You will do it Andy

[stillwaddler]

We are all rooting for you, you will do it, I'm predicting 5hrs 15mins. Was a wise precaution stopping yesterday, I'm sure the runs you have planned for this week will be a breeze. Was the ache yesterday a result of using your new improved running style? You could always revert ot the Andy style of old...

[El Gordo]

Hi SW.

That's very nice of you, but I don't deserve any rooting. It's all my own fault. Too much beer and chocolate.

But I'm definitely going to get there and do what I can. The plan (if I can pretend for a moment that I have one) is to start off with the 4:45 pacing group, and see how long I last with them.

Still bags of time to get in shape.

Yours self-delusionally

Andy

[Iceman]

Greetings, Andy. I saw the post about your aborted 20 miler and felt the urge to chime in. Forget it ever happened. During the latter part of the training cycle for my PR marathon I went out for a 10 mile pace run the day before my final 20 miler. I had to cut it to six miles because my knee had all but folded completely. The next morning I sat on my front steps in a light mist arguing with myself on whether to even attempt the 20 miler or bag it. I gave it a go and had the best 20 miler I've ever had, followed by a sub 4:00 marathon two weeks later. One run or one ache means very little in the grand scheme of a training cycle...even if it comes near the end. You'll do splendidly. No doubt about it. Now, put down the pint, lace up your shoes and get out there!

Cheers!

[El Gordo]

Yo Rick, great to hear from you again.

Thanks for the encouragement. I didn't intend to write a pessimistic entry. Just the opposite really, but from the messages I've had today, it must have come across like that. Nigel in particular gave me some good advice, so I'll have to do some thinking.

Actually, the training hasn't gone that badly. and I've quite enjoyed the races I've done. But I've missed a couple of long runs completely, and another couple haven't gone that well. But so be it. No point in dwelling on that. I've done about 85% of the miles I'm supposed to have done, which could be better but could be worse (he said profoundly).

Had a good 5 miler this morning, and intend to do 8 or 10 tomorrow, a 5 on Thursday, then a rest day before the weekend. I don't yet know whether to try to catch up on the missed 20 miler or drop down to the 12 that Hal's schedule calls for at this stage. I know the arguments about not trying to recover lost miles, but it would make me feel a whole lot better to get a 20 under my belt.

Anyway, I hope your own running is going OK these days. Dare I ask what the latest news is? You'd been advised to give up but were hoping to get a more favourable second opinion, I seem to recall.

Hal is due over here in a few weeks but I'm going to be out of the country, unfortunately.

Stay tuned, Rick.

Cheers

Andy

[Antonio247]

Don´t worry too much, Andy. Enjoy your training and if you´re lucky you´ll reach your goal but if you don´t , it will be worth while anyway. The trip, the atmosphere, the excitement, the people you will meet. Although I´ve been far from reaching my goal at Madrid marathon, I´ve enjoyed it quite a lot.

Good luck, Andy.

[Iceman]

Andy, as for my situation, I could line up 100 doctors and they'd all tell me to stop running. A knee replacement is inevitable. The issue that concerns the doctors is they are afraid that if I have it done in the next few years it will wear out in my late 50's or early 60's even if I don't run. A second replacement is possible but not pleasant and a third replacement is not possible. They're afraid they'll run out of knees for me, in a manner of speaking. My philosophy is this. You only get one shot at life, so now is not the time to be a sissy or a coward. I'm going to run until I can't take it anymore and go from there. Hopefully, they'll have better materials and procedures in the next few years. If not, I'll stop after I get my first replacement.

That being said, I found that running so many marathons over the past year or so cost me a lot of speed. Not that I was ever fast, mind you, but I was noticeably slower. So starting in January I started a program of heavy speed work. So far I've shaved nearly two minutes off my 5k time. The "Master Plan" is to run a 1:45 half marathon on June 5 which would qualify me for the Preferred Start corrals for Chicago. By starting more towards the front with faster runners it should alleviate the crowding problems so that I can shoot for a 3:20 marathon and BQ. IF - and that's a gargantuan IF - I can hit those goals and run Boston 2005 I would consider hanging up the shoes....then again, I've always wanted to do a full Iron Man. I ran a 1:23:05 10 mile race Saturday and my last three miles were progressively faster, finishing with a 7:45 final mile. I felt like I could have run the entire race faster so I'm at least on my way. Anyway, that's where I'm at.

