DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread

Laois_Man

BTW, I should have said.....at this moment, I am the only (hopeful) marathoner that will be wearing a Jake t-shirt on October 27th (although hopefully I'll be getting the campaign leaders to at least walk some part of it towards the end and maybe some others to do the whole thing).

If anyone else wants one, PM me. It's not about filling out a sponsorship card so don't let that put you off - Although you could do that too if you wanted I suppose.

Alan30

Low mileage week this week. I cut Wednesdays 7 mile short after getting a groin strain at 2.5 mile and knocked Thursday planned 4 mile on the head. Went out this morning and did 14 mile with no issue. First time trying gels. Took 2 power bar gels. Don't know if they made any difference but I did finish strong enough with 3 miles at MP. Off now for 2 weeks warm weather training.

SoundoftheSea

6 miles done on Thursday and it was an easy slow run 11:51/12:33.

I am having problems with groin muscles so I skipped yesterdays 3 mile run. Applied ice last night and did strengthening and stretches this morning.
Hoping to do the LSR tomorrow.

NyOmnishambles

Tough 14 miles today

I have done nothing all week, had had a few knee and ankle niggles so thought it wise to rest up, the lack of miles this week and last week really really showed

Was finding it tough around the 3 mile mark and again around the 8 mile mark, really flagged after the 10 mile mark

Back to the grind stone this week

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/560518030#

Unintentionally this weeks fastest kilometer of 5.50 from 9-10K was brought to you by Johnny Cash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc

Ososlo

Good luck with all the long slow runs over the weekend. Now is a good time for you to start trying gels and sports drinks on some of your longer runs to see what suits you so it's good to start experimenting.
It's also a good idea to start practicing carrying 'stuff' with you on the lsr that you plan to bring with you on the day. You might be taking 4-6 gels with you for dcm so start thinking about how you will carry them and bring the full quota with you on some of the long runs to see how you'll find it practically to carry them for a few hours so it's as comfortable as possible. Personally I found the shorts with pockets listed at end of post one brilliant as I didn't like belts but belts do suit lots of people.
If you plan on bringing your own drink bottle on the day then think about using a bottle holder so your hand can be nice and relaxed as you run.
There's no rush with practicing this stuff but do start thinking about it.
You cannot control everything that will happen on the big day but the best strategy is to control as much as you can so there are as few surprises as possible on the 27th and the best way to do that is to practice as much as possible.

Ososlo

Joleigh wrote: »

. No speed runs in my plan and I do feel like I'm missing out a bit. All this talk of strides and sessions is making me feel like I should be doing something else.

Trust your plan. Plenty of people have followed that plan with great success. You don't have to do speedwork to run a good first marathon.
If you ever do feel a bit unchallenged you could add a few marathon pace miles to the end of your lsr but no more than four and only if you feel up to it. No reason why you can't add a few strides to the end of one of your shorter mid week runs.

Casey78

Great pace run today. Did 7 miles at 8'40 per mile.
Hoping to go under 4hrs in Marathon so today was a good confidence boost.
Have a 14 mile LSR tomorrow, the last 14miles I did a few weeks ago was a horror show so hopefully my fitness has improved since.

Ososlo

Casey78 wrote: »

Great pace run today. Did 7 miles at 8'40 per mile.
Hoping to go under 4hrs in Marathon so today was a good confidence boost.
Have a 14 mile LSR tomorrow, the last 14miles I did a few weeks ago was a horror show so hopefully my fitness has improved since.

That's two fairly hard runs one after the other. Ideally you'd have a few easy days in between. Tread carefully. ..

Casey78

Ososlo wrote: »

That's two fairly hard runs one after the other. Ideally you'd have a few easy days in between. Tread carefully. ..

Just following the Hal Higdon plan.Pace run on Saturday long slow run on Sunday. Won't be going that speed tomorrow will probably keep it to 10 min miles.

Laois_Man

Ososlo wrote: »

Personally I found the shorts with pockets listed at end of post one brilliant

Been keeping an eye on that site for ages and the sizes they have are always huge.

Ososlo

Casey78 wrote: »

Just following the Hal Higdon plan.Pace run on Saturday long slow run on Sunday. Won't be going that speed tomorrow will probably keep it to 10 min miles.

Ah right. Seems tough. Which hal plan? Keep it super easy tomorrow

Casey78

Intermediate 1

Ososlo

Casey78 wrote: »

Intermediate 1

Just looked at it. I'd still say don't force the two runs one after the other if you've any niggles or are feeling tired. No plan is set in stone. If you're not having any problems then it's obviously suiting you!
Good luck with tomorrow.

AuldManKing

Ososlo wrote: »

Trust your plan. Plenty of people have followed that plan with great success. You don't have to do speedwork to run a good first marathon.
If you ever do feel a bit unchallenged you could add a few marathon pace miles to the end of your lsr but no more than four and only if you feel up to it. No reason why you can't add a few strides to the end of one of your shorter mid week runs.

