Virgin London Marathon 2011 First Timers

OH boy what memories! Absolutely amazing for the runners this year, watched on tv, got all inspired again. Was so dissapointed last time. After the Kingston 16 a month before totally on track and then such a crap day on the day! Its conquering the mental side for me. Got upset not finding my son for ages then the walk/run pacer speeded off after just slow jogging for the first few miles. So off we go again. Will do the ballot on MOnday but not much hope there really. JUst how many real places are there after all the charity ones are allocated? So its the asking for money again. Have to play the old age card.....again.

Will keep checking in and try and keep up on the hated Facebook thing.

 love to all and congrats

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Hi Chris

If its any consolation, I thnk last year was way harder than this.  Better weather made it more tolerable and more enjoyable, although still a bit too warm!

Go for the ballot, you have nothing to lose!

Hello peeps! I've missed you all...

I'm entered for Brighton next April. Anyone else fancy 26 miles by the seaside?

Fingers crossed for you Phatboy & Eggy!

Brighton application was easy, paid my £55 & I'm in.. No ballot.. Jubbly! Nice & close to home so I can sleep in my own bed the night before & eat porridge from my own bowl...

All sing along now....."Oh I do like to run beside the seaside, I do like to run beside the sea...."

Husband not happy.. Aparently being a Marathon Widow is Inconvinient because he occassionally has to cook his own meals...And, I quote.. "There's so much hanging around and waiting on the day".. So, have resolved to run faster.. poor, poor hubby all together now... Ahhhhhhh

Lol - just noticed this thread come alive again!! Nice to see everyone again and good to hear what you are up to! I've just recently pulled out of Edinburgh for various reasons but without boring you I had fractured a bone in my foot (playing footabll of all things!) and it's not really healed properly so not running at the minute! I had been trying to run but realised I was never going to make it (guessed I learned something from London)

Anyways, I am now hoping I will be super fit by the end of September when I will hopefully be running alongside Nessie (I promised myself I would try to do one Marathon a year until I'm at least 50 )

I'm in for VLM next year anyway as I deferred this year and looking forward to it already! Hope all you guys applying get in - was a nice feeling getting the Congratulations magazine through the letterbox!

Helen - Brighton - Good Luck!!! It's on my hit-list, will be there in a few years!!

Well done Phil and Sandra! I'm extremely jealous you now have 2 VLM medals compared to my 1  PS. Sandra, I am planning running NYC for my 40th in 2014!! Should be fun

Chris & Darren fab to see you in here and Helen you've got me tempted with Brighton now. Have to look into when it closes as I need to stop spending so much money on these damn races at the moment If I have a couple of months I might sign up then.....

Miggs good to here from you!! Sorry about the foot but you'll be back which is a good thing. If I'm not running next year I'll definitley be at 23.4 mile marker with my run club so will be cheering on anyone on who gets in

NYC sounds so much better for a 40th but I like the idea of home grown torture If I'm going to NYC....I'm drinking cosmopolitains alllllll day and not running  

Miggito .. Hellooo... Older & wiser eh..  sorry about the foot & standing you up under the clock. Best of luck for Nessy - Sound spectacular. I'm officially jealous!

Miss Knees - Brighton usually gets full just after the VLM ballot is announced surprisingly enough, although it's getting more popular I hear... It was that or my home town Marathon - The Beachy Head. I've walked that, it's a killer. Brighton it is..    I'm with you & on the Cosmo's..

Am running Brighton with my running buddy (not Reg.. He's retired due to congenital laziness & conspiracy to injure) She is terrified.. quite funny really all those familiar old neuroses!  

TTFN...

It's just the waiting of a ballot place e-mail now, it's doing my head in!!!! If I remember rightly it was about 9-10 days afterwards that people found out if they had a ballot place or not. I see most people have continued to post on this forum, can't fault it, unfortunately I've let it go a tad, although I occasionally post on the FB page.

I was on a right downer from October onwards after I didn't get in for 2012, I sort of lost my 'mojo' for running and took a few months off concentrating on volunteer football coaching my local side in Newport. Begining of the year though, I decided to go for it , running 2-3 times a week and enjoying it, been in a couple races so far, even the missus has started, well done that woman! Looking to do a few more races by the end of the year, the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in London, 5.6k [?], Magor Marsh 10K in Newport, Cardiff half and hopefully the Weymouth 10 miler.

 Have had a couple of injuries which of course gets you down, but you've just got to get on with it and dig in. Hope to keep it touch with everybody again, plus I'll see if I can upload a photo to my profile, having trouble with it at the moment?

Other than that, off to Wembley next Saturday [May 12th], along with the mini-football team I coach to see our local side Newport County take on York City in the FA Trophy Final .

ATB to everybody.

Npteggchaser

Anyone interested in a West London Half Marathon there is the first ever Ealing Half on 30th Sept

http://www.ealinghalfmarathon.com/

I thought it was the first to 125,00 and then it closes, seem to remember it took just over 24hrs last year, so if you've registered on the first day and have been early with it, you are virtually in for the October decision. I had an e-mail on the 28th April last year congratulating me on my inclusion in the ballot, although I haven't had one this time, have anybody else?

With the regards the JPM , it's on Thursday 12th July I believe, I work for ExxonMobil in Newport and I'm on 6-2, so it's getting the permission off the local company to release me [very unlikely], so it could be a case of getting cover.

Yep, Phatboy, you are correct - Registration for the ballot & then everything crossed until October when you either get a congrats pack  or aCommiserations..

Eggy, I think you are refering to the "your in the ballot" e-mail - unless of course you're one of those super freak good for age dudes are you??? I think they get in early..

.... I think that I should persue it and demand my fleece!

Same here with running 'mojo', it seems to come in waves after good or bad news in October!