Guys. I’ll be signing autographs in the pub post-race, but give me time to get around everybody. Also; how have they come to the conclusion that I’m a ‘seasoned’ marathon runner.
In and out of the expo in record time, straight off the train from Paris. Feet up most of tomorrow apart from 4 hour bike ride and afternoon swim.
HA77, I'm heading down but not running the full thing. I've run one long run since the end of January I think and reallyy struggled with niggles and injuries so basically spent 2 months jogging. Managed to do some faster stuff over the last couple of weeks but nothing to put me in any sort of shape to run a marathon.
If i was targeting another marathon later then I'd probably do it as a long run but as I'm going back to shorter races I'm hoping to get to halfway in around 1.15 and then drop out. Also If I'd not had 2 nights hotel and train sorted then I'd be watching on the tv.
Ramjet’s yellow shorts could become the “Joe’s trunks” of this year, the thread needs to see a photo beforehand
westy - looks like the clouds may save us, although 15C forecast at 6am looks ominous. Another reason not to wear clunky shoes - they soak up sweat and water like crazy.
Hazel - sounds like zurich will be tough, atleast it should be less muggy than it is here in London
Joe - did they interview you in your trunks? Do we get to sign the infamous pair in the RL afterwards?? And yes I may have submitted some comments on behalf of yuki...
Suffered in the heat yesterday, runny nose whilst trekking around the tower of london and london eye. Don’t feel ill, just don’t like the stifling heat. Doesn’t bode well for tomorrow. Starting my carb load with a breakfast of spag bol leftovers - yum! Is soreen easy to digest?
Thanks Muddy. Hope you do decide to go for an autumn marathon.
Jealous of the yelllow shorts Ramjet, wish I’d packed my bright red ones now.
Love the article Joe.
I love Soreen John, especially the banana one. It’s great stuff, carb loading or not!
Can feel the excitement and nerves building in the thread. It’s been a funny one for me because I’m not racing it, so I’ve been much more relaxed and my carb loading yesterday included pizza and beer. But definitely felt a buzz collecting my number yesterday. Managed to stop off on the way to my AirBnB, park directly opposite the ExCel, and was in and out within 20 minutes. Amazing!
I see the weather forecast is warming up again. At least we won’t have to worry about staying warm at the start!?
Hopefully see a lot of you tomorrow either at the start, on the course, or at the RL afterwards
PHWOAR! Leaving now. Weather looking sunny and hot and windy now 19C at 10am. Ugh. Leaving now. Will be on a train full of Utd fans. Good luck all - revise those goals I reckon, don't go killing yourselves...
Afternoon all. Excitement is building. Cracking shorts Ramjet. Hopefully bump into a lot of you tomorrow during/after.
4.5 hours and 75 hilly miles on the bike this morning. Legs are feeling worse than I expected, oh dear. Also had an interesting incident where a motorist got out of his car and grabbed me by the neck, starting the choke me and saying he was going to kill me.
I continued to laugh at him as friends pulled him off. What a moron.
Good luck everyone, if I don't see you beforehand! Look out for the trunks.
Howdy everyone. I just wanted to say good luck to everyone racing tomorrow. I’ve been keeping up with the thread - but clearly haven’t posted this year.
I was going to give a spring marathon a miss this year but the death of a friend gave me the motivation to make a late entry into the Southampton marathon to fundraise. I’ll be pootling round that instead with minimal training.
Lead men’s pacers targeting 1:01 for halfway, and lead women’s pacers targeting 1:07:30. Haven’t they read their email from the organisers advising people to slow down due to the weather
I arrived well in Zurich and having forgotten to bring the safety pins from home or get some at the expo have now procurred some at the hotel. One small beer very expensive, more at home I think.
Sounds scary Joe. What a nutter. In hotel, somehow got a disabled room. Went for walk earlier and felt like the only sober person in Greenwich. No idea how to pace tomorrow's race, supposed to be sunny and 19C at 10am! Anyway, good luck all. We'll probably be about 2 stone lighter by the end.
