DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread

Alan30

Really good day in Athlone today. Set of just behind the 4 hr pacer and stayed with that group until the 6/7 mile mark when I started to speed up a touch. I knew I would end up blowing up if I wasn't careful, so I tucked in behind a man and woman and stayed there for the next 9/10 mile at a nice steady pace. We lost the lady with about 3 mile to go and we paced and encouraged each other for the remaining hilly miles. The hill near the finish was really tough but I felt like I could have continued on if required. Had enough in the tank for a sprint finish race ( I lost) for a time of 3:07:08. Delighted with that. A really good event and a great confidence boost.

ciaranmac

Athlone was a tough course but the race was very well organised. I started right at the back due to waiting for my Garmin to find itself. I gave up on it, started running anyway, and thankfully it kicked in after a minute or two. I'd planned to go nice and slow, somewhere between PMP and LSR pace (which would be 3:45 to 4:15 for the 3/4) but I went off a little faster. The vibe was great with everyone encouraging each other, the water stations had a smorgasbord of half bananas, orange slices, jellies and more, and a highlight was some kids highfiving the runners and keeping score between themselves.

At about ten miles I realised I was running inside my HM PB pace and rather than easing off I went for it. After 14 miles though I couldn't keep it up, my calves and plantar facia were starting to hurt and I had to run/walk from there on. At one stage I was sat on the ground massaging my left foot. I pulled it together though and hauled my way to the finish in 3:49 which wasn't too bad in the circumstances. Feeling a bit sore now but no big injuries. The only thing that chafed was one of my gloves.

Some lessons to learn though...

- Don't try getting through Ballinasloe town when the horse fair is on. The diversions aren't all signposted properly.
- Do get to Athlone early to avoid missing the race briefing.
- Do bring civvies, towel and shampoo to the bag drop. After walking back to the overflow car park you won't feel like going back to the hotel.
- Do make sure the garmin is up and running before you get near the start line.
- Do stick to the plan for the race!

Oh yeah, that HM split - 1 second faster than my PB.

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/606330918

Gavlor

ciaranmac wrote: »

Athlone was a tough course but the race was very well organised. I started right at the back due to waiting for my Garmin to find itself. I gave up on it, started running anyway, and thankfully it kicked in after a minute or two. I'd planned to go nice and slow, somewhere between PMP and LSR pace (which would be 3:45 to 4:15 for the 3/4) but I went off a little faster. The vibe was great with everyone encouraging each other, the water stations had a smorgasbord of half bananas, orange slices, jellies and more, and a highlight was some kids highfiving the runners and keeping score between themselves.

At about ten miles I realised I was running inside my HM PB pace and rather than easing off I went for it. After 14 miles though I couldn't keep it up, my calves and plantar facia were starting to hurt and I had to run/walk from there on. At one stage I was sat on the ground massaging my left foot. I pulled it together though and hauled my way to the finish in 3:49 which wasn't too bad in the circumstances. Feeling a bit sore now but no big injuries. The only thing that chafed was one of my gloves.

Some lessons to learn though...

- Don't try getting through Ballinasloe town when the horse fair is on. The diversions aren't all signposted properly.
- Do get to Athlone early to avoid missing the race briefing.
- Do bring civvies, towel and shampoo to the bag drop. After walking back to the overflow car park you won't feel like going back to the hotel.
- Do make sure the garmin is up and running before you get near the start line.
- Do stick to the plan for the race!

Oh yeah, that HM split - 1 second faster than my PB.

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/606330918

Here's another lesson or two for ya......

Don't pick up a half marathon pb during your last lsr before Dublin.

Don't go out so hard that you have to walk/run the last few miles of your lsr.

Probably not what you want to hear but it's important that nobody else reading this thread attempts that type of session.

annapr

Great to read all the LSR reports and Athlone too. Well done everyone! Since there's a bit of a 'lessons learned' theme going on and I did the only 20 mile LSR on the Hal Higdon (Real) Novice plan today, I thought I would add a few of my own.

