Virgin Marathon, are you in?

[Slip]

Just entered the ballot for a place in the 2015 Virgin London marathon.

I ran it in 2012 and was on for a 4 hour 45 min finish (as you may gather, I am no Mo Farah!) but injured my knee at mile 9 and could only manage to run for around 60 second bursts every 5 minutes or so. So limped home in a disappointing time 5 hours 53 minutes.

I didn't run for a few months after then when I did start again I lacked any real motivation and found it hard to run for more than one hour at a time. By the end of 2012 I stopped running for 6 months and only started again when I joined the gym last summer. I got myself fit again and was near enough back to fitness for 5KM runs then I lost motivation around Christmas time and as a result have ran just once since Christmas (a month ago) I also gave up my gym membership because of a dispute with them over what I was promised when I joined.

I have no intention to run any other marathon but enter the ballot every April for the London one as I have a point to prove to myself that I can do it in under 5 hours! I didn't get in in 2013 or 2014. So hoping this time around I will be successful in the ballot, only thing is they don't tell you until October!

[gWaPito]

Just entered the ballot for a place in the 2015 Virgin London marathon.

I ran it in 2012 and was on for a 4 hour 45 min finish (as you may gather, I am no Mo Farah!) but injured my knee at mile 9 and could only manage to run for around 60 second bursts every 5 minutes or so. So limped home in a disappointing time 5 hours 53 minutes.

I didn't run for a few months after then when I did start again I lacked any real motivation and found it hard to run for more than one hour at a time. By the end of 2012 I stopped running for 6 months and only started again when I joined the gym last summer. I got myself fit again and was near enough back to fitness for 5KM runs then I lost motivation around Christmas time and as a result have ran just once since Christmas (a month ago) I also gave up my gym membership because of a dispute with them over what I was promised when I joined.

I have no intention to run any other marathon but enter the ballot every April for the London one as I have a point to prove to myself that I can do it in under 5 hours! I didn't get in in 2013 or 2014. So hoping this time around I will be successful in the ballot, only thing is they don't tell you until October!

Thanks Slip...Ive just entered the ballot as well :xxgrinning--00xx3:....The quickest time Ive done it in is 3.50. That was when I was in my 20s!!. I took it up again last June.

Ive built up the miles slowly...Im currently edging up to 18 miles in 3 hours. 3 hours is the max I will run in one go at this present time..Im trying to build more speed. I do this once a week, every week..that's if Im without colds!

Ive adopted mid foot strike to save any future injury. This put my miles back a fair bit to start with..it's like learning to run again......now that process is over, I feel it was well worth it :xxgrinning--00xx3: No more aches in the butt and hips.

Ive found sitting in a cold bath for 20 mins works wonders for muscle/ligament recovery. At first, I found this most distressing..Its a nessasary deed otherwise I'd be walking around like an old man 4 days of the week............. This is something I never had to do in my 20s!