2010 Dublin Marathon Novices/Sub-4:30 Mentored Thread

Mr Slow

I had excellent company at that point, made it much more comfortable.

marrona

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=350E01&NegsNumber=77266951&Orientation=P

RacoonQueen

James Howlett wrote: »

Hey Guys,
Just checking in with my race report, sorry if it's a tad long but I'm a real winge-bag this week

Anyway I've been replaying everything in my mind all week and I have decided that instead of seppuku I will just mark Dublin 2010 as my "Rocky 1."
On October 31st 2011 I will just have to bring the fight back to Apollo Creed

Sorry to hear it didn't go according to plan for you. Did sound like you'd be bang on for sub 3:30 from your posts on here. That's one of the things about the marathon distance, no matter how well prepared you are, it's a long bloody way and anything can happen. If something pops at 11 miles in a half marathon you've only two miles to go, if it goes at 11 in a marathon you've a long bloody way to go.

Good to see you're focusing on next year. It'll be a cracker going on your performances this year.

JEmily

marrona wrote: »

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=350E01&NegsNumber=77266951&Orientation=P

Great photo's guys, how come you both look so fresh

Em, how do you make the photos bigger?

marrona

JEmily wrote: »

Great photo's guys, how come you both look so fresh

Em, how do you make the photos bigger?

click 'buy' and then click on the picture itself

Mr Slow

JEmily wrote: »

Great photo's guys, how come you both look so fresh

Em, how do you make the photos bigger?

We cut back on the booze the night before and didn't have any on the morning.:D

mprop

What do you wish you had been told before you started training for DCM?
Its not as bad as you would think. The hardest part about a marathon is getting your head into the right place. Do the training and you will do the marathon. Dont let yourself get psyched out

What would you say to people who are reading this thread now and contemplating doing their first marathon next year?
Tell everyone you are going to run a marathon, book it and pick a charity to raise money for. You wont back out with so many people counting on you.

What were your high points and low points of the whole experience?
High point - getting to the finish line and realising that I did something I never thought I would be able to do.
Low point - Would have been the training, doing it all by myself. Felt really low and down sometimes trying to convince myself to go training when it was terrible outside.

Do you plan on doing another marathon?
Booked in for Paris in April.

digger2d2

mrslow wrote: »

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=351U07&NegsNumber=77145737&Orientation=P

Jaybus....I've just checked mine...I look like I've just found a bar of soap in the prison showers.......:(

Mr Slow

digger2d2 wrote: »

Jaybus....I've just checked mine...I look like I've just found a bar of soap in the prison showers.......:(

Sounds like you're speaking from experience!

ilovetorun

mrslow wrote: »

I had excellent company at that point, made it much more comfortable.

BrokenMan

What do you wish you had been told before you started training for DCM?
Ignore the predicted finish times from the likes of Mcmillan. Pick a realistic target time and stick to it.

What would you say to people who are reading this thread now and contemplating doing their first marathon next year?
It's going to hurt like nothign you have ever done before. But it's going to make you feel on top of the world once you finish. It doesn't matter how bad it feels on the day just keep moving towards the finish line, you will get there eventually.

What were your high points and low points of the whole experience?
Highs
- Crossing the finish line and knowing that I had toughed it out.
- The training, running further than I ever had before
- The support from the crowds and fellow runners, encouraging total strangers to keep going
- The feeling now of doing something that I should never have been able to do
Lows
- Not being able to run the full distance. It was one thing that I had promised myself I would do. Next time I put that right!


Do you plan on doing another marathon?
Many more hopefully. Currently thinking of Connemara, just for something easy . Will be back for DCM11 as well, serious unfinished business there

jcsmum

digger2d2 wrote: »

Jaybus....I've just checked mine...I look like I've just found a bar of soap in the prison showers.......:(

How're you feeling today?

James Howlett

As un-flattering as this image is, it's too funny not to post as it pretty much sums up the entire race for me;

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=350V25&NegsNumber=77212804&Orientation=P

This is better
http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=350V25&NegsNumber=77167741&Orientation=P

digger2d2

Dear God.....The pain of it all.....

