Sub 3h15

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  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Gul, that is outrageous of your wife!!

    Easy 12m over lunch. My return to the office has been delayed by 2 weeks from next weeks planned date due to IT matters. Means I can essentially complete this campaign, bar the taper.

    G-dawg, it's usually about 3 days before. However, can I suggest you look at Keller sports. I know quite a few hat have purchased alphafly there.

    They are currently £187. However if you sign up to join keller premium for £7.50 I think, you get free delivery and 10% off all orders, so net result is £177. I also understand that for a first time customer there is a 10% one time discount. Finally, if you advance sign up for their newsletter you get a £10 (though I am not sure if this is now instead of the first time purchase discount). Eitherway, you are paying about £167 for alphafly, which is probably les than Next% with 25% off via NIke, This would also give you time to do a few runs in them.

    I can't see that they have any Next% on their site. This is where I would look if in the market.

    https://www.keller-sports.co.uk/p/nike-air-zoom-alphafly-next-running-shoe-RSCNI0IN000.html?utm_source=google_pla&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=RSCNI0IN007&gclid=CjwKCAjw1JeJBhB9EiwAV612y82sEcTTCKJfV-zNd_SojzOdU4lAWjosuu67SkQdvCP238DbAqpZPhoClbYQAvD_BwE

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    London update just landed. Seems TR was right on the kitbag front, dropping off at expo.

    Lateral flow tests to be done and also looking like much more spread out start times. Really hoping I don't end up in some 8am start which isn't unfeasible if they are spreading it right out!

  • G-DawgG-Dawg ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Cheers, DT.

    London instructions are a pain in the wotsit!

    Hope the starts aren't too early, I'm booked on a coach with a variety of finish time predictions travelling.

    Lateral flow test required for expo entry
    Need another test to evidence being negative at the start line
    Random checks will be performed at the start
    No bag drop at the start. Will need to wear old clothes and discard before the race
    Start will be in waves based upon time prediction
    No pacers to avoid crowding
    Need to drop off a bag for the finish line days when you collect your number from the expo
    Bag will be waiting at the finish and will have your medal, water, t-shirt, and Lucozade drink placed inside
    Preferable to wear a belt to carry water

    Looks like I'm in the market for a new running belt. Compressport is my fave at the mo. Won't be carrying water, though.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Im not surprised Brighton said no bag drop was a condition of being allowed to put the race on. Its not lost on me that theres been 75,000 in old trafford recently though, and vlm and brighton are being told its safer to have an indppr bag drop than an outdoor one. Ive no interest in running with keys, phone etc. I drive to the start though so can lock everything apart from car key in the car.

    Brighton no bag drop is worse as i have a park and ride place, they have also taken the separate fast start away, so im deferring that to April as theres no vlm.

    Kind of tempted to do a small mara somewhere in Sept/Oct instead of all the faff with the restrictions.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    It' a big pain. I really don't see where the gain in in not having bag drop. Obvious issues to me are-

    1. Will people just turn up to the start with a non runner to carry a bag.

    2. Will people leave attending the expo until the last minute ie Friday or Saturday as they don't want to drop everything off on Wednesday.

    3. What happens if I subsequently don't make the start, say a vomiting bug? How do I get my bag and will it contain a medal and t shirt?

    4. Is someone actually going to diligently sit there allocating the right sized t shirt to each bag?

    5. The covid spot check is a good bit dependant on runners having their phone at the start. I certainly wont.

    6. What time are the faster runners likely to have to start? I don't fancy an 8am job!

    Just a few of my thoughts!

  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    All good points.

    I bet all the expo shopping is still encouraged. I really dont get the indoor bag drop as preferable to the outdoor. They still want the folks to spend cash at the expo. The expo traders are putting money in for the privilege of a spot there?

    I'll mull it over, i might do something smaller. I already have a gfa from Goodwood in April.
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    It's making me pleased I'm doing Newport instead! I wouldn't want to run with a phone, bank card and hotel key card, or a bottle belt.

    Down in Cornwall for a few days, and a pleasant 8 mile walk on the coast path. I shall tackle some hills at a faster pace tomorrow!
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    I heard the bag drop at the Vitality Half worked really well so can't see the logic. Fortunately my daughter can get my number mid week and family bring my gear at the end, but a disaster for many I suspect.
  • SBD.SBD. ✭✭✭
    I still have a place at Newport (deferred from 2020) but will run London in preference.

