DCM 2012 Graduates - the next step

dechol

Best of luck everyone! Will be cheering on route. Enjoy every second!

DOCO12

Cheers for advice regarding the wind meno. Sitting in hotel room and delighted to be relaxing at last, bit of a stressful day between the craziness of the traffic at rds, trying to get parking, am I eating enough, am I drinking enough, I need to stop waking aaaahhhh etc etc. I'm an absolute bag of nerves on one hand cos so much pressure to perform this year but on the other hand I cannot wait for the alarm to go tomo morn and get to the start line.
Once again just want to thank you meno for all your support over the last few months. And to rest of my fellow graduates thanks for all the entertainment and encouragement over the last few months. We've all done the hard work and now it's time to celebrate (Cheers for that quote Blockic ha ha, sorry for stealing but I love it). Wishing you all a super day and here's hoping we will alll do our training justice and enjoy every minute of it, best of luck all, chat ye after

Willie42

Before I sign off just want to say best of luck to everyone tomorrow

sassyj

Best of luck to all, I shall be near the start and then at mile 17 with jelly babies and jaffa cakes :-)

Gavlor

Best of luck all.... Weather according to rte is looking much much better than expected

Steroo

Best of luck all!

KillianByrne

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overpronator

3.26.46. Very happy

RedRunner

overpronator wrote: »

3.26.46. Very happy

Great stuff OP ,well done

docjewel

Double Hamstring trouble at 15 miles put paid to my sub 3:40 attempt, managed to limp home in 3:58, was on target at half way & feeling pretty fresh but the body had decided it wasn't gonna play ball.

Damn glad I don't have to drive home.

Alanm

3:28:10 Delighted! Thanks very much meno, your plan worked perfectly!

And of course, thanks blockic +2 3:30 pacers - kept me on pace perfectly for the first 13/14 miles!

tomred1N

Alanm wrote: »

3:28:10 Delighted! Thanks very much meno, your plan worked perfectly!

3.28.26

Ditto big thanks to meno for plans and advice over past year. Working my way back to hotel now and the guinness is working perfectly as any analgesic prescibed by lances doctor!

New runner

overpronator wrote: »

3.26.46. Very happy

Well done , congrats OP

New runner

tomred1N wrote: »

3.28.26

Ditto big thanks to meno for plans and advice over past year. Working my way back to hotel now and the guinness is working perfectly as any analgesic prescibed by lances doctor!

Brilliant time , well done

DOCO12

Congrats everyone fecking brilliant times delighted for ye. Those who suffered so sorry to hear an awful lot of ones I knew had a bad day.
3.32 for me, if you told me last week I wouldn't hit my target I'd be disappointed but after the agony I was in today am delighted. Def didn't suit me starting off with pacers from the start I found the pace tough, and energy levels low, really really struggled through it. Full report to come again, thanks mill again meno and Blockic, now for a few more drinks enjoy the celebrations everyone

New runner

Sorry to hear u suffered docjewel but still good time, enjoy your r&r now

RedRunner

Well done everyone . Some super times there. Like NewRunner said, sorry for those who had a bad day or suffered. Hope you all bounce back quickly. Watching from the sidelines today I was very jealous of you all. Hopefully will get to meet some of you sometime between now and DCM 2014!

Murph_D

3:46:xx for me, a little outside my target but I think it was a decent enough time today. The weather, having surprised us, had some wind up its sleeve. Fabulous day though - nice to meet up with people in McGrattan's afterwords - hooked up with Woden, MiketheMechanic,and of course the legends that are runchick, menoscemo and blockic (oh, and Killerz as well on the way out!). Well done, y'all and vielen danke for the pacing, the advice, and the vibe.

New runner

Well done murph77 , great time, congrats.

