NY marathon

graham crocket · NY marathon

if you have nothing to do sunday afternoon look out for me on euro sport i will be proudly representing benfleet. I will try to get up the front at the start so you will be able to see me in my benfleet top leading the race hahahaha

gmike

Best of luck Graham. I trust you've got your union jack shorts as well

v jealous tbh .. NYC is definately one I want to do in the future .. had penciled it in for the big 4.0 next year until I got credit crunched

Have a good one mate.

debbie g

Good luck Graham we will all be thinking of you. I know you will have a good one you are flying and running the legs off me on a Monday night. We will all have a celebratory drink when you return and to hell with the Monday night run! Mind you it might be the only way I could keep up with you at the moment!

Stevie

I'm very jealous too, id love to do this one day.

All the best Graham, hope you have a great time

Steffan

Fantastic! I'll look out for your sprint away from the start line!!!
All the best and wish you good running.

bobby · New York

Good luck to Graham and evin Massey. Hope youboth have good runs.

Steffan

Looked a bit breezy in NYC today! Coupled with the rollercoaster of ups and downs in Central park, this could have been a tough marathon distance!
Any news?

Ernie

Unofficial Time for Graham 3:09:27
Well done for such a hard course

Karl C

Well done Graham, waiting for resutls from Kevin Massey
- all OK at 17 miles (2:56:0

debbie g

Well done Graham that's a very good time on a really hard course. We are planning the booze up already

Karl C

4hrs 39 mins PB for Kevin !

WELL DONE

Graham

Well done Graham & Kev. Great effort. That a GFA Croc? That's a polite way of asking if you're the wrong side of 40.

debbie g

Of course he's the wrong side of 40 Graham, only old gits allowed in our Monday night club

Graham

Wasn't sure, all that hair he's got.....

So, 2012, if you all haven't succumbed to false limbs and joint replacements can I come and join?

"Modern music, pah, it's like listening to a car alarm." See, I'd fit right in.

Steffan

Well done Graham and Kev.

debbie g

Ah Graham the hair is also a pre-requisite to joining the Monday club - Colin may tell you he is not running with us at the moment because of his injury but in reality it is because he refused to grow his hair long

You have time to work on that in the next 2 years!

Graham C was a bit gutted despite chalking up another GFA time as he got cramp at 21 miles and had to slow dramatically when he was on for a much faster time. I still think it was a cracking time and I reckon Steff you and Graham should swap stories as it sounds like you had similar marathon experiences.

graham crocket

Just got back from a mad 6 days in NY had a great trip but pleased to be back.Rcas preparation was not great we arrived thursday afternoon and spent the next2 days sight seeing and shopping then on race day we had to get a bus that got us to the start 4 hours before the race and just as we arrived it started to rain i managed to get into one of the tents near the start line and found myself a square foot of grass to sit on for the next 3.5 hours (not much fun).As far as the run went found it a lot hard thanlondon the bridges are killers.Did have the best moment i have ever had at about 16 miles you are just crossing from queens into manhatten via the queens bourough bridge which is about a mile long with no supporters on at all the only sound is that of you and the people around you running then when you are 3/4 the way over you start to hear the crowd again and by the time you are off the bridge the noise is so load it send a shiver up your spine.All was going well on target for 3.02 and then at 21 miles CRAMP it has happened now in my last 4 marathons at the same place its not cramp so bad that i have to stop but it seems to bubble up all the way down my legs from glute down to my toes and it feels that at any moment it is going to wipe you out so i had to back off and finished in 3.09.27 gutted as even towards the end i felt really strong but just could not take the risk of pushing.So if any of you have any suggestions or advice you could give me to try to stop me cramping up i would be very grateful

Karl C

Well done Graham, even better knowing your race prep wasn't great.

Cramp is normally caused by contraction or over-shortening of muscles.

Cramp can be caused by cold, overexertion or low calcium level in blood though the most common reason is low sodium and potassium levels in blood accompanied by excessive dehydration.

Either all (or none) of these could have been your problem...

debbie g

Hiya Graham welcome back! Karl is right about the causes of cramp and it is something I suffer with too. Ernie is more of an expert on this issue but I have to say that I worked hard on my hydration and salt loss problems over the summer and think I really cracked it. My secret was a combination of salt capsules and an electrolyte drink, salt tablet every hour, 2 if it is very hot, supplemented by a weak electrolyte drink sipped regularly but not taken all at once in excess.

My salt loss on a run is quite extreme and it could be happening to you too. Worth experimenting - it is what I did over the summer. I have to say I had no cramping problems at all at Fleetwood I was tired in the last few miles but that was my only barrier to a faster time.

debbie g

Report on this going in the Echo on Friday.

graham crocket

NY marathon

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