Loch Ness marathon report
Tim Downie
race report. It might also piss off Roger which can only be a good thing.
;-)
Firstly, the Loch Ness marathon is a beautiful beautiful race. If you enjoy
marathons, do it. You won't regret it. It starts in the hills above Loch
Ness (see http://www.lochnessmarathon.com/images/coursemap.gif) and heads
steadily downhill for the first 4 miles where it then follows the loch to
Inverness.
We were blessed with perfect weather, cool, windless and a bit overcast at
the start with blue skys and sunshine later. The sun wasn't a problem
however as the most of the course is well shaded by trees. The first 4
miles are gently downhill and once by the loch, the course undulates gently.
It's *not* a PB course though as there are some fairly wicked hill later on
which rather took the wind out of everyones' sails but you can forgive the
course these as it's mostly just so gorgeous.
The first 10 miles were some of the most joyful running I've ever done.
Definitely better than sex (although possibly not Steve's wild monkey sex).
After that it began to feel a little like work but not markedly so. The
real work doesn't begin until about 17 miles when you hit the first of the
hills I mentioned. I possibly set out a little fast (but being down hill
pacing was a bit tricky but going by percieved effort, I felt I paced it
pretty well). I knew the hills would slow me down later so I wasn't too
disappointed when it happened. Less welcome was an ungent call of nature
that just *couldn't* be ignored and necessitated trip into the bushes.
Fortunately there were no shortage of these. ;-)
Once we hit the outskirts of Inverness I was in familair territory having
run two 1/2 marathons there previously and when I reached the 23 mile
marker, I was mentally running our 5K course to the finish. Somehow
couldn't quite manage to summon up my 5K pace though. ;-)
Finished in 3:25 (not 3:35 as I accidentally mistyped over in URR) (10
minutes better than Edinburgh, 7 better than Dublin) which I'm happy enough
with. On a flatter course I sure I could have gone under 3:20 but that will
have to wait till another day.
The overall organisation was excellent. Runners were bussed to the start
from Inverness and hot food and drinks were available in a big marquee at
the end. The Stadium where we finished is part of a new sports center with
an attached swimming pool where many of us had a gentle unwind after the
race.
It may never be a big event (1,100 runners yesterday) but it's still a great
event.
Tim
--
Remove the obvious to reply by email.
sydenhams chorea
news:bl9aft$98j20$3...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
> It might also piss off Roger which can only be a good thing.
> ;-)
It has, which is why I'll reprint my reply;
This is a silly, silly report. Why? Let me explain...
> I'll keep this short as I want my dinner which is cooking downstairs....
Do we *really* care to read these irrelevant details regarding your culinary
arrangements?
> Firstly, the Loch Ness marathon is a beautiful beautiful race. If you
enjoy
> marathons, do it. You won't regret it.
Subjective, but possibly true.
> We were blessed with perfect weather, cool, windless and a bit overcast at
> the start with blue skys and sunshine later.
Relevant and scene-setting in a 2nd year at High school English essay way,
but hardly dramatic prose. Where are the looming, silent hills that watch
over the Great Glen? The pale yellow sunshine struggling thought the
fading leaves of autumn? The damp, heavy air of the Lochside? The muted
voices of the runners carried on the still air? Exactly. I'm writing
them and I wasn't even there. Use your imagination, Timothy. We want to
read emotion AND fact, else why bother?
> It's *not* a PB course though as there are some fairly wicked hill later
on
WTF is a "wicked" hill? A hill that jumps up and beats the shit out of you
just as you reach the crest? Or is it a hill that cheekily covers its
lower reaches with slime so that your feet can't gain purchase and you
tumble down like a clown to its foot, cursing and swearing at the inequity
of the whole thing?
> The first 10 miles were some of the most joyful running I've ever done.
> Definitely better than sex (although possibly not Steve's wild monkey
sex).
Running better than sex? Better than bad sex, definitely. But then
almost *anything* is better than bad sex.
