It's party time!!
Welcome to the online party to celebrate Sunday's Flora London Marathon. Even if you aren't taking part, come and say hello.
And if you are taking part in FLM on Sunday, clearly you aren't going to be doing much partying in the conventional sense.
But, pull up a chair, rest those weary legs and chew the fat over some pasta and a blueberry smoothie why don't you...
All are welcome in the smoothie bar and I hope you'll find much to enjoy.
You can read inspiring tales of other marathon runners, enter my competition, and if you like play my drinking game (eminently possible even when not drunk).
You are under no obligation to buy the book, but if you could let others know about it I'd be grateful. I usually donate £1 a copy to Tadworth Court Children's Trust, the wonderful charity I ran for in 2005.
To all the heroes and heroines running on Sunday, I wish you all the very best of luck. Do drop by and let us know how you got on...
posted by Jane Henry @ 12:45 pm
34 comments
34 Comments:
what a brilliant idea! i'm munching on a cheese and tomato toastie as i read - no bacon rind this time, you'll be glad to learn. i'm going to go and mingle. would you like to hear about when i did the sun walk last year? there's a photo of me and my team on their site that i can give you a link to, just to complete my humiliation ...
Diet Coke for me.
I am amazed by everyone who runs a marathon as I can't make it to the postbox without getting severely out of puff.
Congratulations to everyone who has done it/signed up for it. Truly inspirational!
[hic]
I've had too much to drink already.
Excuse me while I go and flirt inappropriately with some Important Publishing People, and utterly ruin any chances I ever had of selling my book...
Welcome one and all... I'm on the blueberry smoothies before the oldest comes home and drinks it all.
And I am feeling incredibly smug because I did a 2 mile run in under 20 mins this morning, which is INCREDBILE for me...
RG - thanks for the photo and story, it was great
Kate I never thought I'd do it either, and I would definitely do it again
Clare sadly there aren't any important publishing types here..
No important publishing types except all of us authors, of course...!
Good luck all you runners. I am deeply impressed.
I'm thinking of starting a support group for the partners of diabetic marathon runners. It's a lethal combination, believe me! (For anyone who doesn't know me I'm the long-suffering partner of Greg, interviewed on an earlier post in partyville.)
But the party is great. Greg won't come I'm afraid in case anyone here has a germ. So I'll just have to have his share of pasta and smoothies.
Mind you, you fit lot bring out the ignorant rebel in me. Now please excuse me for a mo. Just popping out for a smoke ...
Boring old water for me, just got over hidious virus... But that's no way to say hello at a party!
I am also one of the admiring spectators, not a brave participant. Although I have fond memories of cross country runs we did as kids at school... We have the City to Surf run here in Sydney and it's always an amazing event, even for those not in it. In fact I always feel that bit fitter when it comes around. I must be absorbing it from the air. One of the things I like about it is that at the start of the run, all the runners pull off their track pants and tops etc that they were just wearing to keep warm and they leave on the street. These get picked up and all donated to charity. Presumably via a laundry. But maybe that's a given for marathons and I don't realise it...
cheers all (*sips daintily at water but still manages to slop it down front of pyjamas*)
Vanessaxx
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That's the most wonderfully poetic piece of spam I've ever read. Please leave it there.
Am celebrating twice as hard as the rest of you as not only is the marathon on Sunday it is also my birthday! Yay!
I will be trying to travel across London from south-east to north on Sunday afternoon. I promise not to growl or swear at the crowds of exhausted runners and tired spectators clogging up the transport system. But seriously folks: deep respect to everyone running, especially those raising money for charity - best of luck.
Hullo fellow party goers, I retired early to bed ... actually I didn't, I was frantically checking my proofs till 1am... Still seems weird seeing my name on an imprint page!
Lucy - oops, I meant I hadn't got Anthony Cheetham here. Perhaps I should ask him! Of course ahem, we have some v famous authors dropping by. And if you haven't read Lucy Diamond's book, Any Way You Want Me, or Kate Harrison's Brown Owl's Guide to Life or Clare Sudbery's THe Dying of Delight, or Debi Alper's Nirvana Bites or Marie Philips's Gods Behaving Badly, or Rivergirlie's vast backlist (go looking for The Madness of Modern Parenthood why don't you?) then go out and buy them all now...
Oh an don't forget Caroline Smaile's In Search of Adam coming very soon.
