FLM Virgin

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  • Well done Jiminey and Dave!  Come on Daz, I'm dying to know...
  • Trig - very sad indeed.  Not the sort of news anyone wants to hear.

    I'm getting there thanks - slowly but surely!

  • Apologies all for the delay. As Gatton rightly said, we were still in London yesterday and didn't get back to Cardiff until about 1915.  What with getting food on way home for kids, then eating and unpacking the night was over lol, and early to bed for me by 2200.

    Good to catch up with Gatton when we visited Expo, and fortunate when we walked back past him to say "Bye" to see Trigg and Mr Trigg.

    I did shout at Caro at mile 17, I think she missed me at first lol.  However, I think her use of the word "sprinting" was a bit of an exaggeration. image

    Jiminey - massive well done, a good effort for your first marathon.

    Well done to Dave as well, a 17 min PB is awesome.

    Hope you're over whatever it was VB, take it easy.

    Anyway, didn't get near my hoped for 3:10, but officially got 3:13:57 which is a PB and gives me my GFA. image

    Race was erratic with a few ups-and-downs, will post a report in due course but the mile splits make very interesting reading lol

  • Wow Daz that's brilliant!

    Well done all 3 of you - very impressed!

    Daz - not over it as such - turns out there's going to be another mini-VB in November but my body isn't coping too well (or at all!) with it (hence the hospital stay, hooked up to a drip etc).  Out now and functioning, just about, with lots of medication, but roll on November!  (Not common knowledge yet so those who know me on Facebook please keep it to yourselves!).  Needless to say Dave I won't be taking you up on the suggestion of VLM2013.  Maybe 2014, lol!

  • wow good news re addition, hope your body is ok!! ( not in a pervy way... well not much image )
  • Wow VB, great news, certainly trumps our PB news lol.

    DW - behave!
  • Apologies all for the delay. As Gatton rightly said, we were still in London yesterday and didn't get back to Cardiff until about 1915.  What with getting food on way home for kids, then eating and unpacking the night was over lol, and early to bed for me by 2200.

    Good to catch up with Gatton when we visited Expo, and fortunate when we walked back past him to say "Bye" to see Trigg and Mr Trigg.

    I did shout at Caro at mile 17, I think she missed me at first lol.  However, I think her use of the word "sprinting" was a bit of an exaggeration. image

    Jiminey - massive well done, a good effort for your first marathon.

    Well done to Dave as well, a 17 min PB is awesome.

    Hope you're over whatever it was VB, take it easy.

    Anyway, didn't get near my hoped for 3:10, but officially got 3:13:57 which is a PB and gives me my GFA. image

    Race was erratic with a few ups-and-downs, will post a report in due course but the mile splits make very interesting reading lol

  • Wow VB, great news, certainly trumps our PB news lol.

    DW - behave!
  • Brilliant news VB.. just make sure you do everything to ensure you are in the best of health. Congrats to Mr VB 2......
  • Thanks - but trust me Daz, I'd love to be able to run a marathon, let alone at that pace!

  • Well done Daz! That's fab, and GFA too. If you find out when we need to apply for our GFA places for next yr let me know!

    Jimminey - that's great too image

    VB - woohoo! So what will be the age gap between your munchkins? You do not do well being pregnant. I found the second one harder than the first, but the resulting baby is so much easier and cuter than his big sister was at this age that it was all worth it - but no more!
  • trigger2trigger2 ✭✭✭

    Congratulations VB!  Sorry to hear you've been poorly.

    Well done Daz, Jiminey and Dave.  I'm looking to be there for 2014 if I canimage

  • Thanks everyone. Lucas will be 2 and about 5 months or thereabouts. Please tell me that the terrible twos do end??!! (Not that he's even 2 yet!)
  • Wow GFA.  Great PB Daz.  All the sweating was worth while, and guaranteed entry for next year!  No more fighting in the ballot or club raffle where you've ended up losing in a fifty/fifty draw!

    So where's the report, and what were the ups and downs?  PB by how much?

    Congrats to Dave & Jiminey too. 

