London Marathon 2017

robinph

3pointer wrote: »

Got into London for the first time...was away for the last few days to find my flat-mate threw out what they thought was a load of junk mail and thinks my registration form was among the items that he threw out. Other than strangle him...does anybody have any suggestions/advice?

Give them a call on the phone number at the bottom of their webpage and tell them exactly that, ask if they will email the registration form PDF to you so that you can print it out:
https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/

The rest of the package is mostly junk and the only part of the magazine that you actually need to read is in this PDF, especially if you've not done London before:
http://london-marathon.s3.amazonaws.com/vmlm2014/live/uploads/cms_page_media/385/Online_Final_Instructions.pdf

The rest of the magazine is advertising for charity runners and a few articles on the elites. Only really useful for sending you to sleep on the Saturday beforehand, but you'll get more stuff like that at the Expo anyway to help you drift off.

village runner

robinph wrote: »

401 to 1900 - championship
1901 to 24400 and 59901 to 63200 - blue
24401 to 31350 -green
31351 to 34000 - fast good for age
34001 to 59900 - red

What's the target ??
Going over for the weekend to watch it

robinph

village runner wrote: »

What's the target ??
Going over for the weekend to watch it

Just looking to get another gfa qualification to keep me safe for another couple of years. I'm already safe for 2018 entry, unless they change the times by 20 minutes, but training has been rubbish this year so no going out fast this year for me.

neilc

robinph wrote: »

401 to 1900 - championship
1901 to 24400 and 59901 to 63200 - blue
24401 to 31350 -green
31351 to 34000 - fast good for age
34001 to 59900 - red

Just got my pack today.
29411, Green GFA for me again, happy with that!

rainbow kirby

Blue start for me. 15938.

RubyK

Looks like a no start for me Injury struck last weekend.

rainbow kirby

Sorry to hear that RubyK Any hope of it being fixed up in time?

RubyK

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Sorry to hear that RubyK Any hope of it being fixed up in time?

It hasn't been ruled out but after having more work done on it today, I don't feel myself it's going to be possible. Resorted to using crutch yesterday evening. I can always defer, which is something. Hope all is going well with your training rainbow kirby!

rainbow kirby

Getting there slowly... 16 snail's pace miles in Victoria Park on Sunday. Have entered a 20 mile event this weekend so let's see how that goes, that will be the last long one and then taper.

RubyK

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Getting there slowly... 16 snail's pace miles in Victoria Park on Sunday. Have entered a 20 mile event this weekend so let's see how that goes, that will be the last long one and then taper.

Well done, and nice timing for the 20 miler at the weekend, that will set you up nicely :-)

Ferris B

Got my reg form today.

Green gfa.

No 28130

rainbow kirby

Email there saying that Swim Serpentine entrants have a 1 in 20 chance of a place in VMLM 2018 - I wonder if that's actually better odds than the ballot!

robinph

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Email there saying that Swim Serpentine entrants have a 1 in 20 chance of a place in VMLM 2018 - I wonder if that's actually better odds than the ballot!

I don't think so.

I think that the blue start people are ballot, and red being charity, which gives about 26k on each start. Apparently there were 253,930 people who applied for a ballot entry for 2017 so about a 1 in 10 chance.

Gavlor

Into the last couple of weeks, I'm really looking forward to this one. Life has continued to get in the way of training but I've a couple of 17's and 2 * 20 @ 7.30 pace in the bag so getting around shouldn't be a problem! I'll probably just stick to 7.30ish pace on the day and soak it all up.

How is everybody else feeling at this stage?

rainbow kirby

On the first day of taper, my one year old gave to me... a streaming cold :pac:

Did Oakley 20 in rural Bedfordshire yesterday in pretty much 3:30 on the nail as my longest long run, very hilly 20 miler! I'd like to think that if I can get around that without being completely dead I can get around the marathon ok.

Training this time has felt like a whole lot of muscle memory, despite the fact that it's been 6 years since I last ran a marathon it doesn't feel like starting from scratch in the way that I thought it would.

overpronator

Gavlor wrote: »

Into the last couple of weeks, I'm really looking forward to this one. Life has continued to get in the way of training but I've a couple of 17's and 2 * 20 @ 7.30 pace in the bag so getting around shouldn't be a problem! I'll probably just stick to 7.30ish pace on the day and soak it all up.

How is everybody else feeling at this stage?

Feeling wrecked!! Think i put in a decent block volume wise but sessions have been so so.
I was in poor enough shape in early Jan so glad to make it this far in one piece.
Did one tune up race, the Trim 10 miler back in Feb which was 62.2x, 90 odd seconds slower than my PB. Hoping consistency has brought me on a bit since that.
Touch and go if im in PB shape (2.58) but there or thereabouts is the aim.

Too early for a techy type to do a table?


Also, where are we going scooping after? Coal hole i assume?

ISOP

nice jog around Manchester in just over the 4 yesterday, all set now

robinph

Have done some investigations and my suggestion is Southwark for a pre-London parkrun. It's accessible from Canada Water* underground (about 8 minutes walk apparently) which is on a line that I can get to with the buggy, the course is good for buggies, it's laps so you can wimp out if need be and you want to save your legs for the Sunday, the Expo can be got to fairly easily afterwards with a short trip along the Jubilee and DLR lines and for a bit of marathon trivia the park was part of the first ever London Marathon route.

