DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread

smashiner

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh........Garmin just died this morning ....for the second time in 2 months going back to the shop. To add to this my MP3 player earphones fell apart in my pocket......my right thigh is tight after doing a fast-ish HM over the weekend.....10K run cancelled for this evening!
Defo wearing my cheap Argos 'Lorus Quartz' (€9.99 watch) as a back up for the DCM now.....damn technology won't defeat me on the day!!


On a positive note, my company phone just packed up too, lots of Gremlins about today, so I am free from work emails for a while and can look at Ososlo's Boards Novice Thread....ahhhh.....all is good in the world again.

BTW In two weeks time we will all be running in the DCM.........I can feel my heart beat increasing while I was typing that.......just saying
:-)

Murph_D

Good idea to ditch the mp3 player till after DCM anyway.

Gavlor

adrian522 wrote: »

Watching Chicago yesterday, reading the logs and seeing the results come in on strava has me pretty excited about 2 weeks time.

Also insanely jealous of anyone that can post up "Ran easy around as training was not sufficient" and still come home in 3:15.

Wish my training was that insufficient.

It's all relative. His training was rubbish in comparison to his previous cycles and as a result he knew he'd have a poor time relative to his pb.

I've said it before, unless you're running to win it then the only time that matters is your own.

Firedance

10:00am... this time two weeks we will be coming onto the quays / heading for chesterfield ave / on chesterfield ave depending on individual pace :-)

Laois_Man

Gavlor wrote: »

I've said it before, unless you're running to win it then the only time that matters is your own.

I'm running to win it.

"It" being, the wooden spoon/boobey prize!

adrian522

Gavlor wrote: »

It's all relative. His training was rubbish in comparison to his previous cycles and as a result he knew he'd have a poor time relative to his pb.

I've said it before, unless you're running to win it then the only time that matters is your own.

Well, I'm looking`forward to the day my training is that rubbish ...

Anyway, onto more important matter...

Are people going straight to the pub afterwards or going home to shower and change and then come back in?

Or are they doing both?

Gavlor

adrian522 wrote: »

Well, I'm looking`forward to the day my training is that rubbish ...

Anyway, onto more important matter...

Are people going straight to the pub afterwards or going home to shower and change and then come back in?

Or are they doing both?

Both!!

Gavlor

Laois_Man wrote: »

I'm running to win it.

"It" being, the wooden spoon/boobey prize!

A date with meno is the boobey prize

neilthefunkeone

adrian522 wrote: »

Anyway, onto more important matter...

Are people going straight to the pub afterwards or going home to shower and change and then come back in?

Or are they doing both?

Gonna drop into the selected pub that was mentioned here before for a pint straight after... Then i'm off home as going to the academy that night for a gig and more pints..

KillianByrne

Jaysus, everyone is fierce grumpy, shouty and givey outy here today. Taper time obviously.

...and MKDTH, whatever about Meno & Gavalor, if Pacing Mule is advising you to either not run or walk, then I think you need to consider your strategy. I don't think its a case of people not wanting you do complete a marathon, there is nothing but support on this thread, but they are concerned that what you are planning is a sure route to injury.

As someone who spent nearly a year out injured, it's not a nice place to be.

Laois_Man

Gavlor wrote: »

A date with meno is the boobey prize

I said boobey prize, not prize with boobs

It's enough to inspire me on to finishing second last!

Firedance

adrian522 wrote: »

Well, I'm looking`forward to the day my training is that rubbish ...

Anyway, onto more important matter...

Are people going straight to the pub afterwards or going home to shower and change and then come back in?

Or are they doing both?

will stick my head in the door once finished for a quick beer & then home for a night out - provided I can walk to the pub door!

ChadHogan

I’ve been thinking a lot about my race strategy (probably too much tbh) and think I’ve finally settled on one and was looking for a bit of feedback.

I had been training to target sub 3:50 and ran all my MP runs at this and LSRs at this +1 min/mile. HM went really well and finished feeling fresh and have completed all the long runs on the boards plan. However, the way I had been feeling at the end of all the long runs lead me to believe I’ll struggle maybe more than most the tail end of the race particularly if I target 3:50.

