was great, it was like a Sunday stroll, my PB is sub 46 (45.59 )for the 10K and we finished it in 67 minutes so quite easy for me and she did really well considering she had done virtually no training for it, although she did mention afterwards she wanted to punch me at various points on the course when I was giving her "encouragement" to keep going

Good to see the training going well, I'm getting my "base" built at the minute so up to 9 miles at the moment and will be comfortably up to 13 by Xmas, when the training plan kicks in. I'm going for the 3 runs a week plan for this Marathon to try and avoid injury issues, can't remember if I said I had fractured my one of my Sesamoids before and still suffer Sesamoiditis but it's bearable when running so hopefully this plan will help!

Khanivore, well done on the half! As Screamapillar says, don;t overdo it at this stage, you'll knacker yourself for the Marathon!

Anyway, will start to keep tabs on the thread now as it's not too long before the serious work starts!!

I see this thread has really got going now since my last post! 

Everyone probably still cramming in the boxes of celebrations and drink before the training starts? I have just recovered from a 3 day hangover and with the ice and snow it's fair to say my base building has not been going too well at the minute!!

Ah well, with all the other nights out planned for December I am going to have to concentrate on building my mental strength this month before the training kicks in - apparently the Marathon is all about mental strength anyway so if I can stick at it I should be fine!!

Just found this and as I can't find anything interesting to do with VLM, I will stay to see if picks up a bit.

This will be my 6th marathon in three years and I have followed a RW plan each time and each time just got below my target so I am now on the sub 3:00 plan. I ran Athens in 3:06 in November so if I can stay injury free I am quietly confident of achieving my goal. Athens was mainly up hill so London should be a breeze!

Anyway training started on Monday, but I had a 10k race that day so got off to a faster than expected start (39:12), then Tuesday 4.2 miles @ 7:30 min/mi, yjesterday was 6 miles @ 7:30 min/mi and today was 5 miles @ 7:00 min/mi, luckily a rest day tomorrow.

Would be good to see how everyone elses training is going now that we have finally started and swap any advice.

Oh and day three of not drinking which is a first for me and I am going to try and stop until the evening of April 21st when I intend to make up for it in a big way. Sounds good but I can never face alchohol after a marathon really so I may have a few on Monday 22nd instead.

Loads of races booked also between now and April which some of you may be doing, some are listed below;

Folkesworth 15

Valentine 30k

Cambridge 1/2

Tarpley 20

Oakley 20

That's it for now, as it is my birthday today so I need to see how this will affect my WAVA going forward!!!

Been to busy / holidays blah blah recently to be on here but there is a serious lack of enthusiasm for talking crap about this years VLM!!!

Where is everyone, is noone else running it this year?

How's it going Roger, very impressed with your times but more so with your "stopping drinking" My training is going well (touch wood), will go into more details later if you or anyone else is still around. Happy birthday for a couple of weeks ago!

Get posting people, I will need encouragment over the next few moths, seriously considering doing Edinburgh this year as well (anyone have experience of running two Marathons so close together?)

shedboy - where are you? Are you too busy crying into your Saucony's that Housty might be leaving?

Hi Miggito

Training is going really well and I am still not drinking! I am in week three and started some track training last Tuesday which I have never done before. The lads are mostly faster than me and I am running faster than I normally run so I should see some speed improvements soon.

Difficult to train given the recent weather conditions but I use these tough training days as motivation on the day. When it gets tough at around twenty miles I try to recall the crap conditions I trained in and all the effert in the months leading to this big day - well it normally works anyway!

I am part of a study group at the moment to find the best cadence to ride a bike and then run a fast 5k so tomorrow I have got half an hour on the bike and then a fast 5k at a cadence set by the tutor. It is hard work but I am enjoying it and last week we done a CO2 Max Test, I achieved 53 which is meant to be quite good.

I done Snowdon last Year and then two weeks later Athens so I could probably answer some questions you have about running two marathons close together.

