reynard Posted 25 April 2012 Posted 25 April 2012 I've got my first 1/2 marathon coming up in the next couple of weeks an unfortunately had to take 3/4 weeks off due to an achilles issue (upped my mileage too quickly. stupid i know!!). I'm tossing up whether to do the run or not at the minute, I've managed 10 miles in training last weekend (which was my first run back) so I THINK i could get around, but I think i've pretty much blown the chance of getting under 2 hrs. For the more seasoned runners out there, I do ALOT of my running off road / trail. will I need to be careful around my pacing when I transition to the road? I've found that i'm typically about a minute per mile quicker on the road than the trail and i'm worried about burning off my glycogen stores too early! Greg I can't really advise re. training off road but I suffered a bad Achilles injury last November which severely buggered up my training for the marathon. MY advice on that would to try the race if you are not getting too much reaction after you've finished the running you are doing now except for perhaps some slight tightness in the area which is alleviated by stretching. Do be careful though as you risk worsening the injury if you over exert. Glycogen stores in the human body of a fit person usually last for about two hours. That's why slow runners like me need to take gels with us on marathons because we simply would run out of gas at about 15 plus miles. This won't affect you on a half and you might want to take a single gel with you but you may not need it. A word of warning though. If you have not tried a gel whilst running then don't try it on race day. Some people have a very bad reaction to them and you could end up in an embarrassing mess. Whatever you do as Andy says just go and enjoy it.Good luck.
Greg2607 Posted 25 April 2012 Posted 25 April 2012 Cheers Guys, My achilles is ok now, I think it was caused by tightness in my calf and a foam roller certainly helped. it's why I took so long off, as I didn't want to aggravate. To make mattesr slightly more complicated, I had major spinal surgery 3 years ago as I managed to burst a disc in my spine and was about half an inch from being paralysed. The doctors at the time told me that I should really exercise (crazy advice i know!!) and to be fair, I couldn't feel my feet for the first 3 months after the op. That's the main reason I run off road. Although it makes my core work harder, it's less impactful. I basically followed the doctors advice for 2 years and topped the scales at 18 stone....suffered terribly with my back because of the excess weight and one day thought Fu*k it. I'm gonna do something about this. So went for a run. I've since dropped 3 stone, done a couple of 10k's, one of the "notorious night runs" and this is the next step on the road (excuse the pun) to being able to Run the London Marathon next year. After THAT, my plan is to get into Ultra's. I've got a burning desire to do a 70 mile run across Hadrian's wall. as a starter anyway.... It's amazing how much commitment you can have for something once it's been taken away for so long. I went from Playing Semi Professional football, to being 18 stone, in just over 2 years.....you'd never think you could MISS exercise huh!! So yeah, screw it, i'm having another Fu*K it moment..........I'll hit the Hinckley Half and make it round by hook or by crook!
Guest Posted 25 April 2012 Posted 25 April 2012 That's a really great time Lisa. I'm really jealous of you guys as I know I couldn't go that quick without doing myself serious damage. I have a rather nice red ring around the lower half of my neck. Sorry to read you don't think you will do another as you are obviously a very good runner. That was my fourth and I still think I have some unfinished business with the distance. That's very kind of you to say, I don't feel like a good runner! Thank you To Lisa, would you be so kind as to let me see your splits? You don't have to if you don't want to, I just have a passing interest... 5K 00:28:03 10K 00:56:05 15K 01:24:31 20K 01:53:05 HALF 01:59:16 25k 02:22:05 30K 02:52:56 35K 03:25:05 40K 04:02:07 Finish 04:16:25
leicesterisme Posted 26 April 2012 Posted 26 April 2012 I went for a run this morning and ran 5.46k, well I did according to my Nike+. I've just done the route on mapmyrun.com and actually the run was bang on 5k. Does anyone know how to get my Nike+ more accurate?
Steven Posted 26 April 2012 Posted 26 April 2012 For the older ones amongst us doing running, beetroot. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2135315/Can-beetroot-make-runners-unbeatable-Chemicals-released-backed-vegetable-help-boost-athletes-performance.html
leicesterisme Posted 26 April 2012 Posted 26 April 2012 Are you using the app on an iPod or an iPhone? iPod.
Guest Posted 26 April 2012 Posted 26 April 2012 iPod. If you definitely know the distance, the next time you run, when it comes up with the run details and your fella is telling you how far and fast you've run, scroll down, and there should be a button that says "calibrate" - press it, and you can change the distance accordingly!
leicesterisme Posted 26 April 2012 Posted 26 April 2012 If you definitely know the distance, the next time you run, when it comes up with the run details and your fella is telling you how far and fast you've run, scroll down, and there should be a button that says "calibrate" - press it, and you can change the distance accordingly! Thanks Lisa.