    Interesting instructions for London.  We have to assume the changes are all helping the event go ahead.  Not sure we needed the expo but can probably cope with the rest of the changes.  A poncho would have been nice!

    TR - do you drive to London?  Where do you park?

    G-D - I tried to use the Nike birthday discount to purchase the Next% 2 in April but they were excluded. Ended up buying them from Sportsshoes with a 15% discount.

    15 miles early evening.  Legs not really in the mood but managed to pick up the pace towards the end with the last 6K at 6:34/m.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    My wife will meet me at end so things like bank card, phone etc aren't a big deal. But I can't get her to carry a full kit bag with both kids to deal with. 

    I have a hoody, jogging bottoms and trainers I'm prepared to dump at start so will take a carrier bag with stuff in. 

    The positive for  an 8am start is we'll be in Chandos for 11 and end up with a stag weekend level day out!!
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    SBD - at Blackheath on the grass next to the run club coaches, hardly anyone does it as they dont realise. So a lack of bag drop doesnt matter so much as I'll leave everyrhing in the car and walk the few hundred yards to the gfa start. Train back to blackheath afterwards.
  • G-DawgG-Dawg ✭✭✭
    It will be like a DIY festival at the start as we all turn up in old clobber to dump. Having had to do the same I'm Boston and New York, I've saved some old items for other races so have a choice of knackered garments to wear.

    An early Chandos will get messy. I'll make sure the phone is well charged so I can get online and submit a GFA entry for next year before midnight.
    Another mad arrangement by the organisers, they could at least give us an extra 24 hours.

    Easy trails this morning and a track session tonight comprising 7 x 1k reps with 2 at 5k pace plus 10 secs, 3 at 5k pace, and 2 quicker. 
    Mine all came out around 6 min/mile pace as my legs had a good test yesterday and I was knackered. 13 miles logged for the day.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    If safety really is the key, then surely posting numbers, no expo and an outdoor bag drop is the answer, i dont understand it.
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Gdawg, eh??? What's the gfa submission thing? I know the window to run your time ends 3 October but applications probably won't open until January given the October race date. 

    Sbd, I know they want Id etc to pick up a number but on balance my view is if covid safety is such a priority they'd send race numbers out with kit bags, cancel expo, which is a significantly bigger risk than an open air bag drop, and have a normal bag drop. 

    As TR says they'll no doubt set up the expo so we can't get a number and turn around and walk straight back out. Seems very double standard to me. 
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    DT you'll be there first at Chandos so if you could line up 3 pints on the bar for me that would be appreciated 😋
    SBD many streets around Greenwich have free parking on Sundays but you'll have to get there early or know the ones which get closed for the race 👍
    What DT said on GFA....
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    It's normally two you line up, oo. Have things developed over lockdowns?? I'll be delayed at the finish as my wife and children will meet me and they arent adults like yours. My wife will probably want  a 'rest' having had sole custody since 7am whilst I've been out playing!!!
  • G-DawgG-Dawg ✭✭✭
    Phew! I stand corrected on the GFA submission. You're right, qualifying times must be done by October 3rd. I wrongly assumed that was the closing date for submission as well. Ballot also opens that day for 2022 which probably made me assume incorrectly. 

    So, I can relax and place my order with DT. Same for me as OO, please old boy. 
  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    Missed a bit of a busy day on the thread! All sounds bonkers to me. Should have guessed about the waves when I couldn't see a start time anywhere. Any spaces left at Newport?
    Long day yesterday. After Liverpool we came home via Manchester. My old student house is now a Pakistan Embassy. Then took the scenic route home via Snake Pass :) and Sheffield :(. (sorry Birch). 
    13 miles this morning inc. 6x1k reps. No split for first one but then 3:46, 44, 42, 42, 42. 
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    Gul, I have a Dorney place on the same date ,(I was worried London might not go ahead). I can check to see if transfers are permitted, if you'd like?
  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Jools, thanks, that's very kind of you, but I was actually joking. Still planning to do London, especially with hotel booked and one daughter bought her train ticket to London for the day (hope I don't test +ve).
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Ah, the perils of the written word: shows how much we convey by tone of voice when speaking!