As a result of marathon training, I now know:
1. I can run 20 miles (or more accurately, cover 20 miles on my feet...see below). The last 7-8k were tough, legs were sore and very tired but I kept it going, except for a stop for water.
2. Your first 20-mile run ever is probably not the time to go looking for the tramlines to go over Howth Summit.
3. Trail running is no longer in my future... I kind of fancied trail running until I lost the tramlines today and running up a steep hill turned into 'trail running' which turned in to hiking! which turned into 'where the hell is the Summit? (Inn... I went around the actual summit several times). When I got to the top, I could see the Summit Inn below (where the tramlines should have led me) and after a few false starts and circuits got myself back down there. I was never as happy to see a pub I wasn't going into!
4. Always cut your toe nails before a long run... DOH!... very sore descent
5. Listening to a podcast interview with Lena Dunham talking about sex does not help me get up a steep hill!

My mantra for today Focus, Commit, Believe, Achieve (in honour of Jim McGuinness). Wrecked now.

Pacing Mule

20 mile solid LSR done today and early sign of PTM - premature taper madness. Questioned if the new compression shorts I wore were responsible for two niggles I picked up. Dr Q rather elequontly told me it was a completely mental theory which of course it was

ciaranmac

Gavlor wrote: »

Here's another lesson or two for ya......

Don't pick up a half marathon pb during your last lsr before Dublin.

Don't go out so hard that you have to walk/run the last few miles of your lsr.

Probably not what you want to hear but it's important that nobody else reading this thread attempts that type of session.

Exactly what I told myself before the race. Taper madness setting in early maybe...

Ososlo

So here we are heading into Week 16 folks! Congratulations for getting this far!
So now it's time to take a step back and give yourselves a little break.

Have a read of this to give yourselves a good idea of what lies ahead for the next 3 weeks:D

Taper Madness is real. Don't let your doctor tell you any different. It isn't a figment of your imagination - it strikes all runners who attempt to take their training down a notch a week or so before the big race. It is a necessary evil that runners live in order to arrive at the starting line with legs that have a bit more spring in the step instead of feeling beat to hell. But the contrary nature of the taper is what you gain back in physical rejuvination you lose in mental reasoning capacity. The term "madness" wasn't happened upon. It is a full and complete description of the feeling a runner gets as they anxiously await for the race. Their thoughts race - most times in circles of repetition. They sense and feel aches and pains of the tiniest amount and then worry them to the greatest extreme. All their conscious waking moments are consumed with preparing and running their long awaited event.

But there is a bright side to your condition - it is entirely temporary, 100% reversable and completely harmless to your long life. But the symptoms can be confused with other more serious conditions, such as truly losing your mind, life ending not yet discovered diseases, and obsessive compulsive disorders that need to be treated.

To help you decide if you need to ride it out versus see a specialist, here are some of the common symptoms of Taper Madness:

Out of Control Phobia of Germs. You have converted your hydration belt, phone holder, purse or other items on your person into hand santizer and Lysol toting equipment. You find yourself spraying down desks, keyboards, phones, bathrooms, and even your loved ones to keep them 99.9% germ free. You easily move out of the way of handshakes and hugs of most people - even the ones you live with now. Your children and spouse are instructed to stay within arms length and even blowing kisses down wind are prohibited. Even if you have never been a self proclaimed germ phobe before your taper, you find that your eye sight is accurate enough to now see possible viral and bacterial infection lurking around every public surface. No infection, flu, or cold will stand between you and the starting line.

Self Proclaimed Expert Meterologist. Through your running training, you rarely studied weather except to decide how much sunscreen to wear. You withstood all temperatures, wind gusts, precipitation - hell even a tornado and hurricane. But now with weeks to go, you have your email, Twitter, IM and cell phone set up to provide up to the minute reports on the 3, 5, 7, and 14 day forecast for race day. You have enacted a "no talking" zone during nightly weather and find yourself switching to the Weather Channel ten times a day. Some runners will even go so far to try to strike up a relationship with the local meterologist to get the inside scoop. And others will channel ancient forecasting methods to forecast the weather themselves using moon position, clouds and the path of birds.

You can't get enough of the details. The race website you glanced at a few times before signing up you now visit regularly in the lsat few weeks. You have a minute by minute schedule mapped out for the days before the event through the starting gun. You have studied the maps to figure out bathrooms, parking, meeting spots, and more. You have doubled checked your confirmation number, hotel reservation, and your bib number. Every other day of the year you let the little things go but for a few weeks each year, the details are everything.

You wonder if you are losing your mind. In the same hour you think to yourself, "I can't possibly.." "I will!" "What the heck was I thinking..." "I can't wait!" "Am I really ready?":D "I am going to rock that race!" "What if I am last?" "I can't wait to cross the finish line!" "What if I don't finish?";) "My training has gone so well." "I should have pushed harder on the miles in the middle...". You flip flop between positive energy and mental anguish in the blink of an eye. Every other month of the year you are a rational, logical human being capable of dealing with complex emotions. But for these few weeks, you can't seem to get seem to talk sense into yourself.

