VLM 2010 Survivors

Suze, you will have to polish it when youget back!

Have you asked in eg Sweatshop about maybe a different stule of shoe to see if that makes a difference?  My big toe tips up at the end slightly and although I have never suffered with blisters or the like I do get VERY sore, like a bruised feeling, after the very long distances.  I'm still in my flip flops because I can't bear anythin covering the ends of my toes still!

Oooh now there's a nice thought..........as the marathon is over and once my feet have recovered I will be able to wear heels again!!  Shoeboots, sandals, wedges, kitten heels................

Pinks - I was thinking of getting another foot analysis done so will mention it then.

And yes it will be nice to wear wedges and heels again.

Suze78 wrote (see)

Pinks - I was thinking of getting another foot analysis done so will mention it then.

Hash - message understood!

OMG - I've just seen the prices for the official photos, what a rip off. 

Pinkerbelle wrote (see)

Question...I don't normally check out/post on multiple threads and until i joined Hash's sub 4.30 a couple of months back I had really only been on the FLM Virgin thread and had been there since 2005!  But I got a little curious about the whole super six thing so had a little read of the thread recently started about whether the whole system for selecting 'candidates' etc should be changed.     Now, is it just me or are a large proportion of faster runners really negative about slower peeps like me???  I read a few pages of posts and to be quite honest wished I hadn't!!  I may be being defensive or over-sensitive but got the impression that the faster runners felt they were 'proper' or 'serious' runners and the likes of me weren't worth the time of day and had possibly turned up with little or no training 'expecting' to achieve a target picked out of thin air!!! 

Admittedly I am a late starter having never 'run' before turning 40 in 2004, and I am female, BUT I have spent the last 5 years running 3-5 times a week and this last year have done more, including strength training etc and I can tell you I take my running VERY seriously!!!  I wish I was faster and could achieve times such as sub 3:30 marathons and I don't know why some can and some can't but it's not for want of desire or trying!!  PLUS us 4:30 ish runners are out there both on 'long' runs and the actual races so arguably are putting MORE time in with MORE effort and have to be more serious about the whole thing!!

OK, rant over.  It's just i was feeling rather pleased with my achievements over the weekend (especially as I have taken over an hour off my original marathon time) until I read that lot which made me feel very insignificant and demotivated

Pinks just echoing what's already been said, yours WAS an amazing achievement, and the same applies to anyonen who actually finished, regardless of the time they ran it in.   In many ways I think it's harder for us slower runners than it is for the greyhounds - we spend much longer on our feet, for one thing.

Not all faster runners are negative about slower ones, but I know what you mean, it can seem like that.  Certainly some of the stuff that went on on Christina's thread would have had me running screaming to the hills, there was loads of stuff about stats and times and is-60-miles-a-week-enough.  Over on my thread, and Pix's and Lucy's, it was nothing but support, encuoragement and cracking good chocolate brownie recipes.  We shared all sorts of other stuff that was going on in our lives and I know which I'd rather read, and who I'd rather chat to. 

Thanks Hash!  I don't mind those that are geeky about it - there are always going to be real anoraks in any hobby/sport/interest but what I do take offence to is the negativity/prejudice against those that are in their eyes 'not as good' just because they don't run as fast and the assumption then that we don't take it seriously or try hard enough.

Hey-ho, get a life is what I say.

Ooooh can I have the brownie recipe please, I LOVE cooking!! 

Chocolate brownie recipe  - essential post race recovery fuel

Whilst Pinks floats off into seventh heaven ...

VikW - LOL at your dad crying, and having cramp!  Unsympathetic mum that I am the children got short shrift on Sunday when they said they needed to sit down cos they were tired!  And you've reminded me of a story - apparently, at the 25m mark, Mr Thistle was there cheering the runners on, yelling "you're all heroes, you're brilliant" .. and crying ... til my two lil'uns told him he was being embarassing.

Zaba - I'm no expert (but there are plenty around on this forum) but IMHO that's a v tall order  to achieve sub 3:30 in a year.  A friend of mine runs HMs in about 1:35 and did VLM in 3:34.

Suze you've made me laugh about your medal.  Mine still isn't out of the yet to be unpacked suitcase.  Doesn't matter, I've got blisters to show off instead

Pinks, are you down from the pink running shoe cloud yet?  Lots to say ... don't venture onto other threads ... well seriously, don't fret, just ignore it.  I can get p'eed off about the 'fun runner' comments about VLM - as if I just got up one morning and thought "I'm going to go out and run a marathon today".  And if all 36k ppl ran at 3:20 pace, just imagine how crowded it would be.  I'm invariably back of the pack for smaller club type races and middle of the field for big charity half maras ... I'm never going to be fast, but I love it, I'm out there running, and when I find the going hard I think of all my school mates who teased me for not being able to catch/throw/hit/run and think of them with their middle age spread and remember how much I love running.  Even if it's not everyones idea of running.

And there's a bit of a theme with our times I think .. I did 5:08 in 2008, 4:39 last year, and 4:31:42 on Sunday, my half mara time had been gradually knocked down to about 2:03-2:05 until last autumn, and since  then I've done 1:58:26 and 1:56:55, I was over the moon when I went sub 2.   I should point out that in 10 years of running and trying to get better times, the turning point may have been joining a running club (women's running network) three years ago, and meeting Rio.  Ah ... now I know who to blame for this marathon madness.

Wow HT we are really close on pace/race times!!  That has really encouraged me as maybe i can do a bit faster than 1:58 on the half marathon!!

Yes, I think if I hadn't met Rio on the thread in '05 and in person in '06 I may well not have continued....................THANKS RIO!!!

Suze78 wrote (see)

Pinks / Vik - I started reading that thread and gave up, in fact it was Gattons comments that made me think, why am I even bothering with this.

Hi all unusually I have not been on today as it was a hard days work first, Pinks you have put more posts on today than me even!

with being slightly slower it doesn't matter , I know some faster people have no time for us slower ones butactually us lot who do a HM in around 2 hours are actually far from slow so lets forget going in the more intense threads and stay here talking about all sorts.

I am going running tonight weather permitting just a slow one to see all is well, I guess my training will start in earnest next week again, I have eaten so much since Sunday

Hairy Thistle wrote (see)

Zaba - I'm no expert (but there are plenty around on this forum) but IMHO that's a v tall order  to achieve sub 3:30 in a year.  A friend of mine runs HMs in about 1:35 and did VLM in 3:34.

Thanks for the reply Yes am aware of it being a tall order, just wondered if it was possible if I put the time and effort in and remains injury free. (Am 30 btw since someone asked before). Really have not trained as I should and if ITBs didn't give up in the LM I might have done around or maybe even sub 4. Am sort of thinking if I can do those sort of times though miss behaving what would I be capable of if I behaved???

My friend did his first marathon in Berlin 2009 with sort of 4 months training and did 3.50 and then in LM 2010 finished in 3.15.

Just hoping that it would be possible if I put the effort in

Pinks don't listen to what evil fast runners say I know several elite runners who have maximum respect for slower runner and says they are impressed with slow runners stamina to be out for so long.

Berlin is a massive race with about 40,000 runners but their streets can take it because they are very wide, I did not feel cramped at any stage apart from near the water stations.

Gatton wrote (see)

Suze78 wrote (see)

Pinks / Vik - I started reading that thread and gave up, in fact it was Gattons comments that made me think, why am I even bothering with this.

Suze 78.... i hope I didn't upset you by my posting ... If so I apologise. it was just my thoughts.