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Couch to Marathon
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Myself and my husband very reluctantly left the wedding after the dinner on Friday to head to Dublin. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we arrived but were glad of a guaranteed night of uninterrupted sleep (kids with Granny for the night
).
We stayed in the Ashling Hotel so all we had to do the following morning was hop across the road to an awaiting bus to bring us to the Park. I was feeling absolutely nothing about the race until I got on the bus, but I then started to get nervous. I was fine again though by the time I got off the bus and saw the crowds (as I scanned eagerly for people that I hoped would be slower than me
). I felt very relaxed about the whole thing and it felt great to have an idea of what was ahead from having done the Frank Duffy 10 Mile. It's definitely great for getting an idea of what's ahead for the Marathon. The races are like rehearsals really.
I managed to keep to my own pace at the start of the Frank Duffy but found it very hard to do so last Saturday. I was being carried forward by the crowd and found it hard to pull back. I was a bit winded aswell for the first 3 miles as I hadn't had the same warm-up as I'd had with the last race. I knew that the pace was too quick to sustain and I kept trying to slow down but found it difficult to do so. I walked through the water-station and was feeling good when I set off running again.
There were two hills, one after the other, just after the 4-mile mark and I definitely went up them way too quickly. I expected to suffer the consequences when the road levelled again, but that didn't happen until just before the 6-mile water-station. I felt very tired and was dreading the rest of the race. I knew that I had started off way to fast and really regretted it. The run up Chesterfield Avenue was tough, watching others run down on the other side, and knowing that I wasn't yet at the half-way mark.
Once I got off Chesterfield Avenue though I started to pick up again and I was feeling generally pretty good. It started to rain lightly as I neared the 9-mile water-station and the walk through the water-station and the coolness of the rain were a nice distraction.
I started to pick people off in the distance then to try to get through the next four miles. I imagine that I am linked to that person by a long cord and that they are pulling me along. It worked for me in the Frank Duffy and it worked again this time. I was very conscious that I was running far too quickly and I was worried as I felt that I should slow the pace to bring me to the finish, but I was also feeling really good and knew by the 11-mile mark when my watched beeped 10:46 for my 11th mile that if I could sustain that pace for the next two miles I could come in under 2:30.
I breezed through mile 12 and half way through mile 13 but that hill at the end stopped me in my tracks. I had to stop and walk and it felt awful to feel my pace dropping. I still felt that I could come in under the 2:30 though but I didn't want to have to walk up Acres Road to the finish line. I started running again just as I got to the top of the hill (in hindsight, I should've just walked the entire hill and started running again on the flat) but had to walk again for about a minute on Acres Road. I was really exhausted at this stage and definitely didn't have anything left for a sprint to the finish. When I thought I saw the finish line I checked my watch and realised I was ok but then when I saw that it wasn't the finish line and that it was still a bit away, I realised that I would have to really put everything into that last 0.1 just in case I missed the 2:30 afterall.
I was never so glad to stop running in all my life. I had never pushed myself so hard as I did in that last half mile. In any training run I have done to date, whenever things got as hard as that I would start walking. Not being able to do that was tough. It was well worth it though as I finished in 2:28:17 (2:28:16 on my Garmin
). I had hoped to do the race in under 2:36 and figured that I'd manage 2:34 at best, so I was thrilled. I couldn't believe it actually, I still can't.
I went against Hal Higdon's advice though - don't up the pace just because it's a step-back week - and I definitely suffered the consequences. Although I felt absolutely fine after the race, I was exhausted on Saturday evening and all through Sunday. I think that my flu was still in my system and that didn't help either with my recovery. I'm pretty much back to normal again this morning but I'm not relishing my increasing midweek runs this week 
.
Saturday, 17/09/2011
Distance: 13 miles
Time: 2:28:17
Average Pace: 11:17
Breakdown: M1-11:51; M2-11:48; M3-11:40; M4-11:03; M5-10:40; M6-12:06; M7-11:10; M8-11:23; M9-11:32; M10-11:41; M11-10:46; M12-10:22; M13 - 10:54; M13.12 - 01:15
Weather: Dry, light breeze, with one light shower
Analysis: M1–M5.5 - good; M5.5-M7 - very tired; M7-M12.5 - good; M12.5-13.1 - very, very tough.0 -
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I had to force myself out of bed this morning to do my planned 4-mile run and was on my way out the bedroom door when I met my 3-year-old on his way in... His tearful protests got the better of me and I lay down in bed with him until he went back to sleep.
I thought about skipping my run and doing it this evening but, seeing as I was already dressed and the chances of me actually doing it this evening were slight, I decided to head out anyway. I didn't have time to do 4 miles and I only managed 20 minutes in total on the treadmill. I wasn't even warmed up.
I'm glad I did it though as I know now that there are no aches or niggles left over from Saturday and I will have no excuse to avoid my 9-miler tomorrow morning (almost 2 hours on the treadmill :eek:).0 -
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Not pleasant to wake up to having to do 9 miles before work. It was dark when I started this morning and dark when I finished.
