Calling all Virgin London Marathon 2010 hopefuls

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  • TNH wrote (see)

    Hi everyone,

     I've been reading some of what you all said about one post wonders and people joining just for the competition etc..

    I've been a member for a few months now since I decided to run a couple of half's, but I've never posted on the forums or anything.  Is there really that much bad feeling about newbies?

     Not sure I'd want to comit to writing a blog if I was going to get slaughtered for anything people don't agree with?


    Crikey - I get slaughtered all the time! image Rule number one - try not to take anything too personally. People will disagree with you and they will let you know when they do! You can choose to argue your point back, concede you might have been wrong  and say so or decide its not worth a fight and ignore them. I've done all three!

    Seren is absolutely right. We all started on one post TNH so don't worry about that. Obviously long time posters have established characters on here and that means that some of us know each other well in cyberspace. For example, Coops is training to be a priest and I am a shy and retiring sort who only posts once a month....image

    You DO get a lot of people who have never given the forums a moment's thought and suddenly see this competition and think "Oh - that's for ME" and then they swear that they'll be the best thing since sliced bread and will blog daily for our amusement. Trouble is, having no track record they are asking RW to take a chance on them. I don't want to read "went running today. Did 5 miles easy and tomorrow I shall do 4 miles at MP" because I will fall asleep!

    We want to know about the times when you can't be arsed getting out of bed because you had a chippy tea the night before and now you can't get off the loo! image This is supposed to be a journey - if you pretend to be the finished perfect article before the day, people will get bored.

    So by all means enter if you would be willing to share your experience with a load of fellow runners who haven't had the opportunity you've been given. You don't have to be a great writer or a comedian - honesty will do nicely. I bet we'll all be laughing at that anyway....image

    And good luck.

  • 3.15 should be a breeze for you Captain having run FLM09 in an Ostrich outfit!!!

    I was one of the 'chosen six' last year. It was a fantastic experience. I would encourage anyone to have a go. I met a whole bunch of wonderfully supportive, interesting people and learnt LOADS.

    My 'thread' worked really well because I was prepared to put the time in to maintaining it regularly and replying to all the posts. Actually, it became a major source of information and support in itself. I don't think that it matters if you are a thread regular or not once the thread itself get going. At first it may have been helpful as you have a whole bunch of 'cyber friends' to start you off. After a while though I found many of the regulars on the 'Sue C' thread were not those on the sub 3.15 thread which is my 'home', although some have now joined me there!!

    Actually my thread was 'did 4 miles easy today, did 6 at MP yesterday' and not at all about CNBA days (I am a rather motivated runner!!!!) so it was specifically running based but that actually sparked loads of questions and training information in itself as Liz Yelling (my mentor for '09) the Lucozade experts and other experienced runners all gave their opinion and thoughts on how my training was going and that sparked further debate and questions etc.  The thread covered all bases during its life - nutrition, race nerves, training paces. But if you scan the posts on all the different VLM threads you will see a vast difference in the talk on each one and I think that's a good thing.

    So I think if you enter then you need to be prepared to give a little time to make the thread work but given the prize you have won then it should really be a problem!!

    Good luck every one again.

  • Hello RW network,  

    I am one of those 'new' people who have just seen the competition and this is my first message on the forum - Who would not want to enter? You must be MAD - This is an amazing opportunity!! I want them to take a chance on me.  Only recently joined runners world and a new runner/jogger. I have just done my first half 2 weeks ago. I am the slow plodder at the back of the pack but I save a bit for a sprint finish. Only wish i had done this sort of thing years ago.. (Was too overweight and lacked determination before!) 

    I agree whoever they pick must be able to give honest updates that are interesting and will keep people returning. Might skip the 'toilet' updates but could certainly give honest reflections on the training and schedule ahead. I agree no one wants the perfect person because it makes us all feel inadequet ourselves, however some people are made like that way - (annoying I know).  

    I am the person that has been known to have a curry the night before a  long run and suffered all the way round but still managed it anyway! I have two runs that particulary stand out for my half training.

    One was after my first 9 mile run,  I just did not know what to do with myself on my return, I felt so unwell. Headache and feeling shivery I took myself off to bed and felt really dizzy. I now know I was probably dehydrated or lacked sugar. A big lesson was learned about drinking plenty on long runs and not just water, something hypotonic.

    The second run was along the 'taff trail' one afternoon as the clocks went back. I got to the top of Castel Coch and felt so elated. Panic then set in on the way back as it was getting dark and i had a further 4 miles to get back along an unlit trail. BIG MISTAKE. After jumping over frogs and other things that come out at night I abandoned the trail and had to join the dual carriage way which led to an asda. I was so knackered and frought I got a taxi home! Another lesson learned in planning your route wisely.

