Sub 3

SL - the training will be in there, but its a shame that there's no result for the campaign. But you wouldnt want to set yourself back by running poorly.

Brian - didnt really do a report, but in the virtual 1/2 mara race on Sunday you beat me !

Clearly - great to see that you can declare yourself off the bench.

Jools - 2 pints at your size is like a darts player having 15 !

DanA - its only 1-0 to me over 1/2 mara

Good luck to all the Abingdo runners for sunday and anyone else doing Amsterdam or whatever, hope it goes well

Brian - say again very close to sub 80, sounds more like an on the day thing, training has been done (BM sounds ideal for it). Race sunday is Cabbage Patch in Twickenham. Feeling better than I did tuesday and yesterday and still a few days to chill yet. Be good to run it but after running 1.18.56 in Notts I've accomplished another major goal so what will be will be re sunday. After that combination of trying to run a sub 36 10k, some xc and probably trying a fell race up here this autumn. Then I guess I'll start thinking about VLM........Are you running London next year?

Dan - how's your OH getting on at St Georges?

Clearly - great news

TR - I was interested to see what you were going to run sunday.

RS - Sunday ? Probably need to start building up some long runs again over the winter, so maybe 12 to 14. Both have afternoon kick offs so should have enough time for something around that. Will try to keep the 3hr ride on Saturdays up too when I can.

RS.. hope the bug clears quickly & good luck on Sunday.

Brian.. that is a still a top performance even if maybe not what you wanted.  I'm sure one day you will see a codger's podium spot in a big race and a PB to be a good day's work.  See you at the BM if not before.

AW.. hope you enjoy the XC, all the best to other racers at the weekend. 

LJ.. good to see you easing back into it.

SL.. really sorry you can't do Abo though a sensible decision by the sound of it.  Hope you can find a race in the next few weeks to vent your frustration.

Y D.. good call on making your marathon choice.  Nothing like the prospect of 26.2m to get you out of the door during winter!

Clearly.. great news, pity you can't celebrate with a beer!  Build up patiently and the old form will come back gradually.

CC2.. I thought it might be Whitby - I can catch a bus there from my town!  I hope you weren't one of the goths who the Daily Mail reckoned upset some of the locals by swanning around the graves in St.Mary's churchyard having their photos taken last year!  BTW I do like the the name 'Drac-In-The- Box' for a Goth clothier's shop!

TT.. TBH I can't talk when it comes to being accident prone!  In May I gashed one knee after falling during a run.  Just as that knee started to heal, a small child cycled out of a drive and clouted my other knee when I was on a run home - a medium sized lump was the result!

Lovely sunny autumn morning up here so did a steady 10.5m around the local country lanes.  A lot of rain fell last night so I had to run through a few flooded sections.

Wardi - not me. There's no way I'm walking up all of those flipping steps in the heels I like to wear in Whitby!

Njord - Munich is a beautiful city and the marathon course was lovely too. Mostly flat with just two little hills that I actually rather enjoyed. There's not a huge amount of support on the course but plenty of space to run. The expo was good too, I got a great bargain (Gore jacket reduced from 200 euros to 30 euros) but I did get there as it opened. If you don't mind the whole water in cups thing then I'd highly recommend it, and also the hotel I stayed in, which was 15 mins gentle walk away from the Olympic Stadium, served an awesome breakfast and evening meal and has mini kitchens in the rooms so you can cook for yourself and was on the tram line into the city. 

Tested out the legs tonight and they cooperated. Phew. 

Forgot to say - SL, shame about Abo. You could probably get a last minute place in the Town Moor Marathon for next weekend if you're wanting to run a marathon still. It's not the easiest course (5 multi terrain laps), but you can't beat the Geordie spirit. I don't think it's sold out. 

RS78, I have a place for London but will probably defer it. I'm going to continue trying to get the shorter distance times down. Looking at Autumn 2013 for next mara.

Wardi, initially I was disappointed, but when I saw the official results and the penny dropped, I was happier. Problem was that I had convinced myself I was going to do the sub80. Hopefully see you in York.

