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Virgin London Marathon 2011 First Timers
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Alison - I'm taking note from the Runners World Article that says those who abstain from runnig for 7 days.. will recover quicker & run fasted
. An also topping up my lost iron with red wine! Feels great, I'll be ready for a run by Sunday though..
And yes, I could sleep for a week!
I could run today but have chosen to chill poolside at the Celtic Manor! Went into Cardiff and spent a small fortune in Joules, Nandos for lunch and a nice bar meal awaits tonight, with a chilled bottle of Rose methinks!
My Garmin also had me 2 minutes under chip which gives me a sub 4:50. Not sure I feel any better for it
And don't forget if you are on Facebook, we have a group set up: "VLM Newbies 2011". Already a bit of healthy banter and challenges going on!
Finally made it back to the North, brilliant to hear how well everyone's done.
I enjoyed the day but totally misjudged the amount of water I needed and didn't pick any up till about mile 6, once I got over Tower Bridge things literally became a bit of a blur, couldn't actually see properly, didn't know where I was and by about 16 thought I might have to pack in.
Stopped at the next water station, downed a bottle in one, took some more gel cubes (and 2 nurofen) had to walk run for a bit but by mile 19 seemed to find my feet again. Finished in 3 48. I think I had a very lucky escape!
Green start was actually quite small, the danger of which was probably that I also went off a bit fast, on for 3 hrs 30 till the wheels fell off!
Just to add, thank you so much Squeakz for the brilliant information pack, managed to see the O.H and the kids 3 times, it would have been 4 times but they'd mistakenly assumed I'd already run passed. Made such a difference seeing their smiley faces!
Also Helen B, Prorunning direct do some kit that has 'Do London' on it and for an extra £5 they embroider the year and your time on it.
hi All
Spent the day sitting on the beach at bournemouth yesterday feel so much better.
FF.....that was me too but i`m over it now. i was told that 800 people were taken to hospital and 3000 collapsed so be positive at least we werent in that group. Spoke to guy who has run loads of LM and he said he struggled from 19 and it was worst he`d known with the weather. made me feel slightly better at my terrible time.We must assume that without our training we may actually not have finished.
At the end of the day we did finish... not how we could or wanted to but i`m gonna sort that out some place some time and will get the time i wanted.
Dont feel down.....your time was no where near as bad as mine!!!!!!
Nicola : Glad you got to see the family and my info was of use to you.
Foofighter : I personally feel you have no reason to feel the way that you do and most certainly if you died a death at 9 miles your training most certainly helped you get to the end. At no point did you quit, that is a really impressive thing as so many people did. Likewise many people did not even finish.
I admire you and feel that you really achieved something worth being proud of, unlike myself.
Other than my foot issues which I started that day with feel everything played to my strengths as such I really have a strange feeling about the marathon. I do not think I learnt anything about myself or feel as if achieved anything other than the knowledge that my preperation was ok.
My foot stopped me from obtaining my true potential, but im not motivated by time, im motivated by the challenge which unfortunately was not presented to me on the day, everything was in control.. I personally feel that going by what you have stated, you were challenged and rose enough to suceed, this means you gave so much more than me and deserve to feel justly proud about doing so.
Ah come on guys, positive thoughts, we finished!! It's IS something to be proud of!! I'm still smiling and want to do it again lol
Thank god it's not this weekend - weather even hotter on Sunday....
I still can't run as my knee still has a strange lump on it
But I'm itching to get back out now 
What are people doing for the bank holiday?? I shall be mainly drunk on Friday and Sunday - now there's a surprise
Am wearing the tee shirt now in spite of its hugeness.
2 things. Does the ballot open at midnight before?
And the other is about the Facebook thing. Im a bit paranoid about who can see what. Have done the basic page (Ithink) but not sure what to tick re privacy plus want to not have that thing where people caan know where you are. Do I just tick all the cant see boxes or does that make it useless? And how do I find our group?
STILL cant understnd why was so bad. I was a pound up after so did the water right. They said over on the OAPs that you need to do 3 to get the hang of it so thats it then. Maybe look for one in Sep plus LOndon if poss and maybe Brighton as a backup. Mattys Mum are you listening? But legs back to ok today and no problems.
Thanks just done that. now how do I find the group?
Plus that Pyorunning site, where is the bit that gets the custimised shirt? Think the run has done what bit of brain power had left in!
Chris.... I`m listening!!!
Yeah I`m on the hunt....gotta put it right! My calves are still terrible...i dont think i drank enough even tho i had my own drink
That ballot is gonna be down after 5 mins the number of people looking to get on a midnight!!!!
feel pretty similar to this myself FF
and can feel sore throat coming on!
I come to the conclusion that London although great to be part of, is just way too congested and too tiring having to weave around people.... no weaving on training runs!
I will do another marathon... just one that has less entries probably..
Totally agree, I've got the post marathon blues myself
I've only been running regularly for two years & I think I need to focus on improving my core, taking my HM time down & having some fun.. I'm going to join a club
! Then, I plan to take on Brighton or somewhere in 2013..
To be honest, I'm going to try to maintain a level of fitness that allows me to run a HM anytime I like.. Marathon training is so all consuming, I need a full 12 months off from that, next time I'm going to take on a 34 week Marathon training plan & I'll be stasrting from a rock solid base.
There.. that feels better! 4:45 will be mine in 2013!
oh my god i just wrote a whole story and its completly gone as it was to long!!!
basically foot went at 10miles and i struggled the rest - its very painful and very swollen
i finished in 6hr 12minutes
marathon box is left unticked as i dont feel i justified my training
I love the idea of getting a personally embroidered one - but does anyone know how neat their fittings are? I don't want to get a personalised one only to find it's too big/small.