You see people talking and hear words, but you really don't care what they are saying. And that's not like you. Most times, you try to pay attention in those boring meetings. You can usually remember what your better half told you last night. You can even stay lucid in a conversation with your kids about video games and cartoons. But not during Taper Madness. Not a chance. You hear people talking. You see their lips moving but you can't focus on the message and you really don't care. During Taper Madness you would you really like to stand up and scream, "Can we talk about what I want to talk about....Dublin City Marathon?!?!?"

Your race gear achieves high status. Instead of being throw on the floor, in the laundry or stuffed in a bag, your chosen race gear is clean, folded and perched on a shelf, chair or other place of high honor a few days/weeks before the event. Family members are instructed not to touch it, move it or refold it. It has a purpose.

Excursions require safety reviews. Someone casually mentions going out for a meal, drink, shopping, whatever, and you do a mental scan of the route, the establishment, and company before deciding if it is worth the risk of a sprained ankle, chance of eating the wrong food, or picking up a stray germ.
You think about the race - ALOT. When you get up you think about what you will be doing that time of the day on race day. When you go for a run you think about what it will be like to start or finish the race. You have visualized the finish line so many times you have your never-to-be-used finish line speech to perfection. You have practiced, secretly, the fist pump, jump for joy, double arm 'yahoo!", etc that you will do for the picture that really counts. And smiles....you know which smile you will try for and at which miles - instead of the death snear - even if that is how you feel. You think about the race at every meal, walking to your car, brushing your teeth, while watching the news, singing your favorite songs (but with new taper related lyrics)... with every step or breath you take.

You know you are dying ... or at least facing a race ending injury. You held off minor and major injuries throughout your training, but now in just a few days you have aches, pains, tweaks, tight spots all in places you haven't before and in ways you haven't experienced before. You wonder how your body could betray you now! You spend time on www.webmd.com and www.sportsinjuryclinic.net hoping to find the answer to your mystery illness - only to find that there is nothing that specifically covers what you are experiencing.

If any of these sound like a current symptom you have, congratulations - you have Taper Madness. There is a wonderful home treatment.
The race.
Link

AuldManKing

Jaysus.

smashiner

You know you are dying ... or at least facing a race ending injury. You held off minor and major injuries throughout your training, but now in just a few days you have aches, pains, tweaks, tight spots all in places you haven't before and in ways you haven't experienced before. You wonder how your body could betray you now! You spend time on www.webmd.com and www.sportsinjuryclinic.net hoping to find the answer to your mystery illness - only to find that there is nothing that specifically covers what you are experiencing.


Took a selfie this morning....feel every bit of my 42 and a half years this morning after my 20 mile lsr...found out that we have exactly 22 steps up to our office this morning :rolleyes:.....anyone else stiff and sore??

Firedance

smashiner wrote: »

Took a selfie this morning....feel every bit of my 42 and a half years this morning after my 20 mile lsr...found out that we have exactly 22 steps up to our office this morning :rolleyes:.....anyone else stiff and sore??

going down them seems to be worse though!! had a good laugh at that post osolo, brilliant, especially this.. You wonder if you are losing your mind. In the same hour you think to yourself, "I can't possibly.." "I will!" "What the heck was I thinking..." "I can't wait!" "Am I really ready?" "I am going to rock that race!" "What if I am last?" "I can't wait to cross the finish line!" "What if I don't finish?"

neilthefunkeone

Got a nice little recovery 3 mile in yesterday after the 20 on Saturday.. Got out early before the wind kicked in! That's the first recovery run i have been able to do in about 5 weeks.

MLC_biker

neilthefunkeone wrote: »

Got a nice little recovery 3 mile in yesterday after the 20 on Saturday.. Got out early before the wind kicked in! That's the first recovery run i have been able to do in about 5 weeks.

Same here, 3.5 miles on Burrow beach with the dog around half six in the evening. Did think that the wind was blowing a bit, light showers starting as I finished.... just in time!

MiketheMechanic

Let the Taper (madness) begin.

Completed my 21.2 mile LSR yesterday.
Did the last 6 miles at PMP and felt fresh and strong at the end.
A great mental boost with 3 weeks to go.