    Seriously belated congrats to Caro's No. 2 arrival (never say never my lady) and congrats to VB on the news of Lucas's little nemisis.

    And as I don't visit often it would be rude not to pay due respect to the forum regulars Trigg and Gatton, hope you're all OK.

    [retires to the land of the naff soap operas & vegemite]

  • Good to hear from you Windy.  Indeed, my record of losing twice in 50/50 club draws is piss-poor lol.

     

    PB was 1m10s, not massive but good enough.  My Garmin also measured my distance as 26.59 miles, no doubt due to excess distance going around people etc.  Hence, a race calculator re-computes my 3:13:57 to 3:10:58, so maybe I need to do another to go for the 3:10 image

     

    Mmmm race report.  I’ve never been good at those, can’t remember much about it already, so best put something down now before I forget it all.  The (perhaps optimistic) aim was 3:10, which according to pace band was 7m15s pace, so I intended to stick to that.  I’d cocked up the start though.  Got in to my pen (2) and then we all walked forward.  A few guys nipped to the side for a last minute pee, I decided to join them.  Get back into masses, gun goes off.and I look at Garmin ready to press start when I cross the mat.  F*ck!  It’s gone back into power-save mode!!!  Stand at side right by start-mat trying to get Garmin sorted lol as people go past me.

     

    Best place to start I guess is to show the splits and comment where necessary:

     
  •  
    1. 7:31 Slightly slower than target, but to be expected I guess due to traffic.
    2. 6:59 Over-compensating for mile 1, but now back on target.
    3. 6:41 Ooops, got a bit carried away here, excitable I guess.  Our blue start merged with one of the other starts, much booing etc lol.
    4. 6:50   }
    5. 6:57   }
    6. 7:02   }  Still slightly quicker than planned, but felt comfortable.  Genuinely trying to slow
    7. 7:03   }  down slightly, knowing too fast here would cost me later.
    8. 7:07   } 
    9. 7:11   }
    10. 7:05   }
    11. 7:05 Saw 3 supporters from my club just after 10mile marker with a huge Welsh flag image
    12. 7:10
    13. 7:18 I think about here I noticed the gentle climb over Tower Bridge, started to slow down.
    14. 7:20 Starting to feel it now, but kept telling myself I’m OK if I keep them under 7m26s to get within 3:15.  Re-focus now on keeping within 7m26s pace!!!
    15. 7:20 Consistent.
    16. 7:30
    17. 7:26
    18. 7:24 Saw Caro just after 17 mile marker – see, I’m hardly sprinting but it is a reasonable pace lol.
    19. 7:29 Slowing again, but knowing I’ve got time in the bank.
    20. 7:28 Knowing there’s only just over 6 miles to go.  I can do this, put on mind-set of “it’s just a training run”.
    21. 7:42 Ouch – first spasm I think in left-calf, is it all gonna go belly-up?  Manage to run through it.
    22. 7:38
    23. 7:42 Spasm spasm spasm in left-calf.  Go away.  Should I stop/stretch?  No, keep going.
    24. 5:42 WTF!  This must have been a glitch with the Garmin.
    25. 8:33 This seems surprisingly slow but even taking the previous mile into consideration, the average for the 2 miles is some 7m08s, which seems too fast – Confused!  However, really hard work and was considering a stop./walk break.
    26. 8:02 Agony – really wanted to stop just for a quick breather.  Refused to do so – focus focus focus.  I kept telling myself that I was so close to sub 3:15, this was the closest I’d ever been, and this was the best opportunity to do it.  I was screaming in my head that I would never forgive myself if I’d let this opportunity slip away.  Apparently MrsDaz saw me about here, just after Bird Cage Walk, but I didn’t see any of them.
    27. 4:43 Keep going, past the 600M marker, where’s the turn, where’s the f**cking finish line?  Turn around the corner in front of the Palace, on the Mall and can see it.  Just keep plugging away, attempt to increase pace but can’t say if it was to any positive effect.  Cross the line and noticed clock was on about 3:14:1?, I was so so relieved I was within the 3:15 target, Garmin said 3:13:59 so was secretly hoping for sub 3:14 lol.  Chip time confirmed later as 3:13:57 – woohoo.
     
