Dublin Marathon 2006

13567377

Comments

  • Mr H,
    I am indeed an ex Middlesex dweller who saw the light and headed north. 18 years ago to be precise.
    Best thing I ever did. Life north of Watford has to be experienced to be appreciated.Could do with a few of the hills levelling though. Training runs can get a bit serious when you're doing your 20 milers through hilly terrain.

    SJ, My ferrets don't bite. Well not me anyway.
    They are a much maligned, misunderstood creature. If Mr Whitely had had the sense to put the poor little beggars bum on the floor it would have let go.
    I ask you, would you release your grip on someones finger if you were being dangled aloft? I think not.
  • Oh, and Mr H,
    The local tipple's Hartleys XB
  • DEFINITELY see you all there next year. I loved Dublin 2005, my first marathon. 4hrs 3 mins. Great fun.
  • Completely off thread....The Happy household are not big fans of Ferrets with good reason......We never thought we would have to make our Guinea Pig or Rabbit run "Ferret proof". Little Georgie was so upset when we told him his pets had run off to live in a much bigger garden. He'd have been mortified if we told him the truth "A ferret had got in and ripped them to bits" - gawd there was blood everywhere! Yikes!


  • As for all this cheque cashing/ FLM - I don't think it means anything - Andy and I opted for the second ballot- we said they could have our money and use it for charity even if we don't get in so FLM would have cashed our cheques as soon as they saw we had taken this option. (Money in the bank accruing interest etc)

    I don't think the actual drawing of names has happened yet - so who knows we might all get in. I think the chances are about 5:1 against getting in. Good luck Aces and everyone.
  • My partners cheque has been cleared and he never donates to the charity. I agree it is a lot earlier than usual, don't usually get confirmation 'til December.

    SJ.

    Glad your injury is not serious. Praise the Lord.Have you decided to run in Mumbai given the chance?

  • Morning all -

    Is it just me or is anyone else still realy sore after last weeks efforts? My legs feel like I'm been in a stampede.

    Pam - if they want me I will do it but provided I get enough notice to prepare properly. I don't think that's asking too much. Might send an email today asking for a progress report but you can't be too pushy with these things.

    I'm starting to get really excited about FLM but with all this uncertainty about entries I will be keeping everything crossed that everyone who wants to gets in. I don't recall hearing anyone say they didn't enjoy the experience and some of the soundbites from previous events are really inspiring.

    Can't wait. Legs probably can though!

    SJ
  • Amusing SJ story from Dublin 2005...

    Skinny Jim tries to bend down and unties shoe laces in a portacabin just after finishing.

    Suffers diaphragm spasm (very, very uncomfortable) and has to straighten up and pant for 45 seconds whilst it eases off.

    Very kind lady official offers to help.

    With shoes and socks successfully removed, she points to my soaking wet shorts and says "And what about these, have you got some dry ones?" I reach for my bag, hand a dry pair to her and before I know it I'm stood starkers in a room full of people!

    Thankfully it wasn't too cold or that would have been really embarrassing! If I had her details I'd probably send her some flowers.

    It was a bit like that old adage about the theatre - "we're all family here". Just as well really.

    Sj ;)
  • not sure if this was posted before. The cab is still running from yesterdays lame attempt and I'm thinking of hiring a chauffeur as it will be more economical in teh long run

    SJ, F=ma. While some of us may have topped your royal skinniness on the "m" front none of us got near your "a". I see noel Carroll saying this morning that he reckons he has one fast marathon left in him after problems in NY. I guess you can plod forever but elite running is a much bigger deal. When do you need to start serious training for the next race? I imagine you've got time to run easy for at least a while? I'm off to the physio now for more abuse about my knee :)