Great article JB, sounds like a bonkers bike ride. Don't think I'd have been so good humoured - more likely to have nutted him. Ramjet: definitely sorted for sunny weather in that get-up. Got lost yesterday cycling to Expo & managed to turn a 5M trip into almost 10, did a bit better with 7 for the return leg. First time on the bike since November! Wanstead Flats parkrun this morning in 21:00 which is exactly the same time as I did at Preston Park before my marathon PB. I wasn't racing but was working a bit harder than I ought & was drenched afterwards. Walked there & back to minimise the damage. Since then I've mainly been eating: bagels for breakfast & supper, Veggie Moussaka & rice for lunch or dozing. DBS & hopefully catch up over a cold one in Parliament St after. Great article Spoons, cheers. Interesting to see Zurich mentioned Hazel - seems it's another like Boston that can produce challenging conditions at both extremes. Good luck in the heat.
Bloody hell Joe, you attract the attention don’t you? I suppose if you will cycle in just those trunks...
Quite the pose, Ramjet. I hope to see it recreated tomorrow post race!
Good luck, Hazel. Hope it goes well.
Well paced parkrun Jooligan.
Westy I agree with your sentiments. I am so undecided about pacing and indeed kit.
Spoons has kindly collected my number for me so getting the 0505 coach from cheltenham tomorrow.
Having been saving a new pair of Zantes for tomorrow, I think I will go with thme Adios as they look more breathable through the mesh. They have done 350M which is 300 more than I’d like for a bit marathon. I’ve also decided that I’m too far for my Cancer Research vest so am going for a baggier blue number.
Part of of me is loathed not to give a PB a crack - after all marathons don’t come around that often especially when training has gone well. But I know there is no coming back from startin too fast and over heating. I could probably go off at 2:50 pace and blow up for 2:55 or so, or go off at 3:00 pace and speed up to have a really positive finish in 2:55. Same result but one will feel a lot more enjoyable than the other. Sadly I’m probably too stupid.
What would Yuki do seems a sensible/deadly question.
Look forward to seeing as many as poss in the RL circa 13:15.
I can’t believe you managed to book a room in Greenwich the day before the race Westy! Just shows how unnecessary it is to panic book a room as soon as your place is confirmed.
I thought the expo was ok. Managed to resist the temptation to attempt 400m on the treadmill at Kipchoge’s pace but looked great fun.
Glad you survived that crazy incident Joe. I’ll look out for you around the 3 hour pacers.
Forecast looks hotter and not cloudy! Oops! Don’t forget sunscreen everyone!
Morning all. Just wanted to say best of luck to everyone.
The forecast is hotter again so in so I am backing off attempting a Yuki. PB has gone so plan is to go with the 3h pacer for the first 10M at least. To be honest I’d be stoked to run sub 3 today.
Comments
In and out of the expo in record time, straight off the train from Paris. Feet up most of tomorrow apart from 4 hour bike ride and afternoon swim.
If i was targeting another marathon later then I'd probably do it as a long run but as I'm going back to shorter races I'm hoping to get to halfway in around 1.15 and then drop out. Also If I'd not had 2 nights hotel and train sorted then I'd be watching on the tv.
6 miles with strides today. Also did a cycle and swim, obviously inspired by Joe and Jooligan.
westy - looks like the clouds may save us, although 15C forecast at 6am looks ominous. Another reason not to wear clunky shoes - they soak up sweat and water like crazy.
Hazel - sounds like zurich will be tough, atleast it should be less muggy than it is here in London
Joe - did they interview you in your trunks? Do we get to sign the infamous pair in the RL afterwards?? And yes I may have submitted some comments on behalf of yuki...
Suffered in the heat yesterday, runny nose whilst trekking around the tower of london and london eye. Don’t feel ill, just don’t like the stifling heat. Doesn’t bode well for tomorrow. Starting my carb load with a breakfast of spag bol leftovers - yum! Is soreen easy to digest?
Thanks Muddy. Hope you do decide to go for an autumn marathon.
Jealous of the yelllow shorts Ramjet, wish I’d packed my bright red ones now.
Love the article Joe.
I love Soreen John, especially the banana one. It’s great stuff, carb loading or not!
Can feel the excitement and nerves building in the thread. It’s been a funny one for me because I’m not racing it, so I’ve been much more relaxed and my carb loading yesterday included pizza and beer. But definitely felt a buzz collecting my number yesterday. Managed to stop off on the way to my AirBnB, park directly opposite the ExCel, and was in and out within 20 minutes. Amazing!
I see the weather forecast is warming up again. At least we won’t have to worry about staying warm at the start!?