+1 to this.
Strides are the most under appreciated element in our training. maybe it's because they are short and don't have you feeling tired? But they are very effective.
http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/add-strides-your-next-run

adrian522

18 Mile LSR in the book @ 9:25 m/m.

I missed out doing a 16 mile run last week because of the 10K I was doing so the longest run I had done to date was 14 Miles. I was a bit nervous about jumping by 4 miles but I never really came close to quitting on the run. No injury issues.

I decided to try and do a bit of the marathon course so went from Fortfield Road to the end of the marathon course, and then from the start to the entrance to the park, then home via the SCR.

So that is a good chunk of the actual course. A bit of a oin running through town, a lot of stopping and starting which doesn't help with momentum.

I took 3 gels, one on 60 mins, then another every 45 mins which is a strategy I've read about. Worked well but may have been a bit too much gel. I may try every 60 mins next week.

adrian522

Weird the difference between Garmin and Strava

Garmin

18 Miles @ 9:38

Strava

18.34 @ 9;25

Same run.

AuldManKing

adrian522 wrote: »

Weird the difference between Garmin and Strava

Garmin

18 Miles @ 9:38

Strava

18.34 @ 9;25

Same run.

I find the same with SportTracks and Garmin connect.
GC is always the same as whats on my Garmin, so I go with that - although ST is good for other stats.

When reporting paces etc - I'll always use GC

Joleigh

Following HH intermediate 1 too so should have had 7 mile pace this am but because I'm away tonight I skipped it and did my lsr of 14 miles instead. Got a bit lost so reached 14 miles before I got home so had a little walk back to the house rather than overdo it. Enjoyed the run at 10mm pace.
Ososlo I ran 1 marathon before and that plan had speed work so feel like I'm cheating by not doing it. I'll have a read of that link on strides, thanks to whoever posted it!! If I want to do a recovery run tomorrow what should it entail? Short and slow?

neilthefunkeone

Another early one this morning.. 16.5 miles starting at 6.30am.. averaged 10.19 pace.
All grand body wise, apart from last night's dominos repeating on me!!

The girlfriend usually cycles when I'm on the long runs but could not make it this morning so it just seemed to go on forever! Bit lonely with my own thoughts!!

Ososlo

Joleigh wrote: »

Following HH intermediate 1 too so should have had 7 mile pace this am but because I'm away tonight I skipped it and did my lsr of 14 miles instead. Got a bit lost so reached 14 miles before I got home so had a little walk back to the house rather than overdo it. Enjoyed the run at 10mm pace.
Ososlo I ran 1 marathon before and that plan had speed work so feel like I'm cheating by not doing it. I'll have a read of that link on strides, thanks to whoever posted it!! If I want to do a recovery run tomorrow what should it entail? Short and slow?

30-40 mins at a very very slow pace/effort. Forget the watch and just run easy. On grass or soft surface if you can.

JohnDozer

Feeling very jealous of people who can run on the course regularly!!!

adrian522

JohnDozer wrote: »

Feeling very jealous of people who can run on the course regularly!!!

I'd be lying if I said it didn't factor into buying my house

JohnDozer

The above comment regarding jealously is meant in jest of course. I'm still undecided about whether familiarity with the course is a good or a bad thing...

Since last week have mainly continued holiday mode, all easy paced running. Prior to the holiday, the body and mind had been feeling the combined pressure of work demands and increased physical demands of the plan, so taking this approach I feel may benefit in the long run. Having done a few runs in the area where we were staying, the seemingly endless supply of hills made easy pace running seem like the most appropriate approach. No point over exerting the body trying to hit paces on terrain like this. I was already feeling like the changed nutrition and additional alcohol intake was impacting on effort levels. Ran on 12 days out of the 14, distances between 3.5 miles and 10 miles, with a 10k PB thrown in for good measure. Back on the old sod now... Never will I call ireland a hilly country again!

Although I will be losing an LSR by taking this approach, I am going to pick back up the plan on week 6 of the BAA plan on Monday. I never did complete the LSR on the Sunday of week 5, so I think I'll just forget about it for now. Gonna continue easy paced runs of 6 and 10 miles over the next two days, and hope the extra rest and recovery outweighs the damage done by missing an LSR.

Can't wait to go for a run on flat ground this evening! Can't remember the last time I looked forward to a run as much...

Tigerandahalf

LSR of 22km done. Stepped back in distance this week but took a very hilly route for the second half of the run. Been a while since I did one in training. Had a long sleep last night, longer than I had planned! Bit stiff at the start but once I got the first 5km out of the way I was feeling good. Enjoyable run and felt strong as I progressed. Still as I finished the thought came into my head that it would just be over the half way point in the marathon.
Thanks for reminding us Ossolo about carrying gels. I am wearing the split shorts which dont have pockets, just a small tiny pocket on inside for a small flat key. I am not sure yet how I will carry the gels. I looked in Elverys for a running belt but they just had big ones with a bottle compartment. My stomach can also get iffy when wearing tight clothing so I am not sure if a belt is the best idea.