FoxesAreBlue Posted 27 April 2012 Posted 27 April 2012 I'm sure most of you probably couldn't give a sh!t but I decided to write a "brief" account of my London Marathon day. This is the first piece of creative writing I have ever written and I did it on my phone because my laptop is fooked. I have tried to sort all of the spelling errors and grammar etc however I may have missed some - if I have, I apologise in advance..... Right here goes...... 2012 LONDON MARATHON - MY STORY And it still hasn't sunk in! Saturday started early with a big breakfast and a lift to the train station to meet my running partner Frizzer. This was the first time that I have been to London as an adult, yet I was as excited as a kid at Christmas! We dropped our bags at the hotel which (conveniently) was only a 5 minute walk from the Expo! Picking up our race numbers and timing chips was a surreal feeling because after all these months of training the reality of the task ahead hit like a brick. Still before that, we had to find some food. Friz fancied a steak, I however found a nice Italian restaurant overlooking London Docklands and the pasta they just happened to be serving to many out-of-towners tasted absolutely fantastic! Sunday was another early start! We had a good breakfast of beans and scrambled eggs on toast followed by porridge however this was overshadowed by a lady on a nearby table having an epileptic attack and falling to the floor. She was also running the race and was wearing a charity bib for a epilepsy charity. Luckily her family/friends knew what to to and it turned out to be only a minor attack and she was fine but it did highlight one of the many reasons why people put themselves through so much training to complete the distance for good causes. We were in Pen 6 in the Red Start so had a good long wait to actually cross the Start. What I wasn't counting on as I crossed the start of what would be the longest run of my life was a crowd-launched water balloon hitting my foot and flooding my shoe! I don't the crowd expected me to jump so much in surprise and yell "WHAT THE **** WAS THAT?!" quite so loudly so apologies to anybody in the vicinity I was concentrating on starting my stopwatch and it made me jump! The people of London have to be given credit for their efforts, standing around for hours and the whole route is just a constant wall of sound, be it people shouting "C'mon Andy!" or shoving jelly babies into your hand or even at one point a Gospel Preist yelling in delight at the high-five I gave him! Seriously the crowd support make a huge difference to the day and makes this Marathon stand head and shoulders above all the rest. The highlight has to be canary wharf where the unrelenting crowd must stand 20 deep all the way back to the doors of the skyscrapers and he noise is incredible, absolutely incredible. Our plan was to run together to 20miles and then the race was on... At about 20.5 miles I started to put my foot on the gas. At this point many people are beginning to walk making getting into a good rhythm very difficult, however, and this may just be me, the support from the pavements seemed to crescendo! I was in a lot of pain but I am quite stubborn too. I wanted to beat Frizzer and kept saying to myself the only mantra that I could think of at the time; "Speed... Speed... Speed" it seemed to work and I noticed a definite increase in people shouting my name out. With about 2.5 miles to go (in the tunnel) I passed Iwan Roberts walking so dished out some encouragement to an Olympian but at the same time was so happy to beat him too! Running under the bridge with "385yards to go" written on it gave me a huge feeling, knowing that I was going to beat my sub-4hour targets was a huge boost and gave me that little bit extra to sprint finish down The Mall and come barrelling over the finish in a time of 03:57:45. Instantly my legs turned to Jelly but a staggered up to get my medal and wobble my way up the finish area to meet the NSPCC charity that we had raised some cash for. The day was a life highlight. I have always wanted to say I have ran a Marathon and now, although almost a week later I can scarcely believe it - I can. Without being boring, it's difficult to put into words the emotions that you go through on the day, nervousness, excitement, trepidation, sheer concentration, confusion, pain, distraction techniques, elation, exhaustion just to name a few but one of the best bits of the day was turning my phone on after the race and reading all of the messages from family, friends and sponsors which ranged from "good luck" to "finished yet?"! I must have spent the best part of two hours at the station reply to the messages, updating twitter and Facebook and posting pictures of me and my medal. Mainly because I wanted all of those people to share a taste of the feeling of running the distance. It really is amazing and it still hasn't sunk in yet!
James. Posted 30 April 2012 Author Posted 30 April 2012 2013 ballott opened today - I have put my entry in.
