Dublin Marathon 2011 Novices Mentored Thread

RayCun

3.00, 3.15, 3.30, 3.45, 4.00, 4.30, and 5.00

menoscemo

elvis jones wrote: »

What are the different pacers for the day.........i think i'll tag along with one of the groups

3hrs, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4hrs, 4:15, 4:30 and 5hrs.

There'll be 3 or 4 pacers per group.

run44

RayCun wrote: »

3.00, 3.15, 3.30, 3.45, 4.00, 4.30, and 5.00

From your expereince, is it easy to catch up with the group again if you were to take water/toilet/stretching breaks?

elvis jones

menoscemo wrote: »

3hrs, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4hrs, 4:15, 4:30 and 5hrs.

There'll be 3 or 4 pacers per group.

Great cheers.

4:15 might be my choice there. 4 is just too much of a push and i'm hoping for faster that 4:30.

elvis jones

run44 wrote: »

From your expereince, is it easy to catch up with the group again if you were to take water/toilet/stretching breaks?

They are like buses, get the next one:D

run44

elvis jones wrote: »

Great cheers.

4:15 might be my choice there. 4 is just too much of a push and i'm hoping for faster that 4:30.

Me too, I think. Hopefully adrenaline on the day will help out with the keeping up!

BobMac104

menoscemo wrote: »

4 hour pacing is 9'09 per mile but usually you'll run 9'04/ 9'05 by the garmin becauase you never run the perfect racing line (DCM normally ends up as 26.4miles by the Garmin).

We'll aim to be something like 1'59:30- 1'59:50 through half way.

We may go a little slower on the uphills (even effort) but pick the time straight back up on the downhills. You are only talking a few seconds here or there per mile anyway. There are only two 'hills' on the DCM course anyway- coming out of Chapelizod at mile 9 and Roebuck hill at mile 21, neither last longer than a quarter of a mile and are followed by downhills/flat, so neither will affect the mile splits significantly.

Great info thanks menoscemo!

elvis jones

run44 wrote: »

Me too, I think. Hopefully adrenaline on the day will help out with the keeping up!

I'm just hoping for a nice female bottom in front to keep me focused.

RayCun

forgot the 4.15s...

There can be quite a big crowd running with the pacers, especially in the first half of the course. I passed the 4 hour group at about 7 miles last year, and there were at least 30 people there. They all seemed to be having fun (it was just a bit too crowded for me). I'd bet the 3.45, 4.15, 4.30 and 5.00 groups will be equally busy.

As well as providing encouragement, the pacers will keep you honest at the beginning of the marathon. If you're aiming for 4.30, and even if you know you can't go much faster than that, when the gun goes and the adrenaline kicks in and your legs feel fresh and full of energy, it can be hard to stick to your planned pace. But it is really important to do so. The most efficient way to run a marathon is to run the first 10k at the same speed as the last 10k. If you start too fast, you are burning energy that you will need more at the end. Sticking with a pace group can help keep you controlled in the opening miles.

menoscemo

run44 wrote: »

From your expereince, is it easy to catch up with the group again if you were to take water/toilet/stretching breaks?

Try not to take any significant stops, water you should take on the run (they give it out in sports bottles in DCM). Toilet you can't avoid obviously.

Generally the groups are quite big, especially at the start and the pacers will spread themselves through the group, front and back. If you know you are going to have to stop, try to get ahead of the group before stopping and hopefully you can catch the tail end of the group as you get going again.

RayCun

run44 wrote: »

From your expereince, is it easy to catch up with the group again if you were to take water/toilet/stretching breaks?

The pacers will be carrying balloons and signs, and wearing special tops, so they're easy to spot from some distance back. If you do drop off the back of the group for some reason, you should try to catch up gradually. Increase your speed by 5-10 seconds a mile, and you'll close the gap over time. Running hard to catch up will just waste energy.

menoscemo

RayCun wrote: »

The pacers will be carrying balloons and signs, and wearing special tops, so they're easy to spot from some distance back. If you do drop off the back of the group for some reason, you should try to catch up gradually. Increase your speed by 5-10 seconds a mile, and you'll close the gap over time. Running hard to catch up will just waste energy.

I agree with this, don't bust a gut to catch up. If you need a toilet break there are some nice trees around the phoenix park after 6 miles, right beside the road, and a nice little downhill for a mile afterwards to catch up :pac:

run44

I see what you mean.