Couldn't you have told us 'why' it was joyful? For example, one of my most
joyous' (spits the word out) runs was many years ago on an early winters
morn. A heavy frost lay on the ground and, as I turned up a quiet farm
track, the low sunlight was reflected off the ground frost. It was as
though I was running on a golden pathway. In fact the whole thing was so
surreal I actually stopped running to make sure I wasn't doing a 'Jim Fixx'
and on my way to meet my maker. So 'joyous' may not exactly have described
this experience, but it sure was memorable.
> I possibly set out a little fast
Well, there's a surprise. You've never done that before. You thought my
advice on writing down all your mistakes so that you could avoid repetition
was tosh, didn't you?
> Finished in 3:35
Having run the latter part of this course with a friend (yes, I do have a
few and they are neither blind, mentally abnormal, or of a species other
than human) I consider that to be a respectable time. Congratulations, you
lycra-clad dolt.
> On a flatter course I sure I could have gone
> under 3:20
Ha! Doubt it. After chastising you previously I now have to point out
that, on occasion, you permit your imagination to overwhelm you.
> Enough for now, dinner's ready.
Oh good. Back to the interesting stuff - your food.
Roger.
Tim Downie
> "Tim Downie" <timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:bl9aft$98j20$3...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
>> It might also piss off Roger which can only be a good thing.
>> ;-)
>
> It has, which is why I'll reprint my reply;
<snip>
Mission acomplished.
sydenhams chorea
> Mission acomplished.
If only all of your ambitions were so easily achieved...
Roger.
Teresa Plymate
>Firstly, the Loch Ness marathon is a beautiful beautiful race. If you enjoy
>marathons, do it. You won't regret it. It starts in the hills above Loch
>Ness (see http://www.lochnessmarathon.com/images/coursemap.gif) and heads
>steadily downhill for the first 4 miles where it then follows the loch to
>Inverness.
>
>minutes better than Edinburgh, 7 better than Dublin) which I'm happy enough
>with. On a flatter course I sure I could have gone under 3:20 but that will
>have to wait till another day.
>
Congrats, Tim! It sounds like a really lovely race, but cruel in
that they put the big hills at the end. So it was a PB for you? Great!!
Thanks for sending the report over here, it is appreciated!
Teresa in AZ
Tim Downie
"Teresa Plymate" <ter...@noao.edu> wrote in message
news:bla1b7$b45$1...@noao.edu...
> In article <bl9aft$98j20$3...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de> "Tim Downie"
<timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> writes:
> >Firstly, the Loch Ness marathon is a beautiful beautiful race. If you
enjoy
> >marathons, do it. You won't regret it. It starts in the hills above
Loch
> >Ness (see http://www.lochnessmarathon.com/images/coursemap.gif) and heads
> >steadily downhill for the first 4 miles where it then follows the loch to
> >Inverness.
> >
> >Finished in 3:25 (not 3:35 as I accidentally mistyped over in URR) (10
> >minutes better than Edinburgh, 7 better than Dublin) which I'm happy
enough
> >with. On a flatter course I sure I could have gone under 3:20 but that
will
> >have to wait till another day.
> >
> >Tim
>
> Congrats, Tim! It sounds like a really lovely race, but cruel in
> that they put the big hills at the end.
To be fair, if you were to do away with the hills at the end, you'd also
have to do away with the downhill bit at the beginning so I'm not really
complaining.
> So it was a PB for you? Great!!
Not quite as good a PB as I was hoping for but a pb nonetheless and I'm
happy to have it.
> Thanks for sending the report over here, it is appreciated!
Thanks Tersesa. It's nice to know it's not just the seriously deranged who
read my posts. ;-)
So, do you fancy visiting Scotland next September? It would make a pleasant
change from that desert heat.
Tim
--
Remove the *obvious* to reply by mail
Tim Downie
http://www.northsport.com/docs/northsport/Library/lochness03/lnm%2005/index.html
or
Tim
Teresa Plymate
>
>"Teresa Plymate" <ter...@noao.edu> wrote in message
>news:bla1b7$b45$1...@noao.edu...
>
>Thanks Tersesa. It's nice to know it's not just the seriously deranged who
>read my posts. ;-)
>
>So, do you fancy visiting Scotland next September? It would make a pleasant
>change from that desert heat.
