Training for Dublin Marathon - help\advice

Andy27981

Hi All,

Hope u are all well, first post here so Hello

Anyway im training for dublin marathon, just wondering what runs are on in the leadup to this. Im looking for half marthons really (outside of dublin, want to save running around dublin until the day itself;) ). Ive done a few 10K's locally.

Also I really really want to avoid injury - so would ye recommend booking an appointment with a physiotherapist or something. I had slight problems with my knees - but it seems to have cleared itself up. Finishing the marathon will be a huge personal victory for me (i used to be 16 stone) so I want to avoid injury at all costs.

Thanks guys all help appreciated

Odysseus

There is a marathon and half marathon on the 27th august. www.longfordmarathon.com Best of luck with it

Obscure

The adidas race series
http://www.dublincitymarathon.ie/race_series.php

Domer

I agree with Obscure, the Adidas series is your best bet with the 5/10/half all spaced out in nice chunks to bring you to the Race itself. They are all held in the Phoenix Park so you dont get to run around dublin as such, so you still save that thrill till october.

Not sure where you are living, but if you are in dublins there are Adiruns arranged for all those training for Dublin every saturday morning at 10am in association with irishfit.ie. Details on http://www.dublincitymarathon.ie/news.php?article=85 AFAIK they are free to all running in the marathon.

As for a physio, why not just get a weekly or bi-weekly deep sports massage to help keep you injury free. Prevention is better then cure!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Andy27981

Cheers for the replies guys:D

Im based in limerick - so the dublin runs are'nt really feasable, good idea though. the park must be nice for running

I do most of my training in woods just outside limerick city, loads of hills though....im not doing too badly at the moment - my last long run (which i usually do at the w/e) was 15km and i did it quite comfortably - it was really windy. A long way to go though. unfortunealty im on hols the date of the longford one.

Deep sports massage - sounds interesting, is this done by a physiotherapist?

Any of you guys doing the marathon this year??

aburke

Hi Andy,

As the link in my Sig suggests, I maintain a website with a pretty good list of events.

It's especially good for stuff West of the Shannon, as I hear about nearly them all , but It has events from all over.

I did my first marathon last year [have signed up for this year already], and found the road races were a great way to see how well training was going, avoid boredom and when things weren't going well, counted them as mileage!

I was down in Bilboa, Co Limerick for a 10km on Friday. I'm addicted now!

Best of Luck
Alan

PS If anybody knows of any evensts not listed on my website, feel free to let me know and I will list them.

Andy27981

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the responce. That link will def come in useful in the months ahead so thanks.

Yeah the bilboa 10K how did that one go? Well hopefully - I did the ennis 10K on the saturday instead - went well they had about 700/800 people taking part. I found the distance fine - ran it in 45:55, slight improvement since my last one. Im no world beater but enjoying the training.

Andy

comer_97

just remember if you are training or a marathon do some training on tarmac and concrete and not all on trails, and grass. Your knees and joints might be in for a shock if you've not done much on the roads before!

Andy27981

Its pretty much all tarmac running im doing at the moment. with a little bit off road (but still a decent surface)...i invested in a decent pair of trainers too so hopefully will avoid injury....my week training goes something like this

Mon: road run - circa 6/8/10 K
Tue: Gym - cross training (bike,rower,x trainer) + some weights. about 1hr -1hr 20, including cool down and streching.
Wed: Road Run - same as mon
Thurs: Gym same as tues maybe with a swim
Fri: Rest
Sat: Long run (im building this slowly every week - last one i did was around 16K, will increase by another 1 or 2 K this wkend
Sun: Rest

obviously the days may vary depending on commitments etc...

Im not following a specific marathon training program - just one i put together in my head from searching through the net, various other programs. what do ye think ?

comer_97

it looks pretty good, but if you want to get the best results out of the time you are putting in, try adding some speed work or tempo runs, instead of doing 2 runs of equal distance and pace. Mix up the pace a bit. It breaks the monotony.

I noticed when i did my first few races that it is very easy to be swept along at a pace you are not used to and you will pay during the later stages of the race.

I found it very useful to go out and run 10k with each k done in a specific time. so you go out with an aim. It means that when it comes to a race, I have a better idea what pace I'm doing.