Many thanks for the advice!

smurph10

Hi

Im currently training for the gaelforce west and the dublin marathon. neither of which i have done before but i reckon im going ok in training for both..

Last night i did a 15.25 mile run in 2hr 8 mins. on quite a hilly circuit, did 3 laps of it.

My question is from that should i be aiming for a 3.30 marathon or am i being too optimistic. Also is there many hills on dublin marathon. Im sure doing hill running will also help you on the flat?

Cheers

RayCun

What kind of times are you running in races?
How many miles are you running in a typical week?

smurph10

i havent doen any specific running races..

did a few duathlons and kayakathons recently but my running times have been good i think,

Cavankayakathon 5.4 k on brutal hills in 23 minutes.

id say im running on average 25 mile a week at present

RayCun

Dublin is pretty flat overall, there was some discussion of the hills here yesterday.

It's hard to judge someone's time off mixed races, or training runs - how to know how fast you could have gone if you weren't just out of a kayak, or were really pushing yourself. You might be capable of 3.30, or might be closer to 3.45.

KittyMittens

Hi, have been following the thread and the HH Novice 1 plan. Have one question which I hope you can help with: I'll be doing week 15 of the plan week beginning 3rd October, this will mean doing my longest ever run - 20 miles on 8th October, is this too close to the actual marathon?
Assuming I actually get that far of course....but trying to plan ahead and read what you said about recover times after long runs, trying to make sure I have recovered in time.
Thanks for your advice and a great thread

Mr Slow

KittyMittens wrote: »

Hi, have been following the thread and the HH Novice 1 plan. Have one question which I hope you can help with: I'll be doing week 15 of the plan week beginning 3rd October, this will mean doing my longest ever run - 20 miles on 8th October, is this too close to the actual marathon?
Assuming I actually get that far of course....but trying to plan ahead and read what you said about recover times after long runs, trying to make sure I have recovered in time.
Thanks for your advice and a great thread

That will give you a 3 week taper which is exactly what your body will require after your training!

RayCun

KittyMittens wrote: »

Hi, have been following the thread and the HH Novice 1 plan. Have one question which I hope you can help with: I'll be doing week 15 of the plan week beginning 3rd October, this will mean doing my longest ever run - 20 miles on 8th October, is this too close to the actual marathon?

That's just right
20 miles on the 8th
14 miles on the 15th
8 miles on the 22nd
next week the marathon

househunter

Name|Sessions Completed|This Week|Total so far|Comments
meijin|||94 miles||
Vagga|5|46 Miles|210 miles|Huge PB in Midlands Half Monday - some aches and pains as a result all week, but no pain, no gain:eek:|
shels4ever|||not sure||
Nules10|4|29|197|Enjoyed my 15m LSR was chuffed longest run ever so far:)|
Duckee|||80||
liamog|3|22.2 Miles|137.3 miles|12 Mile LSR was hard yesterday after spending Saturday night in town|
Concerned2|3|17.83m|302.7 miles|Miserable total for this week but took a good taper for 1 of my A races (the streets of galway), no more races between now & DCM so back to big mileage this week|
cr17|3|15|116 miles|Hit a bit of a slump the last 2 weeks and didnt get as much miles in as i should have but feeling more focused again this week|
Rider|||113m||
Househunter|5|38.6|231.3|Step back week. Was nice to get a bit of a break but shin still hurting a bit after runs|
Mr Abbey|4|18m|104miles|Good week - knee seems to be settling, fingers crossed, foam roller seems to be working!!|
PDCAT|4|19.9m|111.8m|Stepback week. Finding the legs alittle heavy on the longer run's.|
TomD101|5|26.8|99.3miles|11 mile LSR at 9 min pace. Ribs are still sore ;( tired now
ShivDCM|4|23|136m||
BobMac104|5|38.65m|140.05m|good week overall. 15m LSR was a total slog fest though from about 5 miles in. just one of those days.confidence took a big hit after it.Rest of the week was great infairness |
dylbert|||119.5||
ger664|4|51 Kms| 160 Kms| Nursing a twing so no running until next Tuesday |
specialk1977|||122|
red face dave|4|23.5|62|Easy enough week. But legs are very sore and tired. Holidays coming up so need to put in a tough week 4|
galwayhooker|||||
Younganne|4|21m|64m|doing ok, don't think i'll get full plan done this week as family wedding 2moro & I'm bridesmaid so no free time for a day or 2...but we'll see what i can fit in|
noeleoreid|4|6|27|picked up a nasty knee injury6 miles into run, had to walk the last 4 of the planned route, take a while to recover now, sad face|
pulpo|||150 km||
rom|5|26 miles|146 miles||
TiptoeMushroom|||104km since June 22nd. | Very sore left ankle since last week. Going to go for a small light jog this evening and see how it holds up!|
special1977||| ca emember total| |
mazken|5|23|81 miles|A comfortable week. Deviated a bit from plan and put in another easy session - have caught the running bug! Hope it lasts!!|
run44 (Aoife)|3|33m|247miles since May|Longest LSR ever this morning - 16miles! Good week, legs feeling strong|

