Runners United: Where we support each other through the good runs, the bad runs and everything in between.

[Themasterandmargaritas]

15/10/11 - Donadea Forest Trail 10k - rhetorician
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
16/10/11 - Aviemore 10K: Piffpaffpoff
16/10/11 - Richmond Castle 10k: Stickylittlefingers
22/10/11 - Shockabsorber 10K Richmond Park - sfx
23/10/11 - Thruxton Mass Attack Duathlon- DebitheScot
23/10/11 - Big Fun Run 5k Edinburgh Holyrood Park - Bumply
23/10/11 - East Coast Run 10k - Ibbydibby
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
30/10/11 - Nairobi Standard Chartered Half Marathon - M&M
05/11/11 - Glendalough Trail Run - rhetorician
06/11/11 - Lancaster Half Marathon - Fannybanjo
06/11/11 - Bonfire Burn 10K - Futurity
13/11/11 - Stebbing 10 Mile - bonkers20
19/11/11 - Maasai Mara Half Marathon - M&M
20/11/11 - Leeds Abbey Dash (10k) - DrNortherner
27/11/11 - City of Norwich half marathon: ibbydibby, MoshiMoshi
27/11/11 - Bicton Blister (10M) - RunningAllDay
22/01/12 - Four Villages Half Marathon (Helsby) - Fannybanjo
19/02/12 - Brighton Half marathon - Wheely
04/03/12 - Milton Keynes Half Marathon - pawsnclaws
11/03/12 - Cambridge Half Marathon - Futurity, Runnerstipple, Cherry (what have I done??)
25/03/12 - Edale Skyline - (21 miles. 4,500 ft climb) Hatwoman
10/03/12 - Blackpool Half Marathon - DrNortherner, Fannybanjo
01/04/12 - Reading Half-Marathon - RunningAllDay
22/04/12 - VLM: ibbydibby
29/04/12 - Shakespeare Half Marathon - FairyBasslet
27/05/12 - London Bupa 10K - Futurity
09/06/12 - Blenheim Sprint Triathlon - Cherry

Hello I'm posting on my phone so sorry I'm not naming people but thanks to all offering symphathy on my redundancy at the moment I have nothing lined up so it looks like I will be joining the dole Q :( things are tight for everyone at the mo and I guess the first thing to go is the full time nanny do in Bristol there are very few full time jobs and only very bitty part time ones.

As for running I've had my running course tonight and we did stride work and very gental hill work had a really good session but bbbbbrrrrrr it was cold think mr 7 is right I do need a base layer under my running coat not just a t shirt. Could have done with gloves tonight too

How did you get on Wallace? I considered it, but feel like I'd done enough this year!

Just been to first adult swimming class...I'm shattered! Swimming is such hard work...running a half marathon was a doddle (sort of!) compared to that...hopefully sleep well tonight . Enjoyed it though and looking forward to next one.

Running club tomorrow night if I can move!

I ran with a friend who hadn't done a 10k for ages. Her previous PB was 1hr15 so I ran with her to encourage her. She was delighted that we finished in 1hr7.

Twas a PW for me (even though I am certainly not fast) but was a lovely return to "racing". I have done the Aviemore Half a couple of times so it was nice being there. It is so nice to be running properly again - baby is 11months old!

Just popping in in the midst of my working from home day (the work part is euphamstic often)
I have just about recovered from my tummy bug, sorry for spreading the cyber bugs around!

Just picking up on a few things from other peeps ...

N4nny, sorry to hear about your redundancy, are you able to do part time work, or can you set up as a childminer/work at a nursery? (NB I have no idea if that's even possible). The cost of childcare is a real killer we find. DS's nursery are putting up their fees in January by £2 a day, doesn't sound much but it amounts to quite a lot over the month/year. Also excited to hear you are going to Iceland - we went there a few years back and it is gorgeous. Make sure you go to the Blue Lagoon, my skin was lovely aftewrards.

Peach I faithfully did the perineal massage etc, fat lot of good it was when DS would only depart via the sunroof option ...

futuirty good luck with the building work. Our next door neighbours (other half of the semi) have just announced they are thinking of doing an extension. I can hardly wait to have scaffolding everywhere and their builders peering in at us ...

