Help !! Marathon

Is there any update on this?
did you do it OP?

@Ames135 that won't work, you need ID to collect your race number at London! Also, VERY bad form to run on someone else's race number, particularly an event that's so hard to get a place.

Hi @kat35112 If you still have a place but are no longer doing the run, please let me know! Thanks :)

Not long to go now.

How is training going @kat35112 ?

When I was 27 I went from never running before to running a marathon in 6.5 months . I was healthy and stayed injury free dispute a rather higher mileage training plan ( why I picked an intermediate training planning is beyond me HAHA). Anyway I was young, didn’t know any better and it luckily worked out .

What cardio do you do currently? Have you ever ran?

if you want to do it then run / walk would be the best strategy I’d say. Are you happy to do that? If so then go for it! If you’d prefer to run it then I’d try and defer.

London is a massive thing for a lot of people - I've got friends that get knocked back year after year - so it feels a bit off to take a place if you're only 50/50 on wanting to do it. You can defer, but sounds like a charity place - they may have their own rules? If you want to do it, you might well be fine (I've done numerous events underprepared) but it might not be pretty!

You could get round but it wouldn't be much fun from mile 15 or so I would imagine

You'll also be at the back and obviously crowd support isn't the same for the people coming in at 7 or 8 hours, people get tired of standing for hours and go home

If you can defer I would (and I say this as a runner who would dearly love a place at London).

It depends if you want to run it or just make it to the finish line? London has a very generous cut-off time that equates to brisk walking pace if you're fit so if you can jog and walk and don't mind being out there for 8 hours then you could probably make it to the finish line. But I think you can probably rule out any hopes of running much of it. our club training plan starts at 8 miles and is now on week 7 this weekend with a 14 mile training run.
If you're not local I would also check the price of hotel accommodation at this late stage before you commit to it.

How far can you walk at the moment?

If you can walk at a decent pace for a couple of hours, I'd go down the run/ walk route. Set a timer for repeats of r30s, w60s and see what your body is comfortable doing. Do the run intervals gently.

There is overlap between a brisk walking pace and slow running pace.

Defer until next year and do it properly. You may be able to make it all the way round walking this year but you won't do it justice.

There are plenty of people who participate in the London Marathon without having ever run one before, and it's not just for the serious runners.

Although I have to admit, I am a little envious of anyone getting a place, but that's what the ballot is. The fundraising part for me, is the hardest as I don't feel comfortable with having to ask for donations again, so good on you on being good at fundraising.

Personally, I think if you can barely run 5k now, there is absolutely no way you can run the full marathon in 12 weeks time. At best you can do the run walk method as others have already mentioned.

If you've always wanted to do something like this, then now is a good time as any while the opportunity is here. However, if you wanted to do it justice and get a decent time, and not, then you could defer so that you can train properly and have a strong base.

You’ll be fine! Just get a training plan and start now, minimum 3 runs a week. Make sure you do a long run (progressively building up to your 20 miles-ish around the end of March), a speed or hills session and an easy paced mid-distance each week. I did it in October and it was amazing! I can genuinely say I enjoyed it and didn’t find it ‘hard’ until I hit 30k and then something just comes over you for the last 10 or so km. I felt like I couldn’t care less about the whole thing and wasn’t even fussed if I finished it or not 😂 I didn’t break into walk the entire time though but those last few miles still haunt me, it was like time stood still! That’s the bit where your fitness really comes in to play. If you aren’t going with any crazy time in mind you’ll be fine, lots of people walk when they need to! I’m going to watch this year! Good luck

No reason to think you will fail! Also you won't be taking a place from someone else that wants it more as you'd be taking a charity place not a ballot place. The charity will be keen to fill its places with people that are willing and able to raise the money. They don't mind how fast you are. If you're on Facebook think about joining the training groups on there if you need help deciding - lots of people on there to answer any questions x

Do it! You’ve said you can raise the money. You’re young and fit. Get training and give it your best shot.

It is not that difficult to get a charity place as long as you are able to pledge that you will hit the fundraising target so please don't worry that you are taking the place of someone else who really wants to do it

The charity will be very happy to have you on their team as long as you can raise plenty of money for them and will be much less concerned about how fast you run! (I'm sure they would prefer you to run a very slow marathon and raise lots of money than vice versa!!)

Absolutely not selfish of you at all to go for it, why would you think that? As long as you are reasonably confident about meeting the fundraising target, which it sounds like you are

Really worth delaying until next year and doing enough prep so you enjoy the day. If you are desperate to do it Jeff it.

I think it's probably a bit late to train to run the whole thing, but a run/walk combination should definitely be possible. As pp suggested, look up Jeffing or Galloway walking. London has an extremely generous cutoff time so you should be fine. Good luck!

Whoops!
Oh well.
Beg beg BEG to defer if you can. They must have some process for people getting ill or injured... I would hope. A certain amount of careful presentation of the facts (cough) may help.
0-marathon in a year and a bit is much safer, will be much less harrowing, and give you more fundraising time (and that's almost the hardest bit) than ...in a few weeks.

Otherwise - walk/run is your friend. Walk 2 mins, jog 1, repeat, have an energy gel every hour, you should be done in under 7 hours and London's limit is 8. If you get to 18 miles and feel you could do more, go to run 1 walk 1.
Yours, someone who has done quite a few marathons, including some she shouldn't really have started and/or wasn't fully trained for :D

Look up the Jeff Galloway method, and focus on alternating walk/run. This will make it feel much more doable.

I think ideally you'd have a couple of years of consistent running behind you before you start marathon training, but yiu (just!) have time to train.

Find a hey me round training plan, folllow it religiously for the weeks you have left and aim to walk/run on the day.

Please don't take the place if you're not going to do it. Bear in mind also that the fundraising will take a lot of mental energy. Lots of my runner friends have said that's actually the hardest bit.

I think it might be better if you tell MIND that you aren't fit, return the charity place to them to reallocate, and get on their list for next year. By which time you can have build up a base level of running fitness, and be fit enough to do a 16 week plan

Raising £2k in the 12 weeks remaining is going to be a challenge too - so deferring to next year gives you a better shot at that too