VLM 2012 first timers???

evening you lovley people hope you are all well

well i managed 14.5 miles today, got to 13.5 and had to walk run the last half, so it seems im back up to pre xmas illness distance, am a lot slower though 11.30 min a mile but will stick at this pace as i am sure as runs get longer the faster i will get,  left calf is doing well and right hip is holding up, but i did take nurofen melts while out running and have been taking ibuprofen since returning,

i have started to play around with pre run food and gels while running, had a bowl of pasta for last night dinner and porridge for breakfast and this seemed to doing the job, tried a gel while running and didn't get a sickly taste so it went down ok,  and once i got home i downed a goodness milk shake which gave back the energy within minutes you can feel the body come back to life, highly recommened as its full of all the nutrients you loose when running

Pip good luck for your run tomorrow, hope it goes well for you,

Hi

sarnie, hope your calf and hip stays ok...... def going to try the glass of milk. You and Jon both seem to be way ahead of me with your mileage...... well done I am sure you will both do brilliantly come the Big DayJon I dont think you are mental just very brave !! 

looking forward to my run tomorrow at least the weather seems to have settled down ..... thank goodness ! 

Pip

Kaffeeg - fingers crossed its something minor / easily sorted out! As the other have said, I'll add my own nag - listen to what they say and DO IT! Better to make it to the start line slightly under trained, than not reach it at all!

Sarnie - good to be experimenting with food / nutrition. I've tried gels before on half marathons, but just can't stomach them. I need to stock up on Shot Bloks - like eating cube of jelly, but all natural, veggie and yummy have never tried For Goodness Shakes, but have heard good things about them. I usually have a big mug of hot chocolate when I get back from a run, which I always tell myself must be pretty similar??!!

Jon - mad? I can't say, but if you're following a good schedule and listening to your body, who's to say what you can and can't do! Good luck!

Phillipa - hope your run went well today!

Suarez - yes, my first 14 miler will be my longest ever run. Mine isn't scheduled until week 8 though, so a bit longer to wait for me.

Len - fingers crossed you can sort your niggle out.

cregmallin - hope you feel better for your resting week - hoe the gym works out for you.

Been swimming with the kids today. Well I've been bobbng up & down whilst they've been leaping about and going down water slides etc. Hopwefully that still counts as cross training??? Certainly my legs feel better and the stiffness from Friday has gone now.

Hi

Kaffeeg oh no! hope all goes well with the physio, but as everyone else is saying, DO AS HE/SHE SAYS, stay positive I am sure all will be well   same applies to you Len

Black and Tabby  run went really well did just over nine today, got wet again !!

Suarez  I am just adding a little bit on to the novice 1 long runs, spending my waking hours thinking how I can add bits on to my run to make them longer ...... not looking forward to figure out where the heck I am going to run for 20miles !!!!!  

pip

Hi

Nicola I am in south wales, but must admit sounds brilliant just looked at the web site especially like the thought of tea and  cakes mmmmm yum.  What are goodness shakes ? still thinking about jelly beans etc I am vegetarian so some of these things prob contain gelatin.  Going to google it.  Blimey well done runningRaRa !

pip

Philippa & Nicole - these are the Shot Bloks on eBay only £2.20 for a pack so worth a try. I've tried various gels and all of them have upset my digestive system in different ways (NOT what you want on a long run!) Shot Bloks are like cubes of jelly, all nice natural stuff, no gelatine (I'm veggie too!), no artificial sweeteners and as well as cards they've got electrolytes tp top up the ssalt you've lost.

No - I don't work for them BTW!!! Just pleased to have found something that works for me!

RunningRaRa - good run!

Pip

goodness shakes are milk shakes that replace all nutrients and minerials you loose when you do long runs, i stumbled across them at my local tesco but sadly they stopped selling them so i buy them online, i've tried so many different recovery drinks/food but these work so fast to the point that when i get home from a long run and have no energy i drink one and within 10 mins i feel much better

My calf is hurty . Like, really hurty. Bugger.

I'm telling myself that this is why I gave myself 18 weeks to do a 16 week training plan, and I'll rest it for a bit, take brufen, massage it, be generally nice to it. Sigh. 

x

thanks all! really appreciate the support.

got physio today at 12. 30pm.  I keep wanting to cry......This is MY LIFE TIMES AMBITION to do this marathon.  I simply got to do it.  I hope I am just a a big drama queen.

 Len2 - noooooooooooooooooooooo.  I hope you are ok.  That is exactly what I am telling myself too - it is exactly for this reason we have all been sensible and started our training early - so we're fine fine fine.  Have you tried the RICE things? (rest, ice, compression, elavation?).  Although from all the things I've looked up on the internet (by the way; don't research on the internet unless you want to scare yourself witless) some places say not to compress as it may cause more problems - just depends what you have.

((hugs)))

Thanks kaffeeg. I haven't done any RICE yet, done lots of gentle stretching and for some sick reason I seem to have to take my daughter roller skating tonight....so I will start the ice and rest when I get back from that, and see how it goes. I refuse to panic yet. Maybe at the end of the week if it's not feeling any better!

Update us on the physio appointment!!