This time 3 weeks, we will be in the middle of it :-)
Relaxed, feeling good, and looking forward to a strong finish.

Good luck with the taper everyone :pac:

MtM

JohnDozer

Well I'm back in the game... Been keeping fairly quiet around these parts, decided to keep all my negativity and doubt to myself. A month ago today ran a half marathon and was bouncing on air after feeling all set for DCM. The following day while playing soccer on the beach, twisted awkwardly and did some nerve damage to my back. Cue one full week of no running followed by a week of 2 runs totalling 10 miles. Managed to get up to 25miles-ish the following week just by being a bit cautious about when and for how long I ran for. All went well though.

Last week I managed a run of 13.5miles on Monday, although I felt I was going to die from mile 10 on and all thoughts of DCM were fading fast. Followed that up with a 10 miler on Thursday evening, having entered the day before still clinging to hope, and held a good solid pace throughout. Planned an LSR for the weekend, initially Saturday but delayed it due to weather and a general lack of confidence in staying the distance. Set out yesterday at 8am, ended up home and showered just before the sport kicked off for the day having completed a 22.2 mile run, with 4 (downhill ) at the end at MP or better. After this I feel back on track and able to tackle the 26.2. The BAA Intermediate Plan is well and truly abandoned though. If I'm honest I'm not sure the plan suited me at the moment with so much time spent working and commuting.

I am a little undercooked in terms of LSR's. Holidays, choosing short races over LSR's and injury have all contributed to having just a 22 (yesterday), 20 (early Sept) a 17 (late July) and a 15.5 (10 @MP in mid August) in the bank. Like everyone else, I am seriously tempted to sneak another 18 - 20 miler in this Thursday or Saturday. I think I can get away with a two week taper because of the two week break so haven't had the heavy training loads of others. In saying that, part of me says its best to finish on a positive note with yesterdays successful LSR...

All the while, despite not contributing much on here, been very interested about reading everybodys developments. Its amazing how much the thought processes are common to all of us. I cant imagine what it would be like to be preparing for DCM without the wealth of knowledge available that is the DCM 14 Novices thread!!

hillsiderunner

smashiner wrote: »

You know you are dying ... or at least facing a race ending injury. You held off minor and major injuries throughout your training, but now in just a few days you have aches, pains, tweaks, tight spots all in places you haven't before and in ways you haven't experienced before. You wonder how your body could betray you now! You spend time on www.webmd.com and www.sportsinjuryclinic.net hoping to find the answer to your mystery illness - only to find that there is nothing that specifically covers what you are experiencing.


Took a selfie this morning....feel every bit of my 42 and a half years this morning after my 20 mile lsr...found out that we have exactly 22 steps up to our office this morning :rolleyes:.....anyone else stiff and sore??

Was really stiff this weekend after Friday's workout on the elliptical - had been feeling fine after the running ... how do they motivate this machine as the lighter alternative to running?! Will be back on it for 3hours this evening.

Ososlo, love the first two of those taper symptoms. I've been planning a blitz of my flat for a while now and made a start on it this weekend. But I already know that I can watch the weather for weeks and on the day before the race it can change to my disadvantage ...

Joleigh

Ososlo wrote: »

So here we are heading into Week 16 folks!
Out of Control Phobia of Germs. You have converted your hydration belt, phone holder, purse or other items on your person into hand santizer and Lysol toting equipment. You find yourself spraying down desks, keyboards, phones, bathrooms, and even your loved ones to keep them 99.9% germ free. You easily move out of the way of handshakes and hugs of most people - even the ones you live with now. Your children and spouse are instructed to stay within arms length and even blowing kisses down wind are prohibited. Even if you have never been a self proclaimed germ phobe before your taper, you find that your eye sight is accurate enough to now see possible viral and bacterial infection lurking around every public surface. No infection, flu, or cold will stand between you and the starting line.
Link

Oh God the germs! I even have my kids obsessed with bacteria. Hubby has man flu and I'm avoiding him like the plague. I'm eating vit c tabs and mandarins like they're going out of fashion. And washing my hands, changing the towels in the bathroom and scrubbing the place. I might just start wearing gloves.

JohnDozer

Probably left it a bit late for this too but that was due to uncertainty around entry. Have people booked hotels? Any recommendations/ good deals around for family rooms?

Don't mind a bit of travel if its near DART/ LUAS etc.

Joleigh

Well my LSR of 20 miles yesterday went surprisingly well! Didn't feel stiffness afterwards at all in comparison to last weekend.

