Comrades 2020

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  • Southern SnailSouthern Snail ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    RR - Fortunately I've just read what Marty said about his friend, so I'll stop looking :)

    Terry - I know it's all very frustrating for you but the knee seems to be going in the right direction albeit not as fast as you'd like. Keep up with the squats and other exercises.
  • Lowrez sorry to hear your problems continue.

    Wife's big thing this weekend, the Abu Dhabi grand Prix, goes with her friends for the weekend every year. So thought a good time to mention thinking of 2oceans in cape Town, didn't go down that well as she thought I meant take her and the kids as well - they'll all be at school then anyway- looking at flights, maybe just maybe...
  • Debra BourneDebra Bourne ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    I'd never got around to running Thames Meander - now looks like I never will. Oh well, plenty of other events out there!

    Lowrez: sympathies for the continuing problems. Here's hoping you and the physio get to the bottom of it all and get on top of it!

    Becca: well done with your double Marava! I was being incredibly sensible, and a lazy day was rare and pleasant. But I hope to enjoy the Hugin Challenge tomorrow.

    Got Excel to add up my mileage for 100MC. Minimum qualification would require 2620 miles. I will have done c. 3,600 (not including tomorrow, as that's an extra) - so not doing it the easy way!

    Peter: glad to hear that the knee is improving. Take it carefully.

    RR: not done UTCT. Sounds fun but I really can't justify two jaunts to SA in one year.

    Circus Circus rather than Mugg & Bean it is, then!

  • Debra just seen you were 6th at The Hugin. Congratulations. Hope you enjoyed it after your rest at the weekend.
    Lowrez, hope you're moving pain free now, and all your time isn't being taken up by new stretches and exercises.
    I've joined my local running club to help me be a bit more consistent with my training, but it seems there are quite a few club members running Comrades next year. One of the club's fastest runners has even offered to run some Comrades specific sessions in the New Year, a guy called Nick Bester. Not that Nick Bester, though he does have 3 Comrades silvers. Not sure I'm quite going to match his training pace or distance...
  • Lowrez, I've changed my hotel booking, now in the Hilton - got a deal with Hilton honors - also have use of the executive club, anyone else? It's usually a bit quieter. Also booked my remaining flights, so Dubai- Nairobi - Joburg with Kenyan. Overnighting at the Protea at the airport and then Kulula to Durban on the 11th June.

    Also I'm not running Muscat marathon in January as the visa has become a pain in the ass, so skipping it and will run Dubai 24 Jan, got Kathmandu marathon on 21 Dec, treating as a training run.
  • Waiting to see what's on the Kenyan Black Friday sale tomorrow before making my mind up about 2 oceans.
  • Two Oceans entered, looks like one beautiful race.
  • Kenyan black Friday sale business class return from Dubai via Nairobi for approx $700, too good to miss.

    Wife's at the Abu Dhabi grand Prix all weekend so good time to break the news I'm off to cape Town in April as well as Durban in June.
  • Two Oceans entered, looks like one beautiful race.
    It is that! Enjoy
  • baldstan: thanks. Unfortunately the Hugin had to be diverted so instead of the usual course up past the Viking longboat with a ready-made walking break and a nice downhill run in each lap it was almost flat and mostly on a cyclepath/pavement alongside the dual carriageway! I didn't run well either, for some reason.

    HOWEVER: today I completed the Nottingham Christmas Marathon, my 10th certified-distance road marathon. SO that's marathon/ultra #101 and fully qualified for the 100 Marathon Club!

    I'll be officially presented with my club vest and medal at the START of the SVN Usual Suspects on Saturday 14th December. In the unlikely event that any of you can make it to that, I'd be delighted to see you. (Entries are offficially closed but if you email Traviss (info@saxon-shore.com) he will tell you which event to enter and then he'll put you into the correct one. (You will get a Samphine Hoe Challenge medal rather than a Usual Suspects medal).

    AND... I finished in 3:57 clock time (3:56:54 chip time) so that's me moved up to D pen! I really didn't expect to do that but I set off fastish to warm up - it was freezing and foggy - and managed to stay hang onto a couple of other runners and remind my legs what sub-4 pace feels like.

  • Well done on the 101 and 100 Club. Great 3:57 time too. You'll thrive at Comrades in June!
  • Debra - fabulous. Well done and great time too.
  • Terry, Dubai, Snail: thanks! Really pleased with that D-pen qualification (and reaching the 100 Marathon Club before then end of 2019, as planned sometime in 2018, is great as well. New challenges for 2020 - I want to see if I can run a bit faster!
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Congratulations Debra. Great time. I think I recognise the lady next to you in the picture. She was running in the 24hr race I watched in France. 