Anyone else out there?

Hi Roger, good to see someone is still around and well done on not drinking!!! I 'm trying not to be too strict with myself (good job as I managed to polish off half a botlle of vino last night!) but will have early night tonight as LSR tomorrow.

I know what you mean about the training conditions, I actually bit the bullet and invested in a treadmill in December as it was getting too cold / icy to run. I can only run in the mornings due to work / family commitments so am usually out the door around 5.45am so although the treadmill is quite tedious, it gives me no excuse to miss a session!

I'm following the 3 run per week schedule (speed/tempo & LSR) so I find it really helpful with regards to pacing although I will do my LSRs out in the open and will get back out there once the weather improves (thankfully no snow for me yet so tomorrow's run still on)

Interesting to read re your study group efforts also, does this not get in the way of your training though?

And yes, please let me know your experiences re the 2 Marathons, I have only done one (VLM2011) and was injured but ran / hobbled it anyway and had to pull out of Edinburgh last year due to fracture in foot, so I'm probably getting a bit carried away with myself  but it feels good to be back running properly again, although I still get some niggles.

PS - I'm going for a sub 345 (maybe sub 330 depending how things go!!)

Hi Guys, thought I would join in on this thread as I will be running my first VLM this year.

Still quite a newbie to marathons, I ran my first - the Rutland Water - in Nov (Bloomin cold & wet) in 3:45 and have decided to ambitiously follow the RW sub 3:15 plan.  Going well so far, although have been nursing a bit of a hip flexor issue so my speed is not what I would like at the moment

Loving the snow though, it certainly makes you concentrate while running, I live in quite a hilly area so the uphill's are hard and the downhills are like skiing!!!  Certainly hope this challenging training will pay off later on.

I've got a few interesting events coming up which should prove interesting as a part of the build up to the VLM:

24th Feb - Baldock Beast Half Marathon

10th Mar - The Grizzly

17th Mar - Naseby Half Marathon

I will follow this thread with interest

hello

How's it going Matt, good luck in your sub 3.15 exploits! I most definitely hate the snow and am very grateful to have missed most of it. Had about an inch at the weekend so the run was a bit slippy but felt good, hadn't run 13 miles for a while!

This is only my second Marathon (did VLM in 2011 - injured!) and had to pull out of Edinburgh last year due to fracture so am determined to make it to start line injury free as I have a score to settle with London and then I can move on to others!

Nice selection of warm up races there, dont have a clue what they are but they sound nasty ! I need to get my finger out and get a 1/2 organised, otherwise going to stick quite religiously to my 3 run per week schedule. Did 7 1/2 minutes on the rowing machine and 45 on the bike today so feeling quite proud of myself and it's an easy week running wise!

Mick, good to see you're still around, I remember you from the 2011 thread, what have you been up to, are you doing VLM this year? Hope Phil keeping well?

Hi Miggito - yes were fine thanks, i ve been unwell so i'm unsure at the moment if i could manage a marathon -

trust me when i tell you

The marathon is all on the day - no one knows what will happen or at what point, physical fitness is good, but far more important is physcological strategy and mental strength - preperation is vital   

Hi Miggito, sounds like we are in a similar boat then, my last couple of years have been set back by injury (Cruciate Ligament Tear  ) and I'm hoping to get through a full year with no injuries!!!

The events I'm doing are purposely "nasty" hilly devils so hopefully the London Streets should feel that much easier , that's the plan anyway!!!

Mick, glad to see you on here hope you are feeling better soon, I've only been running a couple of years now but I will always remember my first event, it was the Friends of Mick n Phil Half Marathon around Draycote Water in March 2009, wet n windy but loved it 100%, you and Phil were an absolute inspiration.

Hi Matt - you ok ?

Good thanks Mick, trying to stay motivated to get my training done in this weather, at first it was fun, now I just want the snow gone and to be able to run properly!!!