Calling all Virgin London Marathon 2010 hopefuls

Hi AJH - we're back in Yorkshire now so may see you at local races.  I'm still the man least likely to be seen in a tri-suit

TNH - I found it was easier to get out in the dark when I was new to running.  How about training with a club in the evenings for motivation and getting one of those sunrise lamps for mornings to trick your body into thinking it's daytime so you get up and run?

Why would anyone possible not want to grab an oppertunity like this.

This is a once in a lifetime thing, i have entered and really hope i get the chance to train with the experts as i always work hard, run hundreds of miles, then mess it up on the day.

LB vote for me if you a journey might be more downs the ups, my running blog will sound like Marvin from Hitchhikers

"Running dont talk to me about running"

Can anyone tell me if they fall over very often when training.

I love to run in the woods near me and at this time of year the mud and rain make it even better, when i am not looking though the tree stumps jump out at trip me up. As a result i go home covered in mud and my wife wonders when i am going to grow up.

Does this happen to anyone else?

I've entered too, this is the chance of a life time! I'm in! Take me! I've stopped the chocolate already and so have my children! What? Am I trying too hard??

"Entry to a new and exciting pacing event at Dorney Lake on March 28, 2010"

Funnily enough BR I was thinking the other day about which of the forumites might benefit significantly from such an opportunity and I thought of ......... YOU!!

Two reasons. One is that you take the trouble to read thoroughly and comment intelligently about other peoples training and the other is that you have been knocking on the door of a super marathon time for such a long time and you deserve it, many would have thought 's*d it' by now but maybe with the 'tweaking' of an elite coach then 2010 you would nail it!

Hadn't thought about the Brilly combo though!

ps - you have to follow the RW schedule though, the coaches can 'tweak' as I mention above but that is all they can do. I found that hard being in the 'miles' camp but I didn't cheat, as that wouldn't have been at all in the spirit of the competition.

Sue C wrote (see)

Actually my thread was 'did 4 miles easy today, did 6 at MP yesterday' and not at all about CNBA days (I am a rather motivated runner!!!!) so it was specifically running based but that actually sparked loads of questions and training information in itself as Liz Yelling (my mentor for '09) the Lucozade experts and other experienced runners all gave their opinion and thoughts on how my training was going and that sparked further debate and questions etc.  The thread covered all bases during its life - nutrition, race nerves, training paces. But if you scan the posts on all the different VLM threads you will see a vast difference in the talk on each one and I think that's a good thing.

Just realised my post sounds like it might have been a criticism of Sue C's blog. Sue - it wasn't and as the only person who actually achieved their "target" as a super sixer last year, may I just offer my congratulations to you and apologise if I have offended you with that comment? I guess it just goes to show that different people approach this in different ways....

goldbeetle wrote (see)

LB vote for me if you a journey might be more downs the ups, my running blog will sound like Marvin from Hitchhikers

LIVERBIRD wrote (see)

TNH wrote (see)

Hi everyone,

 I've been reading some of what you all said about one post wonders and people joining just for the competition etc..

I've been a member for a few months now since I decided to run a couple of half's, but I've never posted on the forums or anything.  Is there really that much bad feeling about newbies?

 Not sure I'd want to comit to writing a blog if I was going to get slaughtered for anything people don't agree with?

Crikey - I get slaughtered all the time!  Rule number one - try not to take anything too personally. People will disagree with you and they will let you know when they do! You can choose to argue your point back, concede you might have been wrong  and say so or decide its not worth a fight and ignore them. I've done all three!

Seren is absolutely right. We all started on one post TNH so don't worry about that. Obviously long time posters have established characters on here and that means that some of us know each other well in cyberspace. For example, Coops is training to be a priest and I am a shy and retiring sort who only posts once a month....

You DO get a lot of people who have never given the forums a moment's thought and suddenly see this competition and think "Oh - that's for ME" and then they swear that they'll be the best thing since sliced bread and will blog daily for our amusement. Trouble is, having no track record they are asking RW to take a chance on them. I don't want to read "went running today. Did 5 miles easy and tomorrow I shall do 4 miles at MP" because I will fall asleep!

We want to know about the times when you can't be arsed getting out of bed because you had a chippy tea the night before and now you can't get off the loo!  This is supposed to be a journey - if you pretend to be the finished perfect article before the day, people will get bored.

So by all means enter if you would be willing to share your experience with a load of fellow runners who haven't had the opportunity you've been given. You don't have to be a great writer or a comedian - honesty will do nicely. I bet we'll all be laughing at that anyway....

And good luck.

*hangs head in shame, a Manc agreeing with a Scouser*

I've entered too, but please nobody tell the scrummy osteo I'm seeing.  Purely professionally, you understand.  Ooooh ouch, my piriformis...

I am halfway through filling in the questionairre. I think you lose nothing from entering these things, and its a fantastic opportunity to have someone actually give you amazing advice, not to mention the extra support from the forum. Which to be fair, is often there anyway

When I did my first marathon, I had well over 100 messages of congrats in my Facebook and RW thread notifications. They were all Runners World Forumites. The support is brilliant and without the good people of this forum I would probably have quit when I fell so ill last year.

My non cyber friends simply didn't "get it".....

I have tidied under the stairs and Iam now going for a run Mrs Gb is unwell so I have do everything

tsk dont talk to me about housework

Sue - Thanks for the confidence booster. 3.15 is still my target as you know and my ostrich days are definitely over!

I really enjoyed your forum last year. I think it was because you are in a very similar position to me (aiming for 3.15/ trying to juggle running and organising family life etc) and so I could relate to everything you were saying. I could tell it was hard work for you and you came through with a heapful of admiration from a lot of people, me included.