VLM 2017 !!

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  • Very good luck to you all for Sunday, its been great to be part of this Forum and I have found great motivation in reading all of your posts and pride in occasionally feeling able to contribute something useful.

    Special thanks to Harmander, it was a privilege to meet you at Silverstone and i'm sure we'd all agree that you've been a valuable fountain of knowledge that you have shared patiently and freely without ever making anyone feel stupid.

    See you on the other side when we will all be able to say, for the rest of our lives, that we have RUN THE LONDON MARATHON ......
  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    Good luck for Sunday everyone!
  • spenno2spenno2 ✭✭✭
    Yep this has been great and I have been provided with some great knowledge from harmander and was great to run with him a few weeks ago when we done 20 miles. I know this won't be my last London marathon as I'm going to apply again for a ballot place and just maybe I get in again 
  • Good luck to everyone for Sunday!

    I'm bricking it as have a horrible chesty cough I can't shake and my short runs this week have been fine on the legs but really hard on the lungs. I have a six pack from all the coughing this week. So, I'm definitely going to start but might not finish and am not looking forward to it at all. It's really disappointing as I've been so excited up to now.

    A question about the start: I am staying at London Bridge but am in the Red Start so instructed to go to Blackheath which I can't get to direct from London Bridge. I can go direct from London Bridge to Greenwich or Maze Hill. Is is possible to use those stations to get to the Red Start or is access from one area to the other blocked (e.g. by the marathon route!)?

    Thanks in advance.
  • TopSecTopSec ✭✭✭
    Dadagain, It's forecast to be cold on Sun morning and you'll feel it more than others maybe!  I would head to your nearest charity shop and buy a sweatshirt and keep it on until your pen starts moving, there'll be hundreds of things getting thrown to the edge, it's like a mass striptease.  You really need to have your bag handed in and into your pen about 30 mins before, it's a bit like penguins; if you can get to the middle of the pack you'll be warmer than those on the outside!

    I'm also buying some of those £2 gloves you can get from garages and cheapie shops, again with the intention of throwing them after a couple of miles  

    I've taken ibuprofen before long runs/races and never had any problems, I (IMHO) think it's more the racers that need to be careful of it?

    Expo tomorrow afternoon for me, dinner somewhere in town and then up and at it next day :)

  • snewma00snewma00 ✭✭✭
    > @Linda Chapman said:
    > Good luck to everyone for Sunday!

    >

    > I'm bricking it as have a horrible chesty cough I can't shake and my short runs this week have been fine on the legs but really hard on the lungs. I have a six pack from all the coughing this week. So, I'm definitely going to start but might not finish and am not looking forward to it at all. It's really disappointing as I've been so excited up to now.

    >

    > A question about the start: I am staying at London Bridge but am in the Red Start so instructed to go to Blackheath which I can't get to direct from London Bridge. I can go direct from London Bridge to Greenwich or Maze Hill. Is is possible to use those stations to get to the Red Start or is access from one area to the other blocked (e.g. by the marathon route!)?

    >

    > Thanks in advance.

    Walk to Cannon Street and get the train to the Red Start from there. It's about 10 minutes from London Bridge, or get a bus. Think there will be VLM stewards helping the route!
  • Snail2Snail2 ✭✭✭
    Doesn't a Cannon St - Blackheath journey require a change at London Bridge? So if staying near the latter a waste of time to walk to Cannon St. Or is it different on marathon day?
  • KieranGKieranG ✭✭✭
    Don't think I'll get much chance to be on here after today, so just wanted to say good luck to everyone, thanks for all your comments, help and advice on here. Most of all, enjoy it ! Don't forget to come on here next week and share your experiences. See you on the other side !
  • KieranGKieranG ✭✭✭
    Oh, by the way - Blue, Pen 9 no. 17658 and "Kieran" on my blue top. I'm not running with anyone, so say hello if you see me.
  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    Kieran - I remember you from last year's thread. Good luck! Glad that you are making it to the start line this time (touches wood). I will be on the 24 mile water station, will keep an eye out.
  • Just popping on here to wish all of you the very best for Sunday! I've had to defer my place unfortunately. Gutted but it's the right decision. Off to see an orthopod to get to the bottom of my foot injury. Will be thinking of you all on Sunday and look forward to hearing how you all get on. Hopefully might see some of you again on a 2018 thread :)
  • KieranGKieranG ✭✭✭
    @Linda Chapman. I am confused by your post. My understanding from the final instructions are that there are direct trains from London Bridge to Blackheath (for the Blue start). But, if you are Red start you need to go to Greenwich or Maze Hill, from Canon Street, not London Bridge. Blackheath is only for the Blue Start. I would check your start colour. Blue = London Bridge to Blackheath, Red = Cannon Street to Greenwich or Maze Hill.
  • KieranGKieranG ✭✭✭
    @NickW2 - it might be dark by the time I get to 24 miles - I hope you'll still be there !
    @barneschar - gutted for you, it's a horrible decision to have to take (I did the same last year), but you now have loads of time to get the injury sorted and get to the start line next year. You could even start the 2018 thread !
  • spenno2spenno2 ✭✭✭
    I'm coming in from Havering (essex) horncurch I be getting the train from Upminster - cutty sark I'm blue start 
  • NickW2NickW2 ✭✭✭
    @KieranG I'm actually not sure what time I'm there till - I'm not organising just following instructions. But think it will be at least until most runners have gone through.
  • @KieranG - you're absolutely right! I am a Red Start and I need to get to Greenwich or Maze Hill not Blackheath. Sounds like I need to walk to Cannon Street anyway. I was trying to spare my legs but it sounds like it's not too far anyway.
  • Hello again - thanks a lot for the earlier advice re my 63-yr old mother who's running on Sunday. We went to Excel yesterday and we're now very excited about it all :)

