Better Than Playing Philly

RiderOnTheStorm

OK, looks like I need to make a log .... not sure if I will have the volume that others are putting into theirs, but here goes ....

I decided last year to do the DCM in 2011. Time is passing and I want to have one marathon under my belt before its too late!

I am 43, and been running (jogging!) for a few years on and off. I did a few triathlons in 2008 & 2009 but not much since. Best time 5k about 26 mins , and 10k 56 mins. I am following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan. I had to repeat the first week twice (as I could not do 8 miles in one attempt), so although I am on week 4 of the plan, I am actually in my 6th week..... if ya get me!

Week Miles Comment
1 16 Could not manage the 5 on Wed or the 8 miles on Sat
1 18 Did the recommended 3 / 5 / 3 and then 7 on Sat
1 19 Yeah!! did all the miles on the plan!
2 20 Did it again!
3 17 A step-back week
4 This week is ongoing, but looks like I will stick to it


Having a problem finding time to fit in the Cross Training ....

Am making about 9 min miles (slips up a bit on the long Sat run)

RayCun

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

Am making about 9 min miles (slips up a bit on the long Sat run)

You shouldn't be running at the same pace all the time:rolleyes:
You can do that now, in week 4 of the plan, but not when you're running over 30 miles a week.

Look at what Hal Higdon says in the plan

...I recommend that runners do their long runs anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slower than their marathon pace. ...Training during the week also should be done at a comparatively easy pace.

One midweek run a week (and not even every week) should be done at race pace, everything else should be slower than that.

RiderOnTheStorm

RayCun wrote: »

You can do that now, in week 4 of the plan, but not when you're running over 30 miles a week.

good point .... will have to slow it a bit so (on the non-pace days).... thx

RiderOnTheStorm

Week|Sessions|Total Miles|Comments
1|4|16| Could not manage the 5 on Wed or the 8 miles on Sat
1|4|18| Did the recommended 3 / 5 / 3 and then 7 on Sat
1|4|19| Yeah!! did all the miles on the plan!
2|4|20| Did it again!
3|4|17| A step-back week
4|||This week is ongoing, but looks like I will stick to it


Did 6 miles yesterday evening. This is the 'pace' bit on the HH plan, but I tried to run it a bit easy, just to see if I could, and I managed to slow it to a 10 min mile. I will keep to the plan now , about 10min miles on easy days, and 9min on pace days.

Bally8

Best of luck rideronthestorm Im a week behind you on the Novice 2 plan so will be keeping an eye on your progress.

RiderOnTheStorm

Week|Sessions|Total Miles|Comments
1|4|16| Could not manage the 5 on Wed or the 8 miles on Sat
1|4|18| Did the recommended 3 / 5 / 3 and then 7 on Sat
1|4|19| Yeah!! did all the miles on the plan!
2|4|20| Did it again!
3|4|17| A step-back week
4|5|23| First week of a full 5 session! Sat's run was 11 miles ... that was hard


11 miles on sat was hard going. I started at 8 am, when it was sort of cool, but it was still very warm ... I nearly melted. Luckily I pre-hydrated (like the TV ad says) .... well, I had a banana and a pint of water .... I didnt feel right all day after the run, I was very low on minerals salts etc (even though I drank lots & tried to replace lost goodies .... trial and error folks ...

Seriouslt, if anyone has any tips for pre & post run drinks / food , for a guy that melts in 15 deg heat, and would have to take to the bed for the afternoon if he did 10 miles in a hot afternoon ... please let me know !

RiderOnTheStorm

Bally8 wrote: »

Best of luck rideronthestorm Im a week behind you on the Novice 2 plan so will be keeping an eye on your progress.

thx for the encouragement Bally8 ... nice to know someone is there at my heels! ;-)

By my calc's, this plan will still have me finish 2 weeks before the DCM ... so I will have to repeat 2 weeks along the way .... I am hoping to repeat one of the longer ones....

Bally8

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

11 miles on sat was hard going. I started at 8 am, when it was sort of cool, but it was still very warm ... I nearly melted. Luckily I pre-hydrated (like the TV ad says) .... well, I had a banana and a pint of water .... I didnt feel right all day after the run, I was very low on minerals salts etc (even though I drank lots & tried to replace lost goodies .... trial and error folks ...

Seriouslt, if anyone has any tips for pre & post run drinks / food , for a guy that melts in 15 deg heat, and would have to take to the bed for the afternoon if he did 10 miles in a hot afternoon ... please let me know !

Maybe you should think about having more fuel in your belly before heading out? Im not an expert but when I do my lsr I have to eat my porridge first. Then of course I have to wait nearly 2 hours to run but its the only way I will get the run done feeling comfortable. You're right, at this stage its all trial and error and as the weeks go by you will find what works for you.