Bluefoxtim Posted 30 April 2012 Posted 30 April 2012 2013 ballott opened today - I have put my entry in. and now closed? Wtf
James. Posted 30 April 2012 Author Posted 30 April 2012 Nice story, but Iwan Roberts? It's a quality typo that. Pretty sure he meant Iwan Thomas. and now closed? Wtf Wow, bit weird they'd only open it for a few hours... Looks like I was pretty lucky to find out just in time.
Guest Posted 30 April 2012 Posted 30 April 2012 It closes once it gets to 120,000 applicants. It barely made it to the end of Monday last year.
FoxesAreBlue Posted 30 April 2012 Posted 30 April 2012 Nice story, but Iwan Roberts? Yeah I did mean Iwan Thomas! What an idiot, I've just read it back to myself (I didnt bother before) its a shit piece of writing really, could do with getting rid of it! Got my entry into the ballot for next year, won't hold my breath but keep y fingers crossed!
Bluefoxtim Posted 1 May 2012 Posted 1 May 2012 Unbelievable. It never crossed my mind that the ballot would close so quickly. The £2000 you need to raise for charity would be some ask. I only just managed to raise £300 for the Great North Run a couple of years ago. Got the Leicester Marathon to look forward to Empty streets and awful organisation. A far cry from London.
James. Posted 1 May 2012 Author Posted 1 May 2012 If I don't make the ballot looks like I can sort out a place with Sparks, a children's charity, through my boss. As such in preparation I've entered the Run to the Beat half marathon in October as an objective to work towards for later this year, will try and beat my PB from last year. And then I reckon the Reading half around March will be another good milestone as part of training. Would be interested in any training plans or books people recommend? I'd like to start improving my overall strength and endurance now (e.g. building up leg strength to support my kness which I've had trouble with) before getting the serious weekly mileage up in the run up to the actual race.
reynard Posted 1 May 2012 Posted 1 May 2012 Unbelievable. It never crossed my mind that the ballot would close so quickly. The £2000 you need to raise for charity would be some ask. I only just managed to raise £300 for the Great North Run a couple of years ago. Got the Leicester Marathon to look forward to Empty streets and awful organisation. A far cry from London. They don't all ask for 2k. Some start at 1200 but you're right it is a big ask even so. They also hold you to the figure so be careful before you decide to go ahead. If you are a really good runner you could try for a good for age place but you would need to do a marathon in under 3.15 depending upon age to get in.
reynard Posted 1 May 2012 Posted 1 May 2012 If I don't make the ballot looks like I can sort out a place with Sparks, a children's charity, through my boss. As such in preparation I've entered the Run to the Beat half marathon in October as an objective to work towards for later this year, will try and beat my PB from last year. And then I reckon the Reading half around March will be another good milestone as part of training. Would be interested in any training plans or books people recommend? I'd like to start improving my overall strength and endurance now (e.g. building up leg strength to support my kness which I've had trouble with) before getting the serious weekly mileage up in the run up to the actual race. try this link http://www.halhigdon.com/training/ which has some good programmes and is often quoted by runners on various message boards. For books you could take a look at marathon and half marathon by Sam Murphy. This has interchangeable 16 week marathon programmes. Sounds like these may all be too basic for.
FoxesAreBlue Posted 8 May 2012 Posted 8 May 2012 8 May 2012 Paralysed woman Claire Lomas treasures 16-day London marathon Claire Lomas: "It's a moment I am going to treasure for the rest of my life." Continue reading the main story Related Stories 'Bionic' woman completes marathon 'Bionic' woman continues marathon Robot legs help woman walk again Completing the London Marathon is a remarkable challenge for anybody, but even more so if you are paralysed from the chest down. But Claire Lomas, a paralysed former horse-rider from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, has done just that. The 32-year-old, who has a spinal injury, crossed the finish line at 12.50 BST on Tuesday after 16 days, thanks to a pair of robotic legs which have allowed her to walk again. "It's a moment I am going to treasure for the rest of my life", she told the BBC. Ms Lomas was greeted by delighted onlookers and a Pearly King and Queen as she walked beneath an arch of red balloons. Her efforts have raised more than £83,000 for Spinal Research, a charity which funds medical research to develop treatments for paralysis. 'Bit crazy' While most participants in the London marathon finish within hours, Ms Lomas knew that her marathon journey would take weeks, as she could complete only a mile a day. Although her speed increased as the days passed, she had to stay in a hotel at night-time and travel by car to the point she left off the evening before. Before the final leg of her 26 mile route, friends and family and supporters gathered outside St Stephen's Tavern in Westminster to cheer her on. "I couldn't believe it when I turned up this morning in the taxi to start," Ms Lomas said. "I just thought it was a busy day in London, but someone told me these people were all there for me." Because of all the support, the last half a mile was "pretty easy to walk", she added. