From Connemara to Galway (maybe)

littlebug

RayCun wrote: »

If you don't show up at McGrattans for at least one you can never show your face in the novices thread again :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

(oh, go on, it's right beside the finish. You can have one drink and then go shower etc)

Sure why would I want to go back into the novices thread when i won't be a novice anymore :pac:

I didn't realise it was so close to the finish... I suppose I'd be more out of place there if I'm not stinky sweaty in that case. I'll see what I can organise

RayCun

Yay!

RubyK

Best of luck littlebug!

Emer911

Good luck on Monday.
Don't forget to smile as you cross the finish line (for the photos).

I'll be looking forward to the race report.

racheljev

Good luck littlebug, enjoy it!

meathcountysec

In case the only view of you I get is you disappearing over the horizon at the start... good luck.

Blueskye

Best of luck on Monday LB. Hope to see you in McGrattans after

RacoonQueen

Best of luck littleone. Look forward to your report, hope to see ya in McGrattans.

BeepBeep67

Have a good one, keep it steady!

Bally8

Eek Eek best of luck littlebug. Im so excited for you. Enjoy it!!

menoscemo

Best of luck littlebug whatever your goal may be. Your training has been great. See you in McGrattans.

littlebug

Wellllll... In terms of time it wasn't the result I was hoping for or even close.
Sub 4.30 was never on right from the start but I was on target for 4.40 ish til I managed to get me some nice new injuries from miles 16 on. I felt awfully sorry for myself til mile 20 when I decided that the priority was to finish and enjoy my first and maybe only marathon. I remembered reading an article in one of the magazines the day before where someone mentioned a child shouting at them in a marathon "if you smile it doesn't hurt as much". So from then on I just smiled and didn't stop til I finished and absolutely had a blast for the last 6 miles. There was a fair amount of walking from 16-17... more so from 17-20 then maybe half/ half after that and I ran the last mile. I think it's itb (completely new injury- never had itb issues before). I was managing to run maybe 3 mins before the pain would flare/ cramp up again so I would do what I could and no more.
I was only guessing my time til I got home and checked just now (I managed to pack my camera charger rather than my garmin charger :rolleyes:) 5.03.

Don't feel sorry for me... no sympathy responses please The feeling over the last 6 miles and that last run up to the finish line made it all worthwhile. I even shed a wee tear....:o

I did however manage to beat a certain well known western person that I really wanted to beat... by over 20 mins.

rainbow kirby

Congratulations!

Look after yourself now, get the new injuries checked out when you can - and treat yourself to a load of chocolate in the meantime!

littlebug

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Congratulations!

Look after yourself now, get the new injuries checked out when you can - and treat yourself to a load of chocolate in the meantime!

Oh and lovely to meet you RK!
Sorry folks I didn't get to the bar.... I managed to blag a shower in a friends hotel room and once I sat down and I wasn't getting up again until I had to

dolliemix

Thats a really nice race report Littlebug. Love that anecdote about the little kid!

Congrats!

Emer911

Well done! Major courage displayed to keep it going.
Now sit back and chill for a well earned rest!

...and get that injury sorted so we can have a reprise next year.

catweazle

Well done Littlebug, good to see you enjoyed it. You might be back for another go next year......the pain and effort doesn't seem so bad after a few months

jcsmum

Well done LB for keeping going - it is hard not to be an emotional wreck by the end of it. Take care of yourself.

DigiJem

Congrats littlebug, hope the injuries are short-term. Enjoy a well earned rest.

Speedy44

congrats LB, fair play to ya on getting to the finish line with a smile on your face.
You've done something that not a lot of people can do, give yourself a pat on the back.

Bally8

congrats littlebug, what a great approach to your race, your attitude towards what happened is inspiring. Well done woman!

littlebug

Thanks folks.
Of course I've been analysing it all today and to be honest I think my "race" as such was never going to happen yesterday. By 3-4 miles I was thinking I wasn't feeling the benefit of the taper. By 10 miles my legs felt drained of energy.... all this before the pain/ injury set in so I think the pain was a result of rather than the cause of... if that makes sense. Compared to some of the training runs i've done I didn't feel like it was there from the outset for god knows what reason. I never seem to get the results in races that I think my training indicates. Whether I just think I'm better than I am or whether nerves or tension have some sort of negative effect on me i don't know. I just remembered today that from the outset my shoulders and neck were hurting... a stress/ tension kind of pain that I never shrugged off. Anyway... who knows... it doesn't matter. I did a marathon yesterday. I'll run the next one;)

