runners united (burning up pavement, burning up threads)

[drivingmisscrazy]

calling all runners, veterans, newbies, fast, slow, anyone who likes to run to keen sane, keep things in perspective and to get out into the spring sunshine. We are a friendly bunch and all of us have things to learn from each other! Welcome. Please join us

01/05/11 - Great West Run (Half Marathon) Thetasigmamum
02/05/11 - Ashdon 10K: bonkers20
07/05/11 - Forres (Benromach) 10k: backwardpossom
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
21/05/11 - Clare Burren Marathon Challenge - drivingmisscrazy
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: MrsWednesday
22/05/11 - Merchant Taylors' Triathlon: MoshiMoshi
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Half Marathon: backwardpossom, squix
29/05/11 - Stirling R4L: squix
29/05/11 - Plymouth Half Marathon: sungirltan
30/05/11 - BUPA 10K: MoshiMoshi
05/06/11 - Seaford Half Marathon: Doyouthinktheysaurus
05/06/11 - Tilty Hilly 5(mile): bonkers20
05/06/11 - RFL 10k: LaLa
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
12/06/11 - The Heroes half marathon - Futurity
19/06/11 - Dash for Dads - Pawsnclaws
19/06/11 - Half Ironman UK 70.3 - Twink, MoshiMoshi
25/06/11 - Lewa half marathon Kenya - Masterandmargaritas
26/06/11 - Stortford 10 miles - thecoo
26/06/11 - Colworth half marathon - cestlavie
10/07/11 - RFL 5K, Kingston & Kempton Park: Wheelybug
10/07/11 - Felsted 10K: bonkers20
17/07/11 - RFL St Albans - Pawsnclaws
17/07/11 - Dublin Mountain Plod (HM) - drivingmisscrazy
18/09/11 - GNR: Hamster, Run for fun, popsycal, LaLa
23/09/11 - Notting Half Marathon: cestlavie
24/09/11 - mooathon, donegal: drivingmisscrazy
25/09/11 - Edinburgh Urbanathlon: backwardpossom
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
10/12/11 - Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon (half): drivingmisscrazy

have looked at final times and feel slightly better about it now - there was a mini, a half and a full; I finished bang in the middle of the field; 150 didn't finish. It looks like someone did the half (a woman) in 51 minutes - that must be wrong - the male world record is 58 mins! Very few finishers under 2 hours; only one marathon finisher under 3 and only about 25 under 4 hours...so it was rough and tough.

Sat here with DD, both of us in our pjs watching In The Night Garden :o

On the upside other than a few scratches and chafings I am unscathed and could happily run tomorrow (well, that's how I feel now!!)

driving that sounds like an endurance race well done you, such rough conditions/ terrain, hope you have a well earned rest

driving ...you did so well! Sounds awful and you did a really good time considering the conditions! So will you be doing it again next year!?

After all the discussions on road bikes...I bought one today! Scary! Was half price second hand Raleigh Sprint (1 year old) which was outside my local bike shop taunting me with its loveliness! It's my birthday soon so I thought I would go for it...and it was half price ! (can you tell I am trying to justify it!). Pick it up on Wednesday.

you will all beat my time tomorrow - I have used up all the bad running karma for this weekend

Goodness, well done driving! Sounds like it was a really tough race. I know how you feel, I wasn't massively impressed with my marathon time - but you just have to accept that conditions on the day were less than ideal, plus you were not at your best physically with a cold etc. In a few days it will all look much better . And I bet your dp and dd were really proud! I hope they've spoilt you for the rest of today.

hi runners! not dropped in for a while but training going strong and well up to 10 miles for 1/2 marathon in a weeks time. suffering from total lazyitis this weekend and dont want to run at all but will fit in a training run tomorrow and a big trial run wednesday.

in the end i bought new trainers but cant bear to take them out - they feel way too big so i will stick with what i have (feet feeling ok/knees etc) and change the new ones after the race

hope everyone is doing well xx

thanks all; yes, well, I did it...DP thinks I am mad (i was so cold I couldn't do my bra up, my fingers were all wrinkly, I have a huge bruise on my elbow); quite like this offroad thing, actually, but would need to run many more hills in training to really be able to do it. And that would be logistically quite difficult - there are good hills to be run around here, but they are all at least 30 minutes away. I could do it from work, maybe. I need to sit down and think about where I go from here. But a 10k seems like a very easy prospect!

drivingmisscrazy at least your bruise was well earnt - the huge purple one on my backside is purely down to my inability to stay upright.

Driving, absolutely brilliant effort, those conditions sound horrendous! You should be really proud of that time, am very impressed. I agree with Paws, with a bit of hindsight you will realise your achievement. Bet you would find a road half boring now!!

am starting to bask in the glow of all your lovely comments :) thanks so much (I love this thread)

sungirl sounds like preparations are going well!

Well done driving! Very tough conditions, sounds horrendous
Don't even think you are not good at running. You just ran 13.1 miles. Why are we runners always so hard on ourselves?

Well done driving! I couldn't imagine running in those conditions - you did fantastically well.

Good luck for tomorrow possum squix and MrsWeds.