I'm so glad I have the treadmill and even gladder (!) that I have a tv in front of it. I'm half way through season 3 of The Office USA (don't know whether I saw 3 eps this morning or 4, they just sort of roll into each other) and still have season 4 to go. They really help to alleviate the boredom. I definitely don't think I could use the treadmill now without having the tv on.
This morning's run did feel long but I didn't feel any exhaustion or pain, which is always a good thing
. Only two more long midweek runs (9 next week and 10 the week after) before the taper, yippee . 0 -
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Micilin Muc wrote: »How do you find the physical difference between running on a treadmill and running outside? I'll have to consider it for when the snow comes. Best of luck for the next two and a half weeks! They look tough on paper!
Physically my knees much prefer the treadmill. I definitely don't think it's as tough on my joints. Having said that, in the beginning I used to find it really hard on my legs and I always felt that my feet were slapping off the belt, but increasing the incline sorted that out. Even this morning, I felt I needed a bit of extra incline and I put it up a notch (I usually have it at 2 so I increased it to 2.5 this morning) and it made a huge difference to me. I don't know why this is. It may be linked to the fact that my legs like inclines (my lungs don't appreciate them as much :rolleyes:) but I hate going downhill as I find it really hard on my knees, even the smallest of descents.
Psychologically, time definitely passes much more slowly on the treadmill but the tv really helps. Also, I find it easier to face into a treadmill run in the morning as I always have the option of just stopping if I need to and not having to walk a long distance home!
I think that the treadmill is great when running outside is not an option. I was worried at first that I wasn't putting as much effort in on the treadmill as I was when running outside but it seems that running 5 miles on the spot is equivalent in effort to running five miles distance for me.
Just make sure you get a good DVD box set if you intend training at home or if you plan on doing it in the gym get there early enough to grab the remote control for the tv. 0 -
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I was wondering how I could make 18 miles shorter than 18 miles and I figured that the way to do that was to do 6.58 miles:(:(
I was really dreading going out on Saturday morning and was still humming and hawing that morning about whether to do an out-and-back or repeating a short distance over and over... In the end I hopped in the car and headed to the bog road I used when training for my first 10K. I really was not psyched up for this run at all :mad:.
Just as I arrived and parked the car at about 7.30 am it started to rain and then it poured... I sat in the car and seriously thought about going home again but knew that that really wasn't an option. When the rain eventually stopped I headed out and was very conscious of taking it really easy for the first few miles.
The morning was actually quite nice heading up the road but I was really dreading having to go up and down this road 9 times... (this is something that wouldn't normally bother me). Near the top of the road at about 1.75 miles there is a turn-off to the right that goes around a lake and adds an extra mile to the route. I had not planned on doing this as the road is quite rough and I have usually come off that road in the past with some injury. I could hear my husband's voice in my head telling me not to do it but I figured that my legs have toughened up a lot since I last ran this route and I'd be ok. I felt fine going around the lake at snail's pace until it started to pour again. I normally like the rain when I'm running but nothing was going to make me happy today :mad:.
Once I had done that loop around the lake I headed back on to the main bog road again and once I got to the top of the road I had the option of taking in a steep hill on a rough road to add in almost another mile. I started on up but by now I could hear my husband's voice shouting in my head and so I just turned back and headed down the main bog road again. At this point I felt a niggle under my left knee and in my right arch... (I should've listened to him :rolleyes:). They weren't much of an issue though and I could run through them without a problem.
I should have been nicely warmed up by now and getting into the flow of the run but it just wasn't working for me today. I felt like crap and the thought of doing another 14+ miles seemed unbearable. I wondered how the hell I could get through this and decided that I would take a decision once I got to the bottom of the road and to my car (where water and gels awaited - I was going to try gels out for the first time).
By the time I got to my car at 5.8 miles my mind couldn't take any more and all I wanted to do was go home. As this place usually signals the end of my run I couldn't face having to come back here four more times and then face the two long hills back up that road for the first 0.5 mile. So, my logic at the time told me to take those two long hills out of the equation... I stopped my watch, got into the car and drove up the two hills and parked my car about 0.5 miles up the road on the flat. I thought, this way, I will do 1.5 miles up and down to the car, it will mean more repeats but will take out the psychological obstacle that is those hills...
So, I took some sports drink and headed back out on my run. I actually felt much better and decided that if I started feeling crap again I could just take a gel on my next return to the car. Within about half a mile though my knee really started to get me. I wondered at first if it was my mind playing tricks on me (and trying to send me back home to bed :rolleyes:) but then I realised that I was really struggling with it. I walked for a bit and then tried to run again but I knew that it wasn't going to work. If I had just a mile or two to go on the run I would have done a run/walk to get through it, but I knew that there was no way I could get through another 11+ miles on it.
