Good luck to all FLMers

[Sweder]

The tension on here is palpable as Sunday approaches.

Best of luck to all RCers running in London; I'll be looking out for you at Mile 22 - give us a wave (other hand gestures are available) and we'll cheer you on home. The BBC forecast for Sunday is presently cloudy, 17 degrees with a chance of rain. Sounds like heaven to me . . .

Don't forget, a pint or two on Friday night (purely medicinal) works wonders.
The real trick this weekend is getting through Saturday - possibly the longest day of the year by far - without wanting to rip someone's lungs out.

Have a belter

[stillwaddler]

Thanks Sweder, will look out for you at mile 22 (I said that without blanching) It will be 2 miles past anything I have run so far by then, in fact I might be eating tarmac but we shall see. I shall be in a fetching combination of canary yellow long sleeved top with matching Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation vest over, and black with red flash down the side three quarter tights. Mr SW will be that wet person beside me. Delighted by Sunday's currently predicted weather forecast:-)

Will think of a suitable hand jesture to greet you with;-)

Can't think what I'm doing here at work, haven't manged a tick this morning, will go for a quick blart on the tready v. soon.

BTW have decided what to do with my PC, please see attached .jpg

[MickCollins]

Thank you very much. I've never run a marathon before, and Sunday will be my first. The excitement and nerves are fighting a cheery battle with each other in my stomach, and legs that have felt perfectly able for the past nine months suddenly feel like they should be supporting an oil rig.

I took a brief stroll through Greenwich Park last night, and found myself getting excited by the sight of half a dozen marquees and a line of sixty or more portaloos - not a normal reaction, I'm glad to say.

I've done all the training I can, and now I know getting the rest is all important, and suddenly that feels like more of an ordeal than the running was. I've even opted to go and cover a game on Saturday, as it will distract my mind from the task ahead. Sitting on the couch, telling a spinning stomach and mind to relax offers so little rest, it seems a bit daft to slavishly go through with it.

I shall hopefully be plodding through the 22 mile point en-route to running somewhere in the region of four and a half hours, but just plodding past it looking like I've got four miles left in my legs will do for me, right at this moment in time.

I'm running it for the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, so you'll see the Tricolore-like red, white and blue banded vest, with 'Mick' written across the middle in black letters. I used to listen to Ron's commentaries, grew up in London, and burst into floods of tears when we got the Olympic nod. It's all a bit close to home for me, so in the year we got the Games, I'm running my first marathon, around my city, for a fund set up to honour a man who talked to the world about a sport that matters to all of us.

Dunno about crying as I cross Tower Bridge, or as I go up the Mall, I think I might start in a minute, and finish about next Wednesday, if that's alright with everyone...!

[Sweder]

Must admit to punching the air when the 2012 announcement came through. As for tears, shed a few of my own in Paris recently; there's no shame in that. Most newbies will have a weep at the finish if not before. There's something deeply emotional about marathons. London's the worst as you see the runners with photos of lost loved ones pinned to their shirts. There's a lot of moisture about, that's for sure.

[suzieq]

Sweder, I'll be looking for you at mile 22 on Sunday. I'll be wearing my singlet with a Canadian flag on it...and hopefully still running at that point. I know I'll be needing some encouragement at that point.

We're flying out today for London so will have a couple of days to get over our jet lag. Right now I'm just feeling excited and anxious to get going...Saturday and Sunday will be another story.

Good luck to everyone running! Let's hope for a beautiful English day (not too warm!).

Suzie

[Nigel]

Thanks, Sweder. I look forward to seeing your JDRF colours through the red mist of mile 22. Exactly like mile 2 in Brighton, in fact.

Meanwhile, I've just returned from a slow and listless trot, which I polished off in fine style and good spirits.

In fact, it was only when I was pondering the 23.2 extra miles to run on Sunday that any doubts entered my mind at all ...

And is SP running it, or not ?

[Sweder]

And is SP running it, or not ?

Watch out for the large bloke in the Batman outfit . . .

[Antonio247]

Best of luck in London! I´ll have all of you in my mind. By the way, I´ll be taking part at the Red Cross race in Almería, just one sixth of a marathon - 7 kms, which is nothing compared to a marathon.

Don´t start too fast and take it easy! The marathon actually starts in around km 30.

Greetings from the south-east of Spain.

Antonio

[El Gordo]

Yes, and good luck from me too.