Brian - thats more like it. There's no guarantees in target times, it said 5:10 on my garage door all winter and I bagged a 5:37, 27mins of over-time ! You managed about 45 seconds of it.

All the best to any Abo runners, who's in ?

Making puddles and swimming in bigger lido shaped puddles for me today.

Good luck to all those running on the weekend at Abingdon, Amsterdam, Cabbage Patch and elsewhere.  Sorry to hear SL is out of Abingdon, there does seem to be something going around, judging by the amount of people coughing and spluttering down my neck on the bus.

Due to continual foot soreness every time I try to run, I'm taking a week off to try to hopefully get rid of it.  May try to get down to the physio at some point and see what it is.  It's a soreness on the top ridge of the foot, that seems to spread a little to other parts of the upper foot when I run.  Doesn't really hurt to walk on, unless I'm walking quick, and it isn't really intense pain when I run either, it's just that it's constant.  When resting I can barely feel it.  Anyway, this means I'm not running Cabbage Patch this weekend.

Alcohol - not so much anymore, but that's more about having kids than running.

Good luck to Marigold and Marders tomorrow - I'm looking forward to seeing how you guys do! Good luck to all the others racing at the weekend too - I've lost track of who's doing Abingdon, Amsterdam etc.

SL - gutting about Abingdon, but as you say, you can get back into it much sooner and nail some other races.

Dachs - seems sensible to bin the race. Are you lacing you shoes differently/tighter? Top of the foot always makes me think of laces.

10M for me last night. I wanted an easier run with the club, but quite a few fast guys showed up which meant that I had to run 6:2x pace for most of it just to stay in touch.

yeah good luck all the weekend racers, and sorry for those benched or lurgified and pulling DNS's or just having to rest which also sucks. 

don't folks advice that 1 week pre marathon you don't do a full on half marathon race?  but do those rules not apply when doing a 50km race, then a 65min half the week before is fine?

selbs - wasnt a full on race I guess. Plus those boys do proper miles.

PAdams - interesting re the 10M, made me wonder how many of those I've done myself recently, it appears that I have run 10M (or more) only 5 times in the last 3 months. Whilst I can blag 1/2's on that I had best shape up over the winter and get the mileage into triple digits each month.

A long absence. Have had a very tough time but at least I'm still running!

Anyway on here to wish everyone all the very very best for Abingdon etc. Will do some reading back tomorrow to see how folk are prepared etc.

Dachs -- I'd echo Padams -- I got sore tops-of-feet when I experimented with elastic laces, which impinged rather on the feet, being less limp than normal string. Are you overtightening your laces? It was a real relief for me sussing that out as it was so trivial, and I feared (as always) it might be something nasty.

TR - got dates wrong

Brian - sounds like a good plan, basically what I've done since April really

25 mins easy this afternoon, felt more normal.

SL - my local Costco does a 12 pack that has 3 each of Hobgoblin, Goliath, Scarecrow and Wychcraft for a good price

Good luck for Sunday RS78.

Wardi - between the pair of us we've probably taken the worst of the injury jinxes away from everybody else

Sorry to hear about the foot Dachs. Hopefully the rest does the job. Opposite for me to CW. I only use elastic laces now and find them much more comfortable.

Nice on the 10m Padams.

Nice progressive run home for me this evening. 10.4 in a 4 @ 7:09, 3 @ 6:34 and the last 3.4 @ 6:17. Good fun in the rain

RS - I understand now, Gosport is 4 or 5 weeks away. I'm not tough enough to do 1/2 mara's 2 weeks in a row.

Dachs / CW I'd echo Charlie's comments. I switched to a side-lace method because of a high foot arch and have never had a problem with that issue since. I lace mine across on the first eyes, then side up with just one other cross until the final eye. It looks weird and at first feels like your shoe might fall off - in fact at VLM2011 Marders asked me if I was going to do my shoes up. (I should have told him to concentrate on accurate pacing ). But it solved all the top of foot pain issue.

Going to do a long run in Alexandra Park today. Feel the mojo for running coming back ... 

p.s. Although I did leave a shoe behind on the race which forms my profile picture! It was a bog though.

Best of luck to the Abo crew and the 50k duo.