As for your situation, I think you already know the answer to your "20 miler or no 20 miler" question. I don't think your body needs it, but your mind does. Your brain needs confirmation that your body is on the same page. It also needs to know that you are mentally prepared for hours of pounding the pavement. With that in mind, I'd give the 20 a go. Bail at 15 or 16 or anywhere else you feel you need to, but give it your best effort. I don't think you'll have a problem with the two week taper. Regardless, I'm sure you'll do well. As was mentioned by anlu, it's a can't loose situation. The experience is sure to be enough in itself. Good luck! I'll be watching!

[Antonio247]

Come on, Andy! I´m sure you can still do it under 5 hours.
If you haven´t got an injury, you can do it and run most of the miles. Besides, it will be good to get to Copenhagen with the legs not too tired. I´d take it easy the first 25 kms so that you don´t have to walk too much the last kilometres. Anyway, it will be a success just finishing it.

I hope you´re also lucky at work so that they don´t make you redundant.

Best wishes.

Antonio

[El Gordo]

The answer may lie in tomorrow's football results, Antonio. Sheffield Wednesday v QPR.

I'm also 'enjoying' a rare attack of gout, though this should vanish in 24 hours. So at the moment I can barely walk, let alone run 26 miles. We'll see.

Hope you've recovered from your marathon.

Cheers

AndyL

[Nigel]

Andy
First, very sorry about the work news, and the gout.

Second, it's tortuous to watch someone else's taper agonies (for this is what they are) unfold. Pains which appear, disappear and reappear are a typical feature of the final three weeks, when fear of injury is rightly at its height.

Also completely normal are your crazy thoughts that you probably won't be able to do it, that you might have to walk some in the second half (like everyone else, so what?), will get no pleasure from it, will have to let QPR decide your destiny, blah blah blah.

Fine, so you ditched the 20 miler, understandably given the twinges, but there's an 18 miler, a 14 miler and two half marathons already in the tank. At this late stage, maybe it might actually have been wise not to run that 20 anyway.

Get real ! No one said it was going to be easy, mate. You're an experienced marathon runner now, so go for it.

And yes, it might hurt, a lot, but it'll make great reading ;-)

[Seafront Plodder]

Consider yourself kicked up the arse Andy...

I reckon you'll do it anyway. Once you get there, keep your options by visiting the expo (or ØÆÅÅæ as they say)... and get sucked into the atmosphere, you'll run.

[El Gordo]

I've f***ed up, but everyone seems to think I'm joking again.....

There is an outside chance I'll do the marathon, though it's likely I won't. The reality is a choice between not doing it at all, or running 10-14 miles and walking the rest. Do I really want to do that? The simple answer is no. I may still do it, on the basis that I want another medal, and after a while people (including me) will probably forget the circumstances.

But you have to understand that I'm about 20 pounds heavier than I had planned to be, and haven't run a decent long run since Good Friday, and that was only 10 miles.

Anyway, thanks for the messages. I'm just distracted at the moment. Running seems like an irrelevance just now. Life has just become a bit skewed recently, I'm certainly not asking for sympathy, and I don't deserve any. I had a mail recently from Rick Neal, who I first met near Chicago, in Hal Higdon's sitting room. Rick was telling me about his 9 year old daughter who's undergoing major surgery on her legs at the moment. Major as in "cutting through both femurs, turning the legs to the correct position and reattaching them with metal plates" sort of major.

Rick also told me about a family he's befriended whose 8 year old son has just died from leukemia. I read their web-log, and it made me howl. It reminded me that my troubles are utterly insignificant. I'm grateful to him for pointing it out, and I'm just annoyed with myself for needing it pointing out.

