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

[MoshiMoshi]

This is a continuation of the thread "Happy When We Are Running" for those of us who are committed to running in order to preserve a sense of ourselves and maintain a degree of sanity in our lives which are otherwise taken over by family and work-related matters.

All runners are welcome, experienced and newbies, if you are a keen runner. We promise to support you in your efforts and have a running (excuse the pun!) list of races (see below) which various of us have entered in order to provide advice and support along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Spring is here and there is no better time to enter those races you have been wondering about entering and lose those winter pounds, and all for free (well, as long as you have a decent pair of trainers suitable for your running gait ). Alternatively, if you don't want to race you can just join us to enjoy the racing vicariously and learn about training and what (not) to do along the way.

27/03/11 - Kingston Breakfast Run 8.2m wheely
02/04/11 - Miles for Missing People 10K: MoshiMoshi
10/04/11 - Brighton Marathon: Pawsnclaws
17/04/11 - VLM: MoshiMoshi/ Passmyglass/ Doyouthinktheysaurus
10/05/11 - Burbage Skyline 5.75 miles: Hatwoman
14/05/11 - Chester Half Marathon: IreadthereforeIam
15/05/11 - Oxford Town and Gown 10k: Goldberry
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: MrsWednesday
30/05/11 - BUPA 10K: MoshiMoshi
08/06/11 - Claver Peak 5 miles: hatwoman
11/06/11 - Clumber Park R4L 10k Hamster
12/06/11 - Bath R4L 5k Dillinger
12/06/11 - Redcar half marathon - DrNortherner
25/06/11 - Lewa half marathon Kenya - Masterandmargaritas
10/07/11 - RFL 5K, Kingston & Kempton Park: Wheelybug
18/09/11 - GNR: Hamster, Run for fun, popsycal
23/09/11 - Notting Half Marathon: cestlavie

4.58 for me, it was SO hot

it was very tough and no where near the time I was looking for (4.30) but as time passed I just wanted to finish.

well sone to everyone else

My legs are feeling pretty good as DP gve me a lovely massage, my recovery should be nice and quick.

I think I will stick to half marathons ins future!

Well done Moshi and pass, huge achievements in tricky conditions.

I agree about congestion being really bad. It never thinned for me, much more crowded than I imagined all through.

Legs hurt, street noisy and I can't sleep!!

Reporting in...

Very well done to Moshi, Doyouthink, Gizmo and Pass. Brilliant performances and times.

Unfortunately things went very awry for me and I finished in 5 hrs 26. I'm not quite sure why, but my legs felt like aching lumps of lead from just a few miles in (possibly mile 4). I think after 8 miles of running I had a walk break and after that, I ran/walked (or even walk/ran!) the rest of the way, but not in a strategic fashion. I think overall that I may have walked a third of the course. I haven't felt the need to walk at all in training, so I really don't know what happened.

My partner says he fancies entering the ballot for next year and I think I'd rather like to be a spectator/cheerer! My family missed seeing me, but it sounds like my daughter had a good time shouting out to the runners.

Can't decide if I never want to do a marathon again, or if I have to do just one more to lay this ghost to rest! I did have a thing about London, but I'm thinking there are plenty of other good marathons out there. In the meantime, I will stick to shorter distances (was joking on the way back that maybe 100 metres would be more appropriate ).

fascicle (great name by the way: I even know what it means!) I think you did amazingly - I hate the heat and would have struggled out there. I do think that like elite athletes we too have distances that do, and don't suit us. So while I can run a decent(ish) 5k I feel the distance is too short, and am much happier on a 10k canvas. But I think my ideal distance is probably 10miles/ the half marathon or even a 15 miler.

But well done to everyone - you all finished, even though it really didn't look like a lot of fun. It confirms my decision to stick to small, quirky events of about 2000 max (see list!)

but hugs and kisses and quick recoveries to you all - us lightweights are very proud of you!

