Great Welsh Marathon Entry

SHADES

T-Rex - you could also check with RO whether 2018 is the last one, if not then you can just put it on your 'to do list' for sometime in the future. 

Welshpoppy

Thanks for Info Shades on Long course weekend I am more or least confirmed part of my family came from Pembroke and I have found memories of the castle and village.We may make a weekend of it just have to decide where to stay Pembroke,Tenby,pendine,Saundersfoot.

SHADES

WP - where ever you decide to stay, book early as the accommodation fills really quickly.   I've found somewhere in Pendine to stay, looks a nice area.   

Welshpoppy

Pendine is lovely we had a good few family holidays down there Hubby loves the speed museum:-) think I will start looking.

SHADES

WP - book now and make sure you get free cancellation, then if your plans change no cost to you.

Welshpoppy

Thanks Shades I have just done Lake Vrwyny half marathon usually we go up and back in a day which is around a 12 hour day or longer but as hubby illness gets worse I booked for us to stay Sat and Sunday lovely cottage but the wettest ever in a race it was relentless I have never been so wet.
Which meant i came back dying with virus and only today I felt able to run after 11 days.

So will look at Tenby next.....

SHADES

WP - sorry to hear the rain was so bad for your race and you came back with a virus too.    I did the marathon there and loved it, pity they no longer do the marathon.

You must have been poorly with that long a spell with no running.

Welshpoppy

Shades: It is my favorite race I really love it I think it is the old school style I like and only 1600 runners.I have already booked the cottage for a week next year:-) It is the race I gear my season for and normally PB there sadly not this year  but that just inspires me to train harder and get that PB in 2018:-) Shame they no longer run a marathon there....

I really was I had no energy I moved from bed to kitchen to sofa and that was it.Hubby was away in Lourdes for 10 days so usually this is me time for running etc not this year.

What is next for you?

I have a 10k Sunday last race of year but I am not risking it  as too soon as I don't want to end up ill again I rather just winter train.

SHADES

You do seem susceptible to these pesky viruses 

I'm off to Scotland early tomorrow morning, Loch Ness marathon this weekend    Lovely race.

Welshpoppy

How was Scotland  and Loch Ness hope all went well and the weather was kind to you.

Knee has given me gyp since Friday so have rested it but I was able to run this morning just hope no reaction.

Oh yes if there is a virus about it usually has my name on it:-(

I am just firming up races for next year and I forgot Tenby...... what has happen to my brain....LOL

SHADES

Weather in Scotland was good, Loch Ness is a lovely marathon.   Unfortunately I cut my heel on a sharp stone that got into my shoe so had to stop and have that treated, so slightly uncomfortable last 21 miles, these things happen.  Shoe is ruined, blood all over it and great hole gouged into the heel cushion bit by the stone 

I haven't booked my hotel yet for Great Welsh but there's no rush for that weekend.

Hope that knee is OK, I've been having knee niggles but I reluctantly stopped my Yin Yoga classes and my knee seems OK now.   I had no discomfort during the Yin Yoga class. 

Maybe you're doing something to aggravate the knee?

T Rex

So, not a Cardiff marathon in 2018 but a new marathon in Newport scheduled for 29 April.  Fortunately not clashing with this.

SHADES

Yes, just heard about the Newport race, off to find out the details, I believe the entries open today.   It's the only weekend in Spring I have free so suits me fine, will be 3 trips to Wales in 4 weeks....will I need a visa? 

T Rex

Well, they're reducing the bridge toll to £5.60 which might help!

Website not working yet.

If you've had an email from them the link to pay your entry fee works!!

SHADES

I've already entered    Saving up for the bridge tolls now  

I've had a quick look at the website, seems to be working OK now

Welshpoppy

Great news for reduced Bridge Toll and Shades you will be moving into Wales soon and you have a race in July?

Shades: The great Welsh race there is a premier inn  very close to start or maybe one of it is travel lodge(I forget which it is called pemberton) just 5 minute walk to start if you need something.

Knee grumbling but 4 miles again lets hope it starts to stop protesting.I think it happened with nuts under leaves and it may have upset my knee .

SHADES

WP - yes, have already booked accommodation for Tenby race in July 

There's 2 Premiers and a Travelodge in Llanelli but at this stage there's no rush to book as it's fairly quiet mid April, I often stay at Cross Hands and drive the last bit race morning.  The ultra at Llanelli is on Easter weekend so needed to book that one fairly quickly to get a good deal, am staying a few miles away for that one. 

Hope that knee settles down, run on smooth tarmac if you can until it's OK.

Welshpoppy

Ah yes there is one by Aldi and starbucks in Cross Hands I think? Nice spot and a local park nearby if you wanted a walk:-) the farmshop also do nice  food if you eat meat?

 I may have to come out of the cycle track and go on the streets ,5 miles today  which is an improvement in distance:-)

Ah yes with Easter Weekend best to book early where are you staying for the ultra?

When is your next race and how is your heel?

SHADES

I usually go to the chippie, my preferred pre race meal is fish and chips and they have a sit in chippie at Cross Hands.

Re Easter weekend, I've booked a room in Pwll for 2 nights as don't fancy the drive home after the race in the dark, got a decent rate, no breakfast but use of shared kitchen which is ideal for ultra preparation so I can get my own breakfast.  I can drive home at leisure then on Sunday morning.

Heel is recovering well, not up to 6 hour race I should be doing today so DNS there, but should be OK for marathon in Dorset next weekend

Good news you're building your run distance up again.   Have you finished your races for this year now?

Welshpoppy

That all sounds good especially with use of kitchen for your food. Pwll is not far either and best to stop over 2 nights rather than drive in the dark....you will be speaking Welsh next...LOL

You know more than me about sit in chippy at Cross Hands -dare I tell hubby....:-)

That is great news heel is recovering sorry about race can you defer or do you lose your entrance fee?