    I’ve had my worst weeks running for the year. Finished last week on 70 miles but was busy with work at the start of the week and then came down with a virus. Feeling better today so can hopefully get in a good December.
  • Millsy: yes, she does 24-hour races and was in the recent one in Albi where Camille Herron set a new female World Best.
    Sympathies for the poor running week and here's hoping December is better for you.
    I've run a lot fewer miles than in 2018 - not surprising with the cough and strained chest muscles earlier in the year. However, I've just passed the 2000 miles mark.
  • How do I add my new qualification info? I don't see anywhere to do so on my Comrades profile. Do I have to wait until they send something out asking us to confirm details?
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Congrats Debra on 100+ and your qualifier.  I think you've done something like 60 in the past 3 years?
    I've sent an email with my evidence of qualification to info@comrades.com and you normally get an acknowledgement within a day or so.  Following that, you should see the pen updated on your profile.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Mac, where do I find the pen information on my profile?
  • Mac3: Thank you. It's 88 in the past three years: 5 in 2012; 5 in 2013; lost most of 2014-2015 to the torn tendon (cycling accident) followed by the broken ankle (walking down a grassy bank, NOT on a run); 3 in 2016 (before I stress-fractured my pelvis secondary to the broken ankle); 24 in 2017 (including 10 marathons-in-10 days), 38 in 2018 (including 10x50K in 10 days); and 26 so far in 2019 (by 100MC rules - but only 24 events/medals, as Devil's Challeneg 3-day counts as 3 for the 100MC).
    I will email info@ with my new evidence of qualification. Really happy to have got D-pen sorted and not have to shoehorn a road marathon into the late winter/early spring if it really doesn't fit my schedule, or if I have a niggle I should be resting.
  • Becca7Becca7 ✭✭✭
    Well done Debra, sub 4 is great as it wasn't an ideal day and the lake is tough mentally.  At least all the goose poo will have been frozen.  One of my Comrades buddies also did this in sub 4 and I wondered if you saw him but I see you got Helen instead.  That's some increase in the frequency of the marathons, especially since some are tough ultras and other difficult options.

    My flights are now booked.  I've gone for an earlier flight from Birmingham so I have a longer overlay in Dubai and will get a hotel so I don't have 9 hours of walking round and round looking at plastic camels and boxes of dates.

    Dubairunner - sounds like you got a good deal on those flights.  Two Oceans is a lovely route.  The serious hills, and a particularly memorable camber, are in the last 10 miles.  Aside from that it is flat and quick.
  • Becca: I don't mind lapped runs, but as we couldn't see more than about 100 yards (couldn't see the other side of the lake!) we could have been anywhere really - except the last couple of laps where I really noticed what the time was when going past the finish point. I did see a couple of other Comrades people, briefly.
    I probably ought to get my flights booked as well...
  • Wow Debra that’s some achievement doing all those races in that timescale, I think I need to upgrade my 2 or 3 marathons a year if I ever want to get in the 100 club!  My flight is booked to comrades - Amsterdam - Heathrow - Johannesburg- Durban arriving 10:00am Thursday.  18 week Rotterdam marathon (28 week comrades) training plan started this week!
  • Debra BourneDebra Bourne ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Peter: well done getting your flights booked.
    As for number of races...
    1. I don't 'race' all of them - some I just run as training races (Vanguard Way marathon this year I took as a day out and jogged it, because it was a week after Lakeland 50 and my legs were still very tired, but it was local and I wanted to take part);
    2. My view on numbers has been strongly influenced by running Saxons, Vikings and Normans events. Back in 2013, I thought I was pushing it by running 5 x 50 mile races in a year. But when I was re-starting after my big injuries I ran an SVN marathon in early 2016 as my Comrades qualifier, simply because it was at the right time. Ditto in 2017 - but I kept going back because everyone was so friendly and supportive. And there were many people wearing shirts saying '52 marathons in 52 weeks' and '10 marathons in 10 days' and '100 marathons in 100 weeks' and even one or two '100 marathons in 52 weeks'. And the people wearing these were not all super-thin, super-fast runners - there were a lot who were slower than me. So my concept of what was possible changed, and then I decided to celebrate turning 50 by running 10-in-10, and it all went on from there! If I hadn't been Event Director of Lloyd parkrun and not wanted to be away too many Saturdays I would probably have gone for the 52-in-52 and 100-in-100.
  • Interesting back story Debra.. and a great achievement.  I think I’d need to work on my willpower and mindset to do all those miles in that time period.
  • Southern SnailSouthern Snail ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Debra - don't forget what's his name who keeps up 250? marathons in 52 weeks
  • Becca, I fly at 0155 on the 10th June, if you're here earlier I could possibly help you out with your lay over. Show the sights, get a meal or have a kip in the spare room.
  • Snail: Nick Nicholson? Yes, presently wearing his '270 marathons in 52 weeks' shirt and by the end of December it will be '280 in 52 weeks', or even higher - he'll be reaching 1000 in four years sometime this month. I find he's a great example to give when people suggest my race schedule is nutty...
  • Becca7Becca7 ✭✭✭
    Dubairunner - that would have been great, thanks, but I'm arriving in Dubai in the early hours of the 11th, so will just miss you.  It's only about a 9 hour stopover and will be the middle of the night so  I'm planning to use as much of that as possible for sleeping.
  • Mac3Mac3 ✭✭✭
    Millsy - I've realised that your Comrades profile is not updated with the qualifying pen.  This is only confirmed with the periodic Entry Verification emails that we will receive from Comrades.  These seem to be sent at the end of the month and last year the first of these was sent on 30th December.
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