Official Running Thread

[Greg Bobkin]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...

The sketchy GPS running under the tall buildings and through tunnels is always a little disconcerting so I tried to just run by feel and not panic when the watch's pace was jumping around. Although the last couple of miles were a bit of a blur it was amazing to spot my wife and boys by Westminster at mile 24. I was moving on fumes at that point and the breeze in the early part of the race now felt like a gale.

Turning onto the Mall and heading to the finish was incredible and I was so happy to come home with a new 2 & half minute PB of 2:42:07, averaging 6:10/mile over the distance. I made sure to celebrate crossing the line as the sun came out. Looking back at my splits I seemed to keep it pretty even which I'm really pleased with as I definitely had a few wobbles. Placed #492 overall and #114 in my M40-44 age category. Not bad for a 44 (and a half) year old.

Overall it was such a memorable day! The London Marathon is very special indeed. I learnt a lot, gave it my all and had so much fun! The marathon truly is a beast, testing us both physically and mentally, but I think that's why I love it.

Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

Phenomenal running Artie. A fantastic performance on what looked like a great day for running. I think I'm done with London after three goes, but I agree with you that it is very special – that final turn and run down The Mall is one that will live with me forever


In six months I'll be lining up in Manchester with a couple of mates who will be doing their first marathon. Actually quite excited about that, which I haven't been about a road marathon in a long time!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Phenomenal running Artie. A fantastic performance on what looked like a great day for running. I think I'm done with London after three goes, but I agree with you that it is very special – that final turn and run down The Mall is one that will live with me forever


In six months I'll be lining up in Manchester with a couple of mates who will be doing their first marathon. Actually quite excited about that, which I haven't been about a road marathon in a long time!

Thanks so much G B !

Manchester will be epic! I'm thinking of maybe giving it a go too. Loved running it in 2019. Flat, fast and a great atmosphere.

 

[Simgull]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...

The sketchy GPS running under the tall buildings and through tunnels is always a little disconcerting so I tried to just run by feel and not panic when the watch's pace was jumping around. Although the last couple of miles were a bit of a blur it was amazing to spot my wife and boys by Westminster at mile 24. I was moving on fumes at that point and the breeze in the early part of the race now felt like a gale.

Turning onto the Mall and heading to the finish was incredible and I was so happy to come home with a new 2 & half minute PB of 2:42:07, averaging 6:10/mile over the distance. I made sure to celebrate crossing the line as the sun came out. Looking back at my splits I seemed to keep it pretty even which I'm really pleased with as I definitely had a few wobbles. Placed #492 overall and #114 in my M40-44 age category. Not bad for a 44 (and a half) year old.

Overall it was such a memorable day! The London Marathon is very special indeed. I learnt a lot, gave it my all and had so much fun! The marathon truly is a beast, testing us both physically and mentally, but I think that's why I love it.

Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

Brilliant run - congratulations.

From your report and others I’ve read, plus the tv coverage, it seems to have been a much happier event than Brighton. Hopefully we can now put that down to the heat on the day rather than the slight concern of some underlying COVID related issue giving runners problems.

 

[timbha]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...


Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

Brilliant run and time. Well done.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in expecting and almighty Chuck Up or worse somewhere in your race report��

 

[Anchorman]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...

The sketchy GPS running under the tall buildings and through tunnels is always a little disconcerting so I tried to just run by feel and not panic when the watch's pace was jumping around. Although the last couple of miles were a bit of a blur it was amazing to spot my wife and boys by Westminster at mile 24. I was moving on fumes at that point and the breeze in the early part of the race now felt like a gale.

Turning onto the Mall and heading to the finish was incredible and I was so happy to come home with a new 2 & half minute PB of 2:42:07, averaging 6:10/mile over the distance. I made sure to celebrate crossing the line as the sun came out. Looking back at my splits I seemed to keep it pretty even which I'm really pleased with as I definitely had a few wobbles. Placed #492 overall and #114 in my M40-44 age category. Not bad for a 44 (and a half) year old.

Overall it was such a memorable day! The London Marathon is very special indeed. I learnt a lot, gave it my all and had so much fun! The marathon truly is a beast, testing us both physically and mentally, but I think that's why I love it.

Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

Just brilliant Artie! I was so impressed I looked you up in the overall results just to admire your splits!! So many good runners get carried away and get that so wrong so you must have been chuffed with the execution and PB.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Thanks so much G B !

