Runners united (come join us if you are addicted to running!)

Hi all, just a quickie, I just read that Katie Price has pulled out of VLM due to a knee injury..........she did it in 2009 in 7 hours and 11 mins apparently.

cestlavie I am enjoying the Paula book so far, but yes, I can see what you mean about her being dull

Welcome strangeways

Paws go for a ballot place, nothing to lose and everything to gain! I got in and it was the first time I'd entered the ballot! I can't believe how lucky I was tbh, never normally do well in raffles or competitions

I won't be entering the ballot next year. I've entered Brighton (guaranteed rain and high winds now) and I am thinking of doing an off-road marathon which will be about 3 weeks after Brighton

An ultra cestlavie Sounds a bit too erm...long and hilly for me There are a few marathons in the South Downs though. Steyning Stinger, Three Forts Marathon (which I plan to do), South Downs Marathon and Beachy, of course. Although the Downs aren't that high they go up and down an awful lot IYSWIM

Moshi I went to the expo today too! Feel like I've spent most of the day on various forms of transport tbh but still managed to spend a bit of money....got a gel belt I wanted and some other bits I didn't need essentials and now have my race number! Feeling very excited now

paws. Definitely try for a ballot place but agree the chances aren't good. But if you do get a place it is the most amazing experience. I ran for a charity and the fundraising was harder than the training! Best of luck.

Good luck to those running London on Sunday - I will be watching and no doubt feeling jolly emotional - bar giving birth to my three children it was the best experience of my life

I'll read back over this thread to see what you are all up to - I am so excited to get running again soon.

That was exactly my problem, the only ones I found were up in places like Cumbria and were still really expensive (and got snapped up quickly). If I'd cottoned on to the idea earlier though I would have felt the expense was justified; as it was ds3 was getting a bit older and heavier and I wasn't sure how much use I would get.

theta I'm not one who buys in particularly to the science stuff - I reluctantly started using the gels because I needed something in the last half of the marathon, but I have issues with food allergies so have to be careful anyway. I guess most of the sweets we would rely on have gelatine in them so would be a problem, but vegan gels are a definite possibility. Have you read Born to Run? cestlavie recommended it and it's fantastic - Scott Jurek (mentioned by thecoo I think already) seemed to have a lot in common with the Mexican runners featured in that they both rely on maize, corn and cereals as fuel, and run amazingly well on it.

I think I'll probably try the VLM ballot again this year and worry about the heat if I get a place. Definitely one I'd love to do, but the chances of getting a ballot place seem so slim. I'm not sure I can take on the fundraising commitment the charities expect to be honest. It's a shame they no longer have the rule where if you get turned down a certain number of times you get a place.

Oh and by the by I just looked at another forum to get some information on the Chester marathon. No way would I post there, everyone is fantastically serious! I don't think anyone on the thread had a PB over 3.30 .....

Thanks Paws I have trawled Ebay and preloved for second hand ones, but there aren't many about. The only ones I have found are still quite pricey and need couriering (is there such a word?!) which adds more expense! The way I justify the expense is that I am not a gym member and it's good for my health - I am quite low maintenance in other ways !

Strangeways I would have loved a baby jogger for ds3, in fact I wish I'd got one (only the expense put me off). I couldn't find many second hand (none in my area) but have you thought of that?

The only other thing I would say is that the second hand ones I saw were going for a lot of money so it seemed to me they didn't depreciate much and were a good investment. Maybe worth getting the one you really want on the basis that you#ll probably get your money's worth and a return if you sell?

Hello runners - can I ask some advice on Baby joggers? Do any of you run with one? I am desperate to get back running after having my third baby 5 weeks ago. I know it's early days but my birthday is coming up and my DH says I can have a baby jogger - yippee!!

So my question is do I go for the Baby jogger FIT with 16" wheels (Kiddicare £259.00) or ask DH to splash out on a Baby Jogger Performance, with the 20" wheels (£339 from pushchair.co.uk which includes a basket and rain cover).

Now I haven't run since being 8 weeks pg as I was too sick, but did run London last year and would love to aim for another spring marathon next year. It's going to be strange starting from scratch! Can anyone give me any personal recommendations?

