DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread

statss

wowzer wrote: »

AMK is right, I was part of the novice group last year doing my first marathon, I had a 1:31 half marathon and ran a very comfortable 3:19 in DCM. Its definitely doable so don't sell yourself short.

+1

I had similar times to Wowzer last year, 3.20 is there for the taking for sure.

NyOmnishambles

Ososlo wrote: »

Yes 5 ascents and descents one after the other. I think it's explained fairly well in post two of this thread. Best of luck and let us know how you get on and enjoy!

Cool, thanks

Will go back and re-read that this evening

KillianByrne

7.3m @ 9.33 done. I seem to have brought the rain back with me from France. Sorry.

adrian522

AuldManKing wrote: »

Its never an easy one - balancing training with racing. Its how I got my log title!

At a very simple level you can just replace the full weeks training with a 'training week' that includes a race. In my opinion, thats fine, but I dont think you'll race well or recover well.

If I were you I'd do the following;

Bay 10k:
* Previous Thursday - increase run to 12-13 miles
* Sunday: Rest of 3-4 easy
* Drop the session on following Tuesday for a recovery run.

10m Race:
* Exchange the full week with the previous weeks training (it looks nicely balanced) but drop the session on the Tuesday after the race - run easy instead - no matter how good you feel - run easy.

Half Marathon: This is a key race preparation session - treat it like it.
* Swap that weeks long run into the following weekend (its important to get the longer runs in)
* Drop session on Saturday (obviously as its race day ) & drop session the Tuesday afterwards.
* Do the planned MLR on the Thursday before at easy pace and at lower end of mileage.

Something to consider is moving your training week by 1 day, so the long run falls on a Saturday. it makes it easyier on race week as you've longer to recover from the previous long run and your 1st session is on Monday, not Tuesday, so again, you've longer to recover. (it also means you an have guilt free pints on Saturday night :P)

With the races - dont feel that your missing out on training as the races give you a huge training boost, especially the longer races.

The long runs are the important runs in any training programme, infinitely more important than a 'session', try to plan your training so you get as many as possible in the weekends when you don't have a race.

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestions. I've made changes as suggested. I've moved the long run to be on Saturday now instead of Sunday.

I've also added in the races to the schedule.

For the 10K I do the 2 tempo sessions as normal on Monday and Wednesday, then a medium run on Thursday followed by 3 easy days before the race. The week following the race has a MLR on the Wednesday, should I maybe push that to Thursday?

For the 10 Mile I've swapped around the week before with the week after. I've also dropeed the Monday session the week after the 10 mile.

For the Half, I have the MLR as normal on Wednesday, followed by 2 easy days, race on Saturday then 3 easy days and the tempo on the Wednesday. Does this sound OK?

Also should I include warmup or cooldown miles to add in miles on race days or just do the normal mile or 2 warm up and race as normal?

I've updated the spreadsheet anyway, if you could take a look when you get I chance I'd appreciate it!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13AuPkY07wXfnrSsZ-SkBwUMbzlnXDNlTY30-gN8fS2s/edit#gid=1078500440

Casey78

Ososlo wrote: »

ah cool!
report back about the knee please!

Your name seems familiar. Do I know you from another thread? C25k???

hi yeah I was on a c25k thread last year.

Casey78

Hi. I forgot to introduce myself.

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? Yes PBs as follows:
5km 24'39 - 2014
10km 53'17 - 2013
Half Marathon 2013 2hrs04mins

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training ? No

How much training do you currently do ?
Up to about 25miles per week at the moment. I'm doing Hal Higdon intermediate 1 plan.

What do you want to achieve? Was hoping just to finish but I'm training for sub 4hr however unrealistic that may be!

How many days a week can you train? 5 days a week.

Why are you running this marathon? I'm raising money for the Down Syndrome centre as I have a 2 year old boy who has Down Syndrome.

I actually done a photoshoot last week with my son and with last years Marathon winner Sean Hehir to help promote the charity. The photos were on the official Dublin Marathon Facebook page.

LaHaine

More people should set up logs on here. Great way to keep motivated. Plus I can check up on rivals easier!

adrian522

Addrd my miles so far into the spreadsheet. Only starting my plan this week but entered my miles for the previous 2 weeks anyway.

frash

Just back from my first run since the Clontarf half at the weekend.