I am going to try out the local running club tonight also, a bit nervous as I automatically assume they might be quite cliquey, but I think it'll be good for training purposes

Happy thursday all, enjoy your various runnings etc.

N4NNY so sorry to hear about your redundancy, hope something comes up for you soon.

futurity Good luck with the project. Hideous while you're in it, but totally worth it in the end, I promise. I really love my new kitchen. My MIL's 'compliment' was genius. "It puts me in mind of the servants kitchen in Downton Abbey" ha ha!

sticky 9 miles off road sound fab! Still hobbling through my tight groin (sounds vaguely dirty that). Managed 3.5 last night before the pain reeaaally kicked in!

pmsl encyclogirl that is a stunning "compliment" from your MIL!

Man is plastering at the moment. Decorator in tomorrow hopefully (depending on the plaster setting) and then kitchen building starts on Monday. Am very nervous as it is very tight as to whether it will all fit in but I just have to let the fitter sort it out...fingers crossed.

encyclo do you think she mulls these gems over beforehand or is it just a flash of inspiration at the time? She clearly has a gift (FWIW, my favourite ever kitchen belonged to friends of my Gran who had a massive old vicarage. They still had the bells up for the Family to be able to call the servants to the correct room. Now, do you have bells?)

futurity hope all goes well. Am very of all that work going on.

Another lovely day, but I'm a little stiff from yesterday (not groin hobbling though ) so humming and harding about whether to go out. Also will be trickier next week with the girls at home. I think perhaps just a leetle run.

harding? harring. Which is not a word either.

can't keep up! sticky I'm not really sure I'm the right person to ask. I have a copy of Off Road Running, by Sarah Rowell - apparently the off-road bible and I've just looked at it - but there's very little reference to technique. The only thing she does say is that many people will use their arms on tricky downhills to aid balance - for myself I've concluded that the gain in terms of balance and therefore confidence outweighs any slowing effect the flailing might have - but that's specific to tricky downhill sections.

hi wallace - I remember you from days of old. I was absent for a while - the thread has grown and moves so quickly now.

Hi All

N4NNY, sorry to hear about the redundancy, I hope something comes up soon. In the meantime, I hope the Iceland trip goes well - v. exciting.

Futurity - Glad you enjoyed the swimming. I agree, it is knackering. In our lessons we only get through about 10 lengths but they are really tiring. This week we were doing front crawl using fists which was hard. I am so pleased i am doing them though - although fear it shows up a triathlon is a long way off for me. Good luck with the renovations. We seem to be constantly in the throws of some sort of work. We're about to embark on havin some bedrooms decorated and the floor in our guest bathroom might need to come up and joists repaired from our leak the other week. At least thats not vital (providing its done by christmas !!).

Glad poo-gate seems to be abating. Good luck at running club cherry.

SFX - see how you feel on the day but maybe a happy 5K would be better than an unhappy 10K for your return to racing.

Hi wallace - I think I remember you too (have I been on this thread tha tlong... I think maybe...)

Am with you on the aches and pains Squix ! I can't remember if you've done the GSR before or just your family ? Are they local (I know you're very much not !) I wondered if you had any insider info as to logistics. We can't decide whether to take the car or not. We're staying at the Ibis in Portsmouth the night before but checking out before the race so presumably won't be able to leave the car there. But, we're leaving the girls at MILs and although from her nearest station (Basingstoke) its v. easy, its not easy to get to the station. We'd probably have to get a taxi and the train isn't cheap so what with the hotel/ race entry/ train and taxi it'll end up costing about as much as a nice weekend away . Not that it won't be nice ......

I've just done my last long run before the race. 10 miles... or so I thought. I'd mapped it last night but when I got back my watch (footpod) read 9.91 miles and my watch usually underreads.... my phone gps said 9.54 miles. Which might account for why I did it in 1 hr 24 mins (was v. chuffed with that until I saw it wasn't 10 miles ). Ah well.... my watch keeps coming up with low memory when I've cleared it all out so I think I'm going to have to work on an early christmas present and get a gps garmin to help me through half marathon training.

