I am currently at my Dads as he had a fall a couple of weeks ago. I am really hoping he is well enough for me to go home before the event.
My training has been so disrupted so I am only going for finishing as in all fairness going for much more could potentially injure me and I have another HM on 20th May.
So far since the 4th Janauary I have had flu for three weeks then building up from that then I luckily managed my big run before Dad fell but have been in Yorkshire since 6th of Feb.
I can only manage 4km a day up here so not the sort of training I would of liked. If I go home it will be between 23-28 Feb. It is too late then for another long outing isn’t it? I have got up to 18.2km. That should see me through shouldn’t it, starting to worry that.
1) I won’t make it
2) I won’t be ready enough,
I get taper terrors usually but this time it is starting a lot earlier with all this going on. Any help or support please..
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Realfoodieclub
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I'm really sorry to hear about your dad RFC, that's so worrying for you. The emotional turmoil will play a part too in your training so don't underestimate that and take special care of yourself, more sleep if you can, nutritious food, laughter, company. This all helps.
You've run over 18K so you've done the distance in readiness for the HM. You're still running albeit not the distances you would have liked but still you're moving and every mile counts.
There's still a few weeks before the event so you can make the decision then what you feel like doing. If you go for it what's the worst that can happen? You don't finish? So what. Of course it would be disappointing for you but at the end of the day it's only one race and you have another one shortly afterwards.
You're an experienced runner so you'll make the right decision for you at the end of the day. Just remember this is supposed to be fun. Take away the pressure of the race (I know this is much easier said than done 😏) you don't need it at the minute.
I hope your dad gets better soon and you have him home before your race. Sending you a big virtual hug xxx
Thank you, hugs appreciated. Not many laughs to be had round here. I feel like I am keeping everything topped up on the fitness front, but the mental side is hard, hehe lots of deep breaths seems to help. I have waited two years for this event and if Dad is well enough to leave I will do it even if they close the roads around me 😀.
Irishprincess 's advice is brilliant! You are an experienced runner and you've done HMs before, so you know you can do the distance. You've also run 18k recently and won't have lost that ability. And let's face it you're a fantastic walker, so if necessary walk some of it. Unless there's a ludicrous cut-off time you could probably walk the whole way and still finish it.
See it as time for yourself in these troubling times. I hope your father's OK and recovering. Look after yourself too!
Thank you so much, I think the cut off is 3.5 or 4 hours so manageable. I think with 15,000 runners they have to be nice 😀. Hehe I won’t be anywhere near Mo Farah that is a given, but I might spot him in the crowd before.
Mines on 4th March, you do yours then, and i’ll do mine, i’ll be thinking of you on the way round.....sight seeing, having a chat....prancing pony pose for the photographers.... with cheesy grin 😂, your chance for time out, relax your brain, believe in your body. I am so looking forward to taper week, mind you, i’ll probably panic when I get there....but hey, we’ve got this 💪🏃♀️
Hugs to you RFC, 🤗, sending you positive vibes....
Aww thank you. Yes I can be the queen of the cheesy grin while I go round. They say there is a photo op at the end, so I will save a big one for then. Good luck with your HM and enjoy your taper week. No need for a panic you have got this Rfc x.
You are one of the loveliest people I know, and you have had a rotten start to the year.
I can't help with advice for the Big Half on 4th March, but IP sounds spot on. Hopefully you will get there and you will finish in whatever time you need and you will have had a fantastic and enjoyable event.
I do know that rushing to help your dad, when he needed you, was a selfless and loving thing to do and one you will never regret..
I hope he is improving all the time and that you are able to return home soon. Why not pamper yourself a bit in the meantime, paint your nails, have a facemask, do some yoga, the sort of thing you don't have time for at home.
Aww thank you for your kind words. I’ve been using the time to catch up with learning my 3d digital artist packages and my distance learning personal training diploma ( when the website works🙁). I’m not one for not doing anything 😀.
RFC - anyone who looks after a Parent like you are is a decent human Being.
You could repeatedly fall in front of the onlookers, pee in your running gear, find out at the end you have run the Course wrong way around, been last behind a pack of five year old one-legged brats from the Home For The Very Slow, you could double up with a crippling stitch four yards from the Start Line and have to be helped to an Ambulance by The Little Sisters Of The Twisted Knee ( Mother Teresa's lesser known nuns).....and you would STILL be the lovely lady you are.
Go out there, enjoy it. How you run it is secondary to everything barring injuring yourself. You are a lovely person who runs - "success" in running does not define your character
Thank you. Now there is a list I could try and work through 😉. So far I have been behind a five year old who was beating me, but she didn’t seem like a brat. Fingers crossed I am home in time.
Goodness you have been having a rough time. I think your 18k will see you through and as you are keeping active will be fine. Good luck - I know you have been looking forward to this, so I hope you get to enjoy it.
I'm sorry about your dad, Rfc, and I hope he is improving and you can get home before the event. As everyone else has said, you have the experience, you have done the major preparation and I'm sure it will carry you through. Okay, you might not come first but you will still be there and if you have to take it slow and steady, that gives you time to enjoy the atmosphere and the crowds. You're doing a great thing Hugs to you xx
Don’t worry, you will be ready - the very fact you are worrying about not being ready means you are mentally preparing yourself. Whatever happens you’ve done something truly wonderful for your dad by being there for him when he really needed you. You’ve already stepped up to the challenge and achieved it.
So enjoy those 4K runs, enjoy the time with your dad now, and if you get the chance, nail that cheesy grin on 4th March. 🤪
I think if you approach with the run/ walk method and an open mind you can do this. As you say you have got up to 18k. I think if you mentally say to yourself, ‘ I will do this, I can walk when I need to and I have done this distance before,’ you can do it. I know you get pre race nerves and it is so hard. I hope your dad is better very soon..... xx
I am doing my first HM on the same day as you, albeit a different venue. When I started my training (late November) I had never run more than 5k. I managed to get up to 10 miles on news years eve and was both elated with myself and confident that I would be in good shape when the HM rolled around.
Unfortunately, the following Sunday I sprained my foot, and recovery has been slow. I'm glad I started early as it gave me a better base and this morning I enjoyed a pleasant 8 miles.
I won't be as ready as I'd like, but I will be ready; and so will you.
I’ll be thinking of you, you got up to 10miles with some wiggle room in time. To get back up to 8miles after an injury is great. Let’s raise a glass to completing and having fun. 🥂.
Hey, RFC, hi everyone. (Mfam waves awkwardly from her office chair). Haven't been round for a while.
I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. Take one day at a time.
I really hope that you make it to the Big Half - I'll be running it too
Green wave, and in it for the journey not for the timing. Let me know if you want to meet up, it'd be great to see you after years of chatting on the forum.
Oooooh, I am green wave too. Things are looking like I might make it at the moment, I will message you after I get to go home so I can open my package. mrRfc says it has arrived then I will know my number.
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xxx
but you will still be there and if you have to take it slow and steady, that gives you time to enjoy the atmosphere and the crowds. You're doing a great thing 
My first half marathon!
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Half Marathon Training
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Finished my first half marathon!!