I usually do these 5 mile lunchtime runs at a 10 min/mile pace so knowing the legs were still a bit stiff I planned for maybe 10:30 pace.
Ended up with a very slow average of 11:50!

I guessing this ended up being an unplanned recovery run?
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Ankle fine again today btw but still seeing someone about it this evening.

MKDTH

Nurofen got me through the Clontarf 5miler in a time of 47.39 which was better than expected considering my shoulder injury and the fact that i spend the race weeving through slower runners.

At the start they said quicker runners to the front and slower runners to the back, in future i will not go so far towards the back and it made it a fair bit hard over taking so many.

I realise the longer the race, the better the runner so maybe i'll start about halfway through the field in the Swords 10k.

Week 8 of training is finished with 17 miles ran.

I've had a wager with Yaboya that i come within 20mins of his time in the 10k swords race, i'm hoping for between 55 and 57 mins.

Ososlo

MKDTH wrote: »

Nurofen got me through the Clontarf 5miler in a time of 47.39 which was better than expected considering my shoulder injury and the fact that i spend the race weeving through slower runners.

I've had a wager with Yaboya that i come within 20mins of his time in the 10k swords race, i'm hoping for between 55 and 57 mins.

Hmmmm, not so sure that's a great idea:(. In fact it's not! You're only disguising the pain and could end up doing more damage. How is it now?
Well done on your time though!
Not sure you'd pass a WADA test if tested!!!!!!!!

ecoli

MKDTH wrote: »

Nurofen got me through the Clontarf 5miler in a time of 47.39 which was better than expected considering my shoulder injury and the fact that i spend the race weeving through slower runners.

Would advise against this practice. Your nervous system plays a major role any body movements and as a result can majorly affect your running (as well as your overall well being) in two ways

- Messages being sent from the brain to the muscles can be inhibited and affect electrolyte levels
- blocking sensory receptors can lead to aggravating injuries and can lead to long term injury (and sometimes even permanent damage)

Pain is not a bad thing, its your bodies way of saying that something is not right and shouldn't be ignored.

Ososlo

frash wrote: »

Just back from my first run since the Clontarf half at the weekend.

I usually do these 5 mile lunchtime runs at a 10 min/mile pace so knowing the legs were still a bit stiff I planned for maybe 10:30 pace.
Ended up with a very slow average of 11:50!

I guessing this ended up being an unplanned recovery run?
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Ankle fine again today btw but still seeing someone about it this evening.

Nothing wrong with that at all. As all the greats say 'listen to you body'. It'll thank you for it tomorrow. That's exactly how a recovery run should be run. By feel and not to some pace as worked out by a calculator.
If your body still wants to do 11:50 pace tomorrow, then go with it....

Darren 83

Going to do a few laps around the track tonight see how the legs are, only running on the track because its easy to run on and its flat.

yaboya1

MKDTH wrote: »

Nurofen got me through the Clontarf 5miler in a time of 47.39 which was better than expected considering my shoulder injury and the fact that i spend the race weeving through slower runners.

At the start they said quicker runners to the front and slower runners to the back, in future i will not go so far towards the back and it made it a fair bit hard over taking so many.

I realise the longer the race, the better the runner so maybe i'll start about halfway through the field in the Swords 10k.

Week 8 of training is finished with 17 miles ran.

I've had a wager with Yaboya that i come within 20mins of his time in the 10k swords race, i'm hoping for between 55 and 57 mins.

Don't know about the Nurofen, but I'm not sure this is a good idea! :pac::pac:

AuldManKing

adrian522 wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestions. I've made changes as suggested. I've moved the long run to be on Saturday now instead of Sunday.

I've also added in the races to the schedule.

For the 10K I do the 2 tempo sessions as normal on Monday and Wednesday, then a medium run on Thursday followed by 3 easy days before the race. The week following the race has a MLR on the Wednesday, should I maybe push that to Thursday? (Sounds like a good idea - see how you feel on the day)

For the 10 Mile I've swapped around the week before with the week after. I've also dropeed the Monday session the week after the 10 mile.

For the Half, I have the MLR as normal on Wednesday, followed by 2 easy days, race on Saturday then 3 easy days and the tempo on the Wednesday. Does this sound OK?
For the MLR the previous week - I would just do it at 'easy pace' rather than MP+30 secs as the plan suggests. See how you feel for the marathon tempo on the wednesday afterwards - if you have any fatigue,just run easy. .

