To think that MIL is being ridiculous

[BasinHaircut]

DH has just had a call from his mother who has apparently just applied to a charity for a place in the London marathon.

MIL is 59, does absolutely no exercise, and I guarantee will not go for one single run unless someone goes with her. She has signed up with her 60yo partner, who works long hours so wouldn't be able to run on a week day before 7:30pm, so I have no idea when they think they will train.

Her partner has also just spent the best part of a month suffering v badly with his asthma, so hardly the time to start crash marathon training I'd have thought?

Am I right in thinking that any sane person planning on running the marathon would have started training before now?

We are a bit worried that firstly, MIL could cause herself serious physical harm, and secondly, that they are going to ask people to sponsor them (they have to raise around £3k between them) and not do it properly, or at all. The upshot of that being that they are letting the charity down and denying someone who would actually do it the chance?

[daisychain01]

I agree with you TriJo, having run 4 Londons, I concur that it is totally foolhardy to go into the event with zero fitness base. All the best for your 2017 event.

It's not even as if the MIL was, say a keen cyclist with good cardio conditioning, then she could feasibly switch to running.

The marathon distance is one to be respected!

[TriJo]

I finally got in for this year through the ballot at my 6th attempt - I'm deferring to 2017 though because my baby is due in March! Have done three marathons before, never slower than 4:30 and went under 4 hours once, so have a good idea of what's needed. I don't even want to think about the world of pain that OP's MIL will be in if she is going from 0 training in January to even walking it in April, at the end of the day 42.2km is a long way regardless of how you cover it and it would make me feel very uneasy that she's so naive about it.

If she has the spot confirmed, deferring and doing it in 2017 would be a much, much better option.

[daisychain01]

Yes basin. What happens is that LM allocates bona fide running places to charities for free. Once the charity has accepted an application from a member of the general public, they give them the place on the understanding that the runner will raise money. The marathon place is still officially bound by the rules of LM. So no transferring your number to someone else for example. But asking for your position to be deferred until the following year is a common practice for health and safety reasons.

The other thing I meant to mention is that in the past I've known plenty of people in my athletics club to apply even if they weren't intending to run the following year, as people are very often rejected. Its just a way of hedging your bets so that, eventually you get your place. So your MIL would be fine.

I hope your MIL does get to run, but giving herself a year to train up is probably best.

[BasinHaircut]

daisy thanks, can you defer charity places then?

[daisychain01]

Basin - an alternative approach you could take, if you'd like to help, is to give her some information (as she's a novice)

1. If she has a confirmed place in the LM, then she can very legitimately defer it to 2017 (she just returns her race 'ticket', and they automatically re-enter her next year). LM have always had this in situ to prevent people from being forced to run with a cold, injury etc.
   

1. She can then take a longer term view to her training. She can find herself a local running buddy (so she doesn't limit herself to her DP's schedule, who can only run after 7.30pm) I agree with her that running alone when you've just started out, isn't right for everyone.
   

1. I'd recommend she tries to find her local Park Run so she can start running locally and regularly with other people of all shapes, sizes, ages. It is a fun way of getting into running. Also she will see her fitness improve over 12 months.
   

If she can take a longer term view to this 'project' she will be more likely to get round in one piece, enjoy it and get fit.

[Soooosie]

Ask her what her training plan is and link her to training websites

[Runningupthathill82]

I think the thing is, BackforGood, that the c25k thread was for people who are genuinely trying to get fit and who are doing it in a realistic way to improve their health in the long term. So the advice given was helpful and realistic.

Whereas there is clearly no way the OP's MIL is going to train for and run the marathon in any sort of decent time. It's tough enough getting to marathon standard in four months if you've got a good base of fitness, which she doesn't from the sounds of it. But it's perfectly possible just to get round the thing slowly and safely at walking pace - and it's not really the OP's business if that's what her MIL chooses to do.

I mean, each year there are thousands of people who do the London marathon, and other big city road races, on zero training. Dressed as giant caterpillars, or carrying fridges, tied to their best mates, or whatever. The majority of them finish, perhaps minus a few toenails. They also don't tend to be the ones who do themselves serious injury.

