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Talkback: Lucozade Sport Super Six: Lucy (sub-5:30)
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Oh thank you NorwichRunner
I think I'm at the start of my journey too! I'd like to think in a year's time I'll look back on my first marathon and remember how hard it was, and hopefully it'll be a little bit easier the next time. This time last year 20 seconds of running nearly killed me!
Well I'm pleased to hear that Maramummy!! Was an honour to cover some miles with you cos you're one feisty lady. Hope the feet aren't too mashed.
So: I've resisted coming here because I was busy with work and I wanted to make sure I got myself across properly. I didn't want to resort to flippancy and front it out nor be a drama queen as really I think the truth is somewhere in between.
In these situations I often like to come up with 3 words to summarise myself:
Mortified, frustrated but unbowed.
Spent Saturday buzzing around London keeping busy and carboloading. Had lovely meal out with SuperSix types and Icklechick (top gal) and retired. All I can say was that the carboloading I had done was quickly erm, unloaded in the night, several times. Not much sleep. Guts churning. I put it down to nerves. Really struggled with breakfast.
Start line. Goodbye hug with Pix who went up the pen further. Had a bit of a grizzle. I knew it was going to be tough. It stopped raining by this point and as I went over then start line the sun came out. It became hot and humid surprisingly quickly. Had a chat with Jyo, which was lovely. Got to just over 4 miles and I started feeling sick
. I knew I had to keep as much down as I could or it would quickly be game over. Slowed to a walk and the pace wasn't that much slower than my run. Kept walking and had some lucozade at next stop. The miles weren't exactly ticking off quickly here....
Met up with Maramummy for a bit and went on. Got to Tower Bridge. Phoned Sir Spinkle and said I was struggling. On I went. Got to gel stop and luckily for me a few gels had been saved. Met up with Maramummy again, we both had blisters on the soles of our feet but we ploughed on to mile 16 when she clocks Sir Spinkle on the course. He declared he was going to walk it with me. So the three of us ventured into Docklands, dodging the tractor every now and again. Saw my schoolfriend Morag at mile something (things got a but hazy now) with her banner and she walked along with us too. Maramummy went on to meet her folks and on we went, me stopping every so often for a 'stretch and retch' (though nothing came up). Felt dizzy.
The last few miles I was dragged, pushed, and peeled off a tree trunk on the Embankment. I was a grizzling mess by the time we reached Big Ben and the last supporters were fabulous telling me 'well done' but I felt a total fraud. I didn't deserve it. Sir Spinkle got me all the way to the finish line. He deserves a medal too.
Now, I don't want to make excuses. What went wrong, I really don't know because I did the training and I had great support. I feel as I've let a lot of people down and to screw up so publicly has felt awful. I did my best though, but this occasion, it wasn't good enough. All I can do is take heart in the fact that you lot have got something positive out of this thread and my experience as a SuperSixer. In that respect, I don't feel as though I've failed.
I still believe I can do a marathon the way I want to do it. When that will be I just don't know.
I feel a bit of a failure, yes, but then, no one has died. And I have got a shiny medal.
And Gordon Ramsey hasn't.
Thats the spirit Sprinkle. Another marathon bagged, shiny medal in tow.
Sprinkle 1 Annoying Wrinkled Forehead Nil.
By the way I got the impression Mr S was a good lad on the Saturday night, your story above just confirmed it.
'One foot in front of the other until somebody gives you a medal' you said, and we all did it.
You were amazing. It was a crap run for both of us (okay, it was a plod and trundle) but we bloody well did it. And you didn't screw up. You kept on going when mere mortals would have given up and hopped on a bus home. Anyone who can complete a marathon inbetween retches and stretches deserves that medal in my book. It's not about the 26.2, it's the training and the effort it took to get there. You are a superstar, lovely Lucy.
It was an honour. xxx
Rowan - I wasn't AT ALL offended by your pleasure at beating me to mile 17 (oh and 26.2!) I think it's great.