    11 hilly miles through the Cornish lanes. Nothing like rolling hills to show you that you're not as strong as you thought 😆
  • G-DawgG-Dawg ✭✭✭
    Some of us can't even comprehend easily written words, Jools! (see GFA misread by me - whoops!) 😳

    Apart from the effort required, 11 on hilly Cornish lanes sound great. Nice one.

    5 Steady miles at lunchtime as I try to hit big numbers (for me) this month.

    A nice stats bonus today when the scales told me I'd hit target weight of 175 pounds. Lightest I've been for about 30 years. Celebrated with some biscuits. 😀
  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭
    Nice consistent reps, Gul. Sounds like a trip down memory lane. 

    Jools, Devon and Cornwall are ridiculously hilly. I'd hate to live there from a running point of view. Tempo runs would be all over the place. 

    Splendid weight loss, gdawg. I'm amazed I'm only 3lb off target weight. The whole of June- August has felt like one long over indulgence. 

    I did spin this morning and off to gym later for 5m on treadmill. 

    In other news, I put my professional skills to private use following the EURO final I paid good money for and submitted a robust complaint and loss of enjoyment/breach of contract claim. Had a letter off uefa this morning confirming full refund of just over £2500 for our 3 tickets. 
  • Can you do similar for VLM and the stupid bag drop scenario DT19? For all of us :wink:

    I really don't see how us all going to an indoor venue to hand our bag to someone, who will give it to someone else to put stuff in it, who will then give it to someone else to put on a lorry, who will then give it to someone else to give back to us, is somehow better than just handing the thing over to one person outdoors. I assume it must be that the buses wouldn't be able to get from the start to the finish for the later waves. I wish there was at least an outdoor option, or a no drop bag at all option and post my number to me. Just give me my Tshirt and medal in a bag at end as normal. Perhaps with a poncho as well as a foil blanket so I don't get too cold afterwards.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    The Brighton race detail came out today (im looking at deferring my place to April as there's no April vlm next year). It says that you arrive at your stated arrival time which is split from 9am to 10am. You are then loaded into starting corals which are set up as distancing and will be set off at intervals. So looks like a rolling start. Meaning that if folks plan on running together then they had best line up together.......vlm will no doubt be similar.
  • SBD.SBD. ✭✭✭
    Interesting details on the Brighton start TR.  For the Vitality big half (organised by London Marathon events) they had waves every 10 minutes over a 90 period window but there was no social distancing in the waves.

    The 8:30am start for the big half was early enough - hopefully London doesn't go for anything earlier!

    Whilst thinking about London, I realised it was eight years since I was last there and I've yet to break 3:13!

    So how does the current weight compare with London 2019 G-D?  I'm still 3Kg over race weight, but given I was 14kg over race weight in March, I'm almost there!

    Good 1K reps in the MLR Gul.  I spent 4 years in Liverpool researching the finer points of quarks so know it well!

    7.5 recovery miles with 10 sets of strides early evening.  More recovery miles tomorrow before the 10K park run on Saturday.
  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭
    Wow DT fantastic outcome 
  • Gul DarrGul Darr ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    Jools - I love running along the Devon and Cornish coastline but it's a few years since I last visited.
    GD - down to 153lbs here; biscuit celebration sounds like a good idea :)
    DT - great result.
    Speedy - if they could post my number instead of picking it up, I'd happily forego a medal and t-shirt if it meant there was then no requirement for expo. Might be too many negative tests to validate on the day then I guess. I just wish they would give some kind of indication of the timings of the wave starts.
    SBD - I was offered a place at Liverpool but not on my preferred course. I think you may well do a great parkrun double this week.
    12 slow miles today.

  • Big_GBig_G ✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    I live on the Devon coast and a large number of my runs take in parts of the coast path. I love it!  There are flat bits - I went along to a Tri session last night where we have use of a tarmac track for running and it’s perfect.  I also occasionally do MAF test on the sea front road, which is pancake flat; the main issue there is the wind in the winter.   To be honest, it makes me really appreciate that I live where I do, especially over the last 18 months.  Sea one side, Dartmoor the other.   And anyway, the hills make you stronger :)   

    These were some pics from my run the other morning. 



  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    I'm about 5 miles inland so no coastal running as no safe roads to get there and back. 6 hilly miles this morning. I meant to do a bit more, but they are tree felling just outside where I'm staying and - having had them stop on my first out and back - I couldn't face making them stop again for me to do another loop. It can wait until tomorrow, as my farewell to Cornwall.
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