When you look at the people who sadly die taking part in the VLM, the GNR or similar, they are usually semi-serious runners who push it far too hard on the day, or who take supplements they maybe shouldn't. It is very unlikely that the OP's MIL will do herself serious harm walking the course, though it will be tough and uncomfortable.

I also say this as someone who has applied for the London marathon several times and never got a place. I'm not that bothered as I can and do take part in other major races instead, on which I'm going to get faster times and pay a much more sensible entry fee.
There's oodles of races for "proper" runners, but only really a handful that are geared to slow charity runners in the way the London marathon is. In an "ordinary" marathon the MIL would finish last. At London, she certainly won't, she'll raise £3.5k for charity, and she will have support all the way round the course.

Ok, it's not ideal and a 10k road race would be far more sensible - but if she wants to do it I think the OP would be better sitting back and letting her crack on.

[BackforGood]

Wow there are some strange posts on here. The OP hasn't been sneering nor snidey or any of the other things some people have accused her of. I've even gone back and read the thread a 2nd time to see if I missed something the first time.
The OP is right to voice her concerns. You should prepare very carefully if you are going from being a person who doesn't exercise, to a person who wants to run a marathon at any age, but, with each decade, then a little bit more caution and certainly a lot more preparation is advised.
There was a thread on here a couple of weeks ago talking about the Couch to 5k app..... yes read again 5k, not 26miles.... and that some people found they hadn't managed it in 9 weeks, but had had to repeat the first week about 3 times, then a couple of times at the 2nd week etc. It was a nice, supportive thread, and people were saying that it's OK to do that and take it at your own pace, but I think it gives a bit of a measure of what's realistic for people who have not exercised regularly ever in years.

[PrimeDirective]

I'm just saying that the charity but is a complete red herring here.
If she has a charity entry, then she will have to pay a fixed fee in advance for the place regardless of whether she even turns up. So if she doesn't pay by the deadline in advance of the race, her place will be given to someone else. The charity will not lose out.

[suzannecaravaggio]

Trying to run before they can walk is the phrase that comes to mind
I hope you update us after the event OP!

[Topseyt]

I don't think Basin is being snide or sneery. Realistic more like.

For several years I used to live on the course of the London Marathon. It was on the Isle of Dogs, around the 20 mile mark if I remember rightly, and DH ran it a couple of times.

It takes a huge amount of training, and the chances are that you will still come home with some sort of an injury. DH was very fit then 20-ish years ago, still is now as he is a keen cyclist. He still had to put in masses of training virtually every day for several months. He had huge blisters and bleeding nipples at the end each time despite following all advice carefully.

I understand your concerns OP. It just isn't something you can simply set out to do on a whim. Oh, and before anyone asks me whether I trained in support of DH, no I didn't. A marathon would have been beyond anything I would have been able to commit to, not to mention that I was heavily pregnant with DD1 when he ran his first one in 1995.

DH no longer runs marathons. He prefers cycling anyway. He ran London 3 or 4 times for different charities and New York once. GNR a couple of times too.

Running is high impact on your body, even with the best gear and training. That's why I am relieved he is cycling instead.

It is good that your MIL wants to get fitter. Joining a local gym would be more realistic at first though, or some gentle swimming.

[Hobbes8]

I don't know why the OP is getting such a hard time. People die attempting marathons. And she can't just walk it if she isn't going to train - I did the moonwalk as a reasonably fit 28 year old and trained pretty hard for it, and the last 3-4 miles were still really really hard work and I was in a ton of pain. A marathon really isn't something you can attempt on a whim.

[AyeAmarok]

Because Going If she's going to be badgering for money from people for it, those people will probably be giving it with the expectation that MIL will be putting in about 10 hours a week of hard-graft training.

If she doesn't bother, then people will (rightfully, IMO) be a bit annoyed and feel a bit duped.

Yes it all goes to charity, but they may have given to MIL in favour of their own charities, or given less to other acquaintances who actually put in the effort. So I can totally see OP's point with that.