Miss Knees - I'm working until 8pm tonight, then straight out with my friends for a meal and drinks, am going to try and see if my legs can cope with a little run tomorrow, then out on Saturday night with my OH, my sister and her OH for another meal (on her - woo-hoo!), then on Sunday I'll be cheering on my running friends along the coast at the North Tyneside 10k, then out with some of them that night for yet another meal!
I'm so sorry that so many of you are feeling down after last Sunday, my heart goes out to you. I feel on top of the world, bags of energy and dying to get out there again, and though I wished I could have shaved a few minutes off my time, all in all it was a time that I'd been hoping for.
However, one thing that did kind of take the wind out of my sails ... a work friend sent an email to this girl who I know socially through him, telling her about my marathon time, and she emailed back to him saying 'Wow, for someone so fat that's amazing!'
My work friend promptly sent the email to me (I've no idea why, and I really wish he hadn't) saying that she probably meant 'fit', not 'fat' and she emailed back quickly saying that it was a typo caused by the predictive text on her ipad.
I'm not so sure ... 'for someone so fit that's amazing' doesn't make sense ... 'for someone so unfit that's amazing' makes sense, 'for someone so little that's amazing' makes sense (maybe) ... 'for someone so old that's amazing' makes sense as a sentence too ... but not what she claims to have meant.
I was actually really upset by it - it just made me feel so self-conscious and not wanting to eat my lunch. She's always been perfectly fine to my face, but I don't know her that well so don't know if she's generally a bitchy person.
Well said HB!
Shielsy - You are NOT FAT!
I am okay about it really, just think that if i'd been looking where I was going more, I might not have stood on a bottle and rolled/wobbled and hurt my hip! 4 hrs 15 could have been done... instead of the 20 mins longer it took me!
But have not much inlination to run again yet! walking the dog has been fine though
pesky brat that he is! 
Shielsy, you look absolutely tiny!
Shielsy wrote (see)
I phoned up prodirect running and apparently the large size corresponds to a size 14, I've ordered the fitted looking hoodie and the waterproof fold up jacket so will let you know what the sizings are like.
I did pick up one of the post run hoodies from their stall at Expo and the Size Medium contains my size 14 bangers absolutely fine!
ok well i promised a questionaire so heres one!!
Time Finished:- 6hr 12Mins
Running number - 45165 - would like to look at some of your photos x
Time arrived at greenwich/blackheath - 8am
Time crossed start line - 10:17ish
Forumites spotted - RedSee - you seemed very down hope you had a great run & finish. RunPhatboyRun - not sure you knew what i was going on about when i said who i was but im pretty sure it was you
Celeb spotted - none - tho the family did spot joe pasquale
Best banner - my hubbys - COME ON THE WIFE FOOTYS ON
Your worst moment - mile 10 when the foot just wouldnt do anything
Your best moment - seeing Big Ben and being surprised by hubby being there when he wasnt supposed to be with a great big bunch of flowers for the finish
Funniest moment - seeing a rhino take a pee
Saddest Moment - seeing a young girl completly unconcious on the side of the road being tended to
Happy with your time - nope!
Applying next year - yes box is still unticked!!!
Time Finished:- 3 h 48
Running number - 30027
Time arrived at greenwich/blackheath - later than expected as train to Greenwich & Maze Hill stopped only at Blackheath due to a detour!
Time crossed start line - 9.47? Green start moved very quickly, maybe a bit too quickly for me!
Forumites spotted - none
Celeb spotted - lots! before the start I was near the slebs pen; Nell McAndrew, Tony the fairy, James Cracknell, Sophie Raworth, Mike Bushnell. Saw Will Young have a wee against a wall just after the start.
Best banner - 'Don't stop, everybody's watching'
Your worst moment - when I got dehydrated somewhere around 15 to 18 miles in and couldn't see properly had no idea where I was and had to walk
Your best moment - seeing husband and my girls , finishing and the fabulous welcome at the Macmillan recovery centre
Funniest moment - watching the more eccentric finishers in mad costumes who were coming in at 5.30pm and cheering them all in; the marching band, the runners tied together, mummy, little miss sunshine etc
Saddest Moment - seeing so many people wiped out by the heat
Happy with your time - wasn't initially but it was carnage out there and I'm glad to have made it round without medical assistance!
Applying next year - not sure, quite fancy a go at Paris in the springtime..
Shiesy - Some people! Not "well done" or "wow, I don't think I could do that" no, you are right, I think she meant to write "fat". What an A-class cow!
Now I'm not most peoples idea of a Marathon runner. I go in and out in all the right places. (And a few of the wrong ones).. On Saturday I suddenly got worried that I was going to be so much bigger than everyone else running.. but I wasn't.. And I'm guessing you wern't either..
To be honest, I'd be really p*ssed off too.. Think I'd have to say something.. Might even forward her mail on to a number of chosen friends... Go on, turning the other cheek is over rated.. reep your revenge, you know you want to!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Muppley...... join the club. I was only 1 1/2 hours slower than i wanted to be!!!!! At least you could see your foot being a problem before you started.... mine was cramp mile 6 out of the blue never had before... race over!!!!
Noone can take away the fact we finished and got our medal.... its only a personal thing with the time..... I`m more than gutted with my time but cant change it. I know it totally doesnt reflect what i can do and will look to put it right.
Shielsy... i would defo be having a word!!! You are fab.... what a great time and day you had.... dont worry bout that comment you are no way fat! cos we all said so!