RiderOnTheStorm

Week|Sessions|Total Miles|Comments
1|4|16| Could not manage the 5 on Wed or the 8 miles on Sat
1|4|18| Did the recommended 3 / 5 / 3 and then 7 on Sat
1|4|19| Yeah!! did all the miles on the plan!
2|4|20| Did it again!
3|4|17| A step-back week
4|5|23| First week of a full 5 session! Sat's run was 11 miles ... that was hard
5|4|16| Didnt do the 12 miles on Sat. Weather was crap. Did it on Mon instead
6| | | ..ongoing..


12 miles scheduled for last Sat was done on Monday instead, so week 5 figures not as good looking as they should be. Is this summer or winter??? I really could not face into a 2 hour run in serious downpour. Luckily Mon was a bit better, and I managed to do the full 12 in between storms (ok, they wernt 'storms' but if I say 'showers' then I will feel bad!)

And ..... YIPPIEE ... 12 miles in 1 session ... thats the furthest I have EVER run ! I was tired after it, but over the moon too. Everything went right , no pains, chaffing kept to a min, heel didnt protest too much. Was stiff next day, but was grand when I got moving (around lunchtime!)

RayCun

Remember, skin is waterproof :pac:
and you'll feel a little silly if you dodge the rain all summer then turn up on the 31st and it's lashing out...

RiderOnTheStorm

OK, so its all over. I managed to keep up all the long runs on the programme, but missed a few of the shorter ones. I dont know if that effected me or not, as I got a foot problem just a few miles in. It never happened before and was not something I was even thinking about up to then. My knees, and right achiles tendon, food, chaffing shorts & shirt, gels v water , etc ... these were all things I was worried about. Not leftie! It felt like a cramp on the top of my foot (the in-step?). I tried to stretch the left on each step (doing a large follow thru on each step) and it worked for a while. It settled down to a dull ache after a while. I crossed the half-way point at 2 hrs 15 mins (bang on target for 4.30!) but at mile 20 there was a small hill, and the foot was sore again, so I walked up the hill. Then I couldnt get started again. After 2 steps the foot was like fire. I couldnt put pressure on it. So I took a break for 2 mins, drank some water and sucked some gel. Then I set off walking quickly. Strangely that didnt hurt at all. So every half mile or so I tried to run again, but no joy. Then it started to rain really really heavily. The roads turned into rivers of empty water bottles running down the sides.
At UCD I was passed out by the 5 hour pace runners. I kept walking fast, passing out a few, being passed out by others. 80% of folk round me were walking at this stage. When I got to Grand Canal (about 1.5 miles to go) I tried to run again, and after a few seconds of pain the foot eased up and I was good to go. I took off at quite a pace and passed out loads. I started shouting at my feet not to fail, at myself not to give up, not to stop. The cardio was fine, just legs tired. I flew to Trinity and around the corner to the last stretch to the finish line. I sprinted that last 200m (well, it felt like it!) and I floated over the finish line, running the last 3m backwards so that folk (&cameras) could see my number and the handwritten sign of Ballybunion Sea Rescue :-)

final time - 5 hrs 5 mins

GREAT DAY !!

the next one will be better!!

RiderOnTheStorm

...and leftie (the foot prev known as 'favourite') .... when i took of socks, there was a swelling just above the ankle, on the front of the foot / ankle. very tender. I put tight bandage & ice on it for the night. This morn its black & blue ! Def tore something. Never happened before .... wierd !

RacoonQueen

Well done for getting through it when the problems especially when they started so early in. The experience of grinding out a finish is something that'll help you in the next one and it brings a massive smile to your face when you do the same course and remember how you struggled there before and now you're feeling like nothing could stop you.

When's the next one?

Be careful with that ankle, you might want to get that checked.

RiderOnTheStorm

thx RQ .... yes, there was a great feeling of achievemnt at finishing, even though I missed my target time by a long shot.

Next one? I saw a great t-shirt on the course (lots of great shirts, made good distraction reading them) ....
"It seemed like a good idea at Christmas"

....so I will make up my mind on the next one at Crimbo .... mose likely it will be Dublin again.

congrats to all ............
Army guy,
girl dressed as Anie Oakley
man with lego-man shirt
the dogs trust guy
girl with shirt "if found, drag over finish line and insert beer"
all the spidermen and superheros
hulk hogan
the girls from canada
the guy from california that loved cheering and giving high fives
and to Mark from Inch that stayed with me for several miles and kept me going when it was hard ..... thanks mate

and everyone that cheered as i passed .... i didnt know you and you didnt know me, so it was all the better for it