    You might be a runner if...
    hearing the soundtrack to "Rocky" gives you goose bumps.
    you wear a black, plastic sports watch with your dress clothes.
    you can remember a time from a race 4 years ago, but you can't remember your friend's birthdays.
    you are not embarassed to show someone where your hamstring "really" hurts.
    you know your resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and exactly what your heart rate is at all parts of your run.
    you wear your running shorts underneath your work clothes so that you can quickly get running after work.
    you love shoes...running shoes.
    you won't drive by any running store without a quick look inside.
    you know exactly how far a kilometer is.
    you have more old dirty shoes piled by the door than a farmer.
    you've seen Chariots of Fire at least 5 times.
    you read each month's issue of Runner's World cover to cover within 24 hours.
    you get excited when you hear that there is a new Gatorade flavor.
    you not only know how you did in a race, but you know exactly how every other runner finished.
    you spend at least 25% of your income on running stuff.
    you drive by a golf course and think what a nice place it would be to run.
    you know splits are something that not only cheerleaders care about.
    your friends know to never call you after 8:30 at night.
    you get up earlier to run on the weekends than you do for school/work.
    you think that the inventor of Powerbar should have his likeness engraved on Mount Rushmore.
    you have hundreds of safety pins scattered around your house.
    you have more T-shirts than a souvenir shop.
    you would stand in line for Bill Rodgers autograph.
    you know that there is no such thing as too much pasta!
    you install hooks in your shower for wet running clothes.
    you can't wait for your next birthday so you move into a new age group.
    you check out the running stores for the new styles.
    you know that cotton is not the best fabric for running!
    someone asks you how your run was, you go into a 10 minutes description of every factor of it.
    you can use endorphins in a sentence.
    you could watch a whole marathon and not be bored.
    you enjoy running in the rain.
    you think of distances in terms of mile repeats.
  • morning all-sorry i havent been about-blaming sj-polished off all that guinness and more yesterday at his house party!!!Cheers mate.
    Flm-no cheque cashed and not hopefull.3 attempts to get in,2 knock backs.But will wait and see.
  • Jo -

    I've just had a flash back to GCSE Physics. I'm the guy sat at the back in a room full of egg heads trying to decide what I should wear at the school disco at the end of the week to impress the girls from the local Dominican convent.

    SJ

    BTW, In answer to your list...

    You might be a runner if...
    hearing the soundtrack to "Rocky" gives you goose bumps. GUILTY
    you wear a black, plastic sports watch with your dress clothes. NOT GUILTY
    you can remember a time from a race 4 years ago, but you can't remember your friend's birthdays. GUILTY
    you are not embarassed to show someone where your hamstring "really" hurts. GUILTY (WE'RE ALL FAMILY HERE)
    you know your resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and exactly what your heart rate is at all parts of your run. SURPRISINGLY NOT GUILTY
    you wear your running shorts underneath your work clothes so that you can quickly get running after work. PREDICTABLY GUILTY
    you love shoes...running shoes. VERY, VERY GUILTY
    you won't drive by any running store without a quick look inside. NOT GUILTY
    you know exactly how far a kilometer is. GUILTY (OF COURSE!)
    you have more old dirty shoes piled by the door than a farmer. NOT GUILTY (RECYCLED AFTER 400-500 MILES)
    you've seen Chariots of Fire at least 5 times. NOT GUILTY (seen nearly once, thought it was sh1t)
    you read each month's issue of Runner's World cover to cover within 24 hours. GUILTY (BUT AW NOT RW)
    you get excited when you hear that there is a new Gatorade flavor. ARE YOU JOKING? YUK!
    you not only know how you did in a race, but you know exactly how every other runner finished. GUILTY
    you spend at least 25% of your income on running stuff. NOT GUILTY
    you drive by a golf course and think what a nice place it would be to run. WORSE THAN GUILTY, I'D GET OUT AND RUN ON IT.
    you know splits are something that not only cheerleaders care about. GUILTY
    your friends know to never call you after 8:30 at night. EMBARRASSINGLY GUILTY
    you get up earlier to run on the weekends than you do for school/work. A FAIR COP.
    you think that the inventor of Powerbar should have his likeness engraved on Mount Rushmore. NO SALE.
    you have hundreds of safety pins scattered around your house. NOT GUILTY (SMALL CHILDREN AND PINS DO NOT MIX)
    you have more T-shirts than a souvenir shop. NOT GUILTY (RECYCLED)
    you would stand in line for Bill Rodgers autograph. WHO?
    you know that there is no such thing as too much pasta! GUILTY
    you install hooks in your shower for wet running clothes. NOT GUILTY (THEY HANG OVER THE AGA)
    you can't wait for your next birthday so you move into a new age group. GUILTY (IF APPLICABLE).
    you check out the running stores for the new styles. GUILTY (VIA WWW)
    you know that cotton is not the best fabric for running! DUH! WHO DOESN'T?
    someone asks you how your run was, you go into a 10 minutes description of every factor of it. NOT GUILTY. BORING.
    you can use endorphins in a sentence. VERY GUILTY.
    you could watch a whole marathon and not be bored. TOO RIGHT!
    you enjoy running in the rain. WORSE, I LOVE IT.
    you think of distances in terms of mile repeats. HAVE WRITTEN TO LOCAL COUNCIL TO HAVE ROAD SIGNS CONVERTED.
  • I have usually found FLM cheques cashed in first 2 weeks of November if you are in and didn't bequeath the cash.