After saying all that, my last race a few weeks back, a five mile, i blew it in the first 3 miles and died all the way home

Andy27981

cheers conor, I do try and mix it up a bit, Plus one area where I train is very hilly so that adds variation, really tough in some parts.....How exactly do you judge your pace. I dont have\cant afford a heart rate monitor....So what would you do, judge it by your rate of exertion, or by time elapsed etc

The last 10K I did was a strange. It was second time running a 10K . I kept missing the road markings....so for example I would pass 5K stage and say - right at 6K im going to pick up the pace a bit....next thing I know im passsing the 7K mark.....ahhhhhh.....When I got to the last 1K I had a good bit left in the tank...could have worked harder up to that point.....Ah well its experience I suppose....any tips on judging pace\time\distance??

sorry about this im a complete noob .... Ive always been into running but running, previously on treadmills in gyms. Now taking road running semi seriously......

comer_97

I have a a gps watch for that, but after a while you get used to the pace. If you could somehow measure the course you run on a map and then time yourself to certain points you should be grand.

StaggerLee

Hi All,

I'm getting into a marathon traing schedule too for my first marathon.
Its looking like this so far..
Mon:Rest/short cycle
Tuesday:5-7 mile tempo
Wednesday:11 mile slow
Thursday: game of football
Friday:rest
Saturday: long run Slow
Sunday:rest

I might do the long runs during the week. I run home from work once a week, its about 11 miles, I could extend this though. Then just do a short run/runs at the weekend. I play football on a thursday night, i'll probably give this up in august, in case of injury.

Anyone any comments on that schedule... any advice welcomed

StaggerLee

for mapping distance..

http://www.mapmyrun.com

Andy27981

cheers for the link staggerlee, thats really useful

I can definitley relate to the football part - ive given up my weekly kick about. In total fear that some eejit will clatter into me - esp with the lads I play with - we do enjoy a tackle or two

your programe looks good. Do you find tue/wed/thurs tough? 3 days all involving impact on the joints - in a few months that might tell i.e. injury. Dont get me wrong im no expect just a thought!

I used to train like that - but now do my program above - to give me a day of non impact training inbetween runs - my ankles and knees were beginning to feel a bit worse for ware - knees especially

Clum

Andy27981 wrote:

How exactly do you judge your pace. I dont have\cant afford a heart rate monitor....So what would you do, judge it by your rate of exertion, or by time elapsed etc

I'm training for Dublin too, although haven't entered yet so not 100% committed. I'll make my final decision after the Longford half-marathon.

To keep track of pace I normally measure the route by cycling it (I've an odometer thingie on the bike) taking note of where each kilometer falls and then just watch the time on my stopwatch as I run around.

Everybody runs at a different pace so I can't tell you how long a km or mile should take you but for my long runs I'm pacing myself at 4.5 mins/km, I run my short runs as close to 4 min/km (hope to do better some day) and do a speed session once a week also.

StaggerLee

I dont always do the 3 days in a row, if possible I like to split it but its not always possible.

I've been running regularly for about 4 years now but have found since I start increasing mileage over the last few weeks I've had more niggling injuries, ankles, knees, hips. I get fairly bad hip pains, I'm going to get that one checked out, I can live with the rest.

I stick with the football for another few weeks, I enjoy it, its a welcome change to running. I consider it cross training. I'll take the chance for now.

Just as a matter of interest, what does everyone eat and drink before and during and after their long runs. At the weekend I eat porridge, jaffa cakes, maybe some Jellies about 2.5-3 hours before the run and bring water or some lucozade along with me..

Andy27981

I usually just have my breakfast a few hours beforehand. i.e. 2 x weetabix, 1 x yogurt and 1x fruit. Might have a banana or two while im getting gear ready.

If im doing a race - I'll do things a little differently. I'll load up on carbs the night before - get some pasta into me. Morning will be light breakfast, + banana's + lucozade sport.

I'll sip on a lucozade sport during warm up and at the start line aswell.

that mapmyrun link is brilliant btw....thanks again

StaggerLee

Yeah mapmyrun is great. Although its depressing me at the moment... I'm working out potential routes for long runs. Some places arent as far away as I thought.. :eek:

Amazotheamazing

Andy,

Do you do you're training in Cratloe Woods outside Limerick, or is there a better one nearby. Based in Limerick myself and occasionally go for runs up there, tough though.

Andy27981

hi Amazo

yeah do a bit of running in cratloe. Its beautiful up there in this weather. Some of the views are amazing. Ive lived so close to cratloe all this time and never really went up there. Really nice. Tough in places alright.

Ive heard about a run - the ardnbacrusha banks.....alot of the triathletes training for iorn man use it - its all grass apparently and 13 miles each way. If its windy its a no go - all grass though ! You can park up at a pub in corbally and jog down to the banks and off you go. I havnt been down there myself yet - I'll be meeting a friend on saturday - he's a member of liemrick tri club - so i'll get the exact location\directions and post em up

you know of any other decent runs in the limerick\clare area??

