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Jools, nooooooo! Healing vibes.
TR, great to hear you've got a diagnosis. Hopeufully the meds will clear it up.
DBS, everyone!
Commeiserations to all those who are benched or sick.
Sorry I haven't been contributing to the forum this year, but I have been reading with interest. After my best year in 2015, I lost my mojo this year after getting ill in Feb. I've no idea what shape I'm in - somewhere between 2:45 and 3:00.
Stay warm, I'll be the one on the champs start with my number on upside down (986)
Good luck! Kick it hard etc etc. Hope to see you in the Red Lion.
Jools, fingers crossed you heal up.
Speedy - That's so sad to hear
Jools - Got everything crossed that your niggle is taper induced and that it clears in time to toe the line.
LukeS - Nice to see you back on here again, one for enjoying the day tomorrow I guess then?
TR - Glad you you have got a diagnosis, hope it clears things up for you.
Had a pleasant run around Wycombe Rye Parkrun this morning, starting easy and progressing to MP in the last mile, feeling so much better for taking some carbs onboard
Good luck to everyone for tomorrow, see some of you huddled in the champs start tent and then again (plus a few more) at the Red Lion free pint(s) of Pride in hand
Good that you've got a diagnosis TR.
Any improvement Jools?
If I remember rightly there is more than one Red Lion; could somebody tell me which one is the right one please?
Never seen that damn expo so busy as it was this afternoon. Has been like shooting fish in a barrel selling kit this week
But had to pack up sharpish and force my way out and got home by 6pm. Food & massage and now feeling raring to go. No excuses; I'll get whatever I deserve I expect.
Jools - classic maranoia. You'll be 'reet.
See y'all tomorrow somewhere between Blackheath and the pub.
TT - on Whitehall opposite the Downing Street gates
Excellent; cheers Dan! Sounds like the expo worked out perfectly! See you tomorrow!
Time for some (very) early morning porridge
Wondering how late I can chance being dropped at the start to avoid freezing :-}
Jools, as I've said elsewhere I'm devastated for you - but definitely definitely the sensible decision. 26.2 miles is stress enough on a healthy body. Rest well.
On way all wrapped up to FGFA start will be wearing throwaway all black 2007 RWC kit (no one wants that!!) so look for all black hat if trying to spot me TT/Jimbob/ES and anyone else pre start.
Went for 2:29, halfway in 75:28 and accelerated from there. Put in a 5:38 and 5:39 and it looked on. Then it went wrong and I shuffled down the Embankment watching AL_P and then TT come piling past.
I ignored a high HR in the first half and paid for it in the second. Never felt good and perhaps the non-stop barrage of training and racing marathons has caught up with me.
2:39:04. Job done. More later, but bad luck Jools, at least you were first to the Red Lion.
RyanS, congratulations. It may not have gone as you had planned but you just ran your best ever marathon!
CD, mission accomplished, well played!
Jools, gutted to hear about the 11th hour injury and subsequent DNS. Kick on and see you in Chicago!
Awful luck for Jools, really gutted for you.
Irrespective of time (only my 6th fastest) it's one of, if not the best, marathons I've ever run. Unfit, under-trained, anaemic, almost 3kg over pb weight, and out of practice (last one was October '14) - my plan was simple, run to feel and stay the right side of the red line until 35km. 5km splits were consistent at 18:05-18:26 until then. 17:52, and then a 7:38 last 2.195km (pb saw me do 7:36 as a very strong finish) brought me home in style.
Today meant more to me than I'll say on here so I'm very very pleased with the outcome
Catching up with so many afterwards was the icing on the cake.
OK, home & showered now. Bit more of a report.
Started at what turned out to be a few seconds over 6:00 pace for the first couple of miles, then settled in as the downhill 3rd mile picked it up a tiny bit. I found myself running with dachs at that point, with a red dot moving ahead that could only be TT and his 'sunburnt monk' hairdo. I dropped behind dachs but I was within 6 minute miling from there, halfway in 77:50 or so, a bit quicker than I was expecting but I felt fine.
Canary Wharf at 18-19 was where things started to get tricky, I really don't like that little climb to that roundabout. My right hamstring which hasn't been quite right for a few weeks was getting a bit tight, and after 20 in 1:59 dead I had the first signs of calf cramps. I know how to manage those though, just relax and run evenly.
From there to 25 I had the old Star Wars 'stay on target' mantra going on, and I was still on around 6 minute pace at that point, high 2:37/low 2:38 looked on the cards, but then the wheels fell off big time. Nothing left at all in the tank. I wasn't fussed though, another sub 2:40 was in the bag and I trotted down the mall for a 2:39:04 finish. CW showed the benefits of his mega mileage with a strong finish and passed me with 200m to go.
Most bizarre sight was a tandem on the course at one point, and funniest was seeing PP trying to get into the red lion with his flag on his back. Good to catch up with a few afterwards - dachs looked in a bad way but that's normal apparently. Finally met TT after several years of paths crossing. Awesome times from loads of people, even jools didn't seem too downhearted.
great stuff TT sounds brilliant day for you. Sorry i missed you at the Red lion, i only stayed for the two london prides.
RS and Dachs, another couple of PB's excellent work! Well done for gutsing it out RS as i imagine that was pretty hard work then the last 6 miles or so (based on how i felt - also ignored a few signs in first half). The sub 230 will come for you for sure.
CD - consistent as ever, congrats.
Nice to see a few people pre and post race and mostly decent ROI's.