    Always proved true for me

    If you bequeathed the money i don't think you know till the magazine drops through the door at the beginning of December

    Hope that helps

    Doylie
  • Morning everyone...after my whinging yesterday about feeling adrift because I don't have a schedule, I was told in no uncertain terms by MrGFB this morning that I was a lazy (insert bad word) and that I should get my trainers on and get lazy arse out the road...I told him that he should go in for motivational speaking.

    So anyhoo tomorrow sees me strapping on the NB's and following the basic outline of the schedule I followed for the last 6 months...

    Monday: rest
    Tuesday: 45-60 mins
    Wednesday: 60 - 90 mins
    Thursday: rest
    Friday: 45 - 60 mins
    Saturday: rest
    Sunday: 90- 120 mins

    How does that sound?
  • These are from a book called "Disorder in the Courts of America", and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

    ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
    WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

    ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
    WITNESS: July 18th.
    ATTORNEY: What year?
    WITNESS: Every year.

    ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
    WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

    ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
    WITNESS: Yes.
    ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
    WITNESS: I forget.
    ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

    ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
    WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
    ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
    WITNESS: Forty-five years.

    ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
    WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
    ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
    WITNESS: My name is Susan.

    ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
    WITNESS: We both do.
    ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
    WITNESS: We do.
    ATTORNEY: You do?
    WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.

    ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
    WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

    ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
    WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty!

    ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
    WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?

    ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
    WITNESS: Yes.
    ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
    WITNESS: Uh....

    ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
    WITNESS: Yes.
    ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
    WITNESS: None.
    ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?

    ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
    WITNESS: By death.
    ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?

    ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
    WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
    ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?

    ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
    WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

    ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
    WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

    ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
    WITNESS: Oral.

    ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
    WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
    ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
    WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!

    ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
    WITNESS: Huh?

    ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
    WITNESS: No.
    ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
    WITNESS: No.
    ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
    WITNESS: No.
    ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
    WITNESS: No.
    ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
    WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
    ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
    WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.
  • GFB -

    I'd do 50% of that schedule for the next two weeks, 75% in week three and back to full steam after that.

    You can't really expect to pick up where you left off. It's just too much too soon.

    SJ
  • You'll only appreciate this if you have had or have a cat:

    TO MEDICATE YOUR CAT:
    1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

    2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

    3) Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

    4) Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

    5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

    6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and vigorously rub cat's throat.

    7) Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make a note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

    8) Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

    9) Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

    10) Retrieve cat from your neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing.Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Shoot the pill down his throat with a rubber band.

    11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges.Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of your last tetanus jab. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

    12) Ring fire brigade to retrieve the friggin' cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

    13) Tie the little b@stard's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining room table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 liters of water down throat to wash pill down.

    14) Consume remainder of Scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

    15) Arrange for the RSPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and phone local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
    --------------------------------------------
    TO MEDICATE YOUR DOG:
    1) Wrap pill in bacon, cheese or peanut butter. Make him beg.
  • GFB, Have you any interest in tri's? I usually find when I don't feel like running that a swim (in a pool!!) and a spell in the jacuzzi afterwards feels good?