So with this in mind I am planning to line up behind the 4 hour pacers, maybe in front of the 4:10 pacers, and keep a constant distance between myself and the 4 hours group until we get through the Park. Looking at the course profile I think from mile 7-10 I can maintain the same effort but close the gap to the pacers. (at this point I should be ahead of 4 hour pace, not sure by how much tbh) I’d plan to stay with the pacers then until mile 15 and then use the fast stretch between Cromwellsfort road and Milltown to maybe pick up another minute or two on the 4 hour pacers. I then expect from Milltown home that all bets will be off and will just be digging in.

The few benefits of this that I can think of are:

Not running with a pace group for first 6 miles will mean I’ll miss the worst of the overcrowding
I’ll have the benefits of being with the pace group from miles 10-14 which I think is the toughest section of the race particularly the hill out of Chapelizod and the drag up the Crumlin road
I can gain time by using the faster parts of the course and maintaining a constant effort.
It’s a nice compromise for me between targeting 3:50 and 4 hours.

I’d be happy for anyone to poke holes in the plan (maybe there’s too much yo-yoing in it) and maybe I am over thinking things.
At this point I just want to make my mind up and nail down my plan.

MLC_biker

I do think discarded clothing is given to charity, so don't cut it to shreds! Buy the cotton style tracksuit bottoms, they're warmer and easily pulled over shoes

Chivito550

Is it just me who thinks that MKDTH is just having the craic here?

Gavlor

Chivito550 wrote: »

Is it just me who thinks that MKDTH is just having the craic here?

Nope, defo wum

menoscemo

Chivito550 wrote: »

Is it just me who thinks that MKDTH is just having the craic here?

Gavlor wrote: »

Nope, defo wum

I don't think so, yaboya1 knows him in real life...

pagep195

Ososlo wrote: »

Hard to believe everyone but here we are on Week 17:eek:
But it's all good:D

Anyone following Boards plan please keep everything easy this week and drop in those strides later in the week to wake the legs up a bit.
Hal folks, keep it all very relaxed.
Anyone not following these plans, don't overdo it. There's more to lose than win from doing too much at this stage. Please don't go out and run any crazy sessions or races as they're not going to add to your fitness at this point. An old phrase I've read on these Boards over the last couple of years is that you're better going into a race 'undercooked rather than overcooked'.
Any niggles, run extra easy (recovery effort ) or drop the run altogether. Any injury concerns, book into a physio right away.
Anyone feeling very unconfident, look back through your training since the beginning of your plan and look at the races you've run and have faith in your training and ability. Post your concerns...
Everyone start thinking about A, B & C goals for the day. Your dream time/race, what you'd be happy with and what you'll be content with. The C goal for everyone should be finishing (unless you're injured then your C goal should be to drop out before things get too bad).
Keep posting your training/thoughts/feelings.
Not long now folks....

Although not a regular poster, I have followed this thread for some time now - so much great advice and support for those running a marathon for the first time. Last year, at the age of 45, I ran my second marathon exactly 30 years after I ran my first as a 15 year old boy (age may have been exaggerated on the application form back then!). To be honest, I hadn't intended running last year, but the death of a much loved family member who had encouraged me to run as a teenager, made the decision for me. I went into it a little undercooked in terms of LSR's but managed to get home in 3:54 (beating my teenage time by 15 minutes!). I won't lie -the last 6 miles were incredibly tough, but I got home fuelled on emotion and little else.

This year, I was much better prepared until an injury struck just when I was stepping up the LSR's - I missed two weekends with it which means I am going into this one with a few 15 milers, a couple of 18 milers and a 19.5 miler under my belt.

It is not ideal, but on the positive side, I have been running 4 times a week for over 2 years, and didn't just start preparing for this at the start of the summer. I am running with a marathon newbie this year and we have promised that we will stick together - we have trained all year together and I know how much it would have helped last year to have someone with me. If we come in under 4:15, I will be happy - times at other races and in training suggest that this is doable for both of us - I just want it to be an enjoyable experience, because that is what you will remember in years to come, the time will be relatively meaningless for most newcomers.

Amidst all the great advice, the fretting about pacing strategies, what to wear, what gels should we use, there is one piece of advice that often gets lost. Listen to your body on the day - none of us can predict how we will feel on that morning or what the weather conditions will be like. These two factors will have an enormous impact on how you run - don't be a slave to the notion that you have to run at a certain pace, regardless of external factors.