I am torn because while I know the larger wheels are easier to run with it looks like that pushchair is for running only. The other one might be more use for off road walking etc so it seems odd to spend more on something I will use less IYSWIM, but how good is it for running with especially if I want to get up to 10 miles plus with bubs? (Also I might have to splash out on a raincover for it too).

Any advice would be gratefully received

Hi suntangirl - I think usual advice is replace every 300 - 500 miles depending how hard you work your trainers (e.g. if you're big and fast, vs. little and slow). If you have trainers which provide support it might be worth being closer to the 300 mile end of that scale as you need that cushioning to reduce risk of injury.

Good to hear you're feeling a bit less worried now Moshi - 'tis all very normal I'm sure. Enjoy the Expo. You'll absolutely be in your element! In a reverse of the norm, I imagine it'll be the children dragging mummy out of the 'shop' with mummy pleading "no, just one more minute...."

I might have to get that book by Scott Jurek thecoo - he is quite an obsessed chap isn't he? I seem to recall from Born to Run that he was the guy who used experiment using razors to shave his trainers before weighing them in water to see comparative wet and dry weights.

thetasigmamum I think everyone has different ways of looking at running and ultimately you can be as scientific or as unscientific as you like. Some of the best runners historically (e.g. fell runners) have been people who've just got out there and run every day as far and as hard as they want with no sort of training plan. Lots of other people just run for the love of it and don't care how fast or how far they go. That being said, today I think 'science does matter if you want to improve your performance - if you don't care then it doesn't matter. And to be honest, 'science' can be as simple as you want, maybe just doing one interval run per week, or one shorter faster run. Just do whatever works for you.

What do you think to Paula Radcliffe's autobiography DrNo? I thought it was okay but found her a little dull to be honest. I mean I know that she's obviously pretty obsessed about running (hey, maybe she could join this thread now she's a mum!) but I didn't get much of a sense of 'her' in the book. I found something like 'Feet in the Clouds' to be more inspirational and to have really interesting people in it.

Paws I am definitely going for the VLM ballot. If I don't get it then I'll either try to get a sensible sponsorship package for something I believe in (bit tricky, cos the amounts you have to raise are pretty high particularly if people know it isn't your first marathon). Failing that I'll go for Brighton and hope it's cooler than this year!

Actually, there is also a 56 mile London to Brighton ultra over the South Downs which sounds pretty amazing...

hello running ladies! my running day has finally come back around :) thinking of getting a running vest with incorporated bra. lots of nike ones for not too many pennies - are they are good? any other recommendations? i am on 34b ish boobs so dont need too much support.

also wondering about new trainers. i have been running is addidas supernovas for 3 years now - its the same pair just not v dirty as i tredmill ran for a long time after dd. how often should you replace?

Oh, my bro sent me the link to his official marathon photos and I was impressed with the video footage. Although DD1 giggled at his running style at the finish. I don't think she quite appreciated what he'd been through.

The summer holidays really are a pain with autumn races aren't they ? One of the reasons I am only doing a 10 miler rather than half this autumn as I dfidn't know how to fit the training in. Although had I got a ballot place for a half I was going to have to put the girls into play mornings at the local leisure centre a couple of times a week - do you have anything like this locally ? Tis expensive though.

I will go in the ballot for VLM for next year. I expect I'd end up deferring until 2013 if I got a place. I am pretty sure though I am signing up for the Brighton Half in Feb.

Kylie good last night although the O2 is so massive and I booked the seats a bit late, that it felt likeit could have been anyone on stage with a kylie soundtrack ! Great stages/costumes etc though. Next month I am taking him to see the Monkees. I really do need to sort out his music taste .

Drunk too much red wine though and so my 8 am run round Richmond Park became a 930 one but feel better for doing it ! Was still quiet and the few other runners I met all were smiley which is nice. I did find myself chuckling as I was running up one of the hills remembering everyone's description of how they ran up hills.

Right, we're off on hols on Saturday (cottage has wifi and will take laptop so I can check on how everyone does on sunday. look for local activities) and have a busy couple of days coming up so better go and start packing whilst MIL is here looking after the children.