Rest day for me tomorrow then I think 5 miles at the weekend, then next week maybe a couple of 5Ks before the big one...

ooh and I meant to say, I passed Andrew Marr running in Richmond Park this morning - one of those moments when you smile at someone beacause I always like to smile at runners and then I realised who it was and thought 'oh he probably thinks I'm smiling at him because he's famous'....

wheely isn't there a park and ride? If not then there should be! That always works best for us. We came down by train to Brighton yesterday which works well as there is a direct service, but didn't work for the marathon as there were no trains early enough - so we did park and ride which was brilliant.

At Chester we stayed at the hotel overlooking the start/finish, which was very convenient for toilet issues, but scary watching all the fitty types warming up! Then a 4 hour drive home ......

Jesus paws!!! please provide warning before tearing "up and out" is mentioned!!!!!!!

welcome Chrispackham! the door is always open!

Wallace!!!!! Long time no see! Welcome back!

Good luck with the running club cherry, am sure they will be lovely.

PILs arrived last night and have been brill (look away encyclo). they have gone to get DD from playgroup and then her out for lunch. I had trip to the midwife (all good), a long bath, then watched a DVD in bed. MIL bought me two books and a giant box of chocolates with strict instructions not to bring them downstairs to share and must all be consumed by me in my room. I could definitely get used to this! Going out tonight for curry with the girls.

Ha ha Wheely, he probably thinks you want to tickle his massive ears!!! I do love Andrew Marr. I think he runs 9 miles a day, fact fans!

Hmm peach you seem to have a thing for tv journos. Good on your PILs !

paws there's a park n ride organised by nirvana the official travel agent and its 15 quid per person which would have worked well if we weren't already staying in town. Will look into council p n r but I'm thinking we'll just blow the expense and train it....and remember to book races with easier logistics next time !

Surely Andrew marr s big ears would be a big impediment to running - creating wind resistance?

To be fair peach I can't begrudge you your lovely PIL in your time of need. In fact my dh has very similiar PIL lucky bugger!

sticky I think she must make notes as she thinks of insults. She's a bit like Lady Catherine de Burgh in her delivery too. What a joy she is.

Welcome newbies and returnies! This thread is the reason I'm still running, truly inspiring and so supportive

Well cherry - you may be right. He didn't looked pretty rough tbh (mind you, I probably didn't look any better).

Right I need an opinion on running fashion etiquette. My hair desperately needs cutting but I am having it cut on 1 Nov - just after GSR. Its not long enough for a pony tail (I think my hair comes a long way forward at the front as it has to be really long before I can get a neat pony tail) but too long flapping around on a long run. So today, I wore it in bunches, which worked really well. But do you think at hte age of 36 I looked a complete prat ? Does it matter ?

re Andrew Marr - that should read 'he looked pretty rough'.

hello

encyclo is it new pain? (probably missed something sorry) hope it improves

sticky off road sounds nice

peach glad all well with the baby. yeah for PIL, mine sent me a huge bag of Jo Malone goodies when I was pregnant with a note saying 'pampering before the pampers' bless her she can do no wrong, even kept her mouth shut all through my extended breastfeeding

hello chrispack welcome, sorry I missed you earlier. waves to wallace

whelly thanks for that I think you are right, I am also stubborn and might just crawl to the end.
I see Andrew Marr fairly regularly sometimes by the river sometimes at the Park, very dinky

debi did you go back for another ?

futurity well done on swimming I keep thinking I should get lessons to improve non existing technique

*fanny has nipple warmers? can I have some of those?

*rhet8 how are things today?

I have been grumpy and unreasonable for much of the week but have been focusing my wrath on a worthy subject outside the family, probably should not bother but a good rant can be therapeutic

wheely do go for bunches just don't get cute on them with pink baubles, or do might be time for tinsel or something

wheely I'd go for the "it doesn't matter" option. So long as you're comfy. You'd always look better than Andrew Marr Low hurdle mind.

hat thanks for looking in the bible (which sounds an interesting book - would you think one worth putting on the Christmas list?). I'll just keep see how it goes. So far so good!

encyclo Lady Catherine is your MIL?!! Whose character has ever been celebrated for its sincerity and frankness... Peach and Sfx I am very

Such a lovely day, so ruddy cold! Why does winter have to come every year?

wheely - my sis is local and has done the run before - i'll ask her. That's a brilliant time for an almost 10 mile in training - well done. My number came today orange 3964 - did make me gulp as the orange numbers go off in the first wave - I think I might have been a tad ambitious in my estimated time!