Did I forget anyone?
And while I'm in plugging mode, you could try Dave Hill's The Adoption as well...
Vanessa, welcome to the party from the other side of the world. Yup they do the getting rid of your old clothes for charity here too. You have to get to Greenwich really early and the year I ran we had frost to begin with so I was all wrapped up warm and cosy. Then I lost my twin (where are you Mad Twin you should be at this party) and went frantic for about half an hour before the start, so was very warmed up by the start. It was so hot we were shedding layers immediately. I was worried it was a terrible waste then discovered they gave the clothes away. The big waste is water which people take one mouthful of and lose, rather then running with a bottle as I did (the fast ones do that cos they don't want to slow down) I am still horrified about that. But otherwise FLM is a fabulously organised event in every way.
Marie happy birthday for Sunday! Oh, and I think you might be right about the spam!, and Zinnia, hope you get across London ok.
Off swimming now, will see you all later...
Any lurkers, don't be shy, come and say hello. Particularly if you're running on Sunday, we'd love to hear from you!
Good luck on Sunday. Anything named after one of my favourite Jackson Browne songs is Ok with me!
Davex
Alright, alright, I'm late as usual but here I am. Since it is the middle of the afternoon I am on tea rather than anything stronger. But nice to join the party late anyway.
I'd love to be there on Sunday but am sitting it out till I get my guaranteed place (apply 5 years running and they give you a place out of pity so I only need 2 more attempts to do that). After my valiant but somewhat disastrous marathon experience, (knee trouble, back trouble, endless colds and had to walk a third of the way) I think this just as well. I have a faint hope that by the time I am 45 my back and knees will be a bit stronger. I'd love to stand on the sidelines and cheer everyone along, but having dragged two children down in the pouring rain last year and managed to miss both our friends twice, I think I need to break my marathon bad luck!
So to all of you taking part and all of you going along to cheer. Have a wonderful day and hope the sun shines for you. I hope you will be better prepared than I was and remember to put on your sun tan lotion & cut your nails otherwise you'll end up like me a boiled lobster with two black toes. My toe nails have never recovered.....
And for those of you who aren't doing the Marathon can I recommend a couple of fine 10K races in May?The Titchmarsh 10K on the 6th is a lovely country 5K out 5K back along an undulating road. There are sheep, cows and hairy cattle. If you are lucky you might spot a hare or a kestrel. (http://www.titchmarsh.info/roadrace.htm) I did much of my marathon training along this route and have fond memories of it. I was stupid enough to do the event 2 years ago less than a month after the marathon, & after I'd helped my children round the 3K fun run. Not surprisingly it took me 78 mins but at least I finished! It's a small race, cheerfully & efficiently marshalled with great support from the village.
The Oxford Town and Gown 10K raises funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign so you get a great city race. It's nice and flat once round the city centre, passing lots of lovely colleges and historical buildings (if you are inclined to look) and twice round the university parks. (http://www.oxfordtownandgown.org/)
It chucked down with rain last year so I was able to manage a much more respectable 63 mins. I am aiming for under 60 this year, why don't you come and join me?
I am blogging at completely the wrong time of day, have to go and sort children and tea out now, will be back to comment on why I run later....Have a lovely Marathon Sunday one and all!
MTx
Sadly my knees and back are not up to running anywhere either. But I so admire those of you who can do it!
Oh don't get me wrong. I admire you all too. I just think you're nuts ...
Mad twin - you did it. You completed the whole barking insane thing. What an achievement! I just can't see how you'd call that a disaster ...
My best piece of advice is vaseline on the nipples. I've watched so many bloody runs in my time and I can't tell you how sickened I am by the sight of men with twin trails of blood running like tears down their chests. Yuk.
Hullo Mad Twin, thanks for making it...
Btw she is an absolute heroine because her marathon story was one of agony from start to finish and despite being in great pain she finished in 6 and a quarter hours. AMAZING... and I wouldn't have done it without her!
Hello Cathy too.
Debi, I think you need to write a book about supporting a diabetes marathon runner!
The nipples thing is a male problem I think!
PS. Everyone meet Mad Twin... she's just like me... MT, meet my nice bloggy friends. Aren't they lovely???