I am happy to report that I am running in all my video clips. I was at the same place as Tony Mangan for a lot of the first half and enchanged a few words with him. How he ran with that thing I don't know but best of luck to him with his round the world run.
I also think I missed sub 5 out of politeness :pac: some bloke just wouldn't stop talking on one of my walk breaks... I kept thinking I would run again when he finished his next sentence but his sentences just all rolled into the next one and I was stuck with him for ages because I didn't want to be rude and take off while he was still talking:D A most peculiar character he was.
In future I'll only use the powerbar gels.... the only benefit I felt from the gels was from the 2 powerbar ones I took in the last 6 miles.

Anyway.. today=ouch. I Took the kids to the cinema and threatened to go down the steps on my bum... they were mortified :eek: I've said I'll take them swimming tomorrow- I love the idea of being in the pool but wonder how I'll actually get in:pac:

So... an easy week this week... I'll ease back into it next week and assess injuries etc and act accordingly. A few easy weeks and I'll start ramping it up again for Athenry.

ronanmac

littlebug, congratulations and fair play! What a brilliant way to finish a marathon! Abandon the suffering for the toughest last six mile, and plough on with a smile on your face... Brilliant!
(that person from the west isn't a senator by any chance? )

meathcountysec

littlebug wrote: »

I love the idea of being in the pool but wonder how I'll actually get in:pac:

Getting in should be the easy bit. Just fall in Now, getting out will be a totally different matter :eek:

Well done on your marathon. You're actually thinking of another one already? And you were the one worried about how tired the training might make you. Go, Girl

If you put your mind to it you should reach the 1,000 mile mark this year.

Again, well done on your achievement.

catweazle

You will learn a lot after that race. I felt myself the taper did me no good in Connemara, I was struggling before 20 miles at that. However I did feel great on the day of the half Ironman after the taper so maybe its just a bit hit and miss

If I do another marathon I will do more miles at pmp also, my poor legs weren't prepared for the pace on the day.

I am also looking at changing my gels myself for next year, I dont feel I get much out of the high 5's.

So if you do it all over again next year you will have some idea of what works and what doesnt.

Certainly a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon should be a definite target next year and a PB in Athenry will be a formality also if you go easy on the mince pies the day before

meathcountysec

catweazle wrote: »

if you go easy on the mince pies the day before

Heresy, I tell you, heresy. :eek::eek:

shazkea

Well done LB on finishing your first marathon, thrilled for you. Loved the attitude which must have been really hard when you're feeling knackered. I hope you can sort the injury out soon and you'll be backing running in no time - or at least going up and down steps

RubyK

Well done littlebug, you kept on going, which takes guts!

I'm sorry, but I did laugh at you sticking with the talker out of politeness! That really was very decent and patient of you

Enjoy the rest and then look forward to Athenry

BrokenMan

Well done littlebug, Inspirational stuff.

I love the idea of smile through the pain, really wish I had though of that.

the next one will be easier

littlebug

I finally got round to uploading my garmin data (all 18.89 miles of it) and it's left me feeling quite stupid:o I was actually on target for 4.30 right up to 9 miles but that included miles 3,4,5 and 8 at 10.13, 10.05, 10.05 and 9.45 respectively No bloody wonder I was tired by 10 miles with nearly half the distance having been run at well under my pmp/ I can see where I tired at 10 with every mile from then being over 11 mins and at 16 I went to pot altogether with the slowest miles at 13.18:rolleyes: Anyway.... we live and learn. Maybe I'll get it right next time.

catweazle wrote: »

Certainly a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon should be a definite target next year and a PB in Athenry will be a formality also if you go easy on the mince pies the day before

Catweazle I think you think I'm even better than I think I am I'm a long way off sub 2 hours.

Wednesday: an hour of splashing around in the pool with the kids.
Thurday: 3 mile walk. Residual pain and stiffness is wearing off by the minute. The right side of my knee where I had the problem on Monday is fine for walking but quite tender to touch compared to anywhere else so there's obviously some inflammation there. I'll do the same route tomorrow and see if I can run some of it. I'll also see if I can get in to Bjohnson soon and get his verdict on it (incidentally he ran a great marathon himself !)
I need to average 20 miles per week from next week on if I want to hit 1000 by the end of the year. That feels like a tall enough order just now given that I don't want to go much over 6 (if at all) before Christmas and Athenry.