dylbert

Done a 6m run this morning and seem to have developed a niggle in my right leg, Mod: no one here can give medical advise, best get it looked at by a professional

RayCun

Four general tips for dealing with aches and pains - R.I.C.E

Rest - most aches and pains will go away with a bit of rest, and pushing on when you are tired is a good way to pick up an injury. This is why a good marathon plan will include some stepback weeks, but sometimes you'll need some more rest. Take a day off, do an easy recovery run or some light cross training instead.
Ice - bag of frozen peas to the sore area for 15 minutes will relieve pain and reduce swelling
Compress - with a bandage, training tape, or support. Reduces swelling, and supports the area during recovery
Elevate - put your feet up! Also reduces swelling

And don't worry too much about missing a session here or there. If you complete 80-90% of the marathon training programme, you are doing well. You are better off resting when you need to than running yourself into an injury, and in any race you will perform better if you are 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained.

jprender

Great stuff from everyone on this thread, keep it up !

I'm very jealous of all of you :cool:

razor12345

Hi folks

Been following this thread for a while now, Ive signed up to the race series in the park (5, 10, 13 mile) my lsr is on saturday, race days are on saturday as well,, when taking part in the race 10 mile and half marathon race, what pace should I run them at martahon pace or lsr pace.

Thanks

Mr Slow

razor12345 wrote: »

Hi folks

Been following this thread for a while now, Ive signed up to the race series in the park (5, 10, 13 mile) my lsr is on saturday, race days are on saturday as well,, when taking part in the race 10 mile and half marathon race, what pace should I run them at martahon pace or lsr pace.

Thanks

I'd run the 10 mile at race pace for 10 miles and half marathon pace for the half. These will be good indicators of how your training is progressing. They'll be great practice for running in a large group of people and a taste of the atmosphere from DCM. Treat them as a substitute for your long run, ie 13.1 miles at race pace is easily worth a 15/16 mile LSR from an effort point of view.

menoscemo

razor12345 wrote: »

Hi folks

Been following this thread for a while now, Ive signed up to the race series in the park (5, 10, 13 mile) my lsr is on saturday, race days are on saturday as well,, when taking part in the race 10 mile and half marathon race, what pace should I run them at martahon pace or lsr pace.

Thanks

In my opinion, you should just race these races as fast as possible (especially if they are the only races in your marathon schedule). There'll be no better indicator of what marathon time is achievable than if you get your best possible Half Marathon time a month previous.

Plan the races to coincide with a 'drop back week', so that they can count as that week's LSR. If you are particularly dedicated (or advanced) you could also do the LSR during the week or even the day after the race instead. You could also jog a few miles after the race as a 'cooldown' to make up the distance of the missed LSR.

Damn!! Mr slow beat me to it.

Mr Slow

menoscemo wrote: »

If you are particularly dedicated (or advanced) you could also do the LSR during the week or even the day after the race instead.

You'd want to have a lot of miles in your legs already for this, if you're reaching 12's, 14's for the first time then this option is not for you due to the increased risk of injury and/or overtraining.

Mr Slow

menoscemo wrote: »

Damn!! Mr slow beat me to it.

Wait til next year and you'll be saying that about the finish line!

menoscemo

Mr Slow wrote: »

You'd want to have a lot of miles in your legs already for this, if you're reaching 12's, 14's for the first time then this option is not for you due to the increased risk of injury and/or overtraining.

Absolutely agree with this, as I said only do this if you are advanced. If you are reaching 12 or 14 miles for the first time, a 10 or 13.1 mile race is a more than adequate substitute to the LSR, don't worry about losing a mile or 2 to the programme.