I ran into town and along the quays and into the park (like a lot of people did!). The drag up chesterfield wasn't noticeable to me, probably because I was bursting and searching for the perfect tree to hide behind. I ended up running off road a good bit and was in long grass which my hip flexors wont thank me for. Still bursting, I left the park, headed into castleknock not sure which left to take, but the only left that doesn't bring you in to a housing estate is the one at myo's so I took it. I Only realised I was going the right way when I saw mt Sackville. Headed into the park here. Theres a little up hill then its mostly downhill to the castleknock gate. I crossed the liffey and turned left up Laurences road. This hill imo is more of a concern than chesterfield. But it doesn't go on forever thankfully! At this stage I had taken 2 gels, 1 at 5 and 1 at 10 miles. I had an energy bar and decided to eat it which didn't help my toilet situation which quickly turned into an emergency! The bar was horrible so I ditched it and ran to The Hilton in Inchicore and had a luxurious bathroom break. From here I headed home. This was a totally different route to normal and I only realised how hilly the 3 miles back to my house are from this direction (usually I run down these hills). My garmin battery was running low, and so was my iphone so as soon as I reached 20.3 miles I stopped them and walked the last mile home. I regretted this because I really should have ran 21 miles, but all that the plan said was 20 so that's what I had in my head, and I was afraid my battery wouldn't last the distance (it did).

Didn't feel the need for a cold bath yesterday. Had a nice hot shower, stretched, foam rolled and was on a nice little high for the rest of the day knowing that the next time I run that distance will be in DCM!

I had a serious case of paranoia on sat night before my run. I had convinced myself I was catching a cold from my other half, and I had phantom stomach pains. I was terrified my last long run would be sabotaged, so I was extra happy to finish yesterday.

I really enjoyed reading all the lsr reports from the last few days. Thanks everyone for sharing....its makes me feel less obsessive about my training!

TAPER TIME WOOHOO!!!!

ciaranmac

JohnDozer wrote: »

Probably left it a bit late for this too but that was due to uncertainty around entry. Have people booked hotels? Any recommendations/ good deals around for family rooms?

Don't mind a bit of travel if its near DART/ LUAS etc.

I booked the Maldron in Cardiff Lane because the guy in Elverys in the town where I work recommended it, on the strength of his having done DCM 3 times in the last 4 years. Nice part of town, my dad used to drink in the Ferryman before he moved West. My brother in law lives nearby as well (can't crash with him because he's in the middle of a home renovation nightmare) and my dad goes all lyrical about Ringsend whenever that comes up in conversation.

Ososlo

JohnDozer wrote: »

Probably left it a bit late for this too but that was due to uncertainty around entry. Have people booked hotels? Any recommendations/ good deals around for family rooms?

Don't mind a bit of travel if its near DART/ LUAS etc.

Central Hotel in city centre has room on 26th for 119 euro.

Laois_Man

More weird questions from the 1974 Lada who's trying to be a 2014 Lamborghini

Do people find when they're taking a gel, that their split pace for that mile gets badly affected?

Do people down them more or less all in on go or do you carry them for a good while from the time you open them to the time you finish them?

MKDTH

Laois_Man wrote: »

More weird questions from the 1974 Lada who's trying to be a 2014 Lamborghini

Do people find when they're taking a gel, that their split pace for that mile gets badly affected?

Do people down them more or less all in on go or do you carry them for a good while from the time you open them to the time you finish them?

My pace is always slow so I don't notice much difference however I tend to use the gel in three gulps in about a two min period.

crisco10

Laois_Man wrote: »

More weird questions from the 1974 Lada who's trying to be a 2014 Lamborghini

Do people find when they're taking a gel, that their split pace for that mile gets badly affected?

Do people down them more or less all in on go or do you carry them for a good while from the time you open them to the time you finish them?

Leaning away from ISogels for this reason. They are bloody messy and awkward which sees time bleeding away with fiddling. The standard gel is thicker and just gone in two or three "gulps". Sip a bit of water and off you go back concentrating. Obviously, the Gel is harsher on the stomach but it doesn't seem to bother me after testing on previous LSRs.

MKDTH

I like the idea of taking a gel half a mile before a water station which seems to work well as the water can then wash it down.

Laois_Man

MKDTH wrote: »

I like the idea of taking a gel half a mile before a water station which seems to work well as the water can then wash it down.