I got a pb too which i have to be happy with, but ran pretty poorly i think, setting of way too fast and then whilst my HR monitor did go hey wire for a bit, i still should have known better just by feel and looking at the splits. Went through half way just seconds slower than the half marathon i raced 5 weeks back, so what did i expect really! still held on for a decent pb (around 2 mins) of 2:41:37. I slowed badly at the end, went past 600 metres to go at under 2:40... but that gives me hope i am close enough to go for 2:3x realistically at some point. Just need to do a bit more work (miles) i think.
did enjoy watching CW showboat it over tower bridge (and then pull further and further away from me). CW - you did purposely run away from the blue line to the left side of the bridge to give yourself room for that airplane bit solo didn't you!
Dachs, outstanding!
TT, truly astounding, sounds as near perfect a performance as can be. Wish I could have been at the Red Lion to see you basking in the glory!
Selbs, as with RyanS,that's still you're best marathon ever! More to come from the two of you for certain.
I must admit that after watching the elite race performances (especially Callum Hawkins), then seeing fredder results come in, I really cashed in on some of the mojo and felt great on my own little run today. I figured I'd stage my own version of race day, so I did my longest run of 2016 to date (10M) and then afterwards nipped to my local for a couple of pints
. Did the 10M in 7:25 min/mi average with some progression: out at 7:37, back at 7:14 pace. Progress!
Ah, so that was TT in the pub with the red hair. I was the frozen looking one in the purple hoody. I was wondering who on earth you could be but I was too cold to ask! I clearly missed that on the forums.
I didn't hang around too long outside the Red Lion but did pretty much have to force my beer voucher on someone (was it Marders?) before retreating to the relative warmth of The Chandos.
I didn't die and I probably got a better result than the training deserved - 3.16.18. Hopefully back to sub 3 standard for next year!
Sorry to hear that Jools couldn't make the start line again.
Good to hear of the successes, the nearlies, and the other heroic adventures. I'm almost tempted to do it again myself. Not at that pace though.
OOFT Bit sore for the commute this morning.
First time at VLM. Best one I've done - that's a bloody well organised event and really loved the course.
Big miles big smiles 2:39:25. Had CW for company for a really helpful amount of time. Great to see Al and Pp at the lion briefly too. Had the family in tow so didn't hang around long. Will have a readback and a full report when I'm parked at my desk later.
Some great times coming in from yesterday, reckon CW & Muss took the 'biggest smiles at the Red Lion' prize. Awesome runs from TT, Dachs, Selbs, CD and RyanS (full credit for a gutsy shot at sub 2:30 mate!). Such a shame you couldn't toe the line Jools, hope you can bag a good one at Chicago later in the year
Forgot to mention, well done Speedy for getting out and round yesterday, can't have been easy for you, sure you'll be back with vengeance next year!
Scores on the door for me was 2:33:37 with 76:05/77:32. Legs felt great throughout, just lacking the aerobic fitness to maintain the pace in the second half. I was on PB pace until 20/21M. Ran to feel with with no HR data visible on my Garmin, still averaged a very typical 165bpm, although the first half was probably a little spicy (169bpm) and hence the slower back 13.1... Overall it was a fantastic race, ran a decent chunk from 15k to just over halfway in the company of Coro feeling amazing and getting the crowds going. The last 5M were a bit of a toil, but managed to close the final 1.2 at solid sub 2:30 pace (5:40/M). Had my arms out for a bit of a celebratory line-crossing, only to see a familiar green/blue vest topped with a red barnet come sprinting past to nip me to the line, school boy error
Great to catch up with lots of people in the 'Lion afterwards, same time next year
Jools - gutted for you, but I have no doubt you'll be back in top form for Chicago.
Ryan - shame it didn't quite pan out, but you've put in a huge amount of work that will put you in good stead for future campaigns. And it was still a PB!
CD/Dachs - very solid runs from you both again, as expected!
TT - that's a great run given your build-up and sounds like you paced it very well (or possibly could even have gone a little bit faster in the first half?). You comfrotably beat my best ever final 2.195km!
Muss - pleased that all your hard work paid off, you earned that.
CC2 - not a bad result considering, you'll be back in shape quickly.
EliudK - reasonable.
My weekend was a bit different from all of yours. Up early on Friday for an easy run then drove to Liverpool for the stag do, golf in the afternoon and then a big night out. Got back to the hotel around 5am (don't really remember getting back...) then woke up at about 8:20, just in time to do the local park run. Annoyingly I forgot my barcode, but would have crossed the line in 2nd in about 17:30, although that felt harder than it should have, although it be fair I was probably still quite drunk.
Afternoon of clay pigeon shooting, quad biking etc, then another night out and back to the hotel a bit earlier (around 4:30am), amusingly I was one of the first back! Drove home, watched the marathon a few hours after it had actually happened (awesome race), then managed about 10M at 6:40s.
I slept well last night!
Padams - you've put us all to shame...that is some weekend!
AL_P wrote my report for me
Fun running with you, I've got a good photo of us at 12M, send me a message and I can sent it over. Anyway, kept him in sight for last 10M and finished in 2:33:53, happy with that. Legs got a bit sore which slowed me down in the last 10k, but feel good this morning (could run up the 100 stairs at the underground station). I was impressed to see TT fly past me at 25M
Huge amount of sympathy to Jools,I'm very impressed by your pragmatic attitude towards it.
Well done all. Fab day out!
Coro - Cheers, that was the classic marathon running experience yesterday, not been one to encourage the crowd on before, but pick the right places to do it and get the timing right and it doesn't half give you a lift! I'll ping you a message.
Padams - Marathon training obviously prepares you well for other types of endurance events too!