VLM 2019

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Comments

  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭

    Wardi - I probably do the same thinking about this - I'll have a bottle of sports drink with me on the way to the start, but that is for drinking during the earlier part of the run, these days it gets me to half way at least, so I am saving that and not drinking from the point I leave my hotel for the journey to the start etc. I find having my own drink completely avoids any congestion at the early feeding stations, plus you know what you are drinking. I only take water off the support points from then on along with my own sweets to keep the carbs a flowing. 

    Also the queues can be ridiculously long for the loos but I find most people jump to it and go to the start areas when called and the queues evaporate - I'm usually in a 5 hour start bin, and I know there is absolutely no rush to get on the starting grid, on red start you are going to be there for 20 minutes at least, probably double that before you cross the line, so that's my opportunity to "go" and then saunter up to the back of the 5 hour queue that will still be waiting to get out of the grass and onto the road irrespective of how long I've spent spending a penny.

    Portlanders, its also handy to have a few tissues up your sleeve in case your tummy takes a turn for the worse in the excitement, nothing worse than not being able to clean up properly!

  • Cheers 1owrez, hadn't thought of that one - added to my list. 
  • davewooddavewood ✭✭✭
    J andR, ignore these emmets, check your inbox, I’ve got a suggestion for you both, all the best mockers,
  • Davewood, it's not very nice calling people emmets.
    Cornish people are normally very nice.
  • davewooddavewood ✭✭✭
    Harmander, emmet, like grockle is just a term we use for people from outside the land of St. Piran, its no different from Cockney,Scouser or Geordie, it’s just a word!
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    edited March 2019

    I'm sure this is a classic case of Dissociative Identity Disorder and everything is perfectly fine.

    I seem to recall Charles Bronson fixed Emmet some time ago too.



  • No problem, I blame Brexit - lol
  • I've still got a problem with my left knee.... a huge improvement of where it was a few days ago, doing the quad stretches have helped hugely, and i'm hoping by continuing them it will sort it right out. Knee isn't painful at all, it's just when i get up from sitting i initially hobble a bit until it's warmed up, then can walk normal - up and down stairs no problem, nowhere is tender to touch. Got a cold at the moment, but went for a 5k walk today - first few hundred meters felt tight, but once warmed up was walking at a brisk pace of 13min/mile..... with no tightness after, well until i had sat down and went to get up an hour later. I will continue to take it easy, plenty of cold compressions and exercises - hopefully be ok for my hm a week sunday. 
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    Sounds like you are on the mend Portlanders, some things do take a while to settle completely, the 5k walk seems like a good test, you need to keep looking at that hobble and tightness, hopefully it will ease away to nothing over the next few days.
  • I think so 1owrez, greatest challenge is keeping it easy when all I want to do is run, but keep looking at the bigger picture. Even this morning when i just got up, it's improved to nearly nothing... if i wasn't a runner i probably wouldn't even notice, or if i did certainly wouldn't give it a 2nd thought. 
  • HS2 Absolutely unreal achievement. Congratulations on completing all 6.

    Portlanders hope you continue to feel better. We have a few weeks big running ahead.

    My first 20 miler tomorrow morning. Tis hanging over me all week lol
  • Best of luck with that Prince, i'm sure you'll achieve it comfortably. 

    I was ahead of myself on plan, having already run 20 miles, so plan was always to have a little taper so i can fun with my hm a week sunday, then back to it after that. Won't go mad on the hm now, plan is to run at 8:30 pace in full marathon kit i.e gel belt, charity vest, etc treat it as a full rehearsal for the big one. 

    Let us know how you get on tomorrow. 
  • Prince1979, thank you for the compliments - but I am only one of 3800 others in the world who have also done it to date.
    For your long run tomorrow, you ought to look forward to it by adopting any one of number of methods. Here are some to consider:

    Break the distance down by the number of Parkruns you will have completed along the route - this will help you pace better.