I only ever race myself. And tractors.....and sweeper buses....
Spinks - this whole thread has played such a huge part of my marathon experience...
Hubby got bored after a month of training and using the marathon word.
I was always going to last amongst my running club friends.
This thread truely understood my "journey", we shared all our highs and lows and you Spinks were the glue that kept us all together. The pure fact that you crossed that finish line was testament to your character.
You are still a true inspiration and you have not let anyone down.
Your words no guts no glory kept me going from mile 13 to the end.
What I would love now is for us all to put our disappointments behind us and pick marathon no.2.
Big hugs to us all
Lucy!!! Thank goodness you're still here. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you but didn't want to post anything in case it put pressure on you. I even dreamt about you last night. (In a good way)
First of all - you have not let anyone down. You have been absolutely amazing and I have so much appreciated your support. I have only been on this thread a few weeks and the difference your support for me has made is indiscribable. Why on earth do you think that because you didn't achieve your own target time that you have let anyone else down? Your strength all came from the front - not afterwards. You have inspired so many of us - that doesn't disappear because you were sick and subsequently disappoibnted with your finish time. Please note the emphasis on finish. You are a star. You didn't bow out. You kept going. How difficult that must have been I can't imagine.
I was in pretty good health and still found it a struggle. And do you know what kept me going when I wanted to stop... "keep putting one foot in front of the other until someone gives you a medal".
Those last few supporters that cheered you on really meant it. (I might have been one of them and not recognised you - I know I did cheer on some people as I was walking back to my hotel). The people that find it the most difficult and still carry on are the ones most deserving of the cheers - not the ones who finish relatively easily.
You are not a fraud. You are the most genuine lovely supportive super sixer ever. Your posts made me feel so much better about this bloody marathon thing, and I had intended to send you a message telling you so before I left Belfast, but transport events overtook everything and I ran out of time.
You're right - no-one has died, but lots of people on here have had their experience enriched by having you as our super sixer. Three cheers for Lucy everyone!
If i had started to feel like throwing up it might have included a towel
i know about the hazy head thing in docklands(does everyone get that?)
i think you, evil pixie and the forum as a whole, have been wonderful and i thank you from my blisters to my shiny bonce for all the encouragement handed out through the cold snowy! evenings
i say well done i raise a beer to you all
cheers
Is it too soon to ask if we're all joining the ballot on the 4th?
i think i will, as my wife said nothing to lose in the ballot
so good luck everyone
Awww thanks you lot
Thank you so much for your kind words. It really means a lot to me *wipes tears off keyboard* Really touching, You're all really lovely. Mad as mongooses (mongeese?), but lovely.
Already in the ballot but will defer until 2012 - no marathons next year for me and Sir Spinkle fancies a crack at one
If Jimmy wants to bring master Spinkletoes up to the Ricoh me and MM jnr snr will take him out and show him what real disappointment is
Sorry to hear you had such a bad time - but you finished which is more than most people would have done in your position - so you go girl!!! So glad you had people around you to get you through it. You finished - got your medal.
Enjoy your year off and good luck in the ballot - who knows may see you again on a thread in a couple of years. Or on a diet thread if one gets started!!!!
Thanks for this thread - you have been an inspiration. xxx
Matchstick - he may well take you up on that since he earned a LOT of footie passes for him amazing support/suffrance over the last 4 months. Running IS there for everyone, absolutely.
Thanks Sharon, you're a gem and there WILL be a post VLM lose-the-lard thread up and running very soon (no pun intended). Shall we say - 4th May? (may the forth be with you) after the bank hols?
Have needed the tissues since Sunday!
Said it before but I'll say it again- well done everyone. You are what the VLM is all about, not those elitist runners.
And remember all the bad marathons Paua had and how the eyes of the world were on her.... and remember how she carried on and had some crackers? ( Also heard she has bunions - we are not alone!)
