October is always a nervous time of the year for us running folk who nervously wait for a certain magazine to come through the door.
Will it be a YES…or will it be another NO???
I am of course talking about the London Marathon (Other city marathons are of course available)
Running London is a big thing….and for those not in the know there are only a few ways to get in
1. Get a good for age time in another marathon…this is never going to apply to me, so I’m not even sure how it works
2. Get a place from your accredited running club, they get a limited amount and often hold their own ballots
3. Get a charity bond place…raising usually in excess of £1500 for a good cause
4. Get a place in the ballot…I think there are better odds of winning the lottery
I have run London twice, in 2012 running for Great Ormond Street Hospital and in 2015 for the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund.
I of course entered the ballot…well it would be rude not to, but I am quite relieved that I didn’t get a spot because if truth be known I haven’t got time to train for a marathon at the moment.
There is always a bit of controversy about how the ballot works, as some people are lucky enough to get multiple spots over their running careers, while others never do.
The thing is, its not our god given right to run this race, even if it is on your bucket list…the point is if you desperately want to do it, you can…you will just have to raise a whole heap of money for charity in the lead up.
So what can you do if you are really, really disappointed?
- Consider another spring marathon, there are a number in the UK…or why not travel to Europe…Paris perhaps?
- Join us at mile 10 for the legendary Too Fat to Run cheering station…thats where I will be cheering in our ladies.
- Think about a different type of endurance event, a Triathlon perhaps…or what about an ultra marathon. We have a Too Fat to Run team taking part in a 24 hour relay in July
In The Clubhouse our online running club we only have a handful of women that were successful in the ballot, but the majority will be fundraising for various charities…as it stands we have 14 ladies taking part in the 2017 London Marathon, and a few ladies running other marathons in the UK and abroad.
Our closed Facebook page is a hot bed of conversation at the moment about marathon training, but there are also lots of women training for shorter distances too…everyone is welcomed and encouraged.
Last month we focussed on how to pull together your training plan, and there are tons of resources and support to help you achieve your marathon goals without losing your mind in the meantime. If you are looking for accountability and somewhere to ask all those questions you don’t want to ask anywhere else…this is the place for you.
We will also be organising some virtual long runs in the new year, which believe it or not really helps when you are up to running 16-17 miles at the weekend.
The Clubhouse costs just £59 for the year, and is described by its members as
The best running club in the world
