It's Even Closer....

Yesterday I posted that Helsby is 4 and a half weeks away - why when I know it's only 3 and a half weeks to go, I don't know. Maybe trying to convince myself there's more training time than there is. Allowing for a 'taper' at the end (there won't be much time for that) I've only got a few weeks training left to get in shape.

Probably the least prepared I've been for Helsby to date.

Helsby Countdown...

Just 4 and a half weeks to Helsby - and I need to get in shape for it and decide whether 2008 is the year to attempt a marathon or not. If so, which one? Obviously, not London - I didn't get in and don't stand a chance or raising the sponsirship required for a gold bond place.

Edinburgh does look like a good favourite - gives me a few extra weeks of training to get into shape, but does involve a hotel stay for 2 nights and it's a week after another race I've planned in. Maybe 2009 sounds more likely...

But before then I've got to concentrate on Helsby. Get back to full race fitness and give it a go. There's loads of hills - but it's fun. Usually a good start to the year for my racing!

Great North Run Accommodation Sorted

Well it's sorted after a lot of sweat, tears and hanging onto phone lines and trawling through websites. We're back off to the caravan site we used last time! (see link here.).

Not exactly 5* accommodation, but beggars can't be choosers - especially finding accommodation for the Great North Run. It's cheap (£91 per van), they were clean and we could get showered and dry after the race before we drove home. I'll just use some of the cash I've saved to by a heater as caravans aren't the warmest of accommodations.

Great North Run accommodation sorted - now just the training to go. Should get easier from here!

Great North Run Accommodation - How Difficult?

How difficult can it be to find accommodation for the Great North Run? Book a hotel, turn up. Surely it's easy?

It's pre Christmas. Almost 10 months to go before the race and the job isn't easy. Hotels charging £130 - £150 per room per night and we need 2 rooms, one for 2 nights and the other for 3 nights. Plus one needs to be a family room - and they can be even more expensive!

It's not fun and it will be what eventually stops me running the Great North Run. Running it is easy. Finding somewhere to stay that's not going to cost over £600 is far harder!

Still Looking For Great North Run Accommodation

Finding Great North Run Accommodation is proving even more difficult that last year! Every year it seems to get more difficult and more expensive. And every year I wonder when we'll give up entering the race because the accommodation is becoming a joke.

We started looking for caravans like last year (see links to recommendations on this page). Worked a treat then, but this year the caravan parks haven't released their availability yet. The nearest accommodation we could find in a caravan was almost 40 miles from Newcastle.

So we started to look at a short break in a cottage (again, some links on this post). There does seem to be plenty available and for a good price. It's strange that it works out so much cheaper whilst giving the benefit of somewhere to get showered and changed after the Great North Run. Why we didn't think of it years ago I'll never know! Probably because we discovered it for last year through sheer desperation!

Accommodation For The Great North Run Isn't Easy!

I don't know what people will do who enter through the ballot and then need Accommodation for the Great North Run. If our experience this, and previous years, is anything to go by then by February there's going to be nothing left!

Our problem is compounded by taking 2 spectators and our daughter. Needing 2 rooms makes it a bit harder, but most places can sort that out. But is seems that none of the hotel websites can cope with booking a family room. The usual website (see yesterday's posts for a link - I don't want to plaster this with links to other people's sites) was great when there was just the 2 of us and it does display prices for 'larger rooms', but there doesn't seem a way of booking them. Maybe they are working on it...

I don't want to go direct to the hotels, that's far too expensive. Using a third party website for accommodation is much cheaper and has saved me loads of cash in Great North Runs in the previous years. But it looks like the only way to book a room for 3 is to go direct. And needing a couple of nights, that makes it very expensive.

I think it's cottages & caravan parks for me today. Hope I find something cheap!

Great North Run Accommodation

Finding accommodation for the Great North Run is getting harder by the year! The first year we used Nirvana because we booked late and were put in a nice B&B in Morpeth. It was convenient for the bus transfer, but it took ages to get back there after the race. The following year we saw the prices had gone up, so we did our own thing.

So we then used Active Hotels a few times. These were great - one year we tried to book directly with the hotel and they asked for far more then Active Hotels asked for. Best of all, you don't pay a penny when you book - just when you checkout. And the hotels we've booked through them can be cancelled until the day before arrival. So if you are thinking of running the Great North Run, save yourself the hassle of finding accommodation for the race in February when the results of the ballot are announced and book with Active Hotels now. Check the T&C of the hotel and if you don't get a ballot place then you can cancel the booking without charge. But looking for Great North Run accommodation once the ballot opens is always hard work. Once the results are announced...

