London marathoners assemble

[KittyandTeal]

As the ballot spaces start being allocated I thought I'd start a thread for those of us lucky enough to get a space.

I was rejected through the ballot but I have had a charity space since June so I'm running (and raising £1400) I've been training for a half so I can get the distance under my belt. Im up to 11 miles now in just over 2 hours. I'm slow but getting there. I'd like to get in under 5 hours but I'm happy to just be running it.

That sounds awesome emummy. I had visions of that lovely calm snowy run when snow was forecast a couple of weeks ago. What it actually was was horizontal sleet and slush. I ran to the warmth of the gym on that day.

Sorry you've had a rubbish week elba. Hope all goes really smoothly with your tooth. Definitely better to sort now rather than risk pain on the big day. Although might distract from the pain of running 26 miles I suppose?!?

Hi coffee! Do you have someone you could run with? I know I probably wouldn't be setting my alarm for 6:30 if I wasn't meeting my friend.

I've just done 13.3 miles. My furthest ever! Admittedly only by 0.1 of a mile. I meant to do 14 but misplanned my route slightly then could be bothered running round streets near home to make up the 0.7. And it was bloody windy. Thought the canal would be sheltered but it created a sort of wind tunnel and regardless of which direction we were running the wind seemed to always be blowing at us.

Stomach held up this time. I actually ordered some tailwind kitty, just before you said you'd had trouble. So was dreading it. But all okay. I've tried to cut down non soluble fibre and replace with soluble. So breakfast toast has been switched to overnight oats (made with oat milk which is sooooo nice and actually makes decent lattes) and white rice instead of brown etc (which seems strange but actually seems to have helped my stomach) . And cut down on my ridiculous coffee consumption. And stopped chewing gum because of the sorbitol. So now, because I gave up too many variables, I don't know if it's any one of those or all of those or just a fluke. But am crossing everything it continues!

Well done Pickle, hope your tummy continues to behave itself.
Welcome Coffee, good luck with your race tomorrow!
Would it help to think about why you are running? Is it for charity or fitness or mental health or whatever? Having a reason and motivation to do the race might help on days you don't want to go out the door. And do you know why you don't go? Are you worried you can't do it or something like that? It's a big deal running a marathon, we all feel pretty daunted by it at times and wobble! Hope you can keep it up. Tomorrow's race might spur you on! Keep talking to us, we are all in the same boat!

Emummy I think it's because it feels quite daunting so I'm trying to pretend it won't happen!

Hi all, can I join in? I'm 49 the week before VLM and got in in the ballot on my third attempt. Must say I wasn't expecting to get in that way, and felt quite safe in applying lol. Was in a real state of shock when the magazine came through. I'm a member of a super friendly running club but I'm one of their slowest runners! I'll be Jeffing my way through this marathon as I was badly injured last year and din't run for most of it, had a big operation too which needed a lot of recovery. I'm currently doing 1 min run/30 secs walk and am coping well with that but I am soooo slow! My training is going well, did a 15 miler this morning but had to walk the last 2 miles when an adductor injury from last year reared it's ugly head! Felt good apart from that! This took me 3 hours 43 though, so I'm going to over a 6.5 hour marathon...that's a seriously long time to be on your feet! My DH is running it with me; luckily he got in the club ballot which is incredibly lucky. He's done 3 marathons already and is much faster than me, but he's going to be my one man support crew and run at my pace. What an achievement it will be to finish...hopefully still married! Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all.

Great on everyone's runs.

The salomon hydration belt I ordered has arrived so I'm trying it out on Mondays 14 miler. I was planning on doing it along the seafront; Hastings to bexhill and back but the weather looks windy and rainy so I'm trying a slightly more sheltered flat route. I'm going to give the tailwind one more try and take gels in the hope that my bad tummy was hormone related. If it still doesn't work you're welcome to the rest of my sachets!

Welcome coffee and diamonds. It's lovely to have some more on board.

Coffee it is really daunting, I'm trying to take it one run at a time with the intention of trying to enjoy it in the day.

I know what you mean Coffee! Am not thinking of running 26 miles; I try just to think about my next long run & keep going!
Welcome Utah! Well done on getting back into running after all that. Good luck with the training.
Good luck with the belt Kitty hope it suits you.
18 miles tomorrow, will need to drive 20 mins first to get to flat bit of the path!

Hello coffee and utah! Lovely that your DH is running with you Utah he will be an enormous help and support. Coffee could you join a running club to help with motivation and getting over fears? They sometimes have marathon training sessions which are really helpful.

18 miles emummy wow that is such a long way!

Kitty good luck with the belt, I have a flipbelt which is amazing although I seem to need hundreds of pockets for everything!

Does anyone feel completely exhausted the day after a long run? I managed 12 miles yesterday (only the 3rd time in a 2 year period) and I just cannot summon the energy to lift my head off the table this morning! Absolutely exhausted. Do you get used to it eventually in the same way that we would probably all be able to run 3-4 miles now and just carry on with our day afterwards and yet at the beginning that seemed so far and equally as tiring?

emummy wow 18 miles! Can't remember- have you done a marathon before?