That's a thing you see. Over the last 11 weeks, I have done 9 LSRs and the Frank Duffy - all with a water belt. Now I'm showing the first symptoms of 'Taper Madness' and doubting that strategy and thinking I should go without that belt and just pick up a bottle for a few minutes each at miles 7, 11½, 16 and 21 (and 24 if needed).

I need to lose the weight - but on the other hand, I hate the thoughts of getting caught up at water stations or possibly even having to stop at them.

Joleigh

Laois_Man wrote: »

That's a thing you see. Over the last 11 weeks, I have done 9 LSRs and the Frank Duffy - all with a water belt. Now I'm showing the first symptoms of 'Taper Madness' and doubting that strategy and thinking I should go without that belt and just pick up a bottle for a few minutes each at miles 7, 11½, 16 and 21 (and 24 if needed).

I need to lose the weight - but on the other hand, I hate the thoughts of getting caught up at water stations or possibly even having to stop at them.

You wont need to stop. Just grab a bottle of water and carry it for as long as you need it. Gulp the gel down then sip water. I would take water at every water station. I didn't take it at the first water station in my first marathon and regretted it. I think pre race nerves left me more dehydrated than I'd expected.

smashiner

Laois_Man wrote: »

More weird questions from the 1974 Lada who's trying to be a 2014 Lamborghini

Do people find when they're taking a gel, that their split pace for that mile gets badly affected?

Do people down them more or less all in on go or do you carry them for a good while from the time you open them to the time you finish them?

Advice from an 1972 Ford Cortina :
This gel stuff is new to me but I have kept it 'simple' I think.
1-1.5 hours before race /lsr/HM, small bottles of water and a small bananna + half bottle of Lucozade Sport about 20 minutes later.
Race Start.....
First 6 miles, sip only water, keep mouth moist,
Miles 6-13 Lucozade sport plus Jelly Babies.
Miles 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and on Orange flavoured 'High 5' Gels (2 swallows per gel), goes well with Lucozade Sport IMO. Plus a small few more Jelly babies for added glucose.
Miles 20-26.2 (not done yet) lots of prayers to baby Jesus that the gels and Lucozade keep me going and hope this whole 'Tapering' thing really works!! :eek::eek:

Kop On

Laois_Man wrote: »

That's a thing you see. Over the last 11 weeks, I have done 9 LSRs and the Frank Duffy - all with a water belt. Now I'm showing the first symptoms of 'Taper Madness' and doubting that strategy and thinking I should go without that belt and just pick up a bottle for a few minutes each at miles 7, 11½, 16 and 21 (and 24 if needed).

I need to lose the weight - but on the other hand, I hate the thoughts of getting caught up at water stations or possibly even having to stop at them.

Keep the water belt. It’s what you’ve trained with and what you’re comfortable with. I always said I wouldn’t carry my water belt but having trained with it on all my LSR it’s coming with me on the 27th. That way then, I can take a sip of it when I need it and not be waiting on a water station and drinking for the sake of it.

For the half Marathon I used my own water and was so happy as I didn’t even break stride going through the water stations, if anything I gained momentum because a lot of others went off to the sides and I just stayed in the middle of the road and kept going with a clearer path. Sounds like a small thing but it definitely helped me out.

If your water bottle has served you well up to this point, I think you’d be mad to change that strategy now.

tunguska

Laois_Man wrote: »

That's a thing you see. Over the last 11 weeks, I have done 9 LSRs and the Frank Duffy - all with a water belt. Now I'm showing the first symptoms of 'Taper Madness' and doubting that strategy and thinking I should go without that belt and just pick up a bottle for a few minutes each at miles 7, 11½, 16 and 21 (and 24 if needed).

I need to lose the weight - but on the other hand, I hate the thoughts of getting caught up at water stations or possibly even having to stop at them.

Seriously Laois man there is absolutely no need for you to be wearing a water belt. I actually laughed when I read that. Thats like going to the Sahara and bringing along a few bags of sand just in case......Theres more than enough water stations, this race is really well organised you'll have everything you need and more without having to bring your own gear with you. Make things easy on yourself and dont be lugging extra equipment, keep it simple, singlet, pair of shorts, socks and runners, thats it. You'll wanna travel as light as possible (especially if theres rain). Theres gels, energy drinks and plenty of water en route, anything else is superfluous.

adrian522

I'll carry my gels becuase I want to start using them earlier in the race but won't varry anything else I don't think.