VOTE Shady_Ady

Some fabulous photos, I love the one where your running down the steps of the great wall of China, although reading your experience of it has put me off ever wanting to run it...think I will stick with my aim of walking it for now.

eek boiled silkworms....people actually eat those things, my stomachs doing summersaults just thinking about it!

My OH says that he wants to go on holiday to rest and not to do the "crazy adventures" that I would love to do. He feels that we dont have enough annual leave to do both. We went to Kenya this autumn, the plan was to go on safari and then up kilamanjiro....on booking the holiday my OH and two friends that decided to come with us turned round and said the mountain climbing was out and that I wasnt allowed to go on my own

You would have been proud of my diner today!

Thank you Adrian for your response. Well I must admit that I got hooked in the last half marathon. My friends and I were thinking of the half marathon in Portsmouth but I don't know if I'll have enough time after the holidays. What would you think is the minimum time for preparing for a marathon. 

Hey Sarah.........I just let my wife read your latest post, and she said she agrees with your OH. Can you believe the cheek! Do they know that half of your holiday entitlement should be spent on an adventure!

Do you have a photo of this dinner? It must have been epic then!

Where did you go in Kenya? Did you make in to Samburu National Park?

If you do make it to the Great Wall....go to the Jiankou section. It's virtually empty of tourists. I spent a night on a local farm and got up the following morning and ran (well, a brisk walk in a lot of places where it was too unsteady underfoot) a section of the wall here by myself (these are a couple of views I had from it). All that history, scenery and the whole place shared only with nature. One of the few places I've been that I think could make one of RW's Rave Runs! I hope you make it here.

Wow! Look at those pics!!

Hi Liliana.

When is the half marathon in Portsmouth? I didnt realise you had already done a half marathon from your last post. When did you do your half marathon before?

If your previous half marathon was recent, or your still currently running some, then maybe you could train for doing another in 8-12 weeks (this is my own personal thought!). Some people might disagree to this, so you can probably find a more detailed discussion in the 'Training' section of the forum - http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/training/3.html

I'm been stupid enough to run a marathon with no training (I'm not trying to make out I'm a fool, but more thoughts will give a more rounded answer ). I've also never followed a half-marathon trainng plan, only ran them as part of my marathon training.......so I think people in the forum above will be able to guide you well.

I'm just basing my thoughts on the face that most marathon training programmes are 16 weeks and a half marathon is half that distance 

Good luck!

RRR - It's not quite the same as my normal long run from Woking to Staines and back 

Hey Sarah......it's definitely not us.......how can something be our fault when all we're trying to do is stay fit and healthy!

I've seen your meal now......that is impressive....very impressive. I wouldn't have known where to start.

My wife also likes beach holidays. I can do maybe 45 minutes of lazing on a sunlounger, but that's my limit. It's caused a bit of friction in my household when planning our vacations!

Was it Mombasa where you stayed by the beach? I did my Masters Thesis in Kenya and spent a few days at the beach, so know exactly where you're coming from.

Anyone have any runs planned today? When do people have their rest days?

Hello mate,

Hope your sticking in there with all the excitement of the last week?
Just watched the bootcamp video "I run so I can eat more!" - Legend!

Goodluck, hope you end up in the final 5!

Jimmers

Ps. 48min, very muddy 10k for me today in the chilly woods, great fun!

Hey Jimmers.........haha......sometimes I wish I wasn't so honest........I'd planned all these things I'd say, and when they asked the question, my mind went blank and I just blurted the first thing that came out.

Shame I couldn't get out and run at lunch like normal - blue skies and bright sunshine (and I'm sure a bit of mud too!).

Thanks for the wishes. If I don't, I at least know I gave it my best shot, and will definitely be a better runner for it.

Got any races planned in the near future? Maybe see you at one if you're doing any in the South!

I totally think that is the most quoted line of the video! And ... it is actually what a lot of us think too! Cake GOOD!