    "BUT AW NOT RW"
    SJ, 'cuse my igonorance but what's AW? (I feel a Doh moment coming on)
  • Athletics Weekly?

    It's a little circular about running that has Superbrand status.

    You should try to get out more Jo. Those textbooks of yours are over-rated.

    SJ
  • Jo...I'm being encouraged to try at least one this year, I'm quite good on a bike but fell off in traffic about two years ago and haven't got on one since!

    Our tri club has a new swimming coach who is apparently helping everone make real good advances, so maybe I'll go this Thursday. They're all very supportive of me after my illness a few years ago...I really am a lazy biatch!!

  • seeing as Mr H isn't around I'll do his line where he says "whenever you're feeling lazy remember <insert very small percentage here> of the population have ever run a marathon or are ever likely to... Let us know which one you decide to do. I'll be heading to all the ones that I'm not away for
  • I've not seen athletics weekly. Will have a lookn ext time I'm in easons
  • Just to add to the general merryment going on the am:

    Real answers given by school children in a history test.

    Ancient Egypt was old. It was inhabited by gypsies and mummies who all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that all the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.

    Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandos. He died before he ever reached Canada but the commandos made it.

    Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines. He was an actual hysterical figure as well as being in the Bible. It sounds like he was sort of busy too.

    The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a young female moth.

    Socrates was a famous old Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. He later died from an overdose of wedlock which is apparently poisonous. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.

    Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw for reasons I don't really understand. The English and French still have problems.

    Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen". As a Queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah!" and that was the end of the fighting for a long while.

    It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking.

  • Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper which was very dangerous to all his men.

    The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter.

    Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couple. They lived in Italy. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet but her father was having none of that I'm sure. You know how Italian fathers are.

    Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation.

    Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was very large.

    Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf that he wrote loud music and became the father of rock and roll. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.

    The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up.

    Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbits but I don't know why.

    Charles Darwin was a naturalist. He wrote the Organ of the Species. It was very long and people got upset about it and had trials to see if it was really true. He sort of said God's days were not just 24 hours but without watches who knew anyhow? I don't get it.

    Karl Marx was one of the Marx Brothers. The other three were in the movies. Karl made speeches and started revolutions. Someone in the family had to have a job, I guess.
  • GFB, Have you any interest in tri's? I usually find when I don't feel like running that a swim (in a pool!!) and a spell in the jacuzzi afterwards feels good?


    "BUT AW NOT RW"
    SJ, 'cuse my igonorance but what's AW? (I feel a Doh moment coming on)
  • Far too many jokes to read today, so I'll just add to the FLM speculation:

    I did NOT donate my money this year, and my cheque has NOT been cashed.

    Deduce from this what you will (David Bedford did it in the billiard room with the dagger, etc.)
  • Hi all,

    STILL coughing and cough mixture has brought me out in a itchy rash Ugh! Haven't run since the Marathon.
    Whilst at the GP's I enquired about the cost of a Medical Certificate confirming fitness to run in France. Was quoted £45!
    I wasn't that keen on running there anyway so will stick to German races where they don't ask for such documents. First Marathon next year January 29th in Elb Tunnel underneath the river in Hamburg. Done it 5 times already. Must start training soon.
  • Supergirl Pam -

    Will you need to borrow Mr Happys head torch for that one or will they do the decent thing and leave the lights on?

    Surely it's not all underground?

    SJ
  • SJ

    Yes, it's all underground and well lit. Closed to traffic on Sundays and in fact it's 2 tunnels, an up one and a down one. 199 finishers at the last one. There are lifts either end, 2 for pedestrians and 2 for vehicles. During the race, one houses the portaloos and one is a changing room. Great fun!
  • What next Pam?

    Surprised no-one has thought of installing a row of treadmills in the upper deck of a 747 whilst it circles the globe.

    Or have they?

    SJ

  • Apparently George Dubbya Bush has a treadmill on Airforce One...he's a nifty runner, or was.
Sign In or Register to comment.