>
>Tim
Oh, if I could I would! But I'm starting a new job next month and will
have little vacation time, and that that I do have will be going
towards a trip to Germany in the spring. (Freind on sabbatical said
to come by and stay with us, so I am while they're there next year).
But Scotland is on my list of "must see" countries. Some Day!
Teresa in AZ, where it's *only* 96F today....sigh
sydenhams chorea
> Thanks Tersesa. It's nice to know it's not just the seriously deranged
who
> read my posts. ;-)
Oh, but it is. Have you read some of Tersesa's (sic) other posts? (BTW,
it's a courtesy to spell the name of your fans correctly, Timothy.)
Roger.
Jonathan Sydenham
J
"Tim Downie" <timdow...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:blaaf4$9qdkc$1...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
Tim Downie
> You don't look as if you've had sex at all.
Have you been hiding in my wardrobe again?
Leg humper
Leg humper
<timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>Jonathan Sydenham wrote:
>> You don't look as if you've had sex at all.
>
>Have you been hiding in my wardrobe again?
>
Nope, he prefers womans closets.
Anthony
A 7 minute PB is a good result on a difficult course. Sounds like a great
marathon to run. Good luck on the road to sub 3:20 and beyond...
Anthony.
Tim Downie
Thanks Anthony. I suspect that in the heat you run in that would translate
into a 4hr+ time though!
Just realised the Amsterdam marathon is in just 3 weeks. That ought to be
nice and flat.....
onemarathon
race. maybe i'll venture out that way someday with my butterfly net (to
catch that ol' Nessie) and my sneakers for a marathon jaunt.
Cam
Tim Downie
Thanks Cam. I'm sure you'd enjoy it.
Jonathan Sydenham
knows what you would look like if you'd actually had it ... ;-)
"Tim Downie" <timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:blbjem$ae51e$1...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
Anders Lustig
> Just realised the Amsterdam marathon is in just 3 weeks. That ought to be
> nice and flat.....
And if you´re able to shake off the idea of doing that,
you could perhaps surf on your impressive marathon form
curve as far as to La Rochelle at the end of November:
you could easily fit in 5-6 weeks of training between
recovering and tapering:-)
http://www.marathondelarochelle.com/Gb/home.htm
The course is nice and flat, and there´ll be a wind jacket
and a basket of oysters for all finishers besides:-)
Anders
Wohot
<syde...@mail.dk> wrote:
>If this is what you look like after 16 miles that's "better than sex" God
>knows what you would look like if you'd actually had it ... ;-)
Sniderham's hot for ya Tim.
Tim Downie
> "Tim Downie" <timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:<blc8ec$akqm8$1...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de>...
>
>
>> Just realised the Amsterdam marathon is in just 3 weeks. That ought
>> to be
>> nice and flat.....
>
> And if you´re able to shake off the idea of doing that,
> you could perhaps surf on your impressive marathon form
> curve as far as to La Rochelle at the end of November:
Hmm... I suspect not as getting there would be considerably more expensive
and time consuming than Amsterdam (no chance of a direct flight from
Scotland). Just discovered that I could (in theory at least) fly from
Edinburgh and do it as a day trip for a not too hideous amount of money.
Amsterdam has the added attraction of also being less than one year after my
first marathon (Dublin) and if I were to run it, then that would make 4 in
the one year (if not all actually in the *same* year).
Ooo, decisions, decisions.....
> you could easily fit in 5-6 weeks of training between
> recovering and tapering:-)
Talking of recovering, went along to my club last night aiming to do a very
gentle jog. Unfortunately the ladies had decided that hill repeats were the
order of the day. I did at least manage to resist the temptation to thrash
up the hills but it wasn't the kind of session I had really planned. ;-)
Legs feel good today so hopefully no serious harm done.
Cheers.
Doug Freese
Anders Lustig wrote:
> The course is nice and flat, and there´ll be a wind jacket
> and a basket of oysters for all finishers besides:-)
Oysters? Will there also be an orgy? Toss in a few Heinekens and
I'm tempted. :)
--
Doug Freese
dfre...@NOBShvc.rr.com
Robert Karp
>
><snipped>
>
>Finished in 3:25 (not 3:35 as I accidentally mistyped over in URR) (10
>minutes better than Edinburgh, 7 better than Dublin) which I'm happy enough
>with. On a flatter course I sure I could have gone under 3:20 but that will
>have to wait till another day.
