VLM 2012 first timers???

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  • Hi Everyone, i'm running VLM for the first time this year too.

    Only had previous experience with a half marathon (2 years ago) and have plenty of other stuff to do (like looking after 2 babies)

    So far it's been going well with an 8.5 mile run last tuesday (27th december) and i'm looking to increase my mileage 10% every week starting with 10 miles this week up to 28 at the end of march which will hopefully include my longest run of around 20 miles.

    Joining the local running club has really helped as long as you don't get phased by all the "athletes"

    Glad to have found this thread as the whole things seems very daunting

  • welcome sonarmerv

    are you following the RW schedule, well done for finding the time to run with 2 little ones to look after.

    Another good thing with joining a club is that you get reductions for races and most good sports shops as well.

  • Thanks for the reply Sarnie.

    I have a schedule which was downloaded from the VLM site but i have had to move days around because the club goes out every wednesday, sometimes these are shown as rest-days.
    I also play football monday nights however this may have to get cut down to once a month.

    I was thinking of increasing 10% each week for example like this,

    week 1: 4 miles, 3 miles, 3 miles. (10 miles in total)
    week 2: 5 ,3, 3 (11 miles)
    week 3: 6, 3, 3 (12 miles)
    week 12:, 20,4,4 (28 miles)

    Hope this makes sense....
  • Hello
    First marathon for me too - did great north years ago then no running for ages for various reasons - broke ankle in May2011 then find out in october I've finally made the VLM after 5 year lottery. So can hardly believe I'm going for it but I am - slowly built up to 8.5 miles b4 Christmas and now following a training plas x4 runs a week.
    happy training !
  • Sonarmerv                                                                                                                                                                              that looks good, everyone i have spoken to have said the same as your plan, less chance of injuries

    Cregmallin                                                                                                                                                               This is also my first marathon as well and after 6 years of trying i got a place with the running club last year but got injured last xmas and had to defer it to this year

    I did 9 miles today and hated 5 miles onwards and had to run/walk, i had nothing in the tank again, am panicking a bit as i was managing 14miles non stop  3 weeks ago and after a few weeks off i seem to have lost all the pre training i had done. Am planning on returning to the gym after work tomorrow to do restart the strengthening exercises for the legs and hopefully it will help,

  • Sarnie

    I think we all get days like that so don't panic. I'm up early tomorrow for a 5 miler and worrying already - glad I found this forum it helps to know I'm not alone with my mixture of far and excitement!
  • Sarnie, don't fret about the loss of fitness. I got up to 12 mile long runs (11 min miles), was doing 48 mins for 5 miles but had a sore shin then a cold which stopped me running for about 10 days. I started back and on my normal 5 mile route I had to turn back after 2 miles and the 4 took me nearly 50 minutes as I had to walk run. That was a week or so before before Xmas and within a few days i then ran my quickest ever time for my 5 mile route and on Xmas day I did 10 miles in 1 hour 42 and felt I could have done 4 or 5 more! It comes back quick and for me I felt even stronger than before i was ill, for some strange reason!
  • Hello fellow road burners

     I'm new to the board and this is my first marathon, I have half a dozen 13 milers under my belt and in general i tend to run to and from my work place (all together 11 miles) so i'm hoping the marathon wont be too much of a shock to the system (although i'm not taking any chances)

     I'm running for whizz kids so following their running plan which started 1st october and includes alot of fartlek sessions (i was the only person out of 30 people in a running class who sniggered at this image)

    Finding the training not difficult from a distance perspective but i've never ran 6 days a week and have to confess over the holiday period it was really difficult to switch from slipper to trainers and the first month lost the ability to stand for long periods (i work as a hotel receptionist and they dont believe in stools behind the desk grr)

  • Good morning and a belated happy christmas and new year to everyone!

    I completed week 2 on Sunday with a 6 mile run (in wind, up hills, had to walk loads of it image) but it's done - I did it! I still have a spare 2 weeks in hand for snow/injury so I thnk it's going okay! Bit nervous now it's 2012 and this year...15 weeks on Sunday... eeek! 

  • hi Len 2

    I did 7 miles on Sunday with no problem, but slightly concerned as some people seem to be doing longer miles already !!   Wish you hadn't said it was only 15 weeks to go as I was trying to forget that !!!

    eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

    pip

  • LOL, sorry Pip! Don't worry too much about it - just follow your plan and trust that it will get you there. That's all you can do! I have decided that if my life depended on it, I could probably walk the marathon distance now. So all I need to do over the next 15 weeks is just get used to a bit more running (!!) and a lot less walking. It seems much more doable if I think about it like that!

    I'm off to the gym later to do todays run on a treadmill - I can't face this wind and rain!!

  • failure - blowing a hoolie this morning and too dark and too tired now - will try to make up for it tomorrow!
  • hi everyone

    Suarez-                                                                                                                                                                                cheers for the info on recovering from illness, i feel a bit better from you have said, am doing 5 miles after work tomorrow and hopefully fingers crossed i should see some improvement

    Len-

     That is such a good way of looking at the marathon, knowing you can walk the distance so just has to now slowly increase the running part, certainly takes the pressure off having that attitude

  • Hi

    Thanks Len made me feel a lot better ................. I think !  ran last night very very windy, at times actually not moving very much at all against the wind, but much better with the wind behind me image  Desparately trying to go on my days as planned ....... feel very guilty when I don't.  I don't belong to a gym.... but am seriously considering it if the weather doesn't improve . Roll on spring....... but then that means not long to go at all before the big day.    Anyone else feel as if it has taken over all that you think about ie weather watching, checking your milometer in the car to see exactly how long 26 miles really is ... then feeling sick and scared again, planning your weekends so that you can't do anything until you have been for a run ?

     pip

  • Sarnie - glad you like the logo!I did it when I was trying to break 60mins for a 10K last year (which I managed) - guess I should change it now to say "Keep calm and run further"!

