Horror Stories Wanted

sheer bloodymindedness and refusal to accept defeat (note - this is not always a good thing, especially if you are carrying an injury!!), and finding someone in a worse state than me to encourage along the way - kind of distracts you from your own discomforts and usually you eventually hit a good point again - all things being relative

Thanks Grendel and Cragchick.... at least I know that i'll be in good company!

Stubborness only works right up to that moment when someone with superior pace runs past you.

Then you try to match their pace and you can't and you won't.

So best train, then the stubborness will have something to fall back on.

Oh the sweet  irony

Well I have stubborness in HUGE quantities.  Easy peasy (hehe!).

Stephen - in terms of the questions you pose - do you have magical answers?  I.e. if I answer your questions will you be able to tell me if it's do-able/how much pain I will feel and when????? Please? (longest run will be around 16 miles, i do speed training every week in my aqua jogging sometimes twice a week; i do sit ups and planks every day and some weight training and cross training every week.  I'm focusing on shorter more intense training as opposed to  clocking up miles....this is due to my injury and not being able to clock up miles.....)

Stephen E Forde

Don't laugh at my answers please...

What is your base at the moment?
35 - 48 miles per week.
Including 10 mile mid week run and longer weekend run (which is the one that hasn't happened mainly due to illnesses & lack of time)

What is the longest run you have done and at what pace?
Since January: 2x 15, 2x16, 2x18, one half marathon race and 1x20. Last week was my training peak and I had to skip 20 miler due to high fever. I'm shortening my taper to fit one more 20 miler in this weekend and hope it will be ok. (Marathon is on 25th March)
Most long runs were shortened or skipped coming closer to the marathon. So I did those miles quite early on in the year.
Pace, ha. Forget that question. I'm a plodder and not timing myself at the moment.

What if any stamina and speed work have you done?
Not much. Past two months one sprint session per week, maybe. Some core work. A tempo session per week. Or something like that. When I've not been too exhausted.

What where your previous marathon times and the fastest of those?
First was 4:50. Second was 4:42. Third and fourth 5 hours as I ran them a week apart.

Were they 5 runs in 5 years or bigger or smaller gaps than that?
Marathons?
May 2009. September 2010. 2x in April 2011.

Marathons a week apart Elli?? That's gutsy!!
My first mara london was my worst (only done 2 mind). Secured an entry and promptly told the world and his wife that I was raising money for my son and would be following a sub 4 schedule. Very foolish as far too optimistic and I picked up an injury which meant NO training for 8 wks and only able to start again a few wks before. Longest run was 10 miles 6 days before the race.
It was NEVER an option to drop out so set off with a plan to take it steady and pop painkillers as necessary! 1st few miles were good, knee hurt from 8 and a tumble on the timing mat reduced me to tears at 15. Could have kissed the supporters at mud chute, and cried as the finish came into view. My mother fed me champagne to ease the pain and the following yr I took over 40 mins off my time at Llanelli.
I think wellness is vital and would rather run a mara unprepared than injured.
Good luck !!!

This thread is confirming that a) marathons can really f*ck you up and b) that going in underprepared is not a wise decision.

Discretion is the better part of valour and all that.

I for one could not mentallly attack a marathon without knowing I had put in the necessary training.  I ran the VLM for the first time last year (4:42) which was at a much slower pace than I had run my LSRs - it was far busier than I could ever have imagined and as someone on here mentioned earlier, you spend the first 13 miles dodging other people.

In MY head, as long as I have put in the training then I CANNOT doubt that I will complete the distance and enjoy it.  Enjoying it is a huge part of running a marathon for me.

I wish I had the stubborness (sp) mentioned by others on here.