Manchester will be epic! I'm thinking of maybe giving it a go too. Loved running it in 2019. Flat, fast and a great atmosphere.

I'm not sure why or how we ended up choosing Manchester, but I've heard good things about it. It'll be the first proper road marathon (I'm not counting that Goodwood debacle) since Brighton 2018. Ten trail ones since then!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Brilliant run - congratulations.

From your report and others I’ve read, plus the tv coverage, it seems to have been a much happier event than Brighton. Hopefully we can now put that down to the heat on the day rather than the slight concern of some underlying COVID related issue giving runners problems.

Thanks very much Simgull! Unless you have had a very difficult day I think it would be hard not to get a huge post-run buzz and overwhelmingly positive experience from running London. To be part of it is a really life-affirming experience. The event operational side of things is second to none as well, but they do have 100X the resources than the likes of Brighton. Everything is so smooth.

Brilliant run and time. Well done.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in expecting and almighty Chuck Up or worse somewhere in your race report��

Many thanks! Yes for a moment I did think perhaps that might have been the best route to take but I held it together...just.

Just brilliant Artie! I was so impressed I looked you up in the overall results just to admire your splits!! So many good runners get carried away and get that so wrong so you must have been chuffed with the execution and PB.

Thanks so much! I definitely prefer to keep things pretty comfortable early doors and regularly checking how I'm feeling before turning it up a little (if I feel ok). I was also surprised that the splits seemed to be pretty consistent. It certainly didn't feel like I was holding the pace towards the end. Things were a bit hazy then though.

 

[CoolTed]

Great running [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] Well done! How's the recovery going?

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Great running [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] Well done! How's the recovery going?

Thanks very much! Feeling pretty wiped out and the legs are in bits but thankfully it's just the DOMS, nothing major. Might try to get out for a little shuffle tomorrow morning as I think that will help. Oh and I've been grazing on pretty much everything in the fridge since yesterday.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Awesome run by Artie, setting the NSC running bar rather high.

 

[knocky1]

Awesome run by Artie, setting the NSC running bar rather high.

Excellent run by [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] Planned and performed to perfection.
Just checked his AG and he’s now topping the table with a marathon 81.54%.
Expecting a fast 5k from the lad in a few weeks to better that.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Excellent run by [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] Planned and performed to perfection.
Just checked his AG and he’s now topping the table with a marathon 81.54%.
Expecting a fast 5k from the lad in a few weeks to better that.

Thanks very much Gaffer!

Yep, looking to have some fun over the shorter stuff and getting down to some parkruns now.

 

[Bozza]

Couple of stand-out options I just noticed in the Nike extra-money-off-the-sale thing with code OCT21...

ZoomX Invincible Run Flyknit £92.38 from £164.95 - https://www.nike.com/gb/t/zoomx-invincible-run-flyknit-running-shoe-svBcWD/DJ5450-001

Another colour, but fewer sizes available - https://www.nike.com/gb/t/zoomx-invincible-run-flyknit-road-running-shoes-DQFV9r/CT2228-101

Terra Kiger 7 - £65.18 from £124.95 https://www.nike.com/gb/t/air-zoom-terra-kiger-7-trail-running-shoes-jbJcM2/CW6062-400

I've already got two pairs of each of these. The Invincibles are a great easy day / daily trainer road shoe with oodles of bouncy ZoomX foam. The Kigers are a light and nimble trail shoe but also capable of covering a bit of road if you need to do that to reach your trail, as I do sometimes. I'm a big fan of both and these prices make them a bit of a steal IMO.

 

[Bozza]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...

The sketchy GPS running under the tall buildings and through tunnels is always a little disconcerting so I tried to just run by feel and not panic when the watch's pace was jumping around. Although the last couple of miles were a bit of a blur it was amazing to spot my wife and boys by Westminster at mile 24. I was moving on fumes at that point and the breeze in the early part of the race now felt like a gale.

Turning onto the Mall and heading to the finish was incredible and I was so happy to come home with a new 2 & half minute PB of 2:42:07, averaging 6:10/mile over the distance. I made sure to celebrate crossing the line as the sun came out. Looking back at my splits I seemed to keep it pretty even which I'm really pleased with as I definitely had a few wobbles. Placed #492 overall and #114 in my M40-44 age category. Not bad for a 44 (and a half) year old.

