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 ....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 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!