Congrats to all of you for finishing! It seems most of you were disappointed with your times, so obviously the conditions weren't perfect, but you all did so well anyway.

fascicle sorry you ended up having to walk, but you still finished and that is an achievement in itself. It would have been so easy to give up once you realised it wasn't going to go to plan, but you didn't! You're still my hero!

I missed most of it live yesterday as we were out from about 10am, but caught up on all the highlights later on. It did look really crowded, even far into the course, but everyone seemed to be in great spirits. I do think it's great that so much of the focus is on the charities and running in memory of special people.

Those elite athletes are something else though, aren't they?! Did you see the TV presenter who said she tried to go on a training run with Liz Yelling? She said she couldn't even keep up to her pace for 100m!

Very well done facsicle and pass!

I think the heat is a more significant factor than any of us have previously realised. When I did my marathon I couldn't understand why I wasn't our if breath and my legs felt fine, but every time I tried to go faster it was like my body was screaming at me to stop.

I've done some Reading over the past week and now realise just how much energy your body uses trying to keep cool. In stress conditions your body will prioritise heat regulation. In short, something has to give.

We also suffer in this country from the fact that our spring marathons don't prepare us for heat - we've all done our training in snow and ice! We would cope better with the same temperatures if we did the same race but in September after a hot summer.

Anyway, after a week of reflection I'm happier with just having finished. Though now of course I've signed up for another marathon so I'd better make this one better! No congestion at Brighton - I think that's particular to London given the numbers.

Congrats to all and I hope the legs feel better soon. Mine were certainly bearable by the Tuesday and fine by Wednesday, but I took the whole week off and did a gentle 7 miles yesterday. Enjoy a well earned rest!

Well done fascicle and pass - am still in awe of all of you that finished. Not just for yesterday but for all the training and preparation that you have put in - I think someone earlier on on the thread called it a 'marathon campaign' which I really liked.

Well done fascicle and pass! You finished and are a finisher! The answer, of course, is an autumn marathon ...

passmyglasses and fascicle well done on completing, that in itself was an achievement well done

sorry it did not go according to plan but even elite athletes have bad days

I was reading last night about Sophie Raworth - took well over 6 hours to finish after collapsing at 24 miles. A couple of weeks ago I looked at her blog and am pretty certain she'd just done a 20 mile race in 3 hours-ish, so clearly fit and well-prepared. Full credit to her for finishing, but also a warning that the marathon is never to be under-estimated. I guess that's what makes it so attractive - it's utterly unpredictable.

Looking forward to Chester marathon now - 9th October so I'm banking on the weather being a bit more reasonable!

Ps Moshi - you know what they say, run your first race your second!

Thanks for your comments. You know how to make a girl feel better! (And thanks for the name comment, drivingmisscrazy.)

Interesting what you say about hot conditions and the body regulating heat, Pawsnclaws. Give me rain and snow to run in any day!

I also followed Sophie Raworth's blog and looked up her time, expecting a good result because her training seemed to have gone so well. Poor thing, but I was full of admiration that she went on to finish after collapsing and being on the roadside for a long time.

My legs are a bit stiff today but not hideous (maybe the benefits of walk/running, ho ho!) but for the first time ever, I have a couple of blisters on my toes, one of which is filled with blood. Just trying to decide whether to self-operate!

Well done fascicle, I think you did brilliantly

So, race report....

The day started really well, slept badly but got up early and was at Blackheath by 8am which was lovely as I had chance to relax and zone out for a while on my own.

I was in pen 8 and could see the start line way ahead as it curved round and watching people go across the line was v.exciting. I started off at about 10.30 pace which felt very comfortable so didn't try to much to slow down. I thought it would be very congested but the first few miles I found quite roomy.

I really enjoyed the first few miles, started to nitice the heat more after about mile 6 and made an effort to take on lots of water. By Tower Bridge I started to get a pain in the back of my knee I've not had before which was annoying. My pace had dropped to about 10.40ish but I felt pretty comfortable. I phoned dh as planned after Tower Bridge and then managed to find my family just past mile 14 which was lovely!! I went through halfway in 2.19 so I did slow but taking off a couple of mins for stopping with family, I think my second half was only about 5 mins slower, so not too bad.

