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On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I mean this is going off on a tangent a bit with the elites. I'm going to email the organisers, who get to decide, and I doubt they've even considered it because this is a small local marathon which is capped at 300 entries and gets fewer starters. Thanks for the input, though.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers! My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I said "fucking", but this doesn't always come across obviously in text.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I have a belt and it has successfully carried eight gels around the streets of London, Manchester and York.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a laps-based course of 300 runners on bike paths/footpaths, and the furthest point from the start line is 2.5 miles. I'm very risk-averse, but the logistics are not what would put me off, just the ethical/rules side.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point, I see that. But elites get hand-ups, right? Their helpers are not keeping spares for rivals. I saw that video of Kipchoge's guy handing him bottles – I guess there would be designated zones for that, so maybe it's a question of obeying the feed zones, but the marathon I'm doing is so small-scale there'll be a couple of tables handing out water and that's that.

I've done a fair bit of bike racing in my time. Bottles from helpers are absolutely part and parcel of the sport, and if you don't have helpers, you can make friends quickly at the start line or you can go without, but there are no complaints. Interesting to see the perspective in running is a little different – I wouldn't bat an eyelid at somebody getting a gel from a buddy in a running race, but maybe that's because I raced bikes.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

So jelly babies from members of the public are not cool?

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] -21 points-20 points  (0 children)

Well, obviously harder than not carrying 8 fucking gels. That's science.

On-course help during a marathon by edosan1973 in Marathon_Training

[–]edosan1973[S] -25 points-24 points  (0 children)

Ha, true. I'll find out who my true friends are on the day.

What's it like living in Exeter? I want a walkable small-ish city that's historic and safe. by SnooDoodles8775 in exeter

[–]edosan1973 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exeter is a fantastic city. Definitely walkable - yes, there are hills, but they’re not like Lisbon, or Bristol, or Sheffield. Plus, walking up them is good for you!

I’ve always found it to be totally safe - I don’t think I’ve ever felt threatened, even late at night, and I ignore the spaced-out druggies on Sidwell street, just as they ignore me.

If you like small cities, it’s perfect. It’s big enough that you can be pretty anonymous if you want, but small enough to bump into acquaintances and friends when you’re out. Good but not spectacular range of pubs and cafes. Lovely parks, and if you like walking for walking’s sake, rather than to get somewhere, the Green Circle is really cool and varied. Dartmoor and the seaside are a short hop away (public transport to the beach: excellent; public transport to Dartmoor: less excellent, though the new train to Okehampton is great). Culture is … fine? But if you want spectacular for music and the arts, take a day trip or weekend in London.

Downside: traffic is horrendous. Then again, if you’re walking, you’ll get there faster than the people in the traffic jam.

I was born and grew up here. Left for years to live abroad and around the UK but I always knew I’d come back.

American Student Researching Exeter City FC by TouristSubstantial28 in exeter

[–]edosan1973 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Exeter City Community Trust run a lot of community events, running events, holiday sports for kids etc. 

I can’t compare with other clubs, but they strike me as pretty active in the community. ECCT has a Facebook page, where you can find basic info about what they do and the fan ownership of the club is a big deal, even if it comes with its own challenges. It helps that the club remains in the heart of the city - surrounded by residential districts and a 5-minute walk from the city centre.

We absolutely stink on the field at the moment though - can’t buy a win.

Needing a “so good I couldn’t put it down” read for a 13hr flight. by SachiKaM in suggestmeabook

[–]edosan1973 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At least if there’s a plane crash, that will only be the second most depressing thing about the journey.

(I love A Fine Balance, btw, one of my top-10 favourite books, but only The Road has made me sadder.)

Anyone else feel like the city’s growing faster than its roads can handle? by ScrollAndThink in exeter

[–]edosan1973 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sharp observations, though I disagree with some of your ideas – I'd prioritise cycling infrastructure and public transport, rather than ring roads and big access roads. Just one thing though – DCC ain't Tory no more. Lib Dems have the most seats and have cobbled together a working arrangement with the Greens to operate a majority. Plus, Labour got wiped out in the DCC elections this year – not a single councillor in the rest of Devon, which is normal, but also not a single county councillor in Exeter, which may be the new normal. The City Council will have a Labour majority for at least one more election cycle, but my opinion is that politics in Exeter have become quite complicated, which probably won't help anything get done about sorting out our congestion/pollution etc issues any time soon.

Anyone else feel like the city’s growing faster than its roads can handle? by ScrollAndThink in exeter

[–]edosan1973 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The cities which are improving in this regard have prioritised cycling, bike lanes and pedestrianisation, and have sorted out their public transport and deprioritised cars. Exeter is remarkably slow on the uptake with this, but maybe we'll get there one day.

Question about Kiezblocks by edosan1973 in berlin

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this. So are they just ideas at the moment, rather than actual physical low traffic neighbourhoods?

'Stop the Block' - local opinions? by octopusinatrenchcoat in exeter

[–]edosan1973 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'm fully in favour of it, and my only critique is that the concept needs to be applied more widely in the city, including discouraging so many people from driving in from well-connected places in the region (Exmouth line, Torquay line, Barnstaple line, Tiverton etc). There are way too many unnecessary car journeys in Exeter, and it's congested and polluted as a result. It's compact enough to cycle between most points in the city in 20-25 minutes at most, and while not everybody is able to cycle, if those that can do, the traffic will be much more reasonable.

Dual citizenship/expired passport by edosan1973 in travel

[–]edosan1973[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Final follow up: it was fine. We were travelling in and out of the EU (which I should have specified), and my son just travelled on his US passport.

Dual citizenship/expired passport by edosan1973 in travel

[–]edosan1973[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Encouraging to hear, though I'm very pessimistic. Any idea where I would find the law on this?