[BasinHaircut]

Because she will be letting the charity down? all of the people who cough up to sponsor her? Because she might do herself an injury before she gives up?

[Goingtobeawesome]

Well if she has form for not following through why all the angst? She clearly won't do it in your opinion.

[BasinHaircut]

magpie yes it will be a challenge if she takes on the challenge. The issue is that I don't think she will. Just seems like such a waste.

I have lots of time and respect for her Aye, just not for this, as I know her and know she won't do it. There will be excuse reason after reason why she couldn't run on this and that day and so when she drops out she will have already convinced herself that it simply wasn't possible because she had so many set backs. But those set backs are likely to be that she was a bit tired that evening, or needed a lie in on the day she should have done her long run that week.

If she does it I will be amazed but more importantly incredibly proud of her. We have been trying to encourage her to do various, less extreme things for years now to boost her health, confidence, social life etc. But she hasn't done any of them.i really don't think that this is where she should be starting. As I said up thread if she said she wasn't going to apply for a place next year I would feel much more positive about it.

And yes i might even commit to doing it with her!

[Freefalling123]

I did London 5 years ago through a charity place. I got the place in late October, and therefore trained for almost six months. I was unfit, starting from scratch (and was early 40s). I ran a half marathon in 2.5 hours in early Feb that year, but I realised there was no way I was going to be able to run the whole thing, so I went for a walk/run strategy with about 2.5 months to go. In training I was doing 18 miles on my weekly long run for the last 4-5 weeks on this strategy.

It still took me 6 hours to complete London, and I had given myself a fighting chance with training.

Knowing I did put the training in and how hard that was - there is no way now, even with having retained a level of fitness, I would contemplate getting fit enough for 26.2 miles in only just over 3 months.

And those of you say just walk it - it is still really really hard to go that far walking without proper training. The strain it puts on your body is immense. I couldn't walk for two days after, had blisters on blisters, and lost a toe nail! And as for runners nipples....

I admire everyone who raises money by putting themselves through a marathon, but your mil quite frankly sounds bonkers. And is taking the place of someone who will finish in decent time and has bothered to put the effort required for training in.

[AyeAmarok]

I see both sides here.

OP, you do sound both exasperated and like you have very little time or respect for her. Let her get on with it, don't bring it up but if she does just an airy "oh you must be doing a lot of hours of running a week, how are you finding it?".

Yes, it's a bit daft, and I know what you mean about the donations, when I've sponsored someone for marathons in the past its because of the effort they were putting in in the lead up as well, not just to turn up on the day and have a go at walking, as anyone (without a disability) could do.

But you never know, she just might take it seriously. In fact, is a little bit of you worried that she might do it and then you'd have to admit that she has accomplished something pretty amazing?

[magpie17]

Lots of people pick random charities to get marathon places. Usually you are more likely to get a place via some of the less well known ones so it's quite common to pick totally randomly. The charity doesn't care though, whatever your motivation and whether you have heard of the cause before, they still get the money and you still get to complete the challenge. It's a win win.

[magpie17]

But it will be a challenge? You go out and walk 26 miles and come and tell me it wasn't a challenge.

[BasinHaircut]

*bit

[BasinHaircut]

And I'm not knocking people who chose random charities to get a place in the marathon because they are passionate about running and are putting the effort in.

I'm just saying that the charity but is a complete red herring here.

[BasinHaircut]

going no I don't think it's in the spirit of it.

If I sponsor someone to do something then it should IMO be a challenge, and a serious commitment. Otherwise it is just collecting donations. If I'm donating to a charity, I'll donate to one that means something to me (or them), not one that will simply allow someone to do something they fancy doing right now.

If MIL wants to collect for charity (and she doesn't) then good on her. But she can go and stand in the high street shaking a collection tin to do that. From what I can gather, charity bit has absolutely no bearing on what she is doing. It just needs to be done to enable her to get a place.

And yes she has form for announcing she is going to do x and not following through. Not usually marathons and the like though.