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Comrades 2016
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Oh and if I think you haven't work hard enough I'm sending you back. ????
The Adidas outfits are wonderful this year. #SmurfSuit
Last night I registered for London and I'm in the red section on Sunday for anyone else participating. Its either a black club vest (+ one of our patches) or a red 2014 down run shirt that will give me away.
Hoping to dip under 3:40 and move up a pen which a month ago I'd say was easily on the cards having run 3:44 and 3:43 in recent 'undulating' trail runs. Less sure now after the Easter break - training hasn't quite clicked into place for me recently. Hope its just a temporary a blip.
McHilly - you should try oil (baby or other) my kids often leave them on for ages at a time before I step in.
Mr K Oh and if I think you haven't work hard enough I'm sending you back. ????
....middle gantry you say?
The only thing I am going to be working hard at is waving to the crowds, Mr K. This is going to be an easy run, this close to Comrades.
Yep me too Becca. Luckily my legs are feeling heavy and tired. Just going to the expo yesterday is quite exciting and it would be easy to get caught up and try and race it (i am not going to)
I did London last year and found it really hard to avoid running too fast. At the beginning the entire world overtakes you and then in the last few kms it's incredibly tempting to overtake them all again.
On Sunday I'm supporting Mrs John who's targeting 4:25. Daughter and I are planning to pop up in 7 locations: Surrey Quays, Brunel Road, Westferry, Canary Wharf, Westferry again, Tower Hill and Birdcage Walk. If I spot any Comrades gear, I'll shout for you. Good luck to all!
That's quite some supporting itinerary, John, I hope that you and your daughter manage to see Mrs John at all of those. And good luck to Mrs John.
Think its going to be very cold for the London Marathon
Have been reading about the Manchester Marathon, last 3 years results (not 2016) cancelled for all runners as the course was short !! If that was my PB race or indeed my 1st I would be furious. All the months of training and some idiot with a wheel can't mark the course correctly
I'll be at the Blue Start - runner 20677. Good luck everyone. I'm treating this as a training run. Will be wearing full length Skins (black), Striders of Croydon top (still deceiding between vest and short-sleeved top) and yellow Montane windproof jacket. Leg still not right so hoping to jog round in under 4hrs 30 then collect bag with small running backpack in and run another few miles.
Will try to attach the patch somewhere - wish I'd got some of the tattoos.
Good luck everyone!
And... 'parkrun: much more than just a run in the park' won Best Book at The Running Awards 2016 last night! I still can't quite believe it but I am really pleased, obviously. Thank you to anyone on here who voted for it. Happy to sign copies while we're down in SA...!!!
Thank you Slow Duck. No, I wasn't at the awards ceremony, as I didn't think I would win! Looks like Tom Williams picked up the award for me (based on the tweet photo - parkrun got the best event series, which was to be expected).
SBA, just saw your post about Manchester, and then read some more details, really disappointed, hard to believe they can be out by so much and not notice it for 3 years!.....I also looked back at my Strava, it did show 41.7k...... But in those cases i always assume the course was right and watch wrong! My Manchester 2015 time was my PB by about 8 minutes, so even allowing for the error would still be a PB...... Time had served me well, got me into pen C for last years Comrades, and got me into Boston and London this year..... Had been hoping to use the same result to get into Tokyo and London next year..... Guess I'll just have to do some more speed work and try and get a bit faster again after Comrades!
Debra, congrats on the award, am reading the book at the moment, and would recommend it to anyone else who hasn't yet read it. If I have space in my luggage I'll take it to SA for an autograph
Congratulations on the book award. I look forward to reading the book while on holiday in SA for Comrades!
Enjoy London tomorrow.
Quick question when you reach your target for sponsorship (I'm nearly there) do you have to let anyone know so that they can change your pen? thanks.
I've just about reached my sponsorship target so i will transfer over soon. I have had people send the money to me and then i was going to send it all over. I feel like i am jinxing it if i send it too soon though.
I am blue start, pen 6. I think I will be aiming for roughly 4h30, maybe a little slower. If i see people i know, i am stopping to say hi and i plan to enjoy it. I figure that if i do London again, I will be racing so this is a one off chance.
Debra - well done on your book. So I am on the bus tour with a running celebrity
I have comrades tattoos but i am planning on wearing my armwarmers so i dont know where to put them. The arm warmers might come off so i will put some on. I will have a yellow royal parks t shirt on that has a target on the back.
Well done Debra - maybe you can get Phil Daniels to do a talking version!
Last year I was automatically CC'd too, although there was a ton of dialogue with me being 3rd highest collector with over 50k
, I think I wore out my welcome with that effort, well down this year but still CC'd. PG3 don't leave it to the last minute, if you have it, load it, it'll only take a computer glitch, and you know they come just when you don't need them the most, and you could be locked out from donating etc.
SBA - Congrats on Berlin and Chicago entries!
I'll be watching on TV tomorrow - you should all have dressed up as giraffes, or formed a millipede, don't think I will be able to spot patches or tats. Hope you all have a great day!