    Hope you're fully recovered now - not surpirsed you struggled with your run - food poisoning (literally!) takes everything out of you (yuck)image

    Steph lewis - I still snigger at fartlek image Running 6 days a week sounds a lot????

    Len - great point about walking it if necessary. I remember thinking that about my 1st ever 10K - it was 3 laps and I reckoned if I could run 2 I'd be happy. Look where I am now!!image

    Phillipa - I'm afraid running took over my life months ago - my family are used to it now! But yes, even watching the new Year's fireworks on the telly, I was watching Big Ben and thinking 'we run past there....'

    Waves to everyone else - hopefully everyone's training has officially started by now?

    My schedule finally started! After over 2 weeks not running (kids out of school / away at Christmas etc) finally made it out on NYE for 4.5M that nearly killed me. Schedule officially started on Monday with an 'easy 30 minutes'. My HR was so high it thought I was in a race! Took today's 'Easy 40mins' very slowly (didn't wear my HR due to watch strap breaking - great timing!) but it felt easier. Now need to squeeze last 2 runs of the week into tomorrow & Friday and that's week 1!

    Quick question. I'm following one of the schedules from the VLM official magazine. It only has weeks 1 - 13 printed, so I'm presuming the last 3 weeks are tapering. However, what sort of training is involved in these final 3 weeks? Trying to plan a holiday at the moment!

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    @Black and Tabby - are you sure you've only got 13 weeks? In my magazine it was 16?
  • Emmy_bug - just had to check in case I was being stupid! No - the last issue I've got here, the one that came with my 'Congratulations' letter, just has the first 13 weeks, and it does say the final few weeks will be in the next issue.

    Are we talking about the same magazine??!!

  • I'm feeling happier for having come on here and reading that I'm not the only one having major moments of doubt!

    All was going well until last week when I really struggled with every run I did, my long run on Sunday especially.  I was ready to go home after a mile but my partner convinced me to keep going and I did the full 7 miles with only a few short walk breaks. 

    Last week was the first time I'd felt I needed to walk and was a real battle mentally. Looking back I think last week was mainly due to the change of routine and too much Xmas food!

    I think I need to remember how much progress I've made already and that if I need some little walk breaks that's ok if it means I can do the distances image

  • You sure you got the acceptance mag Emmy?!!

    The acceptance one says that it only takes you up to taper, with the taper appearing in the next issue of "Marathon News".
  • Ah Suarez-7 - its not just me going mad then!

    Geena - I feel very wobbly after Christmas - but I'm sure it will all come back, like it does every year after Christmas / summer holidays etc!

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Hmm... maybe I was dreaming? Sorry, I thought that when i looked at it; it was 16 weeks. Yep - I nearly framed the acceptance mag when it came through the post (i've been waiting 5 long years to run london!).
  • Hi

    Blaack and Tabby I am glad you thought that running six times a week seemed a lot ...blimey so did I.  I am doing the Hal Higdon schedule novice 1 anyone else doing that one ?  Have done a few halves but decided to go back to the beginning for the marathon. Running four times a week.  And yes I also thought the same thing while watching the London fireworks. Getting very,very fed up with this horrible windy weather image

    Pip

  • just love reading the posts everyday
    have finally accepted the weather and the light not working for me so have signed up to the local gym. I hate the treadmill but its that or nothing.
    first session Friday
  • I did 4 miles on a treadmill at the gym tonight. God I hate treadmills!! Its SO boring! Stupid wind.
    x
  • Evening everyoneimage

    Seems we are all getting doubts and nerves, but we are all doing very well with the training, no injuries which is brill, and slowly increasing distances,

    Went out after work in the wind and wanted to turn back just after 2 miles but kept going and glad i did cause once the muscles warmed up i managed 6 miles which included a couple of nasty hills, only stopped on one hill that i have never managed to get to the top of and am nearly on my hands and knees by the time i get to the top, i am gonna use this hill as a marker and every time i run up it (tomorrow evening) i will try to get a bit further each time, going to gym before work for an hour in morning mainly to do stretching and a bit of strengthening and another run tomorrow evening them giving myself Friday off from any exercise and hopefully doing 10-11 Saturday,

  • Len - i also dislike running in the wind it saps all the energy and a 4 miler feels like a 7 miler but its very good for strength, i find running at a much slower pace in the wind and it helps,
  • Well my training was going well till I got a calf strain 11 miles into a 13 mile run, calmed down and did the same thing again, I don't know why because i'm doing my warm up and stretching as I always did, i'm going to see the physio this evening.

    On a side issue where is everyone staying on Marathon weekend? i'm not sure if I should book somewhere near the start to get there hassle free, or near the finish so I don't have to tube/travel too far to hotel at the end?

  • Sarnie - I can't run any slower, it would be impossible!!

    OB - I'm staying near the end, I figured I'd be in much better shape to travel to the start!! I'm at a Best Western near Victoria.

  • Hi

    I have booked a place at the finish, so I don't have to go to far if I have jelly legs at the finish..... which is quite likely I think

    pip

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