Hiya, back again at 11pm with a glass of white wine, having just rambled on in another section about why I run. I really should be in bed, but had to say hello again to all my twin's lovely bloggy friends (sorry I should say Jane, just having a bit of difficulty with your double identity in cyberspace)
Thanks Debi for that kind comment. The Marathon itself was a marvellous occasion, but the training was painful because I was hampered so much by injury and illness. So it ended up being a survival and get round (which in itself was a wonderful thing to do - lots of fabulous people at the back of the pack) rather than a complete run as I'd have liked to. I learnt a lot, and am dead proud of the achievement, but I do have an ambition to return and complete it in 4.5 hours (hopefully aged 45 as that has a nice ring to it!)
Thanks Jane for your nice comments about me again. I really think your friends need to know that I really wasn't that nice. Let it be publicly known that every time Jane rang me and told me she'd managed another milestone I was internally seething that I'd managed to miss one. I even had the odd grouse that it REALLY wasn't fair, this was MY idea, and MY dream and why was she finding it so much easier? The fact that I kept these evil thoughts mainly to myself (though occasionally my husband got a rant) doesn't make me virtuous, just discreet. So sorry Jane for all those bad thoughts and I am so proud of you for having run all the way so steadily. Last year I saw identical twins running side by side. Next time I promise that will be us!
MTxxx
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'To all the heroes and heroines running on Sunday, I wish you all the very best of luck.'
If you want to know what it's like the day before the main event, check my latest post. And weep for us all!
The runners are not only the heores ...
Doh! Heroes - blame marathon stress for the typo ...
I'm ill. Can I have a lem-sip rather than anything more evil
Hello Yellow, and welcome to the party... as its for marathon runners, we should all be drinking smoothies anyway....
Debi, of course Partners of RUNNERS are absolutely fabulous people!! Good luck to Greg for tomorrow...
and to Donna too. ...
And alL of you mad people who are running tomorrow!
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...
WOohoo! It's marathon time again. Got to it a bit late this morning, but have the tv on and am cheering those runners on!
This time two years ago I had just about hit the five mile mark I think. Mad Twin was having a problem with her knees and made me leave her. I felt really churlish about it and had a loo break a bit later hoping she'd catch up, she didn't.
Highlights of the day for me were running past the Cutty Sark, turning the corner onto Tower Bridge with a yellow chicken, meeting some Wombles who turned out to be Jesuits who probably know my brother and running down the Embankment knowing I was near the end...
I soooo hope I can do it again next year!
Oh I was jealous, but I expect knowing me the heat would have seen me keel over before the end. Missed the women's race but really enjoyed the exciting finish to the men's. Fabulous to see Liz McColgan doing a charity run in 2hrs 50, surely she is nearly 50? Really really impressive. And Jane you'll be pleased to know at least half the charity runners did it in 5hrs+ this year, much more human....(A really good exception was Evan Davies who has been pleading injury and difficulty every month in Runner's World and did 4 15 respect. He's been very humble about the whole thing, so I was very pleased for him)
I hope my lovely HRR friends did well, but the silly thing is that I know them by their first name or not at all so I cannot check on the website....
Anyway inspired by all of that I did nearly 6 miles today, pretty slow time but the second half was a minute slower than the first, so good race preparation for the T&G on 20th May!
Can you join me Jane?
Hope all you Marathon runners had a blast! Wear that medal with pride as you hobble through the rest of the week.
Love and envy
MTxxx
Congratualations to all Marathon Runners yesterday!
Hope you had a good time/good times despite the weather.
Wierdly it didn't feel very hot here. Certainly not as hot as when I ran two years ago. Mad Twin and I both got sunburnt because it didn't occur to us it would be that warm...
Anyone out there who ran, please let us know how you got on!
It's all over for another year. Greg completed his 7th marathon but this was by far the hardest due to complications with his diabetes.
Too drained to give the full story here but you can check it on my blog is interested. Thanks for the support, Jane et al. Hugely appreciated!
Well done all marathon runners. Well done Greg, I looked you up on the website and know you didn't get your best time but not surprised in that heat.
Well done to all my Headington Road Runner friends that I have been able to track down and those that I haven't.
The London Marathon email team has just sent me this very funny little video. http://www.realbuzz.com/en-gb/Your_pictures_and_videos/index?pageID=3174&ht_do=view&id=130
Do take a look, it really IS that painful the day after
MT
Argh! That video! Those blood spots!!
Oh - I just get it. Always running with a super duper running bra I have never suffered in that area......
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