Shall watch out for the lose the lard thread & hope to find you on LARFS spinks!
Hi all,
Really well done to everyone - I've just been reading through all the latest posts. I completed London on Sunday in 5.32:15 - my first mara, but I'm hoping I can post here even though strictly speaking I missed the time by 2 minutes!.
What an AMAZING experience. I raised £2k for charity and learnt an awful lot about myself too. Only really starting to feel the sense of achievement now. I think because it was all so surreal at the weekend.
I only started running a year ago and I did a local 5k, raising money for Cancer Research in tribute to a family friend. Doing the London Marathon was something I 'always wanted to do before I was 30' so combined with the fact that I wanted to do something positive for charity, it seemed like the perfect time, being 28 this year. I also knew if I didn't put my name down I wouldn't do it.
I've totally got the running bug now though. My feet are in ruins, I can barely walk (loved the you tube video btw!), I'm shattered but I'm not complaining one bit. Now it's all sinking in, I am revelling in it all. And like everyone has said the crowds are amazing.
My half mara pace is around the 2hrs 20mins mark, so I should be completing the whole thing much quicker, but I hadn't trained long enough, simply as that. Plus as you might read on another post - I had 2 blisters burst and I ran with bleeding feet for most of the way, so I was hampered somewhat!
Maybe I'll just stick to half maras for a while!
Well done again to everyone. xxx
S x
Sorry you had a tough day but thank you SO much for all your support and encouragement on this thread. You are an inspiration. Thank you for helping me believe I could do it and letting us all into your private world via this thread. It must be so hard to be in the public eye as you've been for the past 4 months, so good on your girl! Many a lesser person would have given up, but you didn't. No guts, no glory, remember? You have that medal any nobody can take that away from you.
Hope you recover well
Yey, she's alive, she's alive!!!!!
Woo hoo! Well done Ms Spinkletoes. What a CRAP day you had! total bummer. And yet you finished. You Rock. In fact, we all rock.
We are a bunch of tough mothers. Some of us, in every sense of the word!
To one and all - WELL DONE.
and to the 'lose the lard thread' - here we come
Hiya Spinks.
You finished a marathon!!! Again!! 26.2 flippin miles!!! Further than I've ever got!!! - and most of the population for that matter!
It's been lovely getting to know you just a little bit and your doggedness in keeping going when your body is throwing up and just not behaving is an inspiration to us all! You did so much better than Gordon Ramsay, like you say ... and have a medal to prove it!!!
Your personality has shone through - like with pix ... I voted for you back in November and will do the same again - easy decision!!! You really have been a SUPER sixer, hun
Ahhhh BB, you're such a lovely fella for saying all that. Not sure I'm worthy, but thank you
You will do your marathon one day and you'll enjoy every second of it, I'm sure. Hope you're getting ready for the ballot next year!!!
Yes will see you all on the lose the lard thread then eh!
Enjoy the Bank Holiday "rest"!!!!!
Again well done to everyone on Sunday.
I had one of the best days of my life - the crowds were fantastic and so glad I had my name on my vest! The bands/music - fab. Liz and Martin at Expo - great talk. The organisation - excellent. Weather - a lot lot better than predicted eh! The start pens - too easy to abuse! The medal - we all have one now! This thread = the best.
THANK YOU ALL xxx
Would I do it all again??? Yes - if I could ever get in again!!!!
You are very worthy, Lucy - since being a super sixer is surely much more to do with what you put into preparation, inspiring people on the threads (which you have), having some fun and giving your all on the day too, than the final result on a given Sunday, I reckon.
Not so sure about enjoying every second, but I'll be joining the ballot in May and failing that am trying to negotiate a Christmas pressie of a 2011 Berlin Marathon weekend if I don't get a place. Would like to do a first one with the crowds and atmosphere (and flatness!!!)
Hopefully see you in LARF from time to time!!