Hi and welcome to utah and coffee.

So to top off my week half the sodding wisdom tooth broke of this morning on a fish finger. Not in agony (yet at least) but no idea if it will hold out for the 10 days and literally no time to sort it before then.

Thanks for the reassurance though about tomorrow- unless tooth flares up (which feels distinctly possible) will give it a go and see what happens. Not feeling it at the moment though... Oh well.

Kitty you must live near me if you are doing Hastings to Bexhill runs. Are you doing the Hastings Half?

I did a 15 miler today, felt really good and comfortable until about 13 miles when I went from fresh to dead on my feet. I really doubt my ability to run a marathon at the moment.

Tailwinds I'm in Hawkhurst so a bit of a drive from the coast but fairly close.

I'm not doing Hastings this year, mainly because I'm doing Eastbourne next weekend and I didn't want to book in too many races. Where are you?

Sounds like everyone is doing really well. I'm feeling tired so I've started taking extra vit d, b and iron to see if that helps.

With all these niggles etc I'm seriously doubting my ability to get through the training program. Starting to wobble a bit about it. Annoyingly I thought it would be my mind that gave out first but it's seems my body doesn't want to cooperate with me. I'm really hoping for a decent long run tmrw. The weather looks awful but I think I'm binning off the coast and doing the cuckoo trail, an old railway line so nice and flat.

Hope you get a good run tomorrow Kitty, hopefully the niggles will settle. Can you see a physio or have a sports massage?
Well I can now confirm that 18 miles is a long way! Flatter route than last week thank goodness and I was so chuffed to finish! Standing in the car park doing my stretches and grinning like a loon, go a few strange looks! That's the farthest I've ever run, managed to keep a fairly steady pace on my tired old legs. Next week will be shorter as the week after that is the Inverness half.

Well done emummy! That is brilliant. I'm not surprised your chuffed.

I am foam rolling daily but maybe I do need a sports massage again. I've seen a running coach and so I know where it all stems from and am doing exercises to rebalance myself. I guess that's kicked it all off.

I think I've just fallen out of live with training a little bit atm. Hopefully it'll come back

18 miles?! Bloody well done emummy!

Reporting in to say I've done the Huddersfield 10K today. Oh my goodness, the hills! It was all up and down (VERY up and VERY down!) with no flat at all.

Did my slowest ever 10K time at 1:12 but am fairly happy with that.

Brilliant Coffee well done!

emummy well done on your 18 miles!

coffee well done too- I can relate to the hill issue!!

kitty i seem to fall in and out of love with the training too- it's bloody hard, and getting harder! Have decided though that I won't push it through pain and niggles, or feel bad about skipping runs if it's too sore. I think it's ultimately counterproductive if we end up injured! Keep going, you're doing great.

So I survived my first half but wow I was not prepared for the hills!! Started on a horrendous one in the first mile so trying to find an easy pace was impossible. Enjoyed it though, and got chatting to a women who is also doing London for the first time and lives near me, so might do a couple of runs together.

Official time was 2.38- however my Fitbit and phone measured 13.6 miles for the course. Time at 13.1 was 2.32. Would of liked quicker but taking into account the hills and not being on great form I'm happy enough! Looking forward to my flat road runs again though now...!

Well done Elba. Great time.

I think I'm just going to take tmrw slowly and try to accept it fir what it is, which is a ,one way in wind and rain.

I'm looking forward to my half next week. Be good to have a running partner and some support.

Well done Elba! I'll be delighted to get that time on my first half. I've got 4 weeks...

That's great Elba especially with all those hills! Well done

Well done everyone on your long runs this weekend, especially Elba with your hills and emummy doing 18 miles.

I can wait to go back to long runs meaning 10k which is actually enjoyable, anything else is just too time consuming with two young children.

Kitty I did the cuckoo trail this weekend - it's a regular route for me as I can make it into a loop from my house of about 14 miles / 22km or longer - I hate an out and back run so always do circular routes. I'm just outside of Eastbourne and can run either to the seafront via the harbour or to the cuckoo trail via Pevensey marshes; I've been favouring the latter recently.

I may do Eastbourne half as much of it is along my regular running route but I'm going to see how the weather is. I've had enough of running against the wind on that stretch of seafront.

I did it, I flipping did it! 14 miles in 2:39. I felt good, pretty strong, a few niggles to start with but gone after I'd warmed up properly.

I'm so proud of myself. Although I'm shattered and my legs hurt (in a 'I just ran a really long way' kind of way) I cannot imagine adding another 12 to that.

Think I might aim for a 2:30 half in Eastbourne on Sunday. Tail I'm hoping the weather holds out, today was all kinds of grim!

Well done Kitty!

Brilliant Kitty! 🐱**

What did we say about training being a roller coaster? Am in bed. Ds has given me his tonsillitis, but with the added twist that my throat is all swollen up and I am having trouble swallowing. Have had a horrible night. Waiting for GP to open to get emergency appointment. Sigh. Good thing I still am a week ahead of my training plan.
Kitty very well done on your 14 miles, fantastic! Good luck with the half this weekend.