    Anyway good luck to everyone entering and if its not me I will certainly be following the winners and hoping to learn from there successes and the odd mistake!

    Lou Lou Belle 

  • LB if i get in, i'll be sharing all the ups and downs (my wife is getting sick of hearing them all to be honest)

    Least if i say them on here i wont be able to see the yawns off the people reading them... image

  • In a blast of creative thinking last night I decided to submit a joint application on behalf of Hilly and myself, to be taken on as `team Brilly' as many know us.  Between us we've put in 14 years on the forums, racking up over 43,000 posts between us.  We've been regular contributors to threads across the board and I hope have shared our running with others in a way that would be appropriate for a project of this nature.

    Those of you who know me will know I've put in miles and miles and miles over the past 6 years striving to get a sub 2:40 marathon but never quite getting there (a pair of 2:42s in 2004 being the best shots).  During that time I've taken a full part in discussions on all aspects of training and would love the chance to have the close training and psychological support of one of the top coaches.

    The joint application aspect is appropriate as Hilly and I met through the forums and were one of the first `forum marriages'.  She still has realistic chances of making a sub 3, which would be a fantastic achievement for a F45, putting her high in the national rankings.  Between us we'd like to have a crack at the husband / wife combined record time.

    I think it would be an interesting exercise for one of the coaches (Liz Y maybe, whose husband is an elite athlete like her) to co-ordinate the training of a married couple supporting each other towards a common goal.

    Well I hope RW Towers and others see it that way.

    Best wishes everyone else. 

  • Thanks LiverBird,

    Sounds like pretty good advice.

    I'll be honest in that I hadn't even thought about the forums until this got going....just searched the articles for advice.  But as everyones said, it's too good an opportunity to not enter.  And if they really are looking for a true spread of abilities across the 6 then there is a fair chance there'll be one newbie.

    Any idea of which forum to go to for advice on motivation for running on these dark mornings and evenings?  It's not fun as it's my first Winter.....

    Tom image

  • Hello BR and Hilly image Havent seen you for ages.....................though I have hung around the tri threads for a while now I suppose. Good luck guys! I agree that training team Brilly would be an interesting enterprise as I know how determined you both are.
  • Hi AJH - we're back in Yorkshire now so may see you at local races.  I'm still the man least likely to be seen in a tri-suitimage

    TNH - I found it was easier to get out in the dark when I was new to running.  How about training with a club in the evenings for motivation and getting one of those sunrise lamps for mornings to trick your body into thinking it's daytime so you get up and run?

  • Why would anyone possible not want to grab an oppertunity like this.

    This is a once in a lifetime thing, i have entered and really hope i get the chance to train with the experts as i always work hard, run hundreds of miles, then mess it up on the day.

  • LB vote for me if you a journey might be more downs the ups, my running blog will sound like Marvin from Hitchhikers

    "Running dont talk to me about running"

  • Can anyone tell me if they fall over very often when training.

    I love to run in the woods near me and at this time of year the mud and rain make it even better, when i am not looking though the tree stumps jump out at trip me up. As a result i go home covered in mud and my wife wonders when i am going to grow up.

    Does this happen to anyone else?

  • LOL Dizzy - enjoy the mud!
  • I've entered too, this is the chance of a life timeimage! I'm in! Take me! I've stopped the chocolate already and so have my children! What? Am I trying too hard??

  • Right application is in, good luck everyone else that entered.
  • "Entry to a new and exciting pacing event at Dorney Lake on March 28, 2010"

    Does anyone know what this is?  sounds intriguing
  • Where's Dorney Lake? Lol
  • Funnily enough BR I was thinking the other day about which of the forumites might benefit significantly from such an opportunity and I thought of ......... YOU!!

    Two reasons. One is that you take the trouble to read thoroughly and comment intelligently about other peoples training and the other is that you have been knocking on the door of a super marathon time for such a long time and you deserve it, many would have thought 's*d it' by now but maybe with the 'tweaking' of an elite coach then 2010 you would nail it!

    Hadn't thought about the Brilly combo though!

    ps - you have to follow the RW schedule though, the coaches can 'tweak' as I mention above but that is all they can do. I found that hard being in the 'miles' camp but I didn't cheat, as that wouldn't have been at all in the spirit of the competition.