    Just think you are going for an out and back 10 miler training run.

    Imagine you have already reached Cutty Sark along the VLM course before you start and think of the landmarks on the route you are reaching as you cover the miles e.g. Tower Bridge at 6 miles, Westferry Circus roundabout (underground) at 9 miles, Canary Wharf at 12 miles, Tower Bridge again at 17 miles after which you got Big Ben at 19 miles.

    Remember to take o fluids etc.
  • Thanks for these tips. I will indeed incorporate them tomorrow. 
  • 20 done in 3 hours but that was easy pace so felt ok. Legs tired and sore now. now to focus on the Patrick's Day half marathon
    How did everyone else's runs go?
  • Well done Prince, nice one on getting to 20 miles, big target that and in a good easy pace too... looking good. 

    I went out for my run today after doing exercises the last couple of days and seeing big improvement in flexibility (especially the quads) and less pain, but unfortunately I had to cut the run short at 4 miles. 

    Something just not right with the upper left leg - not limping anymore, or in pain, just a tightness that is restricting me in some way. It was harder to run than normal. Also when i took my sock off when i got home, a blister starting to form on the outside of my little toe - same side as the injury. Which makes me think the injury is altering my gait, making me run differently, which is making me having to work harder. 

    Anyway, had a sports physio booked for Thursday - never seen one before, but now decided to phone around others tomorrow and see if i can get in anywhere sooner - I need to get this sorted, meant to be running my first hm next Sunday! 
  • Portlanders I'm not a physio but all I can say is it's probably a good thing that its not sharp pain 
    Hopefully you get a physio sooner and make the half start line
  • Cheers Prince, also got to remind myself, it has only been a week since i was injured, and have improved loads since then. Will keep you guys updated. 
  • And you already have a 20 in the legs.
  • Indeed Prince, I'm strangely confident with the distance.

    Saw the osteo today, knee perfectly fine, patella, meniscus, IT band all fine..... tightness is the problem.... never seen such tight muscles she said, and very fortunate i've not had something more serious wrong with me. 

    She spent most of the time stretching hams, quads, and massaging the calf's - then ran out of time , but not before showing me a couple of other exercises. Said she would email a treatment plan of exercises and stretches, but would also recommend a deep tissue massage, but no hurry she said, just call her if/when i want one. 

    She thinks i'll be ok for Reading HM on Sunday, just take it easy..... but make sure i do exercises and stretches religiously... which i will do.  

    Pretty sure i'll go for a deep tissue massage before London, as it's my first one, but thinking no later than 2 weeks before to allow any soreness to settle. 

    Yeah so very pleased, and embarrassed about the outcome - thought i was stretching correctly, but obviously not. Felt the appointment was very much good value for what I've got from it.
  • Ok great news. Hopefully if you follow what she says she will have you right for Sunday and April 28th!!

    I am so so bad at stretches. I really need to start taking them more seriously
  • Yes, from what i'm experiencing it would be worth taking a serious look at them, as well as preventing injury, may prevent some £££'s too in going for treatment. 

    I did 30 mins of exercise and a walk this morning, but still tightness on the left quad and is stopping me put full weight on my left side - obviously can't run like that, so emailed the osteo while icing and elevating it. She said it could be a changing in muscle length, i was thinking strain, but she also said i am extremely tight throughout the lower limbs on both sides and said another session could help with deep tissue massage... so booked in for tomorrow! 