The next few miles it started to get really tough. It got more and more congested, lots of people walking and it was really hard to keep pace. My Garmin malfunctioned in the tunnels and couldn't seem to pick up accurate pacing again so I gave up on that and tried to work on the time lapsed. By mile 20 I was in alot of pain, my knee I didn't notice but my quads were really tight and hurt like hell and my calf kept threatening to go into spasm. TBH at that point I wanted to cry

I met my family one more time just after mile 21 and then struggled on. After that I just couldn't keep running and had a 1 minute walking break. It did give me some relief from the pain in my quads and I had about 4 or 5 more 1 minute walking breaks between then and the finish. I did manage to do what felt like a sprint to the finish but was probably only 11mm...and I beat the Rhino....just

I was doing all these bargains with myself about never doing another marathon, if you can just finish this you never have to run again, that kind of thing....

TBH I have never known pain like it. It was absolute agony the last 5 miles but I just felt like I couldn't stop. I feel frustrated because I gave it everything and I couldn't have run a single second quicker but the clock doesn't seem to reflect the effort IYSWIM. I know it's not a bad time but it hurt so much....

Overall it was a great atmosphere, a real carnival feel about it but I won't do London again. The sheer number of runners made it very tricky, more so in the second half but the support was amazing. Toward the end I wanted to be left alone though, I wanted the noise to stop and everyone to go home! I really felt like I was in my own private hell!!

The good news is I didn't need a wee, although my bladder did release itself a little without consulting me on the finish line Lots of the loo's had queues...in the middle of the race

Finding Dh and the ds's was a nightmare, the meeting point was so busy and phones wouldn't work. We caught up eventually though and I had a little cry before making our way back to the hotel. What was really lovely was my DBrother and SIL were still in Covent Garden so we met up for a drink and a chat.

At the moment I wish I hadn't put my name down for Brighton. I'm sure I will forget the pain though and I really enjoyed the training! For the rest of the year I will focus on half's and try and get my times down.

My legs really hurt today and more worryingly I have a very painful left knee, I think it's my ITB. Lots of ibuprofen, ice and rest for me.

sorry about your blisters fascicle, I managed to come out of it blister free, I bet it was because I was carrying Compeed plasters, if I hadn't had them I am sure I would have had blisters

My sports bra rubbed on my back from where I was pouring water on my head and back in an attempt to not expire from the heat.

I also had factor 50 sunscreen on so no sunburn either, very very glad about that.

I have no plans to do any running in the near future in fact I may give uo the sport entirely as I obviously am not particularly good at it [self pitying emotion]

Thanks for the report DoYou interesting about the congestion, I wonder if they had more people walking than usual this year because it was hot.

Just a question, is the London route quite flat? I only wonder if maybe you were very used to lots and lots of hill training and then the monotony of flat running strained your muscles and caused the pain? I know sometimes after a few miles of flat I welcome the chance to go up a hill, it seems a relief in an odd sort of way, maybe just using different muscles in a different way. Also if you were having to brake even slightly or change direction to get round people that's not going to help.

I know what you mean about the time, I felt very grumpy after Brighton just as I didn't feel the time reflected all that hard work. I said to DH "any idiot could have walked it in that without training." But there will be other chances, other marathons maybe if I'm lucky. God love him, he said "well I'm an idiot but I couldn't have done it!"

pass I have a horrendous scab on my back where my bra rubbed - I have them right round but this patch is especially deep. I never thought running would scar me, but unfortunately being a DD/E my ample boobage must be restrained quite tightly .

Ladies, you did brilliantly - enjoy your rest!

Doyouthinktheysaurus - thank you for that detailed and graphic race report. You've given a great insight into what it was like to do the marathon.