Overall it was such a memorable day! The London Marathon is very special indeed. I learnt a lot, gave it my all and had so much fun! The marathon truly is a beast, testing us both physically and mentally, but I think that's why I love it.

Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

Ridiculous - you make me sick.

Begrudging congratulations...

Oh and I've been grazing on pretty much everything in the fridge since yesterday.

You've just described every day of my life for the last 40 years. I wonder if that's where I'm going wrong...

 

[Bad Ash]

Outstanding run [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] !

I was there and took a few minutes off my PB, finishing in 3:39:23 . I was aiming for 3:30, but was under trained and had a rather slow and painful last 12km. That said, it was an amazing day. The organization on the day and size of the crowds were unreal. As someone who doesn't live locally, it was a bit of a faff having drop off the kit bag and collect bib on Saturday, it took me best part of an hour and a half, and heard others were there over 2 hours.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Awesome run by Artie, setting the NSC running bar rather high.

Too high, GNT. WAY too high!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Ridiculous - you make me sick.

Begrudging congratulations...



You've just described every day of my life for the last 40 years. I wonder if that's where I'm going wrong...

Cheers Bozza!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Outstanding run [MENTION=11816]Artie Fufkin[/MENTION] !

I was there and took a few minutes off my PB, finishing in 3:39:23 . I was aiming for 3:30, but was under trained and had a rather slow and painful last 12km. That said, it was an amazing day. The organization on the day and size of the crowds were unreal. As someone who doesn't live locally, it was a bit of a faff having drop off the kit bag and collect bib on Saturday, it took me best part of an hour and a half, and heard others were there over 2 hours.

Fantastic running, well done! Huge congrats on the PB!

Yeah it's tricky for runners outside of the London area to make the trip to the expo before the busy Saturday collections.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

hi guys, just thought I'd give a race report from yesterday's London Marathon. In summary, it was truly epic!

I woke up and headed to Blackheath feeling a little out of sorts in the stomach but thought it was just the nerves. I always get pretty nervous before races but this was more than usual. I was a little concerned warming up but was hoping to shake it off once we got going. Thankfully once we started it seemed to settle down and I felt relatively comfortable, clipping away, soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it relaxed through the first 12 miles. I was having a lot of fun ticking off the miles with a great group of guys & girls. The crowds at Cutty Sark and over Tower Bridge were amazing!

Hit halfway in around 1:20 I think, still feeling decent so I decided to kick on a little bit. Run the first half with your head, the second half with your heart... All was going well until around mile 17 when I started to get a stitch and felt a bit sick. I'd taken two gels at miles 6 and 12 and was due to take another at 18 but didn't think I'd keep it down so decided not to. Then I felt a bit better and got back in a groove until about mile 22 when I got another stitch and felt sick again. Again it only lasted about a mile or so but the up and down sickness rollercoaster was quite energy sapping. My fuelling strategy had gone out the window. Seeing other guys being sick on the roadside didn't help...

The sketchy GPS running under the tall buildings and through tunnels is always a little disconcerting so I tried to just run by feel and not panic when the watch's pace was jumping around. Although the last couple of miles were a bit of a blur it was amazing to spot my wife and boys by Westminster at mile 24. I was moving on fumes at that point and the breeze in the early part of the race now felt like a gale.

Turning onto the Mall and heading to the finish was incredible and I was so happy to come home with a new 2 & half minute PB of 2:42:07, averaging 6:10/mile over the distance. I made sure to celebrate crossing the line as the sun came out. Looking back at my splits I seemed to keep it pretty even which I'm really pleased with as I definitely had a few wobbles. Placed #492 overall and #114 in my M40-44 age category. Not bad for a 44 (and a half) year old.

Overall it was such a memorable day! The London Marathon is very special indeed. I learnt a lot, gave it my all and had so much fun! The marathon truly is a beast, testing us both physically and mentally, but I think that's why I love it.

Looking at the NSC Runners Strava group I think there were one or two others running yesterday. If you're on here, huge congratulations!!

I was looking forward to your report. This really is a superb effort and well deserved after the training you put in. Awesome!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

I was looking forward to your report. This really is a superb effort and well deserved after the training you put in. Awesome!

Thanks so much!

With just the 5 marathons under my belt so far I'm still learning heaps and through a bit of hard work and staying positive when we hit a few bumps in the road I think it's great fun trying to see what can be achieved. Running changed my life for the better and I know it has for so many people. I think we're the lucky ones.