    I was looking at a compression support for the thigh, thinking that could help with the recovery - but will wait and seek the osteo advice tomorrow. Expensive, as that's now £90 this week, but got to trust the expert and hopefully i'll still be ok for Sunday, but I have come to peace with myself if not - returning to training as soon as fit to do so, and being ready for London is main and only priority - can defer Reading HM if needs be still. 
  • WardiWardi ✭✭✭
    Lowrez.. an update on Bodyglide.  The Barca marathon on Sunday was quite warm & sweaty so my t-shirt was damp almost the whole race.  To add to the wetness I did pour water over my head frequently to try and keep cool.  I had put a decent coating of Bodyglide on the nipples & elsewhere pre-race, suffice to say I had no soreness whatsoever afterwards.  Result!
    P.S.  rest assured I don't work for them, infact as I'm retired I don't work for anyone :)
  • 1owrez1owrez ✭✭✭
    You lucky "person" Wardi, very envious, thanks for the update - I can suffer varying degrees of destruction when it is hot and wet, totally avoided getting extra wetness on me at last year's VLM and even then ended up with a very good red cross imprint across my torso from the top I was wearing. First opportunity to test this stuff will be Boston - Lincs :)  in a short few weeks!
  • GipfelGipfel ✭✭✭
    Sounds as if everyone's doing well - portlanders, what a relief about the injury not being anything serious, and not only have you done good training so far but you've got plenty of time to sort out the tight muscles! Prince, good work on your 20 miler too. Feeling fine after that distance is a really good sign, imo.

    I had a not-very-pleasant 17 miler at the weekend (one of those runs where you just struggle for no particular reason) - it was slower than I would have liked, but my other longer runs have gone well, so I'm not too bothered. I did run a half-marathon quite a bit faster than planned the previous weekend, so I'm wondering if my legs were still recovering from that! I'm looking forward to the coming weekend, as I've entered a 20-mile race - I'll be treating it as a standard training run rather than trying to race it as such, but it'll be different scenery and nice to run as part of an event. 

    Wardi, jealous of Barca - the weather sounds rather better than the conditions here! I went over for the half in February and loved sitting on the beach afterwards (the full is very much on my list for a future year). Hope it went well for you. 
  • How did the Barca marsthma go Wardi?

    gipfel...definitely tired legs and sure it's another long run in the legs and the next one will go better
  • WardiWardi ✭✭✭
    Thanks for asking.. I was a notch down on the day, 3:40 in the end compared to 3:32 in York last year.  Not a disaster by any means but the pace never felt comfortable even early on and I faded gradually from 16m.  It got up to 18/19 degrees in the last hour or so but I normally cope ok in the heat so no excuses there!  No regrets though, a brilliant event and my equal favourite marathon with Valencia.
    I'm doing London too so the plan is an easy week this week then steadily build up again.
  • That's a super time. Very impressive. We are just not suited to running in the heat!

    Do you have a goal time for London or is it just to finish with a smile with back to back narathins

    London will be my second . First in 8 years after a disaster in Dublin (5.02)
  • Just a quick update, my planned HM race this Sunday isn't going to happen, am deferring. Went for another session at the osteo yesterday, that's twice in 3 days, she did more stretching and massage on me but afterwards said she felt i had a strain of my quad. She's emailed a treatment plan for further stretches, but I think best bet is to rest and let it heal - surely all these stretches and exercises are just prolonging the recovery by aggravating it? - been over 2 weeks now and can't put full weight on that leg. So taking iburofen, icing and elevating when possible. 

    Still no signs of swelling or tenderness when i push around the thigh with my fingers, just a tightness when walking.

    May i ask if anyone here would recommend using a thigh compression support as well.... not for when i can run, but just for everyday use, will it help speed recovery?

    Thanks
  • rodeofliprodeoflip ✭✭✭

    Hi Wardi, I was at Barca as well. Never done it before, but a great race. I ran with my mate and was targeting 3:10 - we were on pace until about 20 miles and then the heat got me. When we came out of the second out & back section onto the beachfront there was a tiny incline which I slowed down for and never really speeded back up. My mate slowly disappeared from view and I finished in 3:14 but the last 6 miles wasn't much fun.

    Would definitely recommend Barcelona marathon to anyone , and I'll be back there for sure. Went to the Nou Camp for the game the night before, which was a real bonus.

    I'll join you in London too (once I've got Manchester out of the way).

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