  • got toadmit i would look forward to reading a Brilly account of the husband and wife pairing......I would't pretend that i would understand it all as their training plans are so much more complex than my own but i think it would be really interesting even for people like me much slower
  • Sue C wrote (see)

    Actually my thread was 'did 4 miles easy today, did 6 at MP yesterday' and not at all about CNBA days (I am a rather motivated runner!!!!) so it was specifically running based but that actually sparked loads of questions and training information in itself as Liz Yelling (my mentor for '09) the Lucozade experts and other experienced runners all gave their opinion and thoughts on how my training was going and that sparked further debate and questions etc.  The thread covered all bases during its life - nutrition, race nerves, training paces. But if you scan the posts on all the different VLM threads you will see a vast difference in the talk on each one and I think that's a good thing.

    Just realised my post sounds like it might have been a criticism of Sue C's blog. Sue - it wasn't and as the only person who actually achieved their "target" as a super sixer last year, may I just offer my congratulations to you and apologise if I have offended you with that comment? I guess it just goes to show that different people approach this in different ways....

    goldbeetle wrote (see)

    LB vote for me if you a journey might be more downs the ups, my running blog will sound like Marvin from Hitchhikers

    LOL! image Goldie you nutter!
  • LIVERBIRD wrote (see)
    TNH wrote (see)

    Hi everyone,

     I've been reading some of what you all said about one post wonders and people joining just for the competition etc..

    I've been a member for a few months now since I decided to run a couple of half's, but I've never posted on the forums or anything.  Is there really that much bad feeling about newbies?

     Not sure I'd want to comit to writing a blog if I was going to get slaughtered for anything people don't agree with?


    Crikey - I get slaughtered all the time! image Rule number one - try not to take anything too personally. People will disagree with you and they will let you know when they do! You can choose to argue your point back, concede you might have been wrong  and say so or decide its not worth a fight and ignore them. I've done all three!

    Seren is absolutely right. We all started on one post TNH so don't worry about that. Obviously long time posters have established characters on here and that means that some of us know each other well in cyberspace. For example, Coops is training to be a priest and I am a shy and retiring sort who only posts once a month....image

    You DO get a lot of people who have never given the forums a moment's thought and suddenly see this competition and think "Oh - that's for ME" and then they swear that they'll be the best thing since sliced bread and will blog daily for our amusement. Trouble is, having no track record they are asking RW to take a chance on them. I don't want to read "went running today. Did 5 miles easy and tomorrow I shall do 4 miles at MP" because I will fall asleep!

    We want to know about the times when you can't be arsed getting out of bed because you had a chippy tea the night before and now you can't get off the loo! image This is supposed to be a journey - if you pretend to be the finished perfect article before the day, people will get bored.

    So by all means enter if you would be willing to share your experience with a load of fellow runners who haven't had the opportunity you've been given. You don't have to be a great writer or a comedian - honesty will do nicely. I bet we'll all be laughing at that anyway....image

    And good luck.

    *hangs head in shame, a Manc agreeing with a Scouser*image

    I've entered too, but please nobody tell the scrummy osteo I'm seeing.  Purely professionally, you understand.  Ooooh ouch, my piriformis... image

  • Tis remembrance day Hash love - we can fight tomorrow! image
  • I am halfway through filling in the questionairre. I think you lose nothing from entering these things, and its a fantastic opportunity to have someone actually give you amazing advice, not to mention the extra support from the forum. Which to be fair, is often there anyway image

  • When I did my first marathon, I had well over 100 messages of congrats in my Facebook and RW thread notifications. They were all Runners World Forumites. The support is brilliant and without the good people of this forum I would probably have quit when I fell so ill last year.

    My non cyber friends simply didn't "get it".....image

  • I have tidied under the stairs and Iam now going for a run Mrs Gb is unwell so I have do everything

    tsk dont talk to me about houseworkimage

  • Sue - Thanks for the confidence booster. 3.15 is still my target as you know and my ostrich days are definitely over!

    I really enjoyed your forum last year. I think it was because you are in a very similar position to me (aiming for 3.15/ trying to juggle running and organising family life etc) and so I could relate to everything you were saying. I could tell it was hard work for you and you came through with a heapful of admiration from a lot of people, me included.

  • Thanks SueC and Seren.  As you say, it's been years of great training and underperformance on race day.  I reckon I have a decent base, so some expert guidance with a slightly different schedule might unlock the door.

    Just back from McDonald's.  I note they have a nutrition programme that needs following too...

  • the more I think about the more I think I need to do something like this not for the race entry or other stuff but the coaching and motivation

    just been for 3 miles and I feel like death

  • Its been said before (lots), but what a great opportunity, so I've entered.  Mind you, I never win anything in competitions so I'm not holding out much hope! Good luck everybody.

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