Anyone any other suggestions or insider local knowledge?




* Note: There is an underground station called Southwark, this is nowhere near Southwark park.

Ferris B

robinph wrote: »

Have done some investigations and my suggestion is Southwark for a pre-London parkrun. It's accessible from Canada Water* underground (about 8 minutes walk apparently) which is on a line that I can get to with the buggy, the course is good for buggies, it's laps so you can wimp out if need be and you want to save your legs for the Sunday, the Expo can be got to fairly easily afterwards with a short trip along the Jubilee and DLR lines and for a bit of marathon trivia the park was part of the first ever London Marathon route.

Anyone any other suggestions or insider local knowledge?




* Note: There is an underground station called Southwark, this is nowhere near Southwark park.

I ran Southwark last year during a weekend break in London. Nice friendly bunch and a nice flat course. No tips on transport though as I ran there. I'm only flying in Sat am so will probably just get a few easy miles in late sat afternoon post expo.

In other news , my training has been going well for once and have managed to remain injury free. Looking forward to the whole experience.

rainbow kirby

There's a huge Decathlon at Surrey Quays if anyone is doing it and feels the need to stock up on random crap!

yaboya1

Gavlor wrote: »

Into the last couple of weeks, I'm really looking forward to this one. Life has continued to get in the way of training but I've a couple of 17's and 2 * 20 @ 7.30 pace in the bag so getting around shouldn't be a problem! I'll probably just stick to 7.30ish pace on the day and soak it all up.

How is everybody else feeling at this stage?

If you're not bluffing about your strategy, I'm feeling confident of you buying me a beer afterwards

Gavlor

yaboya1 wrote: »

If you're not bluffing about your strategy, I'm feeling confident of you buying me a beer afterwards

My average mileage has been <20 per week since mid Jan! Peak was 33, last week!

There will be no wager on this race!

village runner

where does the red fast good for age meet the green start ??
Is it after mile 1 which I think or is it after 5k when the runners on the right are the blue start ??

robinph

village runner wrote: »

where does the red fast good for age meet the green start ??
Is it after mile 1 which I think or is it after 5k when the runners on the right are the blue start ??

Green and Blue starts merge after about a mile. The Red doesn't merge until after 5km at the bottom of a hill. The two courses run alongside each other for about half a mile on either side of the dual carriageway.

Ferris B

I see the pacers for each time are divided up between the different colour groups. Presumably they can't coordinate to have the exact same start time (when they cross their respective start lines). If this is the case, should you only follow the pacer(s) from your group?

Also has anyone an idea how how it generally takes the 3 hr pacer in the green group to get to the start after the gun goes off?

yaboya1

Ferris B wrote: »

I see the pacers for each time are divided up between the different colour groups. Presumably they can't coordinate to have the exact same start time (when they cross their respective start lines). If this is the case, should you only follow the pacer(s) from your group?

Also has anyone an idea how how it generally takes the 3 hr pacer in the green group to get to the start after the gun goes off?

I thought you weren't aiming for sub 3.........

Ferris B

yaboya1 wrote: »

I thought you weren't aiming for sub 3.........

I'm asking for a friend

neilc

Ferris B wrote: »

I see the pacers for each time are divided up between the different colour groups. Presumably they can't coordinate to have the exact same start time (when they cross their respective start lines). If this is the case, should you only follow the pacer(s) from your group?

Also has anyone an idea how how it generally takes the 3 hr pacer in the green group to get to the start after the gun goes off?

I was on the green gfa start 2 years ago and the red gfa the year before. Pacers we're brutal, all over the place but yeah you stick with your colour pacer. You and they will be very close to the front so it doesn't take long to cross the line.

robinph

The Green 3hr pacers should be first, will only take them seconds to cross the line.
The Red 3hr pacers start from the front of the Red start....but this is behind all of the fGFA people so may take them a minute to cross the line as the fGFA warm up field generally has a bit of queue of people there still when the gun goes.
The Blue 3hrs I'd expect to be slowest to cross the line as they have more people infront of them with the elite and Championship starts, and the Championship entrants including slower females (sub3:15) compared to the fGFA start (sub 3:05?).

Ferris B

neilc wrote: »

I was on the green gfa start 2 years ago and the red gfa the year before. Pacers we're brutal, all over the place but yeah you stick with your colour pacer. You and they will be very close to the front so it doesn't take long to cross the line.

robinph wrote: »

The Green 3hr pacers should be first, will only take them seconds to cross the line.
The Red 3hr pacers start from the front of the Red start....but this is behind all of the fGFA people so may take them a minute to cross the line as the fGFA warm up field generally has a bit of queue of people there still when the gun goes.
The Blue 3hrs I'd expect to be slowest to cross the line as they have more people infront of them with the elite and Championship starts, and the Championship entrants including slower females (sub3:15) compared to the fGFA start (sub 3:05?).

All makes it a bit confusing if you're dependent on pacers and colour blind!

As with all pacers though, I use them with a health warning and would not enter a race and be totally reliant on them. In saying that I seem to recall I followed a certain robinph in my first ever marathon in dublin in 2011 (3:45?) and I think he did ok.:)