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=354677&NegsNumber=77219842&Orientation=P

digger2d2

jcsmum wrote: »

How're you feeling today?

Legs are A1 Sharon.....My left foot is really really sore though....Applying ice and Voltarol in equal measures.....Can't wait to get back running....:)

Mr Slow

digger2d2 wrote: »

Dear God.....The pain of it all.....

http://www.marathonfoto.com/view_watermark.cfm?CustomerNumber=354677&NegsNumber=77219842&Orientation=P

As if wearing that vest weren't punishment enough

Mr Slow

Just ran an easy 2, a bit creaky and awkward but happy enough.

rainbow kirby

The before, and the after.

Slow kirby is slow :pac:

shazkea

digger2d2 wrote: »

Legs are A1 Sharon.....My left foot is really really sore though....Applying ice and Voltarol in equal measures.....Can't wait to get back running....:)

Glad to hear it Georgie

Mr Slow

rainbow kirby wrote: »

The before, and the after.

Slow kirby is slow :pac:

You ran a sub 4:30 thread and a sub 4:30 race, what's wrong with that?

rainbow kirby

mrslow wrote: »

You ran a sub 4:30 thread and a sub 4:30 race, what's wrong with that?

I started 2010 aiming for sub-4. Medical issues (March), a masters thesis (summer) and an injury (late September/early October) scuppered it. At least I know what it is to run a marathon on pure guts, though I at least thought I could salvage a PB from DCM '10.

Mr Slow

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I started 2010 aiming for sub-4.

I started the race with that in mind:D, you were injured, give yourself some credit!

rainbow kirby

mrslow wrote: »

I started the race with that in mind:D, you were injured, give yourself some credit!

Oh well, it's pretty much lit a fire under my ass in terms of motivation for Barcelona :pac:

Mr Slow

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Oh well, it's pretty much lit a fire under my ass in terms of motivation for Barcelona :pac:

That's the spirit! Things could have gone arseways in the race but you made it to the finish, uninjured!

rainbow kirby

mrslow wrote: »

That's the spirit! Things could have gone arseways in the race but you made it to the finish, uninjured!

I actually had a plan on what to do if my injury flared up...

0-13 miles: Drop out
13-20 miles: Have a good think about it
20+ miles: Walk the rest of the way

It actually did niggle at mile 25 (and at that stage, it was a case of the quickest way to make the pain stop was to keep on running), but haven't had a peep out of it since then thankfully. Haven't tried a run yet though, we'll see tomorrow. Recovery after #2 is definitely quicker than after #1 though, legs were in a jocker the first 2 days after DCM last year and I couldn't go down stairs properly.

I've also just realised that half my mileage for the month of October was DCM. That's scary.

Mr Slow

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I actually had a plan on what to do if my injury flared up...

0-13 miles: Drop out
13-20 miles: Have a good think about it
20+ miles: Walk the rest of the way

It actually did niggle at mile 25 (and at that stage, it was a case of the quickest way to make the pain stop was to keep on running), but haven't had a peep out of it since then thankfully. Haven't tried a run yet though, we'll see tomorrow. Recovery after #2 is definitely quicker than after #1 though, legs were in a jocker the first 2 days after DCM last year and I couldn't go down stairs properly.

I've also just realised that half my mileage for the month of October was DCM. That's scary.

To quote Digger, I was like a crab with arthritis for the last few days.

Fancy running Kildare?

rainbow kirby

mrslow wrote: »

Fancy running Kildare?

Isn't that only about 2 months after Barcelona?

RacoonQueen

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Isn't that only about 2 months after Barcelona?

70 days. To be precise. Not that I've checked and know off the top of my head how long after Barcelona Connemara, Limerick, Kildare and Edinburgh marathons are. 'Cos I don't...

rainbow kirby

Lol RQ, all I knew for certain was that Barca and Cork were exactly 3 months apart. :pac:

slowsteady

Hope this is of some interest, DCM 2010 was my first race - ever.