You may have to re-calibrate your expectations on the day - be prepared for that and it will mean that the run will be far more enjoyable. We can fret about so many things that the experience passes us by - I didn't let that happen last year, and the memories of that day will stay with me forever. The work is done now - we should all be looking forward to it with some nervousness, but also as something incredibly rewarding and a remarkable achievement. Good luck everyone!

smashiner

....
Amidst all the great advice, the fretting about pacing strategies, what to wear, what gels should we use, there is one piece of advice that often gets lost. Listen to your body on the day - none of us can predict how we will feel on that morning or what the weather conditions will be like. These two factors will have an enormous impact on how you run - don't be a slave to the notion that you have to run at a certain pace, regardless of external factors.

You may have to re-calibrate your expectations on the day - be prepared for that and it will mean that the run will be far more enjoyable. We can fret about so many things that the experience passes us by - I didn't let that happen last year, and the memories of that day will stay with me forever. The work is done now - we should all be looking forward to it with some nervousness, but also as something incredibly rewarding and a remarkable achievement. Good luck everyone![/QUOTE]

Great Post, wise words indeed. As a Novice I need to 'listen to my body' and run the best that I can run on the day without blowing up and ruining my first Marathon! Now aiming for between ''3:59 and Enjoying the day''.
Cheers...

adrian522

Jesus these 2 weeks are going to drag.... I thought I'd enjoy the taper but not a bit of it.

In other news my plan is as follows after the marathon:

Monday 27th race
Tuesday 28th Day Off

Then 3 days in work...

Saturday 1st Mate's Wedding
Sunday 2nd Wedding celebrations continued
Monday 3rd Recovery day (day off of work)
Tuesday 4th Back in work for 1 day
Wednesday 5th... Off on holidays to SE Asia for 2 and a half weeks R&R and hopefully some scuba diving. Undecided on taking the runners with me or not.

Firedance

pagep195 wrote: »

Although not a regular poster, I have followed this thread for some time now - so much great advice and support for those running a marathon for the first time.

Amidst all the great advice, the fretting about pacing strategies, what to wear, what gels should we use, there is one piece of advice that often gets lost. Listen to your body on the day - none of us can predict how we will feel on that morning or what the weather conditions will be like. These two factors will have an enormous impact on how you run - don't be a slave to the notion that you have to run at a certain pace, regardless of external factors.

You may have to re-calibrate your expectations on the day - be prepared for that and it will mean that the run will be far more enjoyable. We can fret about so many things that the experience passes us by - I didn't let that happen last year, and the memories of that day will stay with me forever. The work is done now - we should all be looking forward to it with some nervousness, but also as something incredibly rewarding and a remarkable achievement. Good luck everyone!

Thanks pagep some great advice there

On the subject of pacing I've been using my trustee garmin F10 throughout training and while it says the battery will last for 5 hours on gps it was down to the wire in athlone (3 1/2 hours). I simply can't afford a new one though so I'm just wondering whether an ordinary watch and a pacing band will work for me when the garmin dies?

adrian522

Either run with pacers or else a stopwatch and pace band would do the trick.

I think Aldi or Lidl had GPS watches on special recently, not sure if they are any good though.

pagep195

smashiner wrote: »

....
Amidst all the great advice, the fretting about pacing strategies, what to wear, what gels should we use, there is one piece of advice that often gets lost. Listen to your body on the day - none of us can predict how we will feel on that morning or what the weather conditions will be like. These two factors will have an enormous impact on how you run - don't be a slave to the notion that you have to run at a certain pace, regardless of external factors.

You may have to re-calibrate your expectations on the day - be prepared for that and it will mean that the run will be far more enjoyable. We can fret about so many things that the experience passes us by - I didn't let that happen last year, and the memories of that day will stay with me forever. The work is done now - we should all be looking forward to it with some nervousness, but also as something incredibly rewarding and a remarkable achievement. Good luck everyone!

Great Post, wise words indeed. As a Novice I need to 'listen to my body' and run the best that I can run on the day without blowing up and ruining my first Marathon! Now aiming for between ''3:59 and Enjoying the day''.
Cheers...[/QUOTE]

Thanks a million - I am certainly no expert, and there are those with a lot more experience than me running this distance. But it's one thing that can get lost in our obsession with negative splits, VO2 max, heart rate monitors, etc. The whole experience can become a little too scientific. By the way, I am in no way advocating going faster than your planned pace just because you are feeling great in the early stages of the race - recipe for disaster. Listen to your body - but don't trust it if it starts telling you there is a 3:30 marathon in you when you have been planning for a 4:00 all along!