The problem with Active Hotels is that we haven't found how to book a triple room. It meant having to go direct to the hotel - and loosing those great discounts. So the last couple of years, since our daughter & other relatives have been coming with us, we've started to look elsewhere. So last year we started using at Hoseasons and Cottages4You.

Now these last 2 might seem a bit daft, but to be honest, we are finding them an excellent alternative. Last year the caravan site was a hive of activity on the morning of the Great North Run - obviously we weren't the only runners to have thought of that idea. And the fact that the nearer sites were booked up early shows that's true.

The thing is with a cottage / caravan etc is that you can do a short break. It's not hard to find one that costs less for a short break than a hotel does for a night (we paid less than £100 for our 3 night stay in a caravan last year - most Great North Run hotels seem to charge £130+ per night). You then arrive Friday after work, have a leisurely day Saturday and after the race you can go back, get showered and changed and either head home or spend another night there. We really enjoyed that. Just a pity the place we stayed in is fully booked up.

So we're left in the hunt for Great North Run Accommodation. Only December and everywhere is filling up already. What will it be like when the ballot opens???

Great North Run

Well we are both entered for next year's Greatn North Run, with guaranteed entries for the following 2 years as well. Not cheap, but it allows us to get accommodation (especially for the following years) early, before all of the cheaper rooms are taken. Also get some sort of technical t-shirt - still to be seen!

This Running Isn't Meant To Be...

Would you believe that hte guy here to fix the boiler locked himself out of his van for 2 hours this morning??? Now I'm behind on work and it looks like today's run is out of the window. And I'd hoped to start daily running this week. Failed miserably there!

Next week. Must start next week (before Christmas).

Helsby - 42 days and counting

Just 42 days until the Helsby half - 4 weeks of training, less taper time. I really must get back into the training but listening to the gale outside it just isn't appealing. Work load is getting in the way of my being keen to get out - I've just looked at the list of emails in ready for tomorrow. And I've not done a long run for ages - and it wasn't long enough.

I'll have to decide in the next week or two (definitely by Christmas) whether I am marathoning next year and then build up a decent race schedule one way or the other. Not heard yet from the Great North Run people yet, so don't know what the situation is with entries there and whether they are repeating the Great Run club. So might not even be running there next year.

Not easy to get inspired... Roll on the warmer weather, some 10k races and inspiration.

Helsby - I'll Be There

Was getting quite worried about my Helsby half marathon entry. My name hadn't appeared on the list of entrants and the closing date had passed. But overnight by fears have been put to rest and I'm there. Last year I was one of the earliest entries, this year I'm just about the last to enter!

Suppose that means that now I have to get the shoes on and actually start some decent training. Must only be 7, maybe 8, weeks away...

It's Official

It's official - as you will see from the picture I'm not in the marathon.

Interesting to see though that the entry system is going totally online next year and opens in April. Will it still close in October or will the closing date also be brought forward a few months? It must make the work involved a lot easier for the organisers, but it will spoil our fun of watching for cheques being cashed!

An entry form for Edinburgh was also included. Tempting, just not sure on the whether for the race. Plus there is a favourite race that is probably the week before. Not sure whether that would be too much.

Could it be Blackpool

Just found out that another person in the running club hasn't got into London - that's 2 "no" and 1 "yes" so far out of 4. It's likely the 4th guy, never having ran London before, will also get a "no" but be given the club place. Especially as he's a good friend of the guy who's in.

The other "no" is talking about running the Blackpool Marathon, so it looks like the pressure will be on to enter that one. Will wait and see what happens regards club place etc first!

Third Time Lucky...

For the first time ever, someone I know who applied to the London Marathon has been accepted. 2 rejections then an acceptance. Lucky him!!!

Good news is that there are only a limited number of us in the running club interested in the London Marathon, so if the guy who has never ran it before also gets a place (fat chnce!!!) there's a good chance for the rest of us of getting the club place. If he doesn't get his own place then as he's never had the club place it's offered to him first.

Helsby Half

Well the entry form for the Helsby Half has finally left the desk - almost 3 weeks of it just sitting there in a pile! I would estimate from looking through the entry list that 1200 of the 2000 places have gone in those (less than) 3 weeks. Fills up pretty sharpish for a local event!