>
>
>
>It may never be a big event (1,100 runners yesterday) but it's still a great
>event.
>
>
>Tim
Wow, what a performance, Tim. If I'm not mistaken, you finished over
six minutes faster than your previous PR of 3:31:47, yes? Just
awesome. The course really does sound beautiful, indeed. I doubt
I'll ever make it over to Scotland but one never knows.
Robert
Tim Downie
"Robert Karp" <rk...@mailbag.com> wrote in message
news:i57mnvo7v1fa959qg...@4ax.com...
>
> Wow, what a performance, Tim. If I'm not mistaken, you finished over
> six minutes faster than your previous PR of 3:31:47, yes?
True. But given that it was nearly a year ago a bit more improvement should
really have been on the cards. Just goes to show how that "better than sex"
phase was perhaps just me self-indulgently enjoying myself when I should
have been pacing myself. No real regrets though, I *enjoyed* the race and
at the end of the day, that's all that matters. A seriously impressive
performance to my mind is one like old what's-his-name who runs the Sydney
marthon does (Andrew Taylor).
> Just
> awesome.
Nah. Keep "awesome" in reserve for real achievements. It was more along the
lines of "barely adequate progress".
>The course really does sound beautiful, indeed. I doubt
> I'll ever make it over to Scotland but one never knows.
How about a some sort of deal then to provide a bit of incentive? You run
the next Loch Ness marathon with me and I'll run your next US marathon with
you. (I'm pretty confident that now that you've tasted the marathon
experience, there *will* be a next marathon) We'll put you (and your family
if necessary assuming you're not a Mormon with millions of offspring) up for
the night/nights with us and you reciprocate. It's years since I've felt
the urge to mutilate anyone with a chainsaw so I reckon you're safe enough.
How about you? Any homicidal urges I ought to know about?
Cheers.
Tim
--
seve common
>The course is nice and flat, and there´ll be a wind jacket
>and a basket of oysters for all finishers besides:-)
And if anyone from here does go, I may well drive up to shout idiotic
encouragements at you and take unbecoming photos of you as you go past,
twice :-)
Seriously tho, tt really is worth doing IMHO.
seve common
>Oysters? Will there also be an orgy? Toss in a few Heinekens and
>I'm tempted. :)
Oysters yes. Very good ones they were last year too.
Heineken is easy, a barrel could be arranged if you show up.
Not very "typical" French though.
The orgy is the easiest bit.
/A propos/ if you promise me to take her back to the states with you, I
won't complain to the police if you cart off the missus :->
Anders Lustig
> Hmm... I suspect not as getting there would be considerably more expensive
> and time consuming than Amsterdam (no chance of a direct flight from
> Scotland).
One transfer at Stanstead shouldn´t be a prohibitive
issue, and you could do worse than splurge out a little
and make it a holiday for two - the romantic possibilities
of the Atlantic waves in November are not to be under-
estimated. Or, you could fly to Paris, dump the wife there
with a credit card, and board the TGV train to La Rochelle
yourself:-)
> Just discovered that I could (in theory at least) fly from Edinburgh
> and do it as a day trip for a not too hideous amount of money.
The start is at 11 o´clock, that´s 10 your time...so it
may entirely feasible, but probably not exactly conducive
to a good result:-)
> Amsterdam has the added attraction of also being less than one year after my
> first marathon (Dublin) and if I were to run it, then that would make 4 in
> the one year (if not all actually in the *same* year).
You are now in the league where you can, without any
ëmbarrasment in any company, and probably should
emphasize the quality, not the quantity of your
marathon efforts.
Actually I´m a bit worried that you might be able to
take a more longview approach and not race yourself
silly during the next six months; the idea of yet
another rec.runner going sub-three, in London or in
Rotterdam for instance, before I´ll be even close
to making an attempt, should perhaps motivate me but
at the moment it seems like it would only generate
a Homer Simpsonian resignation...
Anders
Anders Lustig
> Oysters? Will there also be an orgy?