Out for a run later on?

Haha....it might be hard to shake that reputation off now

I am out for a run. My project manager has asked if I could pace him for 8 m/m as he's training for the Reading Half next year. I think we're going to do 5-6 miles along the dark streets of Farnborough.

I haven't ran with him before, so it'll be interesting. If I push him too hard, it could seriously hamper my current chances of a promotion! I'll definitely let him win the sprint finish.

Did you manage to get out today?

Sounds a nice run - do you use a headtorch for night runs? I tend to look like a Christmas tree on my night runs - lit up and brightly coloured! As you've probably guessed, I'm not much of one for subtle colours!

I'm heading to the garage for a quick 5k on the treadmill later on ... determined to get a sub-20 time this year!

Why be subtle if you'll never get noticed! If I'm honest, I've never worn a head torch before. But then again previously when running at night, I've always ran along well lit roads.

Do you ever find yourself getting motion sickness at all, if your focusing your eyes on the moving light all the time? I once tried to watch a movie on my Iphone while running on a treadmill but had to stop, as I was starting to feel sick, focusing on the screen while I was moving.

What's the closest you've come to a sub-20 time?

Shady, you sound just like me, beachy holidays really arent my thing. I can be kept quiet for a day or two if ive got a good book (and it has to be good) but then thats it. I love going away with my parents and the running club as their just the same, tend to end up dashing here, there and everywhere

It was mombassa where we stayed. The sea and beach was lovely but you just couldnt enjoy it. I would have loved to have been able to run up and down it all day!

...forgot to say i think its them too!

I know what you mean about the hassle you get there. I tried going out for a drink in the evening with a local friend I was working with, and it was impossible to not get harrassed. I think you would have made the right choice running along the beach instead of the main road behind the hotels..........those matatus are one dangerous mode of transport.

I'm a stickler for travel books (Paul Theroux is alays a favourite), but the last book I read was Born To Run. Reading this was one of the reasons I entered this competition as, I was motivated to be better. 

I'm now reading Relentless Forward Progress (Bryon Powell) as I'd like to do an ultra marathon in the 2nd part of next year (after breaking 3:30 somewhere in the Spring!)

It's been an eventful week since making the shortlist, and regardless of the result, a week that I wouldn't change for the world (well, I might have thought of something else to say in my interview, as people now just think I'm a food loving whore !).

Before this week, I had a weekly target of miles to run, and I ran them. I never really added variety (I'm starting to worry now if there are other areas of my life, where I might need to add a bit of spice ). I never gave intervals, speed, hill and pacing sessions the respect they deserve. 

Win or lose, next week will begin my long haul to a Spring 3:30 marathon. It might seem a lot to ask considering my current PB is 3:44, but my fundemental thinking of running has improved and that's because I've bit the bullet and started interacting more with my fellow runners instead of sheepishly sitting at the back thinking I dont deserve to be part of the group. If nothing else this experience has brought a new level of confidence I never had before.

It's been a month now since I completed my last marathon in Athens. I've just had my first week back running +30 miles. This year was all about running the marathon distance comfortably and now I can do this, without the urge of stopping and walking, I feel my baseline for the start of Spring Marathon training is the best it has ever been. As the distance is no longer daunting, it means I can now concentrate more on speed and the variety that was originally lacking. 

My favourite marathon moments come from my slowest marathons. My best achievement is the slowest thing I have ever done (walking LEJOG). It'll be nice to break this trend and trump both these memories by doing something FAST! I have only myself stopping me from doing this.

Best marathon moment:

Quito Marathon (Ecuador) - I only ran it because a fellow teacher said, "YOU run marathons?" before laughing, as though I was just blurting out the first thing that came into my head to impress her.

I saw this advertised later that week and ran it 2 weeks later. Finished in 5hrs 19mins with no training and at altitude. I didn't care it was slow, it shut my fellow teacher up for good!