Willie42

3:58 for me. Memo your my hero thanks for those brilliant plans enjoyed the whole thing just home and off for few beers shortly will catch up tomorrow hope everyone had a good day

kerrylad1

overpronator wrote: »

3.26.46. Very happy

You smashed it man.well done.Limerick just made us harder;)

kerrylad1

3:19:03 for myself.Beaming.PB of just over 2 minutes.Stupid garmin forerunner 10 couldn't get a reading at the start line,so I just followed the 3:20 pacers until mile 24 and tried to speed up a little and hope for the best.Was aiming for 3:18 so I'm not going to crib about a poxy minute.:)

overpronator

kerrylad1 wrote: »

3:19:03 for myself.Beaming.PB of just over 2 minutes.Stupid garmin forerunner 10 couldn't get a reading at the start line,so I just followed the 3:20 pacers until mile 24 and tried to speed up a little and hope for the best.Was aiming for 3:18 so I'm not going to crib about a poxy minute.:)

Great stuff Kerrylad, smashing time, fair play!

*edit just saw your post, Limerick taught us how to suffer anyway!

kerrylad1

overpronator wrote: »

Great stuff Kerrylad, smashing time, fair play!

*edit just saw your post, Limerick taught us how to suffer anyway!

See you in may next year,for limerick,part 2?:eek:

blockic

Well done to everyone today regardless of time! Great to finally meet many of you after so long while on the route and after in mcgrattans! Hope you all enjoyed the day as that's the main thing!

blockic

DOCO12 wrote: »

Congrats everyone fecking brilliant times delighted for ye. Those who suffered so sorry to hear an awful lot of ones I knew had a bad day.
3.32 for me, if you told me last week I wouldn't hit my target I'd be disappointed but after the agony I was in today am delighted. Def didn't suit me starting off with pacers from the start I found the pace tough, and energy levels low, really really struggled through it. Full report to come again, thanks mill again meno and Blockic, now for a few more drinks enjoy the celebrations everyone

Ah was really looking forward to seeing your time! 3:32 is still fantastic. Really nice yo meet you today and hopefully see you again soon!

bigslice

Finished in time of 3.21.42, new PB from 3.40.15 from last year.

Delighted, tough last 4 miles, struggled to keep a pace going. Felt like a crawl but from looking back at the Garmin wasn't far outside 8min mile pace for those last 3.

Stuck with the 3.20 pacers for longtime, they drifted off just before the RDS as I was struggling. Fair play to them, great energy in the group.

Fair play to Meno and everyone on the board. A great help at times.

Runchick

Great to read of so many fantastic results on here and sorry that some had a tougher day at the office. Another reminder of how hard the marathon can be, you just have to take what the day gives you. You should all be very proud of yourselves for finishing another marathon

I roared my head off at ye all on Grand Canal St...being a spectator was amazing (and pure sickening at the same time!) All I could think of was all the effort that each and every runner had put in to be there - brilliant stuff altogether. Enjoyed the craic in McG's after - all those happy runners beaming from ear to ear - magic! Great to meet a few more boardsies too If you're sore and bored today write a nice long race report...I have studying to be doing - reading race reports is much more appealing

ncmc

Congrats everyone, super running and some great times there. I know some people are a bit disappointed with their times, but the marathon is such a challenging beast, you can have the best possible training and yet you still need a good dollop of luck on the day. Big congratulations to all who got their PB’s and to those who didn’t, there’s always next year! Everyone should be very proud of all the hard work in the last 12-18 months. Now enjoy a well earned week off!

docjewel

Pre-Race
Got the train up on Sunday morning with the plan being Mrs Docjewel & kids would follow up on Monday morning,weather permitting. Headed to the hotel to drop off bags to be greeted by the news that my room was available & also that porridge was on the menu for breakfast the following morning & would be available from 6am .With the room available it gave for the chance of a quick cup of tea & more relaxing time before heading off to the expo.
A quick stop off at the expo,where superstar blockic was still on duty,was followed by dinner.
Headed to the cinema for the evening followed by a pizza to build up the carbs.A decent enough night’s sleep was had.
Down for the breakfast at 7am & back up to the room for last minute preperations.
Everything going well so far.
Arrived at the bag drop at 8:40,headed to the back of wave 1 & within minutes we were off,no hanging around.