The motto of the La Rochelle marathon is "Here the waves
never stop, the men either", so I cannot be sure there
won´t be one, and they describe it as "a sporting test
with the dimension of our department, extreme and savage",
so I dare not think what kind of orgy it would be in that
case.
Upon closer reading I also find that "the viewers should
profit by a marvellous show with a beautiful brawl in race
head", that "the reward list reinforcement will permit to
extend women scratch to the tenth position with a complete ¨
parity", and that "our partners will encourage you, without
forgetting the 900 benevolents which mobilize themselves
to bring to all the participants unforgettable recollections",
unforgettable, I´m sure...
Anders
Tim Downie
> "Tim Downie" <timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:<blec7d$bbpaf$1...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de>...
>
>> Hmm... I suspect not as getting there would be considerably more
>> expensive
>> and time consuming than Amsterdam (no chance of a direct flight from
>> Scotland).
>
> One transfer at Stanstead shouldn´t be a prohibitive
> issue,
Flying el-cheapo airlines *and* transfering at Stanstead is, for me, a
prohibitive issue. The stress induced by the lack of through tickets,
double checkins etc. is just *way* more than I need.
> and you could do worse than splurge out a little
> and make it a holiday for two - the romantic possibilities
> of the Atlantic waves in November are not to be under-
> estimated.
We've doing that bit the week before in Stockholm.
<snip>
>> Just discovered that I could (in theory at least) fly from Edinburgh
>> and do it as a day trip for a not too hideous amount of money.
>
> The start is at 11 o´clock, that´s 10 your time...so it
> may entirely feasible, but probably not exactly conducive
> to a good result:-)
I don't think I've ever slept for more than 2 hrs the night before a
marathon so I don't think I'll be losing too much sleep. As to a good
result, well probably not but you never know.
> You are now in the league where you can, without any
> ëmbarrasment in any company, and probably should
> emphasize the quality, not the quantity of your
> marathon efforts.
I'm sure Amsterdamers might argue with you about that! ;-)
To be honest, running another marathon this year was never in my plans. I
made the mistake of chatting to another runner at Loch Ness who planted the
idea and now it won't go away.
I know that trying to run two marathons so close together isn't a good idea
for a whole heap of reasons but I'm still tempted.
> Actually I´m a bit worried that you might be able to
> take a more longview approach and not race yourself
> silly during the next six months; the idea of yet
> another rec.runner going sub-three, in London or in
> Rotterdam for instance, before I´ll be even close
> to making an attempt, should perhaps motivate me but
> at the moment it seems like it would only generate
> a Homer Simpsonian resignation...
Fear not, sub-3 is a long way off...
Doug Freese
> /A propos/ if you promise me to take her back to the states with you, I
> won't complain to the police if you cart off the missus :->
We have gone too far - one missus is more than sufficient and spares
always get me into trouble. :)
--
Doug Freese
dfre...@NOBShvc.rr.com
Jonathan Sydenham
J
"Wohot" <H...@oeve.com> wrote in message
news:82blnv0dattcklhnu...@4ax.com...
ayber
<syde...@mail.dk> wrote:
>I'm not hot for Tim in the slightest. Honest.
>J
Now you've gone and broke his heart? Ye bastard!!! What a tease.
seve common
>Actually I´m a bit worried that you might be able to
>take a more longview approach and not race yourself
>silly during the next six months; the idea of yet
>another rec.runner going sub-three, in London or in
>Rotterdam for instance, before I´ll be even close
>to making an attempt, should perhaps motivate me but
>at the moment it seems like it would only generate
>a Homer Simpsonian resignation...
Try this for size. How close do you think I'd get to you in a "ski de
fond" race? Be it classic or skating styles, you'd be home, showered and
have honoured your wife a couple of times, and still have time to honour
mine too, through pure Finnish hospitality of course, before I could
even get up the first positive slope.
Question of perspective :oP
seve common
>Flying el-cheapo airlines *and* transfering at Stanstead is, for me, a
>prohibitive issue.
I don't know if it's any use, but has the Air France/KLM merger changed
the deal?
Going through Amsterdam hub, you can probably even fly from Edinburgh to
Scunthorpe if the fancy really took you.
