VLM 2010 Survivors

Pinkerbelle wrote (see)

Apologies for threas-hogging (still can't focus on work!!) but just been told that Lidl have an offer starting today for swiss/gym balls - £2.99!  Fab for core stability work and if you are desk bound, great to swap for your chair!!

Wow thanks

From super six thread.

Gatton wrote (see)

Surley the whole point was to choose six lucky people ( rememeber the postings after they were selected ) who agree to put their lives under scrutiny for the duration and beyond.
Can you remember the pressure that we put on ourselves when we tell our families that we " want to run a marathon" What time ? do you think you will do, they ask. Then we do the pressure bit and tell them, and that is where it starts. However we can keep it on a low key not publish every last step we take to the masses.
It is about how others join them and go along for the journey. About  reading about thier exploits and either joining in via the threads or just reading them and taking on some well intentioned advice. If the people who read the postings would reply I am sure many would agree they  appreciated the advice given and helped most to have a better idea as to how to run a marathon either for the first time or to make it easier to gain that all elusive PB.
I for one think that a great part of the "super six" ideal is that so many runners of all abilities have now become good friends and will stay so even after the event.

As to mentors putting in their share. i can only speak as i find and Liz could not have been more helpful. Not only to her people but to many others on the threads. She always found time to answer people's questions and was around to offer her support even when her own training didnt go according to plan..

A marathon is a long journey and some people require all sorts of support and if the "super six" can gererate interest to others who may never even have thought of starting out on this journey  via the mentors and whole lot of other very experienced marathon runners ........then that is OK for me...

OK I like a laugh and so on, I tell you now I was deadly serious on Sunday, no Oggy Oggy Oggy  I spoke to no one as such on the course I focused on getting home and making the time.

A whole years training on my own for the GNR would indicate I am serious, we all are in our own way, if any fast runners would care to come here and debate why they feel we are not I am sure they are welcome.

That's not too controversial a rant is it?

I wouldn't want to be censored by RW

Ooooooh I'm exhausted trying to catch up on here! Going for a rest now!

Right! Any opinions on this..........Rio , anybody else welcome to comment too!

I have done a spin class (all be it with no resistance!) and swam 30 lengths this week. My legs feel fine (to be honest they haven't been too bad at all, perhaps because the cramp slowed me down??) Anyway was planning a 25mile bike on Sat and about 8mile jog on Sunday....but have seen a local pool based sprint tri advertised, 500m swim, 19km bike and 6km run on Sunday. Should I potter round this instead???

By the way if anyone looks down on your acheivements, their opinion isn't worth having. Be proud and happy!

Relaxed...If I was in your place I would go for the sprint tri. If you have any problems whilst doing this at least there will be help at hand...........if you go out on your own there will not be !!!    good luck let us know how you get on...

So Toenails seem to be in the thread again, the small nail next to the the right big toe has been not right for ever, over a year for certain a fungal infection sounds worse than it is, I am still applying the varnich (clear Suze) apparently it will take 6 to 9 months to recover, anyway this is my point. It normally is ok till around 18 miles, on Pinks 20 mile training run it was really painfull at the end but once I had got the shoes off it was fine.

On Sunday the pain started at 10 miles there is no reason for it and it hasn't gone black and fell off it's never really grown properly. Mind over matter saw me through after 22 miles it didn't matter as I was struggling a bit and the toe was forgotten.

I am at the physio tomorrow just to check the calf is ok, an appointment with a podiatrist will then be made as I don't want to be going on like this.

I went on that forum this morning and put a post on, I will not probably spend any time there as I like it in our Snail house

I think the guy who started it is a good runner and makes some interesting comments mind.

It is actually my opinion that had Hash been able to start the Marathon she would have done sub 4.30, that would have been 2 out of 6 who achieved the target time.

It has always seemed to me that at our level; and maybe higher up some days we run a lot better than others, a bad run can often not be linked to bad nutrition or hydration, I still have no idea why these happen they just do.

Relaxed I di a lot at the first GNR in fact i was hoarse at the end from shouting too much

A couple who have given me loads of help and advice from our club were at mile 25 they shouted at me that kept me going the last 1.2 miles seemed very long didn't it?

Thanks goodness I was still running when I went past them, they did however completly understand how I was feeling as they have been there too at some stage during the umpteen marathons they have both done..

TH we are keen here, Bedford will get it open in due course its a bit early yet, it's only April don't want to peak early

I am just watching the highlights from last Sunday, it almost seems unreal that I was there and completed it, to me it was a long run, the medal is still in my kit bag. I was a bit p.....sed that the remains of my goody bag which had my garmin HR strap in went missing  I think taken by mistake by someone at the hotel afterwards.

I am not that fussed about the strap except it costs to replace but my running number was in there too which actually meant a lot to me. 

I have my running kit on now,,,,,,,,,,

relaxed! wrote (see

Rod when I got to the last underpass on Sun I was feeling low and the cramp was relentless. The whole atmosphere seemed to be low too and I was willing some one to Oggy Oggy Oggy!!!! As no one did I did it myself! Everyone responded and cheered and the atmosphere improved!! It got me thro the next mile  We were still serious about finishing!

Nobody could take the whole thing more seriously than this year's Super Six team, regardless of what pace we were running.  There's been a hell of a lot of off-forum e-mailing between us beforehand - lifesaving in my case from the point at which I had to drop out.  Since Sunday, and after some of the comments that have been made by people who haven't a fecking clue what they're talking about, we've been brutally frank with each other about the mental effects of the pressure of it all, as well as the physical ones.

The seven miles I ran with Pix on Sunday will be in my memory forever.  We were run/walking because we both needed to for our different reasons.  We sang every stupid cheesey running song you can think of, loudly, at the tops of our voices, and got the runners around us singing along as well.  It may have seemed to the casual observer that we were just out for a good time, but anyone who understood what was really going on would know different. What have you done today that makes you feel proud?  

Rod Goodwin wrote (see)

It is actually my opinion that had Hash been able to start the Marathon she would have done sub 4.30, that would have been 2 out of 6 who achieved the target time.

It has always seemed to me that at our level; and maybe higher up some days we run a lot better than others, a bad run can often not be linked to bad nutrition or hydration, I still have no idea why these happen they just do.

Trying hard wrote (see)

I have just been trying to find info about the Bedford Half in December.  Have you all registered already and, if so, where can I find the info?

Hash you're spot on there- all we can ever do is our best!  As I said earlier I think a lot of it is down to jealousy!!

Just enetered a local 10k in june so will start formulating a plan for that- I'm a bit crap unless I have something to tick off on the fridge

Suze I've just looked at the official photos and my god they are a rip off but saying that mum and dad just said they are going to buy my medal one for me as they are saying its  from my nan who passed away last year the day I found out i got my golden bond place!

Back to work tomorrow so better get polishing my medal!

And has anyone seen how much the t-shirts and medals  are going for on ebay- mental!