AAAgghhh pants. I just printed off the Hal Higdon training plan (anyone used those by the way?) with a view to the Chester marathon and have realised that out of the 18 week programme weeks 5 - 14 (so pretty much the critical part) will be during the school holidays. I managed to fit stuff in this time because ds1 and 2 were mostly at school and I could take ds3 to the creche at the gym once a week and do my speed work on the treadmill - but ds1 and 2 are now too old for the creche.

This is going to take some planning .

Weather looking good for Sunday. VLM ladies! cestlavie are you going for the ballot for 2012? I'm seriously considering it. If only it was in February or even March!

hello you lot. crikey I will never keep up you are very chatty. bras - I really love freya active, nothing budges, it doesn't chafe and no monoboob. Clothes - sis found an ace shop on a visit to Australia - lululemon got me shorts and a bra. It is Canadian so you in foreign parts might have a branch but only a couple of London stockists in UK.

science - I run either after a small meal or have some dried fruit / nuts. I don't take water, there's a nice loo at 6k if need a drink or anything else. I don't have a plan, just try to do 50k a week. I don't enter races either, am in woods / grass and try to avoid road.

Moshi, definitely no need to worry about your ds. My 8 year ds is similarly obsessed and has 'form' for fondling the boobs of a naked mannequin in John Lewis!

thetasigmamum, as PenguinArmy says, there seem to be plenty of vegan gels. I'm vegan as well and use Vegebears (as well as gels and drinks) for fuelling whilst running. If I'm doing a long run in the morning, as well as having breakfast a few hours before, I also top up with a banana about half an hour before I go out. As for speeding up - until recently I used to run at one pace. I have found that forcing myself to run at slightly different paces and doing interval sessions (I love those!) have really improved my speed overall and ability to run at different speeds for different runs.

Enjoy the Expo Moshi - do report back!

paws it was great to read your race report - really impressed that you stuck it out despite the heat. It's also great to see what you learned, so thanks for sharing that.

thetasigma I've been running on and off for about 4 years now, and this is the first time I've even had such a thing as a training plan! I think as long as you are enjoying running and are happy with how you're doing there's no need to worry about the 'sciency' stuff. It's only when you need a bit of extra motivation (or you enter a race only to find everyone else is much faster than you) that you need to get into it. I'm enjoying reading everything I can lay my hands on at the mo, but there was a time when I preferred to just relax and have fun running, and I'm sure I'll go through both phases on and off as time progresses and circumstances change. Don't feel pressured into being 'sciency' if you don't want to, but if you do then there are so many helpful people on here to help you get your head around it all.

Also wanted to point out that Scott Jurek (amazing ultramarathon runner) is a vegan. He does take some gels, but mostly relies on 'real' food. I've been reading about him in Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Body, as there's a chapter that breaks down the nutrition of several sportspeople. Apparently Scott Jurek is bringing out a book himself next year about both running and nutrition, so should be an interesting read.

Got my speed session today, but am going to have to do it in the evening after DH home because of school hols. Hope I still have some energy left by then!

theta I'm a vegan as well, most of the gels are fine and the ones I found even stated they were suitable for vegans as well

X-post with DrNo - yes I remember the Grattan catalogue. My brother was always quite interested in the ladies undies section, although I think only a few pages were of interest before you got to the Miss Mary of Sweden corsetry section!

Laughing at cestlavie giving us the male perspective - I remember a few years ago I was a bit concerned at all the pushing and pulling and stretching and prodding going on with ds1 whenever I took his nappy off, and I asked DH in all seriousness if he could injure himself. DH reassured me that a fair amount of prodding and pulling wasn't going to do any lasting damage ! Oh the joys of boys .....

Blimey, so much to catch up on!

paws Your marathon report was fab. Hats off to you for getting round. You should be so proud of yourself.

wheely I bet Kylie is amazing live, you will have a fab time. Am quite

Welcome to the newbies.

Cestlavie as an 8 year old the technology was not there for you to google 'boobs' but did you look at ladies underwear in your Mums Gratten/Littlewoods catalogue? I certainly remember looking at men in tight tanga briefs......

Moshi lol at your ds looking for Katie Prices boobs. I wouldn't worry too much. My ds is 9 and am sure he would be searching too but sadly for him his spelling lets him down

Had a tough session at running club tonight, doing a drills session tomorrow for the first time. Oh and have started reading Paula Radcliffe's autobiography which is proving to be very interesting.