The Race
Heading into the race my strategy was to start behind meno & his band of 3:40 pacers,hopefully catch up with them around halfway & if things going well push on from 18/19 miles.Was aprrox 45 seconds behind the pacers going through the starting gantry,first few miles were taken nice & handy,even noticed the spire in O’Connell street this year,even got my name shouted out going over over the bridge,was wondering who it was till it dawned a me that our names were on our numbers but it was nice to get a shout so early in the race.Heading into the Phoenix Park I’m about 30 secs down on the pacers,get a shout from some of the supporters from the local club,sun is outquitely confident this is gonna be a good day.Met a lad from Fermoy on Chesterfied Ave, as I avoided the water station(had brought my own bottle with me so managed to avoid the first 3 water stops),we’re going for a similar time so we become running buddies for the next few miles.
Just behind the pacers as head down Upper Glen Road,its very congested around them so ease off a small bit but keep them within sight.As we headed up Chapelizod Road or along here somewhere my new buddy comes a cropper as he crashes into a bollard in the road,stop for a few seconds to give him a hand(as did others) as once he has gathered himself we’re on our way again.
My buddy pushes on at about 12 miles into the surrounds of the pacing team,I’m quite happy to be disciplined & stick to my original plan & also enjoy the less populated crowd behind the pacers.Across the halfway point in 1:49:40,bang on target & still feeling pretty fresh.
Passed the 14 mile mark & really believed today was gonna be my day,had now passed the point of where things went belly up in Cork & a sense of relief came over me,pacers just ahead,meno’s cap in sight,plan to be on his shoulder by 16 miles & get any last minute advice off him before I try to push on for a nice finish.
Then disaster,I can feel the back of both hamstrings tightening up,this is not good,I try to run a bit faster(hoping it might just be cramp) but the pain get s worse,pull to the side of the road & walk before I eventually stop.I try to stretch both legs outs & get going again.This is a bad mile,takes nearly 12 minutes,it felt like being a small child being given sweets & just as they touch your lips they’re taken away from you again.
The thoughts are there to pull out,call it a day but I keep saying to myself,f that,too much time has been put into this,not just by me but family also,eventually I get into s stride that is manageable not too fast,its about getting to the finish now,get that finishers medal T/shirt(they may not mean much to some but for family & friends it as sense of achievement & reward for the time put in).
Now that my dream for 2013 is over I can relax, walk after water stations,get an extra bottle of water for anyone that may need it.As bad and all as I am I can move at a manageable pace I’m still passing out some that are walking & really struggling (especially on the hills),I try to offer encouragement & water if neccessary where I can but also concentrate on getting myself to the finish.
Can’t remember where I got passed by the 3:50 pacers (think it was around the Merrion Road somewhere but there didn’t seem to be that many with them as they ploughed on through.
Met Mrs Docjewel & the kids just before the water station at mile 25,it was a welcome sight & just the boost I needed to try & push on for the best finish possible.
Finished in 3:58:17

So while the weekend almost went off perfectly,the result is not what I wanted & I am disappointed with that but when your body says that’s enough for today it really is a battle you’re not gonna win.

What now? Where to next?
Originally had hoped to do a charity race on Sunday week & possilbly the Waterford Half Marathon.
They are both off the agenda now.The John Treacy 10 is the next big one but due to other commitments on that weekend I probably won’t be able to do that either.
It’s now time to let the body rest & recover,I’ve been running nonstop since the start of last year bar 3 weeks in August 2012 when I was injued,there’s a lot of mileage on the clock,especially for someone newish to the sport.
I would love to do another marathon in the spring of next year but none really suit at the moment.

Thers’s a nice 5 mile race around the middle of February & I think that’s gonna be my first target of the year.Maybe after that concentrate on some the local races for the summer before maybe targeting a Half in August/Sept & then having another crack off Dublin,maybe even a sub 3:30 crack.
Time will tell.

Again a big thank you to Meno for all his time & efforts around here & also to my fellow graduates for all their support through the good & not so good times.

Now when the rest of ye have recovered lets have some of those PB race reports to keep us motivated for the next one.

"It's important to know that at the end of the day it's not the medals you remember. What you remember is the process -- what you learn about yourself by challenging yourself, the experiences you share with other people, the honesty the training demands -- those are things nobody can take away from you whether you finish twelfth or you're an Olympic Champion. "
-Silken Laumann, Canadian Olympian