Well the race is 8 weeks on Sunday - means that I really must get back into those long runs and also decide what other spring races I'm going to do!

Don't People Annoy You???

At a party I was cornered by another guest who started talking to me about my running. Without being asked to comment she started telling me that I was doing far too much running, that I would need a pace maker because of it in 15 / 20 years and that my diet was totally wrong. Anything I said back was greeted with the fact that she worked in a hospital cardiac department.

Not only did this upset and worry my wife - it was totally wrong and unnecessary. First, I refuse to take health advice off a 'lady' over a foot shorter than me and weighing probably a couple of stones more than me (being generous).

But what made her advice even more dangerous - remembering that she was claiming to be an expert from the cardiac department - was that at no point did she ask how much running I did or what my diet consisted of, yet she criticised both. How can anyone tell another person that their diet & exercise regime is wrong just by looking at them and seeing a tall, slim build? I'm not under weight - a BMI of slightly over 20.

3 runs of about 45 minutes each per week and a well balanced (and plentiful!!!) diet. How can her 'expert' advice be to reduce exercise when the government are advising the country to do more.

People can annoy me - especially experts who look at me and tell me what I should be doing!

Training Frustration

Been doing my usual 10km route the last few weeks as part of my weekly schedule. But I've been running hard and not breaking 45 minutes. Back in the summer I was breaking 40 minutes.

Really getting frustrated with this - why is the training run so much slower than it should be? Was talking this through after the run and then suddenly I realised what the problem was.

As part of my preparation for the Great North Run I wanted to increase my weekly mileage so changed my daily route and slightly lengthened it... It's not 10km - it's 7 miles.

So it's 45 minutes for 7 miles, not 10km. Feeling a lot better about the running now! (just got to extend it by a further 19 miles...)

A New Leaf!

Trying my best to get back into this training lark - but without a race to focus on it's hard.

Started with the first interval session since before the Great North run - almost 2 months. Surprisingly my speed hadn't dropped off that much. Not got around to the weights yet!

Decided that if I do a marathon next year then I'm going to need to get used to drinking on the run again. So took a bottle on the interval session and sipped it between efforts - which resulted in stiches every time. Hopefully I can sort that out else there will be no point entering a marathon at all as I won't be fit to finish.

The Running Has Stopped???

Not a good week for running. Monday work took it's toll and no time to get out. Managed a short run Tuesday, but didn't really feel good and the running felt overly hard. Yesterday again a rush of work prevented me getting out at all and looks like a meeting at the bank at lunch time will stop me getting out today.

Sometimes, these weeks are just sent to try us! Trying really hard to get back into training, probably need a race to focus on. Nothing arranged yet - still not sent the Helsby form off.

New York Marathon

A peaceful afternoon today watching the New York Marathon. Well done to Paula for winning again after such a long lay-off, but I have to say that I didn't find this marathon course very inspiring. I didn't watch the race and think I'd like to run there.

But started looking around at other Spring marathons. Blackpool & Shakespeare are both on the same day. Blackpool I can drive to the morning of the race, but the reviews describe it as quite boring in places. It's a 2 lap race. Plus a cup of water every 3 miles doesn't seem much.

Shakespeare would need a hotel the night before and is "undulating".

Plenty of time to decide, I suppose. And if one fills then the decision is made!

Looks Like It's Certain...

Still no cheque cashed and no reports of others having their cheques cashed today, so I'm waiting for the inevitable thud of the 'Sorry' magazine in a few weeks and the next marathon news in August.

Got the results from Helsby today (9 months after the race!!) and started to fill in the entry form for that. Need to plan a target for the new year - and maybe a different marathon..

Cheques being cashed

Looking through Runners World and it's alive with people happy that their cheques have been cashed. Everyone wants to know which banks cash and when, so I'll record it this year to look back on next year (and later years, until my 5 times reject comes up...).

Tuesday 30th October, banks known to have cashed cheques include:
Nationwide
HSBC
NatWest
Royal Bank Of Scotland
Lloyds TSB
Halifax
First Direct
Bank of Scotland
Smile
Barclays
Cooperative
Intelligent Finance

I won't confuse things by adding those banks that people are asking if anyone has had anything cashed through - apart from to say mine's in that list.

Still a slight glimmer of hope!

Cheques Clearing

The first reports of happy people with cheques cashed are starting to filter through, but nothing from my bank.