Hopefully see a lot of you tomorrow either at the start, on the course, or at the RL afterwards
Up for a 3 miler now and then 9am train to Waterloo and across to the expo hopefully before it gets mental. DLR working speeds things up.
Leaving now. Weather looking sunny and hot and windy now 19C at 10am. Ugh. Leaving now. Will be on a train full of Utd fans. Good luck all - revise those goals I reckon, don't go killing yourselves...
Good luck to you all. Have a great day.
Just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck tomorrow. Hope you all go really well and enjoy it.
Looking forward to watching the elite races and tracking you all from the comfort of my sofa!
Stay cool......
4.5 hours and 75 hilly miles on the bike this morning. Legs are feeling worse than I expected, oh dear. Also had an interesting incident where a motorist got out of his car and grabbed me by the neck, starting the choke me and saying he was going to kill me.
I continued to laugh at him as friends pulled him off. What a moron.
Good luck everyone, if I don't see you beforehand! Look out for the trunks.
I was going to give a spring marathon a miss this year but the death of a friend gave me the motivation to make a late entry into the Southampton marathon to fundraise. I’ll be pootling round that instead with minimal training.
Enjoy yourselves tomorrow!!
Scary run-in Joe, some drivers attitude towards cyclists is mind-boggling.
Good luck to the VLMers tomorrow!
I arrived well in Zurich and having forgotten to bring the safety pins from home or get some at the expo have now procurred some at the hotel. One small beer very expensive, more at home I think.
In hotel, somehow got a disabled room. Went for walk earlier and felt like the only sober person in Greenwich. No idea how to pace tomorrow's race, supposed to be sunny and 19C at 10am!
Anyway, good luck all. We'll probably be about 2 stone lighter by the end.
Ramjet: definitely sorted for sunny weather in that get-up.
Got lost yesterday cycling to Expo & managed to turn a 5M trip into almost 10, did a bit better with 7 for the return leg. First time on the bike since November!
Wanstead Flats parkrun this morning in 21:00 which is exactly the same time as I did at Preston Park before my marathon PB. I wasn't racing but was working a bit harder than I ought & was drenched afterwards. Walked there & back to minimise the damage. Since then I've mainly been eating: bagels for breakfast & supper, Veggie Moussaka & rice for lunch or dozing.
DBS & hopefully catch up over a cold one in Parliament St after.
Great article Spoons, cheers. Interesting to see Zurich mentioned Hazel - seems it's another like Boston that can produce challenging conditions at both extremes. Good luck in the heat.
Good luck everyone. Have loads of fun. Will say hello if I recognise any of you in FGFA start.
Quite the pose, Ramjet. I hope to see it recreated tomorrow post race!
Good luck, Hazel. Hope it goes well.
Well paced parkrun Jooligan.
Westy I agree with your sentiments. I am so undecided about pacing and indeed kit.
Spoons has kindly collected my number for me so getting the 0505 coach from cheltenham tomorrow.
Having been saving a new pair of Zantes for tomorrow, I think I will go with thme Adios as they look more breathable through the mesh. They have done 350M which is 300 more than I’d like for a bit marathon. I’ve also decided that I’m too far for my Cancer Research vest so am going for a baggier blue number.
Part of of me is loathed not to give a PB a crack - after all marathons don’t come around that often especially when training has gone well. But I know there is no coming back from startin too fast and over heating. I could probably go off at 2:50 pace and blow up for 2:55 or so, or go off at 3:00 pace and speed up to have a really positive finish in 2:55. Same result but one will feel a lot more enjoyable than the other. Sadly I’m probably too stupid.
What would Yuki do seems a sensible/deadly question.
Look forward to seeing as many as poss in the RL circa 13:15.
I thought the expo was ok. Managed to resist the temptation to attempt 400m on the treadmill at Kipchoge’s pace but looked great fun.
Glad you survived that crazy incident Joe. I’ll look out for you around the 3 hour pacers.
Forecast looks hotter and not cloudy! Oops! Don’t forget sunscreen everyone!
Good to hear Jools didn’t find a race in the afternoon and Joe was able to laugh it off, literally.
The forecast is hotter again so in so I am backing off attempting a Yuki. PB has gone so plan is to go with the 3h pacer for the first 10M at least. To be honest I’d be stoked to run sub 3 today.
Enjoy everyone