"I could have walked it faster"

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Comments

  • Even though thousands take part ,they are still a tiny fraction of the worlds population who can claim to have run a marathon. Also many run multiple marathons showing up in more than one event. Well done to anyone that has run a marathon you are a minority.
  • To David who posted support at 10.48 and everyone else who has posted. Thank you. The encouragement everyone is giving all us slower runners is wonderful and very much appreciated. image I think the London Marathon is very much the Nation's Marathon and the fact that everyone can take part and get so much support is incredible. The crowd who were there (when I finished in the rain!) were priceless.
  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    Woody2run wrote (see)
    Even though thousands take part ,they are still a tiny fraction of the worlds population who can claim to have run a marathon. Also many run multiple marathons showing up in more than one event. Well done to anyone that has run a marathon you are a minority.

    I doubt if very many people ran Brighton, Paris and London and will run Stratford!  But OK, knock off a few thousand for those who've done two or more of those events.  Still adds up to quite a few.

    Then take into account that those races are held every year, and yes there are people who do them year after year, but there are also many new people doing their first.

    Then add in Liverpool, MIlton Keynes, Manchester, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Abingdon, the Eden Project, Halstead... if you look on the events listing, there are 96 marathons listed.

    And that's just in the UK.  There are loads in France, the US, Spain, Italty, Germany..... 

    Yes, marathon runners are a minority, but that's still a lot of people who have run a marathon - I can think of twenty people I actually know who have, and that doesn't include people on the forum.

  • Wilkie wrote (see)

    Yes, marathon runners are a minority, but that's still a lot of people who have run a marathon - I can think of twenty people I actually know who have, and that doesn't include people on the forum.

    I can think of four, I'm one of them, my sister's one, and the other two I met while running a marathon. Depends which circles you move in I suppose.
  • I believe it's between 0.1% and 1% of the population.
  • kaffeegkaffeeg ✭✭✭

    CONGRATS!

    I did it yesterday in a staggering 5 hours 48 minutes.  My original time target for 4.30, but during training i got injured and moved the goal posts to 5.15, During the race, the goal posts moved to 5.30, then 5.44 (why 44 i have no idea) and then to finish before 6 hours.  It was tough! 

    And after cursing myself and vowing never ever ever again. 24 hours later - i'm the complete opposite.

    It takes huge huge mental strength to keep going.  To talk yourself out of the pain.  To push through the psychological tricks (although I had a nice surprise as I thought I was at mile 23 but a runner told me it was actually mile 24, which was a shock but nice!).

    CONGRATS!  Ignore the idiots - and tell them to sponsor you or not comment at all.

  • 5 hours 48mins??? Did you stop to pick blackberries?? Only joking Kaffeeg well done sweetcheeks xx
  • ChimneyChimney ✭✭✭

    My tuppenth,

    This thread is about the personal effort and self sense of acheivement in completing a marathon. TBH, it could be anything from completing the Times crossword to climbing Everest. The actual act could be anything, you will always get people who will take the mick be it, in their eyes, a ' Bit of friendly ribbing ' or something more sinister. You personally know what effort it took You to do that act, not just the act itself but everything it took to get you there, and that's what counts. In the case of a marathon, time is immaterial. Be very proud that not only did you have the thought to do, you actually did.

    Or put another way - Sod'em, what they think doesn't matter. image

    If reality matched intention I'd know I was dreaming
  • kaffeegkaffeeg ✭✭✭
    SR - blackberries?  Nah, mushrooms. 
  • Kafeeg. I thought 'never again' too as I was going round but even as I made my way to the tube to get the train back 'oop North' I was wondering how early I'll get up next Monday to enter for 2013! I will be faster next year come hell or high water.
  • Kaffeeeeeeeeeg, LM........., hellooooooooooo
    I am most proud of my time, and ignored the sympathetic glances from Heathrow staff when I told them.
    Less than 1% of the population run a marathon, so blooming well done us. We know how much effort we put in. We rock!
  • My time was substantially slower than I hoped and a personal worst but it has left me determined to go much faster. I also had a horrendous comment post-race when someone implied that I hadn't the time to train properly. I said actually I did train properly for 16 weeks which shut them up but of course, it did sour my glory for a short period. Even today someone "joked" that I just finished it today. But I agree. We all know how much work we did and we do indeed rock! image
  • kaffeegkaffeeg ✭✭✭

    Emma - whoop whoop!

    We do rock. 