Some banks are a bit slower - hopefully mine is one of them???

Almost That Time...

No big rush of people saying their cheques have been cashed - just one early morning and they bequeathed. The banks must really hate the FLM organisers when thousands of cheques are cashed all together!

Mine, of course, remains uncleared.

Watch this space...

Almost Time To Find Out

The Runners World forum is alive with people checking their bank accounts and not seeing cheques cashed and checking they aren't the only one. General opinion is that mid week the lucky ones should have their cheques cashed.

Entry closed 9 days ago - a week last Friday.

Who knows? Should know in a few days either way.

I Dream Of Getting In...

Closing day for applications has passed, hopefully the entry made it through the postal strikes.

I expect that if / when I receive the 'You're not in again' magazine I could look for another marathon to run, but is it the same? The first marathon I ran wasn't London and with very little support in the second half, just a few very encouraging marshalls, it was hard work.

Hopefully by this time next week my bank account balance will have dropped by £28 and I will have ticked off the entry cheque as being cashed. No doubt that it will just be destroyed.

Hopefully this time if there are any freebies such as a Lucozade gel in the rejection magazine, it won't have been squashed in the post and ruined all of that day's mail!

Almost Time To Start Wondering

Hopefully the extended postal strikes in London haven't affected too many ballot applications as tomorrow is the last day for entries.

It's supposed to be a few weeks before we find out whether or not we're in (and you only need to read a forum and see the number of 5 times rejects getting in to know that rejection seems the norm) but in about a week or so the cheques for the successful entries will be cashed. I suppose it's time for the organisers to reject anyone whose cheque bounces. But if the end of next week or the following Monday your cheque clears, then your in.

And when it doesn't, start looking for another marathon!

Is It Still In The Post???

It's very worrying ot wonder whether the application arrived at FLM or not?

By posting it late Tuesday, (can't remember whether it goes first or second class???) it could have arrived early Wednesday, before the start of the postal strike. If not, it could be sitting in a huge pile of mail backlog somewhere.

I expect it would be even worse if you had 4 rejections in the previous 4 years, knowing that if this is a rejection you are guaranteed entry next year. But if the Royal Mail lose or destroy the letter before it gets there...

People keep asking me what is the chance of getting in. Some optimistiaclly estimate 1 in 2 or 3. I expect nearer to 1 in 10 (100,000 apply, 30,000+ run including charities, club places, GFA, 5 rejects, deferrals, etc). If there's 10,000 places in the ballot, then I think that's a lot!

Not much chance then.

It's In The Post...

Well that's it done - the application & form are finally in the post and should hopefully shortly find their way to the London Marathon organisers. Fingers crossed for a successful entry (not that I know anyone who has ever been accepted through the ballot).

Noticed the letter codes on the back as I was posting the envelope - BAB. (1 reject, 0 accepts, estimated 3:00 - 3:15). Couldn't help but think that maybe next year the could read CAC (2 rejects, 0 accepts and a bit slower!). Says everything.

One Small Step...

The first step, hopefully of many.

The entry form has been carefully completed. Every detail neatly written and checked and checked again.

Last time I tried to enter I optimisitically predicted sub 3:00. It should have been possible, but it wasn't to be.

To try to give myself a more enjoyable run I've estimated 3:10. Slow enough if I want to take it easy, but hopefully quick enough to be able to make under 3 hours if I feel up to it.

But first I've got the ballot and more than likely the 'sorry you aren't in' letter. There's no way I could raise the £1000+ required sponsorship for a gold bond place and there's a few of us probably interested in the club place.

I expect this blog will be ending in December, with the letter. But if you don't try, you never get in!

Here Goes...

Yesterday was the Great North Run and I completed that in under 1 hour 26. That gives me a predicted time of 2:59 for a full marathon distance - and the London Marathon course is a lot flatter than around Newcastle.

I've not attemped a marathon for over 2 years now - maybe I'm tempted to fill in that application form that's sitting behind me and see if I can get a place in London.

It's probably very unlikely to get in through the ballot - I don't know anyone who has got in through the ballot - but I know plenty of people who have been rejected (including myself). Maybe that's why I'm happy to apply - I'm convinced I'll get the 'sorry' magazine.

But if I do get in then there will be a lot of training and long races over the winter. And I think the best way to motivate myself is a regular blog.

So here goes. Not many posts for now, need to see what happens in the ballot.