Then again, if Air France is in the do, you'll get a handfuls of tiny
bretzels instead of a meal, and the ticket'll be twice as dear :-(
seve common
>Upon closer reading I also find that "the viewers should
>profit by a marvellous show with a beautiful brawl in race
>head", that "the reward list reinforcement will permit to
>extend women scratch to the tenth position with a complete ¨
>parity",
MDR! :'-D (that's LOL in french)
The twits could have had a better translation dead cheap, against the
near-zero cost of complementary race bibs for me, you, Doug, Tim and
anyone else who fancied running, eating, drinking and illicit "turlute"
(don't help them Anders! Googling's good for the culture)
Anders Lustig
> Flying el-cheapo airlines *and* transfering at Stanstead is, for me, a
> prohibitive issue. The stress induced by the lack of through tickets,
> double checkins etc. is just *way* more than I need.
You´ve grown *so* <middle-class, middle-age comfortable...
> We've doing that bit the week before in Stockholm.
Now, that is something I would never object to. And if
I´ve got this right and you´ll be in town on the weekend
before Rotterdam, I think you should take the risk of
annoying the missus and run the "Snömilen" on Saturday
22th.
The "Snowmile" is the season-ending 10K race there - 10K
because it´s a Swedish mile - on a nice hillish course
located a stone´s throw from the center. Usually there
won´t be any snow on the ground at this time in November,
but if there is - as was the case both in 2001 and 2002 -
there will be a prize for every finisher:-)
http://www.studenterna.nu/bilder/0211-sm.asp
> I don't think I've ever slept for more than 2 hrs the night before a
> marathon so I don't think I'll be losing too much sleep. As to a good
> result, well probably not but you never know.
It wasn´t the lack of sleep I had in mind, it was all
the sitting in cars, planes, trains and buses...
> To be honest, running another marathon this year was never in my plans. I
> made the mistake of chatting to another runner at Loch Ness who planted the
> idea and now it won't go away.
I know: I almost had to beg my wife to not let me go
to Odense a week from now after the idea had began
to take root...
> Fear not, sub-3 is a long way off...
183 days if you´ll choose the fast and flat Rotterdam,
197 days if you´ll run in London:-)
Seriously, my impresssion is that you´ve come this
far simply by virtue of putting the first couple of
years of running behind you. Your training has, in
broad terms, probably been as just as haphazard as
your felllow Scotsman once pointed out and you´ve had
your share of injuries getting in the way, but were
you to take a long - as in six months or so - view
and plan and execute a proper well-periodized training
program, I wouldn´t repeat the error I made by betting
against Hampi.
Anders
Anders Lustig
> Try this for size. How close do you think I'd get to you in a "ski de
> fond" race?
Well, on a good day *I* get as close as within 150% of
the winner´s time:-)
Simply as an anecdote, last winter there was a fellow
from Scotland who hadn´t been on any kind, roller or
proper, of skis until January and not on real ones until
February who participated in the 90K Vasaloppet on the
2nd of March.
He made it as far as 48km in just over seven hours before
he ended up among those who were roped off. He´d probably
done a bit better if his ex-pat Swedish friend hadn´t made
such a poor wax job, but in any case it was a good show
of that famous Scottish character:-)
I´d have hoped to cover the entire distance in six, and the
winner finished the course in just under four hours.
Which all somehow reminds me of the state of mind I´m in
and the dreams I - among many others in these parts of
the world, apparently:-) - keep seeing:
http://www.skiforeningen.no/stripe
Anders
Scotty
>Simply as an anecdote, last winter there was a fellow
>from Scotland who hadn´t been on any kind, roller or
>proper, of skis until January and not on real ones until
>February who participated in the 90K Vasaloppet on the
>2nd of March.
>
>He made it as far as 48km in just over seven hours before
>he ended up among those who were roped off. He´d probably
>done a bit better if his ex-pat Swedish friend hadn´t made
>such a poor wax job, but in any case it was a good show
>of that famous Scottish character:-)
Ain't wee grand?
Tim Downie
> "Tim Downie" <timdow...@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:<blgmdo$bs22k$1...@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de>...