Hi PG3: I'll be in pen 5 - I had been expecting to race it and go for 3.45, pre-injury. My top is yellow and green (Striders of Croydon), but will probably be covered by the yellow Montane windproof jacket at the start - and by a white sweatshirt saying 'South Shore Harbour' until close to the off, as I really don't want to get cold.
And thanks re. the book.
Debra i have plenty to wear too. I would sooner chuck a top and run with another around my middle than get cold at the start. I will look out for you.
Lowrez you are right. I will transfer next week to give myself enough time for issues.
Well done Debra - that's awesome.
I didn't remember entering Chicago - but receiving the acceptance seems to suggest I did. I'll be deferring it to next year as I'll be on a car tour still.
Had a horrible 50k solo run today. Just very, very tired. After 30k the park was shut down by a very ugly conflict between the KKK and Black Lives Matter. Hundreds of heavily armed police. Went home to finish the run.
Good luck to all those running London today. It looks bloody freezing.
What's everyone's plans for shoe sizing for the down run? Is it true that you need to go up half or even 1 size to save whats left of your toe nails?
Hope everyone has had fun at London or indeed any other marathons or races.
Well done Debra for your book. Its a great read and the award is well deserved.
Dannirr - well done on that 50k. Sounds a bit scary all those armed guards, did you speed up a bit then? I'm with you on the horrid run though. Felt rubbish through mine, although am hoping thats because i was on my own and obviously not tapered. If not, comrades is going to hurt this year
Must be a day for dodgy runs, if not in London, I had my worst "lovable" mauling ever by a Cujo type mutt, came absolutely barrelling at me, leapt up, scratched, slavered etc and despite multiple shouts (which actually turned into abuse I was so angry) at the owner they did absolutely nothing to control it, the only response I got was "its only 2 years old, calm down". I don't get how some owners are on a completely different planet; I had to brave the attack again as I was right at my turn and return point; sure enough, got same again, although it broke off to attack another dog and I made my escape - still protesting to the uncontrolling owner, unbelievable. That happened quite early on so I had time to get back into a groove and quite enjoyed the quips from almost everyone else "London is that way..."
Hope everyone had a great time! I'm just about to watch the highlights on BBC2... watched earlier on right up to the finish before going for my 16 miler; he didn't realise how close he was to the world record until too late did he!
I thought stuff like that only happens in Africa Danirr. Best as far away from those situations as possible.
ZB - I run in a shoe 0.5 bigger than my normal all the time. Probably I'll get 2 black toenails anyway.
Happily the long runs get shorter from now
Thank you everyone for the congrats on the book.
London Marathon: Well that was a mess. Okay to 16 miles (a bit uncomfortable, but managable) then something went majorly wrong with my hip flexors in my right leg. Completed the race at a painful limping walk - possibly an error. Seized up once I'd finished and needed assistance getting on/off trains.
This has also confirmed that I really don't much like big city marathons - give me a trail run or a small event like those put on by Saxons Vikings and Normans any day!
Seeing the physio tomorrow. Obviously won't be running for the next while. Hoping I'll be recovered in time to do Comrades on sub-optimal training...
Hope everyone else had a better time than I did.
Saw someone in a Comrades cap! White top with a red banner across the chest, but it was gone before I could read it.
Dannirr - you are having some very scary training runs this year, good to see your survival instinct kicking in every time! Giggling at your memory lapse; the sign of a true distance runner when you forget you entered a marathon major!
zuluboy - I've not heard that about down runs, I usually have 2 permanent black toe nails, this year its approaching 4, I general run in shoes a size bigger than non-running shoes anyway. Have been continuing my search this year for a pair where my nails don't suffer but have not succeeded so far.
Bike - nice miles! I dare not add up mine and compare - I do know I had a less than intended week this week (as usual) at 21m. So those last 2k, was it the ankle complaining?
Debra, its practically taper time, don't fret too much, recover, do easy miles, and make sure you make the start line in best shape possible.
Holy moly, Lowrez. I've come close to being attacked by those Akita type dogs. The owner was a right tool about it too. He thought it was funny that he had dogs that made people scared when they tried to attack me.
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The Elite races on London Marathon were amazing. That Girl who hit the deck, bumped her head and went on to win it.. Chapeau (or whatever the equivalent is for running)
I'm still doing about 80-90k a week. Legs recovered pretty well after Wrexham Marathon. L2M ultra was 50 miles so hopefully with those miles in the legs I can just keep things ticking over. Last year before the comrades, the longest run I had done was only a 26.2 Miler
this year I think I have done less accumulated miles but with much bigger runs.
zuluboy - I don't keep dogs so I don't have any real affinity, I'm thinking I should learn something about controlling them - will have to e-mail The Whisperer for some advice - its a shame when you have to brace yourself for the worst each time you pass one.
Was falling over contagious in that incident? As the camera pulled back a third girl fell, it didn't seem like it was related to the two that initially went over? Yes, what great determination! Loved it when she got back on terms and ultimately won!
Maybe we need to define the equivalent of "chapeau" for runners, seeing as we like caps should it be "casquette"?
Well done on completing L2M, I see they do cross England and others too, I'm tempted! I too only broke into ultras this last year, my longest was 28m 3 weeks prior to Comrades last year