So, very reluctantly, I stopped my watch at 6.58 miles and limped back to the car. I felt so deflated. I even wondered if I was feigning injury just to get out of the run. I sat in the car for a minute or two and then got out again as I couldn't bear having to go through the day being so disappointed. My knee felt fine at first but once I started to run on it again I felt the pain...
I went home feeling really down (even worse that I had before the run :rolleyes:). I know that the injury prevented me from doing my run but it may not have happened if I had been better prepared. I did not carbo-load during the week - I ate crap instead; I ran on a road that I have often come off with an injury, due to its rough surface; I didn't eat anything the morning of the run; and, I hadn't mentally prepared for the run - I didn't even know what route I was going to run when going out the door...
I am heading to my chiropractor today to get it sorted and hopefully I will be able to do that 18-miler some day this week. I have my training plan on the wall here beside my desk with the completed runs marked out in highlighter. That unmarked 18-miler is staring me in the face laughing at me now and it's driving me mad :mad:. The sooner I get it done this week the better for me (and all those around me). 0 -
Hi bubblypink! It's always great to hear from someone who is in the same boat as me and doing their first marathon. Are you thinking of starting a log? I would love to follow your progress.bubblypinky wrote: »I did a 16miler today and boy, are my quads hurting!!! Looking forward to hearing how your 18 went
Hopefully my quads will also be hurting before the end of the week from having completed an 18-miler. Fingers crossed... 0 -
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MarySamsonite wrote: »I could hear my husband's voice in my head telling me not to do it but I figured that my legs have toughened up a lot since I last ran this route and I'd be ok. ... (I should've listened to him :rolleyes:).
I'm printing this and hanging it on the wall:D0 -
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MarySamsonite wrote: »Hi bubblypink! It's always great to hear from someone who is in the same boat as me and doing their first marathon. Are you thinking of starting a log? I would love to follow your progress.
Hopefully my quads will also be hurting before the end of the week from having completed an 18-miler. Fingers crossed...
Don't worry bout the 18miler Mary, its time will come, and you will do it....you sound like you'll be raging all week til you just get out there and tick it off the list. I find the actual THOUGHT of the last few weeks of training worse than the physical pain/struggle involved.....that's not to say i wasn't hurting doing the 16mile on sat!!! I started training last June for this, but was injured two wks in Aug which really threw me. Hopefully back on track now and gearing towards Merrion Square!!!
You WILL do that 18, try break it into two runs, psychologically it will be better, like do a ten mile and reward yourself with gel/drink, then it's 8mile and home 0 -
Hi Mary, I've been reading your log for a while now and you've made great progress so far. Just a small note on the long runs. I think your a building them up to be something bigger than they are (and you sound like you fear them at times!). You should try and remember that that point of the long runs is to ultimately train you for the long distance of the Dublin marathon (which you really want to run well at like you did in the 10 miler and the half marathon) next month so you should try and view them as a positive thing. I know we all have bad days and it can be hard when you have never run that far before but remember they are all part of the marathon training process and will stand to you on race day. You said it your self, preparation is the key for your long runs and try and psyche yourself up for them and keep telling yourself that they will help you on the 31st of October! Good Luck and keep up the good work. 0
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Thanks everyone for all the encouragement and advice, it really does help.
Unfortunately, my chiropractor ordered total rest for a few days... I was in total shock at first as I actually went in to him on Monday expecting to be able to do a 9-miler that evening after my session.
He checked my left knee and my right arch and they were tender but not injured. He then checked my calves, my left ITB and my glutes and, guess what, they were all tender too :rolleyes:. It seems that my leg muscles are fatigued and they need rest. He said that I needed to rest straight away as I was on the verge of injury. He warned that if I continued to run this week I wouldn't be running the marathon as I was really at risk of hurting myself as my muscles are so weak at the moment. He advised total rest for a few days to allow my legs to recover and that I would come back even stronger.
I have to admit that even as he was saying all this I had a voice in my head saying 'I'll be fine, I'll just do the runs really slowly and not tell him'. It was only when he said that 'if you do run this week you can rule yourself out of the marathon' that I started to plead with him . I told him that I had an 18-miler to do and that there was no way out of it. I told him that I wouldn't run until Thursday and then just do my 18-miler on Thursday but unfortunately he didn't buy it :rolleyes:.
So, I'm on total rest at the moment and have accepted that my next long run will be the 20-miler the weekend after next. I'm going back in to my chiropractor today and I'm hoping he will agree with my plan of doing an easy 5 miles on Saturday and then back to HH1 Week 15 on Tuesday next (5/10/5/20).
I was very panicky at first that I was missing out on so many runs in the last crucial weeks but now I'm hoping that the rest will help to strengthen my muscles again will give me much-needed energy for the toughest week of the programme next week. I also realise now that if I had continued my 18-miler on Saturday I probably would have ended up with an injury that would have ruled me out of the Marathon. Every cloud...0 -
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