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@EKGO Interesting that you find it easier to do it once you are tired. I thought it might have been the other way around... able to do it until you get tired and get sloppy. (Or that is what I figured would happen to me!)

I think it is going to take me slightly more than one evening to master it. What do the say about practice, practice, practice?

I'm running the London Marathon again this year and have typically been a 'drag myself round by the skin of my teeth' type of runner. But I've just finished my first session with Gray Caws at the Chi Running Club, and I get the feeling that this is going to change everything!

I honestly can't believe how much of a difference a few tweaks to posture and alignment can make. It also doesn't hurt that the group size is quite small so you get lots of one-to-one feedback. 

I'll certainly be going back next week, but thought I'd sing his praises on here as there are probably others out there who could benefit from improved running technique. Apparently running long distances doesn't HAVE to be painful! 

You can find details for the long Sunday runs and workshops on the RW events listings, or for the Monday and Wednesday evening sessions on the site below.

http://www.n8pt.com/?ID=50

I don't know where I got the idea to run the marathon from. I had never run before and I know very few people that would consider running 5ks let alone a marathon. So when it came to training for a marathon I was pretty clueless. I subscribed to runner's world and skulked around this forum, but not feeling like a 'true' runner I have to admit to being a complete recluse when it came to my training and even the actual running of the marathon on Sunday.

But reading your accounts tonight has almost brought tears to my eyes as it brings back the memories I have of being 'overtaken by a womble', of not being able to get up to pace at all in the first five miles, of twisting my ankle on a water bottle only five miles in and having to give up any hope of a four hour finish. Of the crowd that just wouldn't let you give up even when you just wanted to curl up on the side of the road and pretend that you didn't care whether you finished or not. You just wanted the pain to stop.

For me, the biggest surprise was that even after four months of training, that it was still so physically and mentally demanding. But then I guess that is why finishing a marathon is such an achievement.

I too, cried tears of joy when I crossed the finish line. I was almost a full half hour over my four hour goal, but it was impossible not to feel special when so many people - friends, family and strangers - looked at you with that awe in their eyes. It is hard to describe it to people that haven't done it, but you know what I'm talking about.

For me, the day was even more special... just after the 24th mile - and with the help of an entire girls hockey team , a bobby and horde of anonymous well-wishers - I stopped to propose to my boyfriend 'Top Gun' style. I can now warn fellow runners about the dangers of trying to sing in key after 24 miles, but it was all worth it and my now fiance didn't even try to run away.

So all in all the FLM 2008 really has changed my life in every way possible. And despite some amazingly sore hamstrings, I'm ready and raring to go for FLM 2009 - but this time I'm going to break 4 hours!!

You can catch my exploits below:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VBbDwLRg5v0

It is extremely cheesy and geared more to family and friends, but after such a cheesy weekend I'm quite happy embracing the cheese.

Thanks again guys, for being my virtual running partners.