  • Rock in a One Direction type of way
  • Well done all no matter what your time. I sadly had to pull out at 13 miles. I couldn't push past the pain and now feel totally gutted at this. There will be another chance hopefully.
  • I was much slower than I hoped a combination of having a bad cough in the lead up and the onset of calf pain about 10miles in but I refused to stop as otherwise I felt good and just took it easier with more walk breaks than planned but I still ran the first 9 miles straight then made sure I ran over tower bridge and the last 1.2miles (which was actually one of my fastest) I eventually crossed the finish line in 6hr 41

    I'm not fast but I did it I have no blisters I am not injured (calf loosened by mile 24 maybe just iced by the rain) and save the expected aches I'm feeling really good, better than expected, that and I plugged in my Nike+ and got the congratulations on your first marathon from Paula Radcliffe message image

    Don't let anyone steal your thunder we are awesome. For sure I now have a marathon PB that I will considerably beat next time

  • JShrew, well done! What was your magic formula for such a fast ending? I managed at the last .2 not 1.2! Would love to hear your secret.

    P.S. No blisters? I have many I could donate!
  • I think most comments sum up the fantastic support this community gives each other. We ARE in a minority as marathoners, and should be proud. What we should also remember is that the marathon is just the last 26.2 (or 26.8 for me with all the weaving!) miles of a long and arduous training schedule.

    We will have been running at ungodly hours, in ungodly weather, ungodly distances to train for this, have worn out at least one pair of shoes, taxed our family on the spare time front, challenged friends to sponsor us, visited doctors, stressed, tapered, thought 'marathon' 24/7, and then put ourselves out there on very public display.

    I am chuckling at the posts that said 'never again' and 24 hours later are tempted.....I said that after my first VLM last year when I came in 4:50 having badly cramped due to the heat. Never again, said I.... And then promptly entered the ballot. Didn't get a place, so applied to a charity close to me and my family and got in!

    This year I managed 4:10:38, which I was absolutely delighted with! Will I run it again? No! Is sub-4 an unrequited target? Yes! did I have my fingers crossed when I answered the first question? Haha! Watch this space.....
  • Well done Phatboy! You'll be back for sub-four next year, I'll wager my worn out trainers and compeed on it. image
  • Oh, and one final thing on the 'never again'. For me 2011 was such a huge learning curve. It taught me so much about what worked and what didn't and I think that was a big reason for my improvement. And the cooler weather, new shoes, new gels, change in training strategy, yada yada yada image
  • I think my reply would have to be "I could have done what you did ... sat on my arse on not even tried!".

    Running is a personal thing, I can't imagine spending another minute on the course than the 4 35 it took me and I have loads of respects for faster guys and gals too. However, I was in competition with no one but the clock and as first timer after about 20 miles I realised why some suggest you don't worry about that!

    I have had no one say anything bad about my time and loads of "well done, great achievement" type comments, people that have done it know how hard it is and it seems most that haven't have a real healthy respect for the (particularly London) marathon (as if other marathons are shorter!).
  • The one thing I've not worked out is how to prevent blisters when I got zero in training with the same shoes and socks, even at high mileage and in heat. Any tips? Is vaseline on the whole foot pre-race the solution?
  • Not sure about prevention but I think they occur because there is a small change in your running in a crowd. The side stepping you do, I believe, leads to movement of the foot in the shoe and causes, for some , blisters. I've heardvaswline helps, but I never get them luckily.
  • Thousand mile socks, vasaline around all the places you ever have had blisters (for me that's most of my foot!).
  • I managed it in 6:18, major achievement as i have never run that distance before. quite pleased with myself  up till half way, but after that my knees let me down, and then the last 5 miles were just sheer bloody mindedness as i wanted to give up after 20 miles!
    I may have managed it in under 6 hours if i hadnt had to Q for the loos 4 times (mother nature is a bitch, Girls wouldnt you agree? something the blokes don't have to worry about!)

    made sure i ran the last 385 yards across the finish though

    And raised £1600 for charity

    I think that people who havent done it cant understand how heavy those miles get as you add them up!

    Its the hardest thing i have ever done i think. I'm not going to let anyone take that away from me!

  • Hi Max's Mum, well done! Amazing to sprint the end and well done on your fundraising. Great icon btw. image

    I had a few more loo breaks than I'd hoped too although luckily later on so I didn't need to queue at all.

    Speed-10, will investigate the socks thanks. I did know about the vaseline tip but having no blisters in training it didn't cross my mind that I might need them as only cold and rain was predicted. Silly me believing British weather forecasters!

    Zaftig
  • Brownie28Brownie28 ✭✭✭

    Hiya!

     My second VLM this year and finished in 5:35, which took 22mins off last time and I am properly chuffed and will definitely be back...even if not in London!

    No real negative comments although I'm sure some people think they could do better...to those people I say 'on you go then!'. For me marathon running is about what I can achieve and I dont really care about what anyone else is doing.

    As for the blister thing did the vaseline thing this year after suffering badly in 2010, despite having no probs in training and came away blister free!

  • Thanks Zaftig!

    FYI - 1000 mile socks are a godsend - i didnt use them on Sunday but i have used them for the 3-peaks, and not a blister in sight. 

  • mm-dunno how folks cope with socks. Never wore 'em for running and don't in spring and summer anyway. Never had blisters although after this, my first mara I had a couple of rubs.
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