Also should I include warmup or cooldown miles to add in miles on race days or just do the normal mile or 2 warm up and race as normal?
As you want to race the event, just the normal warm up & cool down will suffice. Cool down is just as important as warm up miles.

I've updated the spreadsheet anyway, if you could take a look when you get I chance I'd appreciate it!

Above all - my advice is just advice, listen to your body on race week and in particular the week after.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13AuPkY07wXfnrSsZ-SkBwUMbzlnXDNlTY30-gN8fS2s/edit#gid=1078500440

Notes above

adrian522

Thanks AMK, great input there!

MKDTH

Points taken Ososlo and ecoli, after a large amount of alcohol on Saturday night and Sunday my shoulder is finally feeling almost normal again.
The alcohol must of helped numb the pain and help me start using it again, so i did a gentle 7 miles on Monday with a bit of walking as i did not want to push anything after Saturdays efforts.
I'll start full training again on Wednesday and get in 9 days training before easing things down next friday ahead of the 10k race.
(My plan starts a day later on a Tuesday each week meaning my long run is always on a Monday).

SoundoftheSea

Did 5k this evening on the treadmill with a good mix of inclines and feeling much better. I was a bit deflated after the clontarf. Struggled from 16k and my calf muscles were cramping. Discovered I am wearing runners that are a half size to small when I went to pick up my number at runworxs. So have a new pair on order. Purchased a foam roller in Argos and that is making a huge difference.
Happy running everyone.

adrian522

Did a "Marathon Pace" tempo this evening.

Things I learned

1. I have no idea what Marathon Pace feels like
2. I have no idea what pace I will be running DCM at
3. These sessions look a lot easier when you read them then when you actually do them.

Darren 83

Got 5 miles done on the track tonight surprised that I was feeling fresh had to slow it down a few times.

neilthefunkeone

5 mile in yesterday.. Nothing exciting happened on it.. Nothing exciting ever happens!!

Firedance

very enjoyable tempo session at the club last night, still tough but I'm not as far behind the pack as I was when I started in April :-) plan to get 4 miles in at lunchtime today. Have 13 miles to do on Sunday and am struggling to find a route, does anyone know the canal route around clonsilla/castleknock? is it safe to run?

frash

neilthefunkeone wrote: »

5 mile in yesterday.. Nothing exciting happened on it.. Nothing exciting ever happens!!

Weren't you the one with the bleeding nipples?
That must have been a bit exciting?

vitani

How should we run the five miles with hill sprints today?

NVM - I just read the last couple of pages in the thread

Laois_Man

Tons of sound advice for running your first marathon courtesy of author Matthew Inman

Darren 83

After Clontarf I was wondering should I still go for sub 4 or should I change my mp and what would be a more realistic target?

ecoli

Darren 83 wrote: »

After Clontarf I was wondering should I still go for sub 4 or should I change my mp and what would be a more realistic target?

I wouldn't make a decision just yet. As runners starting off you will find dramatic improvements in aerobic fitness very quickly compared to say someone who has been doing it for a few years.

Personally I would say just focus on effort in the early stages (should feel slightly harder than your normal pace but the first 20 min or so should feel comfortably fast and a pace you (honestly) feel you can hold for 3-4 hours). Personally my MP paces won't be down near close to what I hope to run come Dublin for another 6-8 weeks. 16 more weeks is a long time to improve fitness.

tang1

Darren 83 wrote: »

After Clontarf I was wondering should I still go for sub 4 or should I change my mp and what would be a more realistic target?

Roughly marathon goal time is twice your recent half plus 20mins, does that put you sub 4? Have you another half planned in the lead up to DCM, Race Series Half/Athlone Half? Maybe better re-adjusting MP off that race time than doing it now, could lead to you over-exerting yourself leading to injury. Speaking from experience on last bit.

menoscemo

Darren 83 wrote: »

After Clontarf I was wondering should I still go for sub 4 or should I change my mp and what would be a more realistic target?

You ran 1:47 in Clobtarf right? Your target was sub 1:50, so why are you now doubting sub 4 if you don't mind me asking?
Given the sand and wind that 1:47 would be roughly 1:45 on a 'normal' course.
I see no reason why you would change your target. Train right and the sub 4 looks achievable.