Running Thread - anyone got a place in 2009 London Marathon (or any Marathon!)

yes I did manage to enter the ballot! must be crazy - i think virgin have taken it over for the first year this time so they are obviously taking no prisoners! Thanks for the further advice lapsed - hopefully I will get better at my training if I get a place next year (sounds unlikely - phew!)

Congrats to everyone.

Xfabba - from my very dated experience you need to include;
Hill sprints once per week
Long runs to include (if you live in the SE):
Bury (St Edmunds) 20
Cranleigh (15/21 - go for the 21)

Apologies for the double post

......amazing, I must be well out of date in "my days" the applications closed in the Oct after the marathon and you knew in early Dec if you had a place.....enabling you to start training on 1 Jan. I am truely shocked and if I do decide to run a M in 2010 I will combine with a nice city break .

......amazing, I must be well out of date in "my days" the applications closed in the Oct after the marathon and you knew in early Dec if you had a place.....enabling you to start training on 1 Jan. I am truely shocked and if I do decide to run a M in 2010 I will combine with a nice city break .

.....what the f..k is going on. How can the 2010 ballot already be closed! I ran it in 96 & 97 and thought I might stagger out of retirement at the age of 47.5 next year to have another go. Forget it, it was a truely memorable experience but I'm not going to support an event that closes 7 days after the previous years event. Bring on Vienna 2010 (or any other capital city marathon)....

I thought of you guys yesterday when I ran 10 miles in the early morning heat...ok..so not HOT but it was damn warm (wore my shorts for first time this year!). It is soooo much harder when warmer than you are used to and I kept thinking about how you all coped doing 26 miles in that weather! Seriously impressed!!

[whispers] yes. not sure if I'll do it though. there's no way it could live up to the real joy and excitement of doing it first time round...maybe it needs to stay as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

(i have a feeling the ballot's closed now btw)

Hi there I followed the guide in the same book. Things I would do differently (for a better time/less pain on the day):

Start program earlier - Oct/Nov/Dec (I started in January)
Run 3/4/5 times a week instead of 2/3/4
Do more long training runs eg 2 x 18 miles, 2 x 20 miles (this is very hard to do I think - I only managed 1 x 18 miles)
Do more speed/hills work rather than just running at even pace
Work on legs in gym!
Get seen by a physio early on to get rid of any gait problems causing pain (I got plantar fascitis in one foot)
Practice pacing eg runs where do all at even pace
Do 2 half marathons maybe (I did one)
Eat less the day / week before! (was a bit bunged up by too much stodgy pasta etc)

just popping in from the running thread as I have followed this thread from day one and I am so impressed and in awe of all of you!

I would love to do it next year and was wondering whilst it is still fresh in your minds if there are any tips you can pass on..things you wish you did differently for example? Some of you mentioned gym work on your legs?

Also, which training plans did you follow..I have the non-runners marathon trainer book but am interested to hear what plan you all followed?

Well done again!

that book was great by the way

yes we are!

we are marathoners!!!!!!!

RFL I completely agree - would do far more on my legs - i was absolutely fine cardivascular, stamina, endurance etc - it was just the muscles in my thighs, calves and knees that just could not do anymore or go any faster - I thought I had strong legs too.

I would also do much more running on the road as I just did not realsie how hard it is on your knees.

still, we did it, had never run more than a mile this time last year - well done all of us!!!!

Hello and congratulations to xfabba and beaniebaby25.

Its funny but its a bit like labour, over time you start to forget the paina and today I want to do it again

I think I will wait a couple of years. Dont think I can put my family through hours of moaning about training again.

Plus next time I will go to the gym and use weights to strengthen my legs. My knees let me down and they feel fine today so I think it was just the muscles around them could not cope. I had been told by many people that I needed to strengthen them - ah well!

Like you said, it was my first and I ran it so I am happy with that.

i remember the guy with the horn too, everything made me cry. i cant remember the last time i cried that much

i just remember saying to myself

"i know you're hurting but you are doing the bloody marathon, you are here, this is it - enjoy it, dont rush the miles away"

at one point, i heard a soft little voice call my name and I looked over my shoulder to see who it was and there was a little girl about 6 (suprised she read my name), people around her had now turned to shout the next persons name but her head was turned my waty, she was still looking at me as i ran ahead waving and saying (not shouting) "go shirley"... tears are comning again now! - what a wus i am

I have told all my family and friends about it and now need to stop myself talking about it unless they ask... thats going to be hard!... again just like labour! You want to talk about it.

x

yikes! there's a hell of a lot of commitment on this thread. congratulations on your incredible achievements xfabba and beanie - i hope you both have speedy recoveries

hi everyone congrats on the great times RFL, hellion hatwoman and xfabba! I have been lurking on this thread for a while, i even joined in at one point in feb i think stressing about my training! I also ran yesterday, and am really feeling it today. I also pulled a ligament in my knee i think, felt like my knee cap was going to fall off - agony. But i made it round, I was aiming for 5 hours but crossed the line at 6.10. i was overjoyed to finish, the whole thing was amazing

hatwoman - that was also my fave bit, all the people in Charlton in their front gardens. Did you see the man playing his trombone and his neighbour playing the horn? It really moved me and I was feeling emotional anyway and I shed a tear!

wonderful day though. Congrats all

hi all and congratulations! just wanted to add my update - did 5:18. I too thought I would be faster and was aiming for 4.45 but I pulled a ligament in my knee just after tower bridge and had to walk/limp/jog for a couple of miles. I thought it was all over but luckily about then everything went numb from the waist down so I thought sod it! and just went for it. So glad I did as the sense of achievemnet is immense. I too am tempted to do it again for a better time ..... (though was swearing never again yesterday!)

runforlove you did an amazing thing, something most people could never manage - to get round at all is a massive achievement, even more so for someone so new to running. be proud of yourself, you deserve it i bet your dad is incredibly proud of you too.

and you too hellion, i can't even imagine running for 5+ hours, except that it must take so much dedication. hope you're enjoying a very well earned rest today.

well done runforlove. don't worry about the time - you got round and you ran round. TWENTY-SIX miles - how good is that?

who can say why it was different from your training? the weather perhaps? the excitement? what you ate? there are so many variables that there's no accounting for them really.

let's just raise a virtual glass to our success. well done all of us. [hat retreats as eyes prick again...]

Well done Hatwoman and Hellion!

What an amazing experience.

I was a little gutted that I did it a whole hour longer than planned 5hrs 27 mins!!!!

But I ran the whole way and never walked. I knew that if I walked for even a bit I would not run again. I stopped 9 times to hug friends and family and queued 5 mins to do a wee.

I have run 18 miles runs with 10 min miles twice and felt fine at the end but yesterday my knees and feet were killing at 16 miles and I started getting all emotional and could not believe how bad I was feeling so early on. I still dont know why that happened. I looked at my watch and could see how behind I was so I decided to not look at it again, forget about time and just make sure I ran to the finish line even if it took me forever.

I started really slow on purpose but never got to speed up, I wonder now if i should have just stuck to my 10 minute miles? Maybe running slower fatigued my legs earlier than they would have? Anyway.... I should let it go and just be happy I ran all the way. Which was my orginal plan.

I guess its not bad for someone who could nor run for 5 mins last October.

Well done to all, I did it in 2003 another scorching day. Its such an amazing experience its worth all of the pain.