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Calling all Bupa Great North Run hopefuls
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I have ran the GNR twice before along with a string of other half and full marathons....
Despite my best efforts, have struggled to get my time sub 2:00hrs and shift my beer belly.
If you choose me would provide an excellent before and after opportunity... as I feel with the right training and diet support would be to complete within 1:45 but also loose 2st in weight.
Make it third time lucky and give a pie boy a chance !
Name: Julie Abernethy
Running history: 2 5km Race for Lifes
Reason you should train me: I'm a wife and mum of 2 teenagers and a 18 month old baby. Only stopped breast feeding 2 months ago and I want to get back into training (I was a rower in my past life), loose some weight and get fit again. If you don't train me it may not happen.
Half marathon goal: To complete and not need the services of paramedics.
Name: Jules
Brief running history: Started running last summer as my 40th birthday loomed and steadily built up to 7 miles. I had a gap of several months (Jan-April 08) as I was working abroad and not able to run. I'm now home and trying to get back to last year's stamina level - I'm currently back up to 5.5 miles
Reason why we should train you: I'm your novice! I'm new to running and although I've heard about interval training and hill training I don't know how to start introducing them to my training schedule. I'm very keen to get it right so I can complete the GNR in a respectable time. In the last week I've sustained an injury - my GP says its a 'bruised heel' so now I need a training schedule which will increase my fitness and endurance levels without actually running for a few weeks - now that presents a different challenge for your support team! I also need advice on how to avoid such an injury again. Despite the injury I'm focused and determined but need to get the balance right between training and recovery.
Half-marathon goal: I've already got my place and am funding raising for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. My friends Dad was diagnosed with MND ealrier this year hence they are my chosen charity. I want to do all my sponsors proud and to do myself proud - to get round in under 2.5 hours with no stops would be a great achievement for me.
Name: Susan Robertson
Brief Running History: I started running about 2 years ago at a weight of 16 stones 12lbs. I have always been overweight and have battled obesity all my life my bmi was around 30 and things did not look good for the future!!. As you can imagine I found it almost impossible to move but persevered and managed to get my weight down to a healthy 10stones (now) and my fitness levels up. I entered the Abbey Dash last year and completed that in 60:02, a couple of months later I did the Dewsbury 10k in 58:42 so was really pleased with my progress.Reason why we should train you: I turned 40 this year (may) and feel fitter and healthier than ever before I would love to have a real milestone like the GNR to remember such a significant turning point in my life. I no longer have the worry of diabetes, heart disease and all the other illnesses that go hand in hand with being obese. I would also love to get some professional help with my training and move things up a gear. | am finding it hard to progress and am not sure how to get the best from my training sessions.
Half-marathon goal: - To complete, enjoy and experience the whole event with a different outlook on life and if I could do it in 2 hours that would be such an achievement too. Go on give me a go!!
Name: Ruth Lorimer
Brief Running History: Started running about 2 years ago (late in life at over 30!) - took over my husband's hobby much to his annoyance and became a bit competitive after hating long distance running as a kid. Have run a couple of half marathons, some 10 km and the Edinburgh marathon this year in 3 h 47 - just missing London's good for age by a whisker!
Reason why we should train you: Would really like some professional advice to train as well as possible rather than running the streets all alone! To improve and pick up some tips on how to train and keep it interesting.
Half-marathon goal: To beat my PB of 1 h 45 and enjoy the experience of competing in an event with a great atmosphere.
I'd like to second Bryan The Snail (BtS).
The main reason is that I think this programme will help him overcome a terrible problem that he has. Yes his wife is a damn site fitter, faster and better than him. Help him recover some self dignity and let him stand a chance at beating her at something other than "Guess the whisky" competitions.
What Bryan needs is a good kick up the rear to get him out and training properly, as he is likely to sign-up for the next pirate outing to Ironman Switzerland I fear without this kind of kick start he may actually die in the hills around Zurich - Therefore I plead from the bottom of my heart, save a long-term forumites life and chose him.
Plus it'll be good to have an older geezer involved, they have unique obstacles to overcome, not just putting down the pies and trotting out the door.
Is he going to buy us all a bottle of whiskey if we vote?
+1 for BtS.
BtS would be great - apart from the shame of being slower than his wife, I think he has the false belief that he can't really hope to be any better. I'd love to see that change.
Well put mellifera,
I think there's as much a mental battle to be fought as there is a physical one. This isn't something you can easily pick up from an online running schedule.
Come on, lets make this interesting a vote for Bryan the Snail.
Name: Susan
Age:39
Running History: I started running in 2001 to train for the 2002 London Marathon. After which I was going to stop running and go back to gym classes and being sensible. Seven years later I completed my fourth London Marathon this April. I've also done New York twice and am considering the Two Oceans ultra next year (but don't tell anyone).
I'm at the slower end of the running spectrum: Marathon PB 4:43 (set this year) Half PB 2hrs 45 seconds (set in 2004).
Reason You Should Train Me: this year was the first time I trained properly for the marathon and it felt fantastic to run the whole thing and finish in a new PB. I want to keep that momentum going and the motivation of being trained by RW would really help with this. I train the beginners group at my club and would love to have someone train me for a while.
Goal: Having knocked 21 minutes off my marathon PB, I'd like to knock 46 seconds off my half time and go sub-2!
I wonder if RW would like to consider a husband and wife team to train?
I'd like to second Bryan the Snail but also ask that you consider me, as I'd hate to see Bryan the Snail outrunning me.
Name - this is a public forum - and I am a regular forumite!
Brief running history
At my age (62) not many histories are brief! Inter county schoolboy athlete at distances from 100 yards to mile. Spent many years playing rugby and football until injuries ended that. Took up running again in 1980 helped by the "fun runs" popularised by Brendan Forster in the NE and ran the 1981 GNR without too much knowledge of what I was doing in 1 hour 30 min. Improved on that to 1985 (aged 39) with a GNR time of 1:15 and a FLM time of 2:44. New job, relocation, growing family, return of injuries and life got in the way of running and I only returned to it in earnest some 3 years ago and finding it hard to adjust to the realities that ageing has on one's ability to train and have adopted an increasingly detailed approach in an attempt to wring some more benefits out of my training but I have only got down to a 1:32 HM
Reason why you should train me
Mature athletes are very poorly represented in general training information and approaches. The limitations enforced by ageing are poorly understood and disseminated. This is an ideal opportunity to assist everyone ( and you will all be "mature" at some stage - even Coops!) overcome these difficulties in the future by seeing what effect the training programme has on me and my reactions to it.
Half marathon goal
Square the circle - go back to the GNR and run sub 1:30
as long as I don't have to mentor him - again......
I'll vote Bryan the Snail and so will my wife! Top bloke in need of an arse-kicking.
He is a very dedicated abd talented runner and I have seen him run, his running style is excellent. Despite his cries of the limitations of age he has got quicker and quicker over the last 3 years since his return to running.
He will deliver.
As a runner with tonnes of potential, Catherine would be ideally placed to gain such a lot from formal coaching assistance, and I have no doubt that she would smash all three of her goals!
I'd like to vote for Mister W as he's slower than me. I couldn't live with the shame of him achieving a quicker HM pb, so it would spur me into training.
Failing that, BtS so we can keep making 'Krankies' jokes.
Need to learn to run with my gob shut, but I fear it may be a medical impossibility
By voting for BtS Liverbird you'd solve these fly problems.
Vote BtS
I don't know how many votes you're allowed to have! I've already put Farnie up (and JPenno)!
Resistance is futile Farnie - you're going to have start training....