Long time no post - I put this down to being otherwise engaged, and (for once) not having much to say. Part of the reason for my disengagement has been that I have been in training to run the London Marathon on April 22nd. I am doing this as a fund raiser for our local children's hospice, who care for our family from time to time, as my eldest daughter has a genetic metabolic disorder. Things are going OK, both in training and fund raising terms. If you would like to follow my training blog, please look here. If you are able to sponsor me, you can do it on line at Just Giving. Thanks for your interest.

QuoteOriginally posted by: csparkerLong time no post - I put this down to being otherwise engaged, and (for once) not having much to saywelcome back, and godspeed in the marathon

I am reviving this thread, instead of posting in the "Boston Marathon 2011" thread, that is a more recent "Marathon" thread.Charity donations rocket to more than £80,000 for hairdresser, 30, who collapsed and died on final bend of London MarathonThat's sad.

indeed, this is a london marathon thread rather than a boston marathon thread.The London marathon seems to be given over people who are raising money for charity and have never run more than a few miles in their lives as opposed to what might be termedserious runners who run marathons with the object of running what they consider to be a good time. Races like Boston (where almost all of the runners need to "qualify" by running a certain time in a previous marathon) are the preferred habitat for this second group, who train seriously for the event, often logging 100+ miles a week in the months leading up to the marathon.Other than the elite world class athletes (Kenyans and the like).When people are encouraged to do marathons to raise money for charity without doing the proper training, yes, it is tragic when someone on occasion dies, but it is not exactly unpredictable.

QuoteOriginally posted by: ppauperindeed, this is a london marathon thread rather than a boston marathon thread.The London marathon seems to be given over people who are raising money for charity and have never run more than a few miles in their lives as opposed to what might be termedserious runners who run marathons with the object of running what they consider to be a good time. Races like Boston (where almost all of the runners need to "qualify" by running a certain time in a previous marathon) are the preferred habitat for this second group, who train seriously for the event, often logging 100+ miles a week in the months leading up to the marathon.Other than the elite world class athletes (Kenyans and the like).When people are encouraged to do marathons to raise money for charity without doing the proper training, yes, it is tragic when someone on occasion dies, but it is not exactly unpredictable.The London marathon seems to be given over people who are raising money for charity=> yes, it seems charity-oriented."When people ... without ... proper training, ... it is not exactly unpredictable"=> I agree. Here in France, one needs a medical certificate to run any race (whatever the distance I mean).(cynical comment) Notice that in France people can do absolutely nothing without the right certificate/license/authorization/paying special tax.From the "Marathon de Paris" 's website DO I NEED A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE?QuoteWithout a medical certificate, you will not be allowed to participate in the Paris Marathon.Participation in sporting events organised by sports federations or under their auspices is subject to the possession of a medical certificate has been issued stipulating the absence of contraindications for participation in running competitions or a copy there of dating from less than one year.If you register through the internet, you will have to send your medical certificate to A.S.O. Athlétisme as soon as you know your race number (see the runners list).The medical certificate is issued by your Doctor after examining you, he will give you a certificate similar to the one below: « I, the undersigned Dr .?, Doctor of medicine, certify that the examination of Mr. (YOURSELF) reveals no contraindications for participating in running competition. Medical certificate issued in on the Signature/Stamp »

The fatality rates on marathons run about 1 death per 30,000 to 100,000 runners -- people push themselves too hard in a race.

QuoteOriginally posted by: Traden4AlphaThe fatality rates on marathons run about 1 death per 30,000 to 100,000 runners -- people push themselves too hard in a race.Sports are for athletes....On the other hand, the first Marathon runner, died upon arrival, yet he run the same distance on rocky lanes, with full armour, after 3 days of close quarter combat.

QuoteOriginally posted by: AnthisQuoteOriginally posted by: Traden4AlphaThe fatality rates on marathons run about 1 death per 30,000 to 100,000 runners -- people push themselves too hard in a race.Sports are for athletes....On the other hand, the first Marathon runner, died upon arrival, yet he run the same distance on rocky lanes, with full armour, after 3 days of close quarter combat.Wimp (!)

QuoteOriginally posted by: Traden4AlphaThe fatality rates on marathons run about 1 death per 30,000 to 100,000 runners -- people push themselves too hard in a race.was she though ? does anyone know how fast she was going, it said she collapsed what a mile from the finish, I checke the splits but she's not listed, at least not under the name in the article.I suspect it's more a case of someone doing a gruelling endurance event for which they are not adequately trained, and of charities encouraging this kind of behavior

QuoteOriginally posted by: ppauperQuoteOriginally posted by: Traden4AlphaThe fatality rates on marathons run about 1 death per 30,000 to 100,000 runners -- people push themselves too hard in a race.was she though ? does anyone know how fast she was going, it said she collapsed what a mile from the finish, I checke the splits but she's not listed, at least not under the name in the article.I suspect it's more a case of someone doing a gruelling endurance event for which they are not adequately trained, and of charities encouraging this kind of behaviora FAKE would be fortunate for the poor girl ...

Clearly a good fraction of marathon deaths belong to under-trained runners. But even the elite runners suffer and sometimes die. Blood tests of well-trained top-level athletes doing extreme endurance events do show evidence of heart damage and it's really easy to totally screw up hydration and electrolytes during a long hard event because the stomach can't absorb things as fast as the runner is losing them.Even if one is in great shape, that doesn't imply there are no physical limits to performance or the potential for over-doing it on race day and ending up with a serious or fatal medical condition. Even if one has run many marathons and trained heavily, the high likelihood that one will push the envelope on race day makes race day more dangerous than other days.

(I don't start a new thread for this ...)I had trained intensively to run these last years.And, this was the first time I didn't run at all for a 2 months and a 1/2 time.I got back to training today, running 19.5KM (that is my minimum usual training distance).The point is that it was really hard to breath and I felt my heart pulsing much faster than I expected.I am a bit surprised I lost so much capacity. I mean I have started nor to smoke nor to drink alcohol frequently (despite I am currently based in Bordeaux!).Has anyone (an athlete) experienced such a physical regression over a short period of time? And, how long did it take for you to recover?

congrats on getting back out running,and it's doing to take you probably a couple of months to get back up to speed

QuoteOriginally posted by: ppaupercongrats on getting back out running,and it's doing to take you probably a couple of months to get back up to speedthe automn and now the winter have been really mild, here. there is no justification for not going out and run!i performed a bit better, today. i started to run much slowlier, and it was less an effort as far as breath is concerned. beside, the pain in my legs reinforced because of stiffnesses, but i have great hope it will fade soon away.

Today, I felt I had to branches instead of my legs while running! Ah ...