    I have one more question though, how bad/slow is to navigate public transport at Cannon St? We'll be coming on the District line to Cannon St, then Maze Hill (my mum's a green start). If we make it to Cannon Street by 8:35am is that enough travel time? - considering she needs to get to Maze Hill (trains from Canon St to Maze Hill are at 8:44, 8:54, and 9:02 etc - and they take 18 mins). And then walk from Maze Hill to start (another 15 mins?), then drop off her kit bag, possibly line up for loo etc? Is this cutting it short?

    Many thanks :)
  • I'd not leave it that late. The baggage lorries go about 30 mins before the race starts - so she would be rushing.  It's the end of a long journey of training - you don't want to be frantic so close to the start. 
  • Thank you, so glad I asked - will try to get to Cannon St at 8 then, I hope that should cover it.
  • DadAgainDadAgain ✭✭✭
    Can you believe it? TODAY my nose starts streaming, eyes watering and throat feeling a little tingly.

    40 hours before the start and my body decides to go into sickness mode?!?

    lying bed now and going to do nothing except eat healthy, drink healthy and sleep in the hope I can shake this off in time.

    :(
  • I looked for you at the Expo, Harmander, but you must have been having a break. Feeling a little nervous as stomach problems have made proper fuelling difficult so I'll be doing some frantic carb loading tomorrow and have warned my loyal supporters not to be too impatient if I'm late to the pub. But I'm determined to manage it even if I walk most of the second half. Good luck everyone and thanks for all your brilliant advice
  • Hi all - I've just finished going through every page and post on this thread. So much useful help & advice, thank you to everyone who's contributed. 

    It's my first London Marathon tomorrow running for Alzheimers Society, and my second marathon ever. My first was last September (Kew Gardens) - I was massively under prepared, hit the wall at mile 19 and crawled home in 4 hours 40ish. I've really focused and trained hard for tomorrow, running over 700km since January. I've done a 49 minute 10k and a 1:49 half (Thorpe Park), and ran 22.2 miles in 3 hours 25 mins in my final long run 3 weeks ago, so feel like I can attack sub-4 hours tomorrow. I had planned to run with the 3:56 pacers but unfortunately when I registered I predicted 4:30 and when I collected my race number yesterday I saw I'm back in Red Start Pen 7, so assuming I won't be able to get to them at the start??

    Anyway, I'm trying not to worry about that too much. Just very excited. Good luck to everyone taking part - I hope you all have a great race!
  • nicko1981nicko1981 ✭✭✭
    Good luck tomorrow everyone, hope you all achieve whatever your targets are.

    Little 2 miler this morning felt like about 20 so I'm not sure how I'll fare tomorrow - seems like people are right when they say 2 weeks isn't enough recovery time. We'll see how it goes!

    Just looking forward to post-race beers now...
  • Thank you all for your nice words concerning my contributions and responses to your questions.
    Was great meeting those I managed to at the Expo, sorry to those I missed.
    Please now just relax and think of the after party and celebrations instead of worrying about anything - get your kit ready now including the chip on your trainers - it is an absolute bugger trying to find safety pins at the last minute, so do it now.
    Cut your nails (men only) as we don't want to scratch the volunteers giving out bootles of water etc as we reach out to grab them while running.
    Caseline or other anti-chaffing stuff is to apply on the bits that are likely to be sore through rubbing - avaod trying to eat it - it tastes horrible - I have tried it.
    Final message 

    Good luck

     and lets all agree to report back our finishing times and experience.

    Anyone who has sadly had to defer till next year should volunteer to start VLM First Timers 2018.

    Harmander
  • Harmander that'll be me then! Going to start up the VLM 2018 thread in a mo and happy to do so! Also suggested by Kieran G, so thank you both. Harmander I hope you'll join me there as your advice is invaluable and anyone else who fancies keeping me company over the next year, hoping perhaps some of you may be back for more in 2018!

    Hope some of you might don your Heads Together Headbands tomorrow, that was the charity I was going to run for, and will run for next year :)

    Can't wait to hear how you all get on! All the best!
  • barneschar,
    With pleasure.
    Getting ready for bed now

  • EllieJEllieJ ✭✭✭
    Good luck to you all, I'm in awe.
  • GladragsGladrags ✭✭✭
    Morning all- it's a cloudy morning in South east London but there are chunks of blue in the sky- perfect! Have a great run everyone!
  • Rossi71Rossi71 ✭✭✭
    Got round in 4 hours 34 which I was happy with. Ran the whole 26.2 which I wasn't expecting after the recent injuries. Crowd support was unbelievable and made the day so much better 
  • Hello All. Is anyone interested in swapping 2017 Finisher shirts? I have a Mens size Large, but would really like a Mens size Medium.
    Perhaps we should start a thread on this (as was done in previous years). I would create one, but I don't know how, or maybe my account does not have that privilege.
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