Middle-aged dad, having a minor mid-life crisis, what to do? How about run a marathon? Sure why not, don’t lots of others?

This was something of the train of thought last June when I looked up the website to see when the race was on –
Four months to go – tight
Body condition - reasonable, not much extra weight, but no training (meaning none at all)
Running experience – 4 weeks, two years ago, got up to 10km but injured Achilles and gave up
Motivation – questionable
Support – OH ‘At your age? Your mad’. Children ‘That is for fit people, your not fit’ – true, very true

A stubborn streak (big in my family) decided that with such overwhelming pluses on my side (and a good pair of runners, bought two years ago) I was good to go.

Training

Living in the wilds (Sth Kilkenny) and not knowing whether I would make it past first base I started alone and low key (5km three times a week, nice little hill to finish just to spice things up)

After a couple of weeks and much huffing, puffing, twinges, aches and pains from the use of semi-atrophied muscles and a growing familiarity with the scenery (while walking up said hill) I decided this might, only might, have possibilities.

Then did the sensible thing and pulled the various training schedules for a look to discover I was 6 weeks behind where I needed to be on the plan – still, all part of the challenge heh?

Followed the plan (sort of) for a couple of weeks but it was now end of July and the first deadline for marathon entries – but was I going anywhere, longest run to this point was 13km, less than a third of the distance?

Did a stupid thing then and decided to do a 20mile LSR to see what it was like and help make my mind up about entry. See what it was like!! 3hrs 24min, half of which was slow hell, and almost complete immobility for two days – what did I learn – follow the plan, small increases in distance and put off the decision on entry till the end of August.

Had two weeks holiday in August, at home, lots of training, good runs, good weather, happy with progress, but still barely hanging on to the schedule. Started working out a target time (ambitious huh?) based on 10 mile time plus 20% improvement by end October, 3.45 might be possible. Not bad.

Next stupid move, rainy day, decided to go on a friend’s running machine before an evening meeting. Running at 12kph, no safety clip of course, looked around, tripped and had a Youtube moment – down like the proverbial sack of spuds, skinned shin, hit the shoulder off the deck and had my face sandpapered by the running surface. Fine sight I was at the business table later!! I must have missed the small print - running can damage your body (if you don’t follow the rules).

Lost a week but decided to enter before the August deadline and save €10 – commitment, this is what we like to see!!

September went well, still behind the plan, work, travel and family kept time at a premium but was out early each weekend on LSRs, like 5.30 breakfast, running by 7am. Still out on my own, family makes anything else hard, but me and Bruce, Zepplin and Neil Young got re-acquainted.

While times improved they were only just keeping 3.45 in sight provided everything else went perfectly - and that meant perfectly.

October came, the weather held up and so did training - sort of – on two planned 20 mile LSRs I aborted, one at halfway the other at two-thirds because the shoulder I had dropped 11 stone on off the running machine was giving serious grief. Went to the physio who bruised it (abused it)for three sessions but seemed to do little else by way of sorting it.

Training went on but only up to 10-12 miles, the shoulder was the problem. In hindsight, these runs included some short sharp climbs and some very long (3 mile) drags which were to prove vital last Monday.

Tapering proved easy as extra work and a couple of European trips soaked up any option to go out. At this point found Boards.ie and did a ****load of catching up on what I should have (and have not) been doing. Discovering there were pacers was both a blessing (took the mental arithmetic out of running) and posed a problem (which group to go with). Lots of analysis of the training log suggested that 3.45 was still a stretch and even 4.00 might be ambitious but as the next pacers were at 4.30 I was inclined to go for the 4.00 group.

Carbs and water were big on the agenda last week spiced up with fruit – so lots of pasta, peanuts, fig rolls etc, etc.

Trained (sort of)
Honed (not really)
Fuelled (that bit I got right)
Ready ??? (See Part 2 for the answer)