It seems like London is the one everyone wants to do but in reality it is just too much due to the weather (which is normally too warm having spent the winter training!) and the sheer amount of people. I am so used to plodding around local villages on my own so you have given a real eye opener into how different it would be to run London. If they could only move it to October and reduce the numbers by half....!

passmyglassplease don't say that! :( You are good at it...YOU FINISHED!! Which is more than most people will EVER DO! And your time was good...I would be really chuffed to get that time!

Just to add..I ran 8 miles this morning as part of my half marathon training and was glad it ended as it was long and boring! I then realised that you guys ran 3 times that distance yesterday so I immediately stopped moaning!

It's great to hear what you all have to say about your experiences yesterday. I must admit I'm now having second thoughts about going in for the ballot - not because I don't want to do a marathon but because it sounds like it's not the ideal race to start with. I'll think about it a bit more and maybe sign up for a less congested one instead. Of course there are no guarantees I'd get in anyway, so maybe it's doesn't matter anyway.

passmyglass you're not allowed to give up running - we'd miss you! And a sub 5hr marathon is perfectly respectable anyway.

It's funny how all the build up for the marathon was so exciting, and now the race reports have kind of brought home what a serious effort is involved. I still think you all did so well.

I agree thecoo ..it does make you doubt London as being THE marathon to do. Saying that I have been entering the ballot for so blimming long I feel I am kind of addicted to it now lol! I have already entered it due to being such a reject (they let me in early!) but I know if I got a place I would somehow have to try and prepare for the congestion aspect and heat. No idea how....!

I'm still entering the ballot for London 2012 but I'd do it for pure enjoyment - there are other, cooler (weather wise), quieter marathons out there.

pass you have run a marathon, that is an amazing achievement

I have had similar thoughts about not being cut out for marathon running but I got so much out of the training, I loved that bit

I think post marathon blues are normal. I am an emotional wreck today. Lack of sleep, exhaustion, sore bits....it all takes its toll.

Be kind to yourself pass and remind yourself you have achieved something most people never will.

C'mon passmyglass. You did very well indeed! I felt pretty awful doing the thing, but I'm beginning to look back on it a little more fondly now.

Doyouthink - thank you for your race report. You did terrifically well with your time and managing to talk yourself round so well. The private hell thing went through my mind too. I just did not expect to be in pain from so early on. I've decided to put it down to having a bad day's run and I definitely need to do some more races to restore my running mojo. To be honest, the event was all a bit of a blur to me, but something that I can remember is spotting one of my brothers between miles 21 and 23. It made me smile so much when I spotted him twice more and it dawned on me that he was running alongside on the pavement.

pawsnclaws - London is mostly flat with a few inclines. And don't you believe your comment about walkers getting near your marathon time. Even a super speedy walker would still be going much slower than you; would still have had to have put in lots of training to keep up a brisk speed over time and their performance would have been affected by the relentless sun and heat at Brighton. Although it was hot and bright at London, the conditions did seem to improve towards the end.

And another of my woes, while I am at it is I CAN'T STOP EATING

I used to run to stay fit and slim, but since training for the VLM I have managed to put on a few pounds.

I am sure it will all settle down in a week or two, it had better as I need to fit back into my posh clothes as my dn is having her First Holy Communion soon.

I will probably wake up one morning this week with an overwhelming desire to go running, lets hope so!

Thanks guys for all the support, I think I am coming down after all the preparation and training culminating in yesterday.

On the up side I am bouncing around without to much bother, most other people I know who did yesterday are still trying to get up off the sofa

And the other up side is, I can have wine, yeah

A toast to you all.

Well done Moshi, that sounds brilliant I am delighted for you.

Pass and doyou, I think you both have post-race blues, totally understandable as you feel rotten and your body needs to recover. You will look at your achievements in a couple of days time and realise what an amazing thing you have accomplished. Who cares how long it took or that you had to walk, you have completed something that very few people can ever manage to complete. What an experience .