I've just returned from a few days in Yorkshire without web access, and seem to have a flurry of emails and PMs regarding meeting up for a meal on Saturday evening and/or a beer on Sunday. I hope this will have gelled into a single arrangement by the time I've finished reading them.

But anyway, I'm sure everyone will have a great day on Sunday even if, as usual, you don't start to appreciate it until midway through that first post-race beer. At the moment it's looking unlikely that I'll be at the race as I have to be in London Friday and Saturday already, but will look forward to hearing all about it.

For the veterans, there's nothing I can say that you won't already know. For the first-timers, I'd just say remember that the race is the reward for the training, and not the final piece of discomfort and stress. Which isn't to say that you won't experience those things on Sunday, but they're not the main course. The other thing I'd say to the first-time marathoners is don't cause yourself unnecessary aggravation by giving yourself a strict target. If you've not run the distance before, you'll have no idea how long it will take, so just take it steady, and let the marathon take you where it will. You'll not be the same person at the end as you were at the beginning, that much is sure.

Get those hankies poised for that final pull up the Mall.

Can't wait to hear the reports. (That includes you Mick )

Once again, good luck to everyone running on Sunday,

Andy

[El Gordo]

Just caught up on some posts I'd somehow missed. Well worth reading Sweder's list at:

http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum...stcount=16

and re-reading any of Nigel's pre-marathon pieces will be reassuring.

And just the final piece of advice that you'll have heard before, but it really is important: Rest as much as possible on the Saturday. Particularly if you're in a new city, there's a temptation to want to sight-see on the Saturday but this is a sure way of tiring yourself out just when you least need it. This was my main mistake at Copenhagen a couple of years ago. If you want to do some sight-seeing before race day, take the tour buses.

[El Gordo]

And make sure you get a good night's sleep on Friday night. Whatever your good intentions, you won't get a full night's sleep on Saturday, so make sure you have plenty in the bank from the night before.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Good luck to Nigel, Stillwaddler, "way to go" Suzie and anybody else here who is running in London on Sunday. It remains on my "list of things to do (but probably never will)" list. Hopefully I'll be able to follow it on Eurosport and look forward to reading all your first hand accounts.

[Sweder]

I'm getting e-mails and calls every few minutes from people who want to join our Mile 22 supporters group. It's all getting very exciting and on a completely selfish note I'd just like to say

[SIZE="6"]I WISH I WAS RUNNING ON SUNDAY![/SIZE]

[El Gordo]

And on an equally selfish note:
[SIZE="6"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]
I'M BLOODY GLAD I'M NOT![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[johnb]

Best of luck to all. All those years I lived in London and never got round to running the FLM. I'm kind of jealous (kind of - I'll be toddling round a much more manageable 15k as you're all crossing tower bridge.)

Have fun.

john

[Nigel]

Come on, Andy - do get cracking with that report, please. I need to read it to set my strategy for London.

In the midst of the information blackout, I checked your Zürich splits and they told me a fascinating story in themselves. It looked to me like you tried 10 km, half marathon, marathon and ultra pace, all in the same race. Did you follow Antonio's pace plan, and is this an approach to be recommended for Sunday ? Since it clearly worked, effortlessly, I guess it is ... or is it ??

Right then, to encourage you to finish Zürich, I've decided to start my London report a couple of days early. So watch this (or rather my) space ...

[El Gordo]

I know, I'm terrible with marathon reports.

I've spent this morning writing it. I'm currently at mile 22, and you know how tough it is to keep going around there.

My splits? Hmm, yes, well one of the curious elements of the tale is that I got a "PB" at 10km, 10 miles and half marathon, none of which will count of course. If ever there was a race of two halfs, that was it. [Added: I'm going by my GPS watch rather than the 'official' splits which were way out i.e the 10km chip mat was way after the 10km marker. Same with halfway point.]

OK, I'll try to get it finished today.

[El Gordo]

OK, I've posted the report.

A bit long, and not yet edited thoroughly, but it will give you the general idea.

[Peterward3]

Good luck to all you brave souls on Sunday. Will be watching tucking into my cereal through gritted teeth and envy!

Seriously, enjoy it and also I may see you there next year God and knees and hip willing!

Pete

[MickCollins]

Andy,

A great report - although admittedly, reading it as I did the night before a marathon of my own I could be said to be something of a sucker for a long race story with a happy ending!

Just finishing off breakfast before the half hour walk from my house to Greenwich Park. I shall speak to you all once I've become a marathon runner...

Cheers,

Mick