6 miles in the rain knee grumbles but at least i can run on it:-)

Funny you should ask normally the half at lake V and Swansea 10k are my last races but I have gone mad  and just entered the Great South Run at Portsmouth on the 22nd I have been mentoring a girl to run she really suffers with self belief so i am going to run around with her it will be slow but at least i get to see if I like the course for next year.I just booked a coach holiday to IOW from Friday -Tuesday planned train to hover craft terminal in Ryde so for the price of train and 2 nights b+b I have  4 nights hotel with breakfast and 3 course evening meals:-) I love the IOW I know it so well so happy to do this and I get time to visit all the places I love and run on the island as well:-) and I get a race as well which I have never done so an exciting  trip:-)

SHADES

WP - chippie is close to Aldi and Travelodge

RO at 6 hour offered me a refund but I've asked him to carry my entry over to 2018, nice to be offered a refund.   

You have gone mad, or won the lottery, that's an expensive 10 mile race, I watch it on telly.   Good that you've combined it with a trip to the IOW so you can just nip over to Portsmouth for the race. 

In 2015 I combined an air/coach holiday to Prague/Budapest and Vienna with a marathon, when we got to Budapest I said to the tour courier that I wouldn't be joining their sightseeing trip of Budapest as I was running the marathon.   Their tour was curtailed by the road closures of the marathon whereas I got a lovely run around the city, a good marathon. 

Welshpoppy

I told Hubby and he is very very keen to try it out:-)

That is great news  to be offered refund very few races offer that! I lost out on 4 races this year and just lost the money.

Yes I think this is the most I have paid for a race ever but nice to combine with a little break and hubby is paying the only race he has paid for;-) I have never seen it on TV but on channel Five.

I have been to Prague once and loved it it was so beautiful I would love to go again so glad you had a nice time and a marathon as well:-) a great way to see the city.When we went it was late January and boy it was freezing cold I had to but gloves and a hat but they had big fires in drums all over the centre of town with hot mulled wine,chestnuts etc.

Well I have been laid up my back went Sunday lifting bag from trolley to car...honestly knackers yard for me if I was a horse! but starting to ease so booked a sports massage for Friday.
Are you looking forward to your race this weekend? unless I got it wrong....

SHADES

I think the GSR has been on C5 for the last few years, I like watching it.

My marathon was in Budapest not Prague, I think Prague marathon is in May and gets good press.

Blimey it's one thing after another, hope that sore back heals soon.   I've been doing Pilates for about 18 months and my back is a lot stronger now, maybe something to think about in the future.

Yes, Burton Bradstock this weekend and I am looking forward to it.

Welshpoppy

Good luck with Burton Bradstock this weekend:-) I hope the weather and shoes hold up for you!

Well sports massage and my problem was more hip flexors which were very tight so he has released my back.I have to stretch them and do yoga so looking for a good one for runners.I have pre booked him every six weeks to keep me on the road a bit like car maintenance I sound like an old bangor not  a sleek Racehorse:-)

SHADES

Hip flexors, lots of stretches for them.  I do Yogalates and 2 Pilates classes every week.

If you can find a Yin Yoga class that is an amazing work out for the hips, it's like an extreme stretching class, all done sitting or lying down

Welshpoppy

Thanks will look when out for yin yoga but will have to be after I am not feeling effects of sports therapist handy work.I am getting spasm of pain in hip and quad and have to keep moving or lying on the hard floor this eases it or  up and down stairs 4 times:-)

How was the race at weekend?

SHADES

WP - sounds painful.

Burton Bradstock marathon was lovely, beautiful route and on the 2nd lap I actually saw a big red deer stag, lovely.   But not so good, I've picked up a hip flexor injury, came on at 6 miles but I finished.   I expect I won't get rid of that in time for Dublin, but never mind.

Welshpoppy

I am sorry to hear you also have hip flexor issues.The stag sounds amazing:-) How are you doing with injury for Dublin?

I am back from IOW had a fab time as always weather amazing so warm apart from Storm Brian on saturday hovercraft cancelled so it was up in air about Sunday but all went like clockwork:-)
GSR was fab a great experience I loved it all from the set up to the supporters and the course.I got my trainee around with no walking and faster than training 2.09 I just hope I can run it at my pace next time:-)

SHADES

WP -I watched GSR looks a lovely race, hope you can run it for yourself next time.

I was prepared just to put up with a bit of hip pain for Dublin but my hotel in Dublin had some flooding over the weekend and they have to let the floors dry out before they can get them re-carpeted, they found me a room in a nearby hotel but it was an extra £70 a night!  Busiest weekend in Dublin, bank holiday, Halloween and 20,000 runners for the marathon.   I spent hours searching for alternative hotel but cheapest I could find was £391 for 3 nights  room only and that's just too much, the following day the price of that hotel had gone up to £779. 
This was probably going to be my last Dublin for a while as it takes too big a chunk out of my budget.

So I transferred my flights to April next year and I'm going to do Connemara Ultra instead, a race that I love.   And as I've booked early got a great price for a 4* star hotel, a bath after Connemara Ultra is highly recommended.

Welshpoppy

Sorry to hear about Dublin but it all sounds for the best glad you could transfer flights so you only lost race entry.
It is always worth doing the races we love makes all the difference and 4* hotel and a bath yay I think a bath is so worth it after a race.I know I asked for a bath and was so nice to soak post race in my bath.

Was that the last race this year for you?

I bashed my knee getting out of my bath on sink and next morning I had groin pain which is a new one on me !! Yesterday I could not run with it so did hour on exercise bike. I just hope it is okay today if not walking and bike for me.....honestly all these stupid non running niggles are driving me scatty.