  • I stopped immediately as I crossed the mat and stepped to the side and leant against the gantry out of the way of other runners.  A medic came over, and said “Are you alright Daz?”  (see, name printed on shirt has it’s uses)  I said I was just stiff and knackered, he said best to keep moving.  I then had chip clipped off and medal presented, by Robin and Janice respectively who said “Well done Daz”, I thanked them both by name.

     

    Retrieved my kit-bag and sat down on one of those huge square stone blocks by the side of the big white medic tent.  Switched on mobile phone.  First text in, “Are you entitled to PPI compensation?” – fuck off!I I couldn’t remember if VLM confirms chip-time by text like some other races, they don’t!  Second text within about 1min of the first, “Free Laser Eye surgery”, go away!  Another guy about my age had shuffled and sat next to me.  We discussed the texts and laughed about them, shame I didn’t get a text about “Do u need new legs” lol.  The other guy was gutted, he too wanted sub 3:15 but believed he was about 5 seconds too slow, how frustrating.

     

    Called missus, said I would shuffle down to meeting point.  Spoke to young girl who was stood there changing shoes as I came off the phone, congratulated her on her finish as she did me.  She asked how I got on and said I’d achieved my target of GFA, but ironically I was seriously thinking that this would be my last marathon.  Coincidentally, she said she felt the same, this one had drained her and she said “Never again”.  Met at meeting point, then tried to shuffle through HorseGuards to get on to Whitehall.  Some cock was walking immediately in front of me then decided to stop to take a photo of the soldier.  As I crashed into him I cursed “Don’t stop, I won’t be able to get going again!”.  Onto Whitehall, sat on central reservation/pelican crossing kerbstone in the sunshine whilst missus fetched me beer from pub.  Lovely!

     

    Ahem – I seem to remember more than I thought I did lol.

     

    Pictures are also out – race number 4416.

  • Daz, Awesome!  Sub 3:10 next, it would be a rude not to! image

    At least you look better than that bloke in the yellow vest in the background of your photos around Big Ben!

  • Good report and pictures Daz...... you did so great.... onwards to the next time...
  • Fantastic account Daz, and Windy's right-the guy in yellow isn't looking so crash hot!!
  • trigger2trigger2 ✭✭✭
    Where is everyone????????????  Time to 'fess up - who entered the ballot?  I did but if I get a place I'll be deferring as I have Brighton Marathon next yearimage
  • I'd assumed my long-winded account had put everyone to sleep lol.

    I did not, but then again I don't need to yet lol image
  • hmm,  i wonder how many places are allocated to peeps who plan to defer??

    would be good if they could say well enough in advance for Virgin to do a second ballot for peeps who wanna run that year.

  • I didn't enter the ballot...... am hoping to run Vienna the week before with my son Adam next year and hopefully will be working at Excel. After 4 days on your feet it isn't good practice for a good run in London. I prefer to support others.
  • Oh yes, forgot to say that I agree that the guy does look rather poorly in the background of my 1 photo.

    I will enter VLM as GFA, 'cos eldest son has applied through ballot so will need to take him around course.
  • No ballot for me.  Haven't run a marafun for more than a year and half.  Will have to press on and see if I can get a GFA time, sub 3:10!  Gulp....

    Although not going to keep paying for entries and then be out of the country on race day, as has happened on the last few occassions.  It's like a charitable donation to a business!

    Gatton, does Vienna repeatedly take you over the little hillock bridges over the canals, or have they found some continuously flat drier ground.

    Daz, now how good does GFA feel?  Still v. chuffed for you.

  • Windy, not sure of route as haven't been to Vienna since about 1980. have looked at route via website and son moves out there in 3 weeks so will have a better idea after that.

  • The GFA still feels good, cheers Windy.



    V quiet on here. I've been v lazy, but trying to get back into it, did fast 5 on fri then plodded 10.25 on Sat.



    Other stuff prevented anything today, will hopefully get out tomorrow.



    Hope you're all well?
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