VLM 2010 Survivors

Pinks,

 Now I'm answering for SB - no I haven't ventured into the world of proper running with other people (er, apart from the marathon, of course) yet. I'm so astronomically slow (put it this way, I accidentally hit a 10 minute mile pace once - not for a mile, I should add) that until I learn to plod slightly faster than a snail I don't feel ready to subject people to my running. 

 Off to bed, hoping that when I wake up my feet will be a little bit better. Fed up of limping around!

Rod Goodwin wrote (see)

A while ago a few people said "the crowds will get you though"  actually I think those crowds went against my run in a funny sort of way

It's amazing how you can put yourself through what feels like sheer hell at the time... and then come home and decide you're going to do it all over again. That's strength of character that is.

Congratulations on your stairs achievement

Yup the crowd did get to me towards the end- apart from the man who change the words 'ride sally ride' which was playing out of some pub or somehwere at about mile22/23 (ish can't remeber) to 'RUN VIKKI RUN'  It made me laugh soooo much then almost cry!!!! 

HT thanks- I know that when I'm plodding out on my own I don't really pay much attention to pace which maybe I should......  And I really much swap saturday shifts to later ones so I can go to parkrun or just crawl out of bed earlier... 

Question- I registerred with Parkrun abot a year ago but never made it to one do I need to register again, let someone know i'm coming or do I just turn up?  Also my mum suggested that I should join the running club local to me as I've been procastinating for ages about- maybe she thinks this running lark is here to stay as my dad admitted on Sunday he thought I'd give up the running after my first half marathon oooooooohhh I love to prove people wrong!!! (although my dad was the only person to cry on sunday but apparently he had 'cramp' in his foot lol)

Hash- those rolling pins look scary so I'd take it slowly if I were you!!!

Schmunkee - The List Fairy wrote (see)

Zaba wrote (see)

OT but what is the pirate thing that some has after the RW subscriber thingy???

The Pirates are the Ironman Triathletes on the Triathlon part of this site.  There is more info here

Thanks, sounds interesting

Thanks Sparkly thats really interesting - going to read up on it as I bought some marathon training books which I haven't delved into yet.  Its all starting to make sense now!

HT that is very encouraging as I started running in 2005, did my first half early 2006 (2:29) and have spent since then trying to go sub 2.  Finally did it last December (1:58).  My first marathon in '06 was 5:35, two 5:03's in '07 and '08 and then 4:31 this year.  What was your sub 2 time and remind me what your marthon time was.

Ooooh Lostkat when is Leicester and is it flat? Do you know anything about the course/event?  I think I have decided I am done with London but would very much like to try a smaller less crowded marathon but will have to be flat and no way can I do a summer one.

Pinkerbelle.........Berlin is flat apparently......we could get a coach up and have a weekend trip for this thread..........

Went for a km swim last night, but the ankle is swollen where I went over on a bottle full of Lucozade but managed to stay on my feet so that hurt like hell doing the crawl in the pool last night.

Cycling on Friday for an hour after work.........lovely spring weather bring on the summer.

Pinkerbelle yes Berlin is wonderful and flat and a lovely city, just make sure you buy your post marathon snacks on the Saturday.

So desperately want to do another marathon now. I'm wondering how unrealistic it would be for me to go from 4.27 to a sub 3.30 marathon. Have done 3 marathons and shame on me not trained as I should have for any of them. However its been mostly down to injury and sickness, PF, Tonsilitis, ITB, Neck Injury to C3 & C4, work committments and depression when I got dumped (ex and I used to run together so running reminded me too much about him).

So with the amount of training I put in I should not really have gone under 5 hours maybe even closer to 6 hours and still I did 4.27. I can run a HM sub 2 without too much effort. So my question is with proper training do you think sub 3.30 is possible for me if I aim for a marathon in about a years time?

Thats a big ask Zaba...........I dont know your age but I would say that is a factor and training matters according to all the experts. The race is the reward for the training you do. Injury and illness are the "grit in lives vaseline" as Jake Thackery the Yorkshire Song Writer and poet says in one of his songs.

Isn't Berlin quite crowded too Mark?  I've never really looked into any others before.

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

Lostkat wrote (see)

It's amazing how you can put yourself through what feels like sheer hell at the time... and then come home and decide you're going to do it all over again. That's strength of character that is.

Congratulations on your stairs achievement

It's like having a baby!

(the 'doing it again' bit, not the stairs achievement!)

Pinks I feel the same too about that thread!  In my opinion I think the whole supersix thing is great and I would relish such an oppotunity but I think a lot of the negative comments are fuelled fuelled by jealousy!

Pinks what you did WAS and IS amazing even though I came in an hour longer than the sub 4.30 I had hoped it hasnt tainted the experience for me as I have enjoyed the journey and the friends that I have made on here- I could of carried on when I felt sick and shakey on sunday and dragged my arse over the line nearer to sub 4.30 but i honetsly believe that I would have felt so crap I never would want to run another marathon as it is I'm raring to go for the next challenge- is this any less of an achievement than those running a sub3.15 or even sub 4.00?  I don't think so

Pinkerbelle wrote (see)

Ooooh Lostkat when is Leicester and is it flat? Do you know anything about the course/event?  I think I have decided I am done with London but would very much like to try a smaller less crowded marathon but will have to be flat and no way can I do a summer one.

Leics is 10/10/10, so should be perfect weatherwise. I ran the half last year as my first and it was fairly flat apart from a smallincline at the end, which wasn't nice to be honest. The course was a little crowded at the very start, but nothing like London and it spaced out very quickly.

I was reading about Berlin in RW last month. It's one I really do fancy and the flatness really tempted me

I would just ignore the comments that the 'faster' runners make and try not to take it personally. I have a LOT of respect for people who can pound the road for 6+ hours, no matter how fast or slow they go. I think the elites don't really understand that and don't understand that people who are slower have to train just has hard (if not harder). It's not all about speed.

My toenail is infected  Red, swollen & painful this morning. Need to get to the docs but I can't book an appointment until tomorrow. Rubbish!!

Lol Mark!!  Yes I totally agree with you and I AM very proud of what I have achieved - I think I was just a bit surprised and taken aback by some of their comments, having been surrounded by such lovely people as you guys!!!

(And the ciggies were just a blip when i was losing it big time in Florida, thinking I wouldn't get back!)

Lostkat - my toenail is the same . 

My toenails are my downfall.  I've tried different socks and shoes that are a size bigger but they still get bashed about.  Could I be scrunching my toes up when I run and at causes the bruising and the enevitable faling off of the nail?  Sorry if you are reading while having lunch

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.

Today is the first day I have left the house minus my medal - I hope its ok home alone.