Pacing Mule

Chivito550 wrote: »

Is it just me who thinks that MKDTH is just having the craic here?

I hope not. It will be nice to pass the stubborn loony reputation on to someone else

RayCun

Firedance wrote: »

Thanks pagep some great advice there

On the subject of pacing I've been using my trustee garmin F10 throughout training and while it says the battery will last for 5 hours on gps it was down to the wire in athlone (3 1/2 hours).

when you say 'down to the wire', did it switch itself off after crossing the finish line? Or was it giving you warnings about low battery? The battery run out on mine on a run over the summer. For about 30/40 minutes it didn't update second-by-second, but did show me my pace at the end of each lap.

yaboya1

Chivito550 wrote: »

Is it just me who thinks that MKDTH is just having the craic here?

Gavlor wrote: »

Nope, defo wum

menoscemo wrote: »

I don't think so, yaboya1 knows him in real life...

Pacing Mule wrote: »

I hope not. It will be nice to pass the stubborn loony reputation on to someone else

I can confirm that MKTDH does exist, is human, believes his outrageous theories to be true and has trained just as he has posted on here.
He will probably be along later to answer the posts from last night/this morning.

Laois_Man

Ososlo wrote: »

Anyone feeling very unconfident, look back through your training since the beginning of your plan and look at the races you've run and have faith in your training and ability. Post your concerns...

My analysis and concerns are well known.

Negatives:
- I have missed a quarter of my runs and a quarter of my overall mileage target
- I have done literally no speed-work since week 2 as it was causing problems
- Always Running slowly
- Always having niggles which even get aggravated by AIS and the resistance band work I'd been doing since last December

Positives:
- Only one of the missed runs out of the 16 weeks was an LSR (and I did 2 miles of that)
- In the 7 weeks since the Frank Duffy 10, my LSRs have been 18, 18.2, the missed one, 20, 21, 21.2 and 13.8 miles (10 coming next weekend).
- I had fairly decent weekly mileage behind me and was already up to HM LSR distance before week 1 started
- Sports massages are really helping me and I have another one this evening and a final one next Monday evening.

pagep195

Firedance wrote: »

Thanks pagep some great advice there

On the subject of pacing I've been using my trustee garmin F10 throughout training and while it says the battery will last for 5 hours on gps it was down to the wire in athlone (3 1/2 hours). I simply can't afford a new one though so I'm just wondering whether an ordinary watch and a pacing band will work for me when the garmin dies?

I don't use a Garmin - I use a Timex Ironman Triathlon 30 Lap (around 30 euros to buy online) watch and have always found it does the job. You can keep an eye on your splits at every mile marker. They gave out pacing bands free at last year's Marathon Expo so they more than likely will have them this year too.

Firedance

pagep195 wrote: »

I don't use a Garmin - I use a Timex Ironman Triathlon 30 Lap (around 30 euros to buy online) watch and have always found it does the job. You can keep an eye on your splits at every mile marker. They gave out pacing bands free at last year's Marathon Expo so they more than likely will have them this year too.

RayCun wrote: »

when you say 'down to the wire', did it switch itself off after crossing the finish line? Or was it giving you warnings about low battery? The battery run out on mine on a run over the summer. For about 30/40 minutes it didn't update second-by-second, but did show me my pace at the end of each lap.

Raycun it wasn't flashing low battery yet but was down to the last bar, I had already turned off the pacer and reset the watch before that day to get as long as possible out of it, maybe it had another hour + it in but I doubt it?

pagep great I'll have look for that timex, I could stretch to €30!

annapr

Yesterday was the first LSR that I didn't finish... plan called for a short 12 miles. Headed out with Murph in the lovely hills of Donegal on a beautiful day. He was practicing the pace for his 5 hour pacer gig, so planning on going very easy. He warned me that I shouldn't do it with my cough and cold (I could hear Ososlo in my head too). Anyway, the run was fine, nice and slow, no bother but only did 8 miles in the end. And have been quite wiped out all weekend generally.

Took our infectious 4 year old to the doctor this morning, only to find myself coming away diagnosed with a chest infection and prescription for antibiotics... and a stern warning that I must come back for a checkup in the next week before deciding whether to do the marathon.

So, waiting and seeing for the moment. I'm remarkably relaxed about it at the moment (definitely sick, so). Have never been so enthusiastic about a course of antibiotics!!!!

why couldn't my taper bugs be all in my head??? !!!