>
>> Flying el-cheapo airlines *and* transfering at Stanstead is, for me,
>> a
>> prohibitive issue. The stress induced by the lack of through
>> tickets,
>> double checkins etc. is just *way* more than I need.
>
> You´ve grown *so* <middle-class, middle-age comfortable...
Undoubtedly true. I can cope with it occasionally but as we've been down
that road once already this year, I'm none too keen to do it again so soon.
>> We've doing that bit the week before in Stockholm.
>
> Now, that is something I would never object to. And if
> I´ve got this right and you´ll be in town on the weekend
> before Rotterdam, I think you should take the risk of
> annoying the missus and run the "Snömilen" on Saturday
> 22th.
Ummm.. April the 4th is the date I have for the Rotterdam marathon. and
Saturday 22nd is in November (when we'll be long back at home). Some date
confusion here I think. Amsterdam is on the 19th of October, the weekend
after we return from Stockholm.
<snip>
>> Fear not, sub-3 is a long way off...
>
> 183 days if you´ll choose the fast and flat Rotterdam,
> 197 days if you´ll run in London:-)
>
> Seriously, my impresssion is that you´ve come this
> far simply by virtue of putting the first couple of
> years of running behind you. Your training has, in
> broad terms, probably been as just as haphazard as
> your felllow Scotsman once pointed out and you´ve had
> your share of injuries getting in the way, but were
> you to take a long - as in six months or so - view
> and plan and execute a proper well-periodized training
> program, I wouldn´t repeat the error I made by betting
> against Hampi.
Oh I know it's *possible*, just not sure how badly and how quickly I want
it. Perhaps that's sounds like heresy to some here but for the moment, I'm
happy bumbling along in my own haphazard way. I may change my mind when I'm
feeling a little more recovered from Loch Ness.
Cheers.
Anders Lustig
> > Now, that is something I would never object to. And if
> > I´ve got this right and you´ll be in town on the weekend
> > before Rotterdam, I think you should take the risk of
> > annoying the missus and run the "Snömilen" on Saturday
> > 22th.
> Ummm.. April the 4th is the date I have for the Rotterdam marathon. and
> Saturday 22nd is in November (when we'll be long back at home). Some date
> confusion here I think. Amsterdam is on the 19th of October, the weekend
> after we return from Stockholm.
No date confusion at all, just a wrong switch in my
brain: instead of La Rochelle - which is on the 30th
of November, as already mentioned - my wonderful brain
produced Rotterdam (there´s the nice alliteration and
both are correct answers to the question "What is not
Amsterdam?"...).
The only confusion in my conscious mind was whether
your "week before" was the one before La Rochelle or
the one before Amsterdam:-)
> Oh I know it's *possible*, just not sure how badly and how quickly I want
> it. Perhaps that's sounds like heresy to some here but for the moment, I'm
> happy bumbling along in my own haphazard way.
Been there, done that at about the same time of this
running life: after two quite respectable (for a
beginner of my age, type and background) and a very
brief dabble at becoming a triathlete, I whittled
away two good years:-)
> I may change my mind when I'm feeling a little more recovered from Loch Ness.
`Tis not quite yet the season to take stock of the
recent past and to imagine new horizons and to dream
up plans, so you´re in no hurry.
The ideal situation would probably be one where you
could be haphazard with a method behind your hap-
hazardness:-)
Anders
Anders Lustig
> (...) who fancied running, eating, drinking and illicit "turlute"
> (don't help them Anders! Googling's good for the culture)
Google is marvellous, but when I sense a very real risk
of stumbling on something too graphic, I consult the
Grand Robert first:-)
BTW wasn´t there *anyone* with just a little bit or
curiosity - or was *everyone* shocked into silence?
Anders
Tim Downie
I must admit I missed it first time round. It does lead to some
"interesting" sites. ;-)
seve common
>Which all somehow reminds me of the state of mind I´m in
>and the dreams I - among many others in these parts of
>the world, apparently:-) - keep seeing:
>http://www.skiforeningen.no/stripe
Love it :-)
steve common
>BTW wasn´t there *anyone* with just a little bit or
>curiosity - or was *everyone* shocked into silence?
More like punch-drunk from all the drivel I've been ladling out these
past few days (and intend to continue until it snows ;-)