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote For the way that she has completed the marathon this year I think she deserves all those medals and more” Sir Matthew Pinsent Olympic rowing champion Her husband Dan Spicer, 37, has accompanied her for the whole journey, walking a little way behind her in case she lost her balance. Her mother and father, Joyce and Martin, and her one-year-old daughter Maisie also joined her for most of the route. For Joyce Lomas, the idea was a "bit crazy", but her determined daughter "never even thought about stopping". Mrs Lomas said her daughter and her team followed the marathon map religiously, starting off from the carefully marked spot where they finished the night before. "We haven't cheated even once", Joyce said. She added: "The people who have supported her have made it amazing." 'Very challenging' Ms Lomas said that the marathon had been very difficult, both physically and mentally. "It's been very challenging, very hard on my arms, very hard mentally because I can't feel my legs," she said. But she had been spurred on by the encouragement she had received from people all over the country, admitting that she was "completely taken aback" by the level of response. As she approached the finish line on The Mall, hundreds of supporters lined the streets to cheer her on. Her father, Martin, said that the final part of the journey was "very emotional" because it had attracted such a crowd. But while Ms Lomas has followed the same route as other marathon participants, she won't receive the same recognition from the official organisers. Because the rules have changed this year, she is not eligible to receive a medal because she did not complete the full course on the 22 April, the official date of the London marathon. However, when Olympic rowing champion Sir Matthew Pinsent launched a Twitter campaign to get her one,15 participants donated their medals in recognition of her achievement. Sir Matthew told the BBC: "For the way that she has completed the marathon this year I think she deserves all those medals and more." One person who appreciates Ms Lomas' efforts is Mark Bacon, research director at Spinal Research. He confirmed that she has raised enough money to fund a three-year research project into treatment for paralysis. And Francis Whittington, an event rider from East Sussex, said: "It's fantastic to see what Claire has achieved. The money that's been raised is going to go very far. Claire Lomas is not eligible to receive an official medal "Next she might swim the Channel." In 2006, a riding accident broke Ms Lomas's neck, back and ribs and left her paralysed from the chest down. Yet her sporting background gave her the determination she needed to get back on her feet again. For the past three months she trained intensively for the marathon using a robotic walking suit with a system of motion sensors which allow her to detect and control movement. When she shifts balance, the suit triggers her joints to move forward, enabling her to take a step. Former rugby player Matt Hampson, who was paralysed after a rugby accident, escorted her for part of the route, as did TV presenters Gabby Logan, Ben Fogle, Susanna Reid and Clare Balding. For Balding, watching Claire Lomas cross the finish line left "not a dry eye on the Mall". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17988108
FoxesAreBlue Posted 20 May 2012 Posted 20 May 2012 Just got home from the Great Manchester Run (10k) My time and splits: Time - 42:50 Position - 1039 (out of 40,000 ish) 3km - 12:49 5km - 21:24 (pb remains 20:18) 8km - 34:33 10km - 42:50 (pb remains 42:29) Was a nice race but not sure I would do it again, a bit far to go and expensive for what it is, good atmosphere from the crowd again though and my mate got a brilliant pic of me crossing the finish line too from probably the best vantage point in Manchester... On top of a bin!!
Ozwin Posted 26 May 2012 Posted 26 May 2012 Just went for my first proper run, must be mad eh? I know I shouldn't really be bothered by times but I'm a sucker for stats so it's how I'll measure my progress. Did a mile in 8 minutes which I think is decent in this heat and for my first time. I found I was running too fast at times though, it's actually quite difficult to find a pace you can maintain because it feels slow and not natural so I'll have to work on that. But I got out there at last, felt a bit of a twonk at first but gave it a go and feel great for it. Lovely day.
SystonFox Posted 27 May 2012 Posted 27 May 2012 Ran twice in the last two days in the heat Friday : 7.2miles in 1hr 11 Saturday : 4.5miles in 41 minutes Hard work in the heat. Todays a rest day. Might do 6 miles tomorrow
Uncle Phil Posted 30 May 2012 Posted 30 May 2012 I just did my first run in a year or two, 3 miles. I've been meaning to go out for ages but have been putting it off because I knew I wouldn't be able to go nearly as far as I used to, mainly thanks to the beer, but I'm pretty chuffed with that effort. I'll only get better from here.
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