Andy

Amazotheamazing

Well I'm based in the city and I think the canal is a great spot for a run, about 2.5 miles from the city end to UL, or you can turn and go through Clare for a bit if you want to make it longer. The riverbank from Sarsfield Bridge to the Clonmacken roundabout is good for short runs (probably about 2.2 miles or so).

Cratloe is great though, from the woodcock hill entrance up to the new Cratloe old carpark and around up the clay hill and back is almost a perfect 5 miles hill circuit if you know the paths well enough.

Hadn't heard about Ardnacrusha, along the tailrace I presume? Post up the details if you get a chance.

Andy27981

will do.

Where exactly is the canal run, where does it start/end> If I was to drive somewhere and start then where would I go....sounds like a nice run. If you run there and back 5 miles right? that wouldnt be too bad.

Amazotheamazing

I have a gps watch so I can't give to exact markers but generally start behind the old garage by the Abbey bridge (you'll have to cross the canal) and run past St. Mary's rugby field/Grove Island, you'll pass under a railway bridge and keep going until the canal meets the river. At that point you can turn left and go back into Shannon Banks/Corbally or turn right, go across the bridge and continue on until UL, on you're way to UL you'll pass a footbridge, which if you turn left onto it will bring you out onto the O'Brien's Bridge road, you can run back through Corbally from here too, if you keep going (ie don't cross the footbridge) you'll come to UL. The path apparently continues out to almost CastleConnell, but I've never run out beyond UL.

My brother does alot of running around CastleConnell, I'll get some more details from him.

--amadeus--

Hi

Dublin 06 will be my 4th marathon, with Dublin '05 my first (did Paris in May and I'm doing Longford in a few weeks). I'm also from Limerick so interesting to hear about teh routes!

The run by the river carries on until you end up in a rugby / GAA pitch around teh back of CastleConnel / the NTP which is roughly 4.5 - 5 miles from the roundabout in town.

Are teh Arnacrusha banks the grassy banks by the waterway from the powerstation? I used to run out that way and wondered if you could use the banks to run on.

As for schedules, etc I would strongly reccomend following a proper structured program rather than something you've put together yourself, especially for your first marathon. There are lots of different types of run and they need to build progressivly to peak at teh right time and avoid injury. Try http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=813#scheds for three good schedules.

Andy27981

Sorry about the delay - cant find any info on the ardnacrusha banks run - It definitly exists though !

Did that cobally up to UL ran last night - lovely stuff right down by the river ! nice and quiet too.

Hows everyones training going?? Ran 16.5 miles last saturday.

Also any idea where to get gels around limerick, or even online???

aburke

No idea for Gels around Limerick.

But for online, I can recommend www.high5.ie

Run by a clubmate

bullrunner

having a discussion with my training partner...i think we should run the full distance (or as close as possible ) before the race...he thinks we should only do at most 20 miles.....which would be better ?

does anybody else run the distance before a race or just up to a certain point?

Clum

bullrunner wrote:

having a discussion with my training partner...i think we should run the full distance (or as close as possible ) before the race...he thinks we should only do at most 20 miles.....which would be better ?

does anybody else run the distance before a race or just up to a certain point?

I've only ever run one marathon and that was 6 years ago. I trained for it from being about fit enough to make my way to the couch after getting home from work.

Before the marathon itself the longest training run I did was 22 miles. I didn't have time to increase my mileage any more than that. Also thought it'd be taking from the day if I ran a marathon in training when the whole idea was to complete a marathon length run so I saved the 26 miles for the big day itself.

It'd be a different story if the plan was not just to complete a marathon. If I was competing, rather than partaking, the plan may have included a marathon length run or two in training.

Depends on what you want to do but it's certainly possible to complete the full distance even if you haven't run it in training. But you'll need to have run something close to it.

--amadeus--

Boots in town sell Gels, as do the two sports nutrition shops (one by the railway station and one by the Locke bar).

Don't run more than 22 miles in training - there are loads of reasons for this, not least that 26 miles is a very long way and it greatly increases your chances of injury if you run this distance before the day. Also the Long Slow Run is designed to teach your muscles how to burn it's glycogen reserves and use fat as an energy source. The LSR alone isn't what gives you the strength to run for a marathon distance - the shorter mid-week runs also build the stamina you need.

If you just want to get round then 1 * 18 and 1 * 20 miler will do. If you want to be competitive then your five longest runs should total 100 miles (eg 1*18, 3* 20 and 1 * 22).

I would strongly reccomend following a proper plan rather than just working out your own schedule, especially if it's your first.

bullrunner

ok..heres my training plan

2 days a week run 11-13 km in fast times (try to run around 4.30-4.45 min/km pace)

at weekend do 1 long slow run and increase distance by about 2-3 km each week...currently at 20 km