Honest, this isn't that big a deal in the great scheme of things, but I neverless thank everyone for their messages, including the several I've had by email.

I'm leaving in about an hour for Sheffield, and will be spending the best part of 48 hours with 10,000 other QPR fans. Beer, curries and late nights to come. The kind of preparation that I've become accustomed to over the past 6 weeks, and the sort of thing I shouldn't be doing 7 or 8 days before a marathon.

You have to understand that I'm a stupid person who's spent his life pretending to be the opposite, and largely getting away with it. But I've discovered that the marathon god is one of the least bullshittable enemies I've ever come across.

"It's alright Ma, it's life and life only."

Have a great weekend all. And please please, let me have a good one in Sheffield. If I do, who knows?

Crikey, perhaps Nigel's right. He's right about most things. Taper madness, eh? I hadn't thought of that.

I've had a sore throat all week too.

Cheers

Andy

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Dear Andy,

The boys won through for you. Now we expect you to do your bit. For God's sake just run the effing marathon and stop your whining.

Otherwise, we're confiscating your season ticket and giving it to someone with a bit of spine - like that nice Mid Life Crisis Man.

Yours Division 1-ingly,

Ian.



*QPR boss.

[Seafront Plodder]

well hoo-flippin'-ray!!

A bit of spunk at last

Good luck Andy. Isn't beer about £6 a pint over there though?

[Nigel]

Marvellous news about QPR. And, yes, you're going to run a marathon. A great result all round, so thank goodness for that.

Good luck, oh slightly-heavier-than-expected-but-still-brave warrior ! We salute you....

[Antonio247]

Congratulations for QPR´s promotion, Andy.

Enjoy your trip to Denmark, the royal wedding and the marathon as well.

Best of luck.


Antonio

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yes, you can be an honorary Aussie at the wedding Andy, seeing as I have a prior engagement (punny) and can't attend... the princess is even from my part of world in southern Tasmania, so she must be alright, eh?

Not that I'm a monarchist or anything (ptui), but I do like the Danes.

Not sure if she's a runner though... although she is a yachtie, so must definitely drink beer. I guess she'll have to drink Carlsberg now? Could certainly do a lot worse.

Sorry, I've got off track a bit ('nother pun)... doubtless, inspired as you must be by QPR's success, you'll do better than you fear.

...odd to think of a fellow Taswegian becoming royalty. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised... ah, but I'm wandering off on tangents again, sorry.

Anyway, I'll be floating up the majestic Murray on a houseboat getting quietly drunk while you're tearing around the streets of Copenhagen this weekend, and I'll confess in advance to probably not thinking of you... due entirely to the effects of alcohol of course, but shall pounce on the 'puter and check here the moment I return.

Have a great run and drink way too much (afterwards, that is).

Give my regards to the royals, and tell them I'll send a card later.

MLC Man.

[El Gordo]

Cheers All

Thanks for the mail with the fizz recommendation, MLCM. I'll look out for it, assuming I can see anything after Sunday.

I appreciate all your good wishes. It's been a weird last few weeks, but I'll be accused of "whining" again if I once again invite you into my soul, er, so I won't. You unsympathetic b***ards.

If nothing else, it's taught me that a problem shared is a problem doubled...

Seriously, I had a bit of a turn but seem to have come through it. It's going to be a tough day though as I haven't done enough long runs, but I'll do what I can. I've had a couple of good runs this week that have made me feel a lot better.

I've got to start packing for tomorrow's departure, and don't know if I'll get a chance to post an entry this evening. If I don't, let me offer a firm handshake to the chaps and a slightly risqué hug to the ladies, and say thanks very much for all the encouragement and advice and... and damn good companionship over the months.

If I'm sober I'll try to post a brief message on Sunday evening. But if I'm drunk...

I definitely will...

Cheers All

Andy

[stillwaddler]

you'll have truly earned the champagne when you finish Andy! What time is the start? I'll do a mental tune in to wish you luck.

We're all rooting for you.