FLM Virgin

Hi All,

I'm pleased to say I crossed the finish in 4hrs 45 mins , 17 mins better than I did in 2008

 Daz as predicted did fantastic.!

Trig - very sad indeed.  Not the sort of news anyone wants to hear.

I'm getting there thanks - slowly but surely!

Apologies all for the delay. As Gatton rightly said, we were still in London yesterday and didn't get back to Cardiff until about 1915.  What with getting food on way home for kids, then eating and unpacking the night was over lol, and early to bed for me by 2200.

Good to catch up with Gatton when we visited Expo, and fortunate when we walked back past him to say "Bye" to see Trigg and Mr Trigg.

I did shout at Caro at mile 17, I think she missed me at first lol.  However, I think her use of the word "sprinting" was a bit of an exaggeration.

Jiminey - massive well done, a good effort for your first marathon.

Well done to Dave as well, a 17 min PB is awesome.

Hope you're over whatever it was VB, take it easy.

Anyway, didn't get near my hoped for 3:10, but officially got 3:13:57 which is a PB and gives me my GFA.

Race was erratic with a few ups-and-downs, will post a report in due course but the mile splits make very interesting reading lol

Wow Daz that's brilliant!

Well done all 3 of you - very impressed!

Daz - not over it as such - turns out there's going to be another mini-VB in November but my body isn't coping too well (or at all!) with it (hence the hospital stay, hooked up to a drip etc).  Out now and functioning, just about, with lots of medication, but roll on November!  (Not common knowledge yet so those who know me on Facebook please keep it to yourselves!).  Needless to say Dave I won't be taking you up on the suggestion of VLM2013.  Maybe 2014, lol!

Apologies all for the delay. As Gatton rightly said, we were still in London yesterday and didn't get back to Cardiff until about 1915.  What with getting food on way home for kids, then eating and unpacking the night was over lol, and early to bed for me by 2200.

Good to catch up with Gatton when we visited Expo, and fortunate when we walked back past him to say "Bye" to see Trigg and Mr Trigg.

I did shout at Caro at mile 17, I think she missed me at first lol.  However, I think her use of the word "sprinting" was a bit of an exaggeration.

Jiminey - massive well done, a good effort for your first marathon.

Well done to Dave as well, a 17 min PB is awesome.

Hope you're over whatever it was VB, take it easy.

Anyway, didn't get near my hoped for 3:10, but officially got 3:13:57 which is a PB and gives me my GFA.

Race was erratic with a few ups-and-downs, will post a report in due course but the mile splits make very interesting reading lol

Thanks - but trust me Daz, I'd love to be able to run a marathon, let alone at that pace!

Congratulations VB!  Sorry to hear you've been poorly.

Well done Daz, Jiminey and Dave.  I'm looking to be there for 2014 if I can

Wow GFA.  Great PB Daz.  All the sweating was worth while, and guaranteed entry for next year!  No more fighting in the ballot or club raffle where you've ended up losing in a fifty/fifty draw!

So where's the report, and what were the ups and downs?  PB by how much?

Congrats to Dave & Jiminey too. 

Seriously belated congrats to Caro's No. 2 arrival (never say never my lady) and congrats to VB on the news of Lucas's little nemisis.

And as I don't visit often it would be rude not to pay due respect to the forum regulars Trigg and Gatton, hope you're all OK.

[retires to the land of the naff soap operas & vegemite]

Good to hear from you Windy.  Indeed, my record of losing twice in 50/50 club draws is piss-poor lol.

PB was 1m10s, not massive but good enough.  My Garmin also measured my distance as 26.59 miles, no doubt due to excess distance going around people etc.  Hence, a race calculator re-computes my 3:13:57 to 3:10:58, so maybe I need to do another to go for the 3:10

Mmmm race report.  I’ve never been good at those, can’t remember much about it already, so best put something down now before I forget it all.  The (perhaps optimistic) aim was 3:10, which according to pace band was 7m15s pace, so I intended to stick to that.  I’d cocked up the start though.  Got in to my pen (2) and then we all walked forward.  A few guys nipped to the side for a last minute pee, I decided to join them.  Get back into masses, gun goes off.and I look at Garmin ready to press start when I cross the mat.  F*ck!  It’s gone back into power-save mode!!!  Stand at side right by start-mat trying to get Garmin sorted lol as people go past me.

Best place to start I guess is to show the splits and comment where necessary:

1. 7:31 Slightly slower than target, but to be expected I guess due to traffic.
2. 6:59 Over-compensating for mile 1, but now back on target.
3. 6:41 Ooops, got a bit carried away here, excitable I guess.  Our blue start merged with one of the other starts, much booing etc lol.
4. 6:50   }
5. 6:57   }
6. 7:02   }  Still slightly quicker than planned, but felt comfortable.  Genuinely trying to slow
7. 7:03   }  down slightly, knowing too fast here would cost me later.
8. 7:07   } 
9. 7:11   }
10. 7:05   }
11. 7:05 Saw 3 supporters from my club just after 10mile marker with a huge Welsh flag
12. 7:10
13. 7:18 I think about here I noticed the gentle climb over Tower Bridge, started to slow down.
14. 7:20 Starting to feel it now, but kept telling myself I’m OK if I keep them under 7m26s to get within 3:15.  Re-focus now on keeping within 7m26s pace!!!
15. 7:20 Consistent.
16. 7:30
17. 7:26
18. 7:24 Saw Caro just after 17 mile marker – see, I’m hardly sprinting but it is a reasonable pace lol.
19. 7:29 Slowing again, but knowing I’ve got time in the bank.
20. 7:28 Knowing there’s only just over 6 miles to go.  I can do this, put on mind-set of “it’s just a training run”.
21. 7:42 Ouch – first spasm I think in left-calf, is it all gonna go belly-up?  Manage to run through it.
22. 7:38
23. 7:42 Spasm spasm spasm in left-calf.  Go away.  Should I stop/stretch?  No, keep going.
24. 5:42 WTF!  This must have been a glitch with the Garmin.
25. 8:33 This seems surprisingly slow but even taking the previous mile into consideration, the average for the 2 miles is some 7m08s, which seems too fast – Confused!  However, really hard work and was considering a stop./walk break.
26. 8:02 Agony – really wanted to stop just for a quick breather.  Refused to do so – focus focus focus.  I kept telling myself that I was so close to sub 3:15, this was the closest I’d ever been, and this was the best opportunity to do it.  I was screaming in my head that I would never forgive myself if I’d let this opportunity slip away.  Apparently MrsDaz saw me about here, just after Bird Cage Walk, but I didn’t see any of them.
27. 4:43 Keep going, past the 600M marker, where’s the turn, where’s the f**cking finish line?  Turn around the corner in front of the Palace, on the Mall and can see it.  Just keep plugging away, attempt to increase pace but can’t say if it was to any positive effect.  Cross the line and noticed clock was on about 3:14:1?, I was so so relieved I was within the 3:15 target, Garmin said 3:13:59 so was secretly hoping for sub 3:14 lol.  Chip time confirmed later as 3:13:57 – woohoo.