Wow! Well done driving, conditions sound horrific. I think you have done amazingly, I hope you feel very proud today.

Good luck today Mrswed, possum and squix, I'm thinking of you.

good luck, edinburgh runners! quads sore today from the downhills, horrific cold (hence my lack of energy yesterday), but otherwise recovering well. Pancakes and no running today!

misscrazy - well done on finishing a difficult race in a superb time! Of course you are good at running. Those who aren't give up and you most certainly didn't quit! It sounds like conditions were horrendous but, had you anticipated them, quite fun at the same time. There is a certain appeal to trail races and bad weather I must admit...

8 miles easy at 8m/m yesterday and Bootcamp today. Am enjoying this relaxed routine and can feel my shin splints receding.

Hope the weather in Edinburgh is being kind to our friends... Looking forward to the race reports!

Moshi I am determined to do a better time next time out - it was fun in a warped kind of a way - I'd need to train better for that kind of running. I am already plotting my next tranche of training - if only to prove a point.

Driving that time sounds great for the conditions you describe. Well done.

I hope the weather in Edinburgh was better than in Dundee this am. I got completely soaked by driving rain and wind while running a steep uphill section (miles 4-5) of my run this am. It was very slow but I am entirely blaming the conditions.

I have just worked out that I have run 21 miles this week despite having a cold and now sinusitis - this half-marathon is making me a bit hardcore!

Dropping in for a quick hello and wishing all those good luck for todays racing.

I hope all is well, I'm sure I'll catch up sometime though there seems to be very little spare time just now.

My half marathon on 26 June in Lewa is still on and I am up to 17k in distance, once a week, upping it next week and regular 10k with some speed/intervals/tempo time permitting. Today we ran a very muddy route in a forest, which put me in mind of Hatty and her fell running.

Does anyone know if there is a website that I can use to get an elevation profile of my race?

m&m (hope you don't mind the abbreviation!), I use this site to map runs and keep my log - it will give you an elevation (although you might not want to know!); where's Lewa? training sounds good :)

Hello all, am back from this morning's race. My time was 2 hours 1 minute and 9 seconds - which is a PB so but a pesky 69 seconds over the 2 hours! I keep thinking about where I could have got the time back but hindsight is a wonderfull thing.

The course was great - starts off pretty much downhill then flat from about 4 miles. I was amazed that the race was so busy and that there were so many supporters out. And a big thank you to the supporters who handed out Jelly Babies - I dropped half of mine so they were much appreciated! I thought that the marathon would be the 'glamour event' but there were a fair few for us too. We got out of central edinburgh quite quickly but it was a great start location and I always enjoy running along the sea front.

It's a bit off putting running past the finish line with about 4 miles to go (we ran past the finish for 2 miles, turned round and came back) - but I imagine it's worse for those doing the full marathon knowing they have 17 miles left.

The weather was fine - almost perfect - sunny, a tiny bit breezy on some bits and light showers for the last about 3 miles.

Whilst the course itself is great the organisation at the end wasn't the best. The start was fine (usual problems of not enough loos) and the marshalls and water stations on the way were great, but the end wasn't good. For a start - no spectators at the finish line (they had been told that there would be a big screen showing the finish but that was just showing some strange rock concert), and a 20 minute walk from the finish line to the meeting points - that almost felt longer than doing the race itself!

Leaving home at 7 with DH and DD in tow was tricky and I was incredibly grumpy and snappy with them so have just paid my pennance by taking DD to soft play. I don't feel too bad - have a big blister (don't know why - have worn shoes loads and socks are well used) and legs are abit achey. My sore back seemed to hold out OK too - felt it a bit at mile 8 but took some ibuprofen and it was fine.

So all, in all I enjoyed it but I would have enjoyed it more if I had been 70 seconds faster!

Well done squix! Sounds like you had a great run and left something in the bank for the end too perhaps? You will dip below 2 hours next time I am sure. Bit of an odd finish and in complete contrast to London where the crowds are enormous!

squix well done, well done! it sounds like the polar opposite to my race (what is this 'downhill' you speak of?) and I'm sure you will go sub-2 next time out. Brilliant job.

I know what you mean about the folks back home; I had one of many low points yesterday where I just thought my goodness this just seems so completely self-indulgent...and I didn't even manage a decent time.

Wow Squix, great time. Well done! I would be delighted with that kind of time.

My half is on 12th June. What should my last week look like training wise? Last long run 1 week before or 2? And should I actually run 13 miles in training, only done 10 so far.

Thanks.

DrNo - whilst my own experience perhaps hardly inspires confidence (am thinking now that I would have done 2h10 on a flat course though) - I think a long run one week out is fine; then two short, easy runs (say, Sunday long, then Tues (5 mi), then Thurs (3) for following Sunday race). I'm not sure about the distance - I always feel like I have to do the distance (and then a bit) beforehand, but I don't have much confidence. You could try working up to 12 (an extra mile in each of the next 2 weeks) and then you'd be carried along for the last mile.

I didn't find the distance on Sat a problem at all - on top of everything I was clearly brewing a nasty cold, which didn't help. Onwards and upwards!