Thinking of all you VLM's. We will all be watching on Sunday, cheering you on from our house and sending lots of positive vibes.

Moshi Great West Run, 1/05/11
Chair I only started running last May, but when I was pregnant with my children I was a fanatical aerobics person (still am to a certain extent although laying off the step, combat, Bodyjam etc till after my half as I don't want to get injured and the muscle groups (and the flexibility requirements) are way different). I didn't stop doing classes (with DC3 I was stepping until week 37, she was born at week 39) but I did gradually cut down as time went by - (when I stopped at w37 I was doing 3 classes a week, at the start I was doing 9, mainly in groups of 2). It's not the same but certainly there is no reason to stop doing what you normally do so long as you feel fine and your midwife is cool with it.

So, at the moment I am in Canary Wharf at a conference. This evening I had a fabulous 10K run partly on the marathon course - the crash barriers are already in position! It was brilliant actually, I felt quite inspired and very jealous of the people running on Sunday although I am certain I could never do a marathon - my little feet would explode.

One of the things that worries me about running though, is all the science around it. Me, I just go out and run at what seems to me to be a fairly constant pace (and Runkeeper backs me up on this). I haven't really got faster since about the first month of my running, but then I was very fit when I started, just in a different way, and it took a little bit of time to adjust to running non-stop (I've never done the run-walk thing, I'm saving that for my half if necessary). I don't have a running watch, so although the run keeper woman whispers in my ear at every kilometer it's not so easy to judge pace etc on the hoof (especially as I zone out and often only realize she has spoken when she is finishing - sometimes I miss her altogether!). And ultimately - I am slow. I know I am. I don't really care (much), I run the route I set out on (I have a few to choose from) and when I'm done, I'm done. But there is no denying I'm slow. I may finish the GWR last (I hope not - aiming for 2:15) but if I do, so long as I finish, that was my goal.

The other science thing that worries me is all this gel stuff. I'm a vegan so I can't imagine that any of this sciencey stuff would be available to me anyway - but reading about it in runners world freaks me out, a bit. I only recently started taking water out on a run with me - I was regularly running for 1:45-2:00 without any drink at all but then the spring sprung and it got hotter so I started taking a small amount of water, but I don't start drinking till after 16k (fear of needing the loo, again. This isn't just a fear, I think it's a phobia).

As for eating before running - until it got hot, when I was at home I was running at lunchtime (all through the winter). When away it was either early or late but neither really suit me. Now I'm trying to run at about 7:45ish - DH gets back from taking DC1 to the school bus at 7:45, so I can go out then while he drives the other two younger ones to school. I am NOT a morning person. If I go out as close to 7:45 as possible, that means waking up at 6 and having a hot drink with soya milk for breakfast (and maybe a dry slice of toast) straight away - to ensure I have used the facilities before I set out (see? Phobia). If I run in the evening, I'm not worried, it will be hours after my lunch (toast) and so long as my last drink is about half an hour before I set out I reckon I'll be fine. I don't notice much difference in ties between the runs at the different points in the day, perhaps because I don't push myself to exhaustion.

peach I seem to recall my preferred publications were 'Shoot!' and 'Match' when I was eight years old (which just to be clear where football magazines!) Mind you, those were the days when an Atari was only one step down from mission control at Houston so I imagine it's all a bit different now. I'll look forward to the joys of Moshi's discoveries with DS in a couple of years time no doubt

Am so jealous of all you VLMers out there. I am soooooo signing up for next year. It's a great idea for you lot to meet up at the start together. I've done it with friends before but there is a lot of hanging around so it's great to have people to fret with talk to!

Moshi love the idea is splitting the run into 20 miles plus a fast 10k. Not heard that before but might think about similar for next HM.

Happy running tapering!

that's so impressive! the only chance I'd have of running that kind of pace for more than about a mile is the race I'd run in my dreams. I've concluded that I have no natural talent for running whatsoever, so getting under about 9 minutes a mile is a major achievement given my basic lack of raw material. But good luck to you - I really hope you achieve your goal, as you've clearly worked very hard for it. I wish the same to all the other VLM runners - achieving the goal (I'm not sure any of you should really try and match Moshi)