JohnDozer

Almost forgot to ask... Picked up a pair of Saucony Virratas for €40 while away. I've done two very short runs on them so far and they feel quite nice to be honest. They are 0mm drop while all the shoes except one pair I've ever worn for running have been 8mm drop. The one other pair was couple of years back when I used to run on beach I wore Merrell barefoot trainers with no ill effects. Can I use these alternately with other pairs or is this a bad approach to take? I've been reading up on the 0mm drop shoes and I can't establish if they are a good or bad thing!! Has anyone any experience of using shoes similar to these, in terms of rotating them with 8mm drop shoes? What are the limits in terms of mileage etc?

gingersnap

Did 23km this morning and I'm feeling very tired now, actually have a weird, spaced out feeling. Maybe blood sugars are too low or something?

Did 6km on Monday, 7km club training on Tuesday which included hill reps and 12km club training on Thursday which included 6km tempo. I felt great on Thursday and really pushed myself but maybe I overdid it a bit as the legs were tired from the start of the LSR today and I struggled a lot in the second half of it. Still can't imagine doing the full marathon comfortably. I was thinking of aiming for 5 hours but don't know if that is even realistic!

I haven't tried the gels yet but I have tried the jelly beans which seemed to give me a boost for a while. I will have to try to take them at regular intervals and see if that helps. I still take a banana too for the LSR as I don't eat before I run and I'm usually starving at 10km!

I got a water belt which has loads of space and I did my last few long runs wearing it. It took a bit of time to get used to it but I don't notice it at all now.

Plan to do 5km recovery tomorrow and then that's it for another week. Another week closer to d-day.............

adrian522

JohnDozer wrote: »

Almost forgot to ask... Picked up a pair of Saucony Virratas for €40 while away. I've done two very short runs on them so far and they feel quite nice to be honest. They are 0mm drop while all the shoes except one pair I've ever worn for running have been 8mm drop. The one other pair was couple of years back when I used to run on beach I wore Merrell barefoot trainers with no ill effects. Can I use these alternately with other pairs or is this a bad approach to take? I've been reading up on the 0mm drop shoes and I can't establish if they are a good or bad thing!! Has anyone any experience of using shoes similar to these, in terms of rotating them with 8mm drop shoes? What are the limits in terms of mileage etc?

I haven't used them but I think Kruty_Clown bought some a while back, there was a discussion in Gear and Equipment a while back:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=90510111

I use some Kinvara's, they are 4mm not 0mm though. I found them very tough at first as they caused me a lot of pain at first.

I just used them sparingly until I got used to them and love them now. I used them for a 12 mile run during the week and they caused no problem.

I guess if you are a heel striker the zero drop could cause you problems. I would guess maybe use them sparingly at first, and if you don't have problems you can use them on slightly longer runs eventually. I don't think there are limits on the length of the run you could do in them as such.

AuldManKing

JohnDozer wrote: »

Almost forgot to ask... Picked up a pair of Saucony Virratas for €40 while away. I've done two very short runs on them so far and they feel quite nice to be honest. They are 0mm drop while all the shoes except one pair I've ever worn for running have been 8mm drop. The one other pair was couple of years back when I used to run on beach I wore Merrell barefoot trainers with no ill effects. Can I use these alternately with other pairs or is this a bad approach to take? I've been reading up on the 0mm drop shoes and I can't establish if they are a good or bad thing!! Has anyone any experience of using shoes similar to these, in terms of rotating them with 8mm drop shoes? What are the limits in terms of mileage etc?

it takes quite a while for your muscles to become accustomed to 0mm drop, especially if you've been using 8mm.
Main area of concern would be the calf muscles.

You need to get yourself used to wearing them, so a few recovery runs at the start.

rockwell

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

LSR of 22km done. Stepped back in distance this week but took a very hilly route for the second half of the run. Been a while since I did one in training. Had a long sleep last night, longer than I had planned! Bit stiff at the start but once I got the first 5km out of the way I was feeling good. Enjoyable run and felt strong as I progressed. Still as I finished the thought came into my head that it would just be over the half way point in the marathon.
Thanks for reminding us Ossolo about carrying gels. I am wearing the split shorts which dont have pockets, just a small tiny pocket on inside for a small flat key. I am not sure yet how I will carry the gels. I looked in Elverys for a running belt but they just had big ones with a bottle compartment. My stomach can also get iffy when wearing tight clothing so I am not sure if a belt is the best idea.

tiger, you get get what are called 'race belts' they are a simple belt that you attach your race number to the front and generally have a number of holders for gels as well. a quick google should bring up a few options for you.

rockwell

a nice 12mi LSR done earlier, can't believe thats week 7 done and dusted. the weeks are flying by. was a bit aprehensive heading out as the legs were a little stiff from a long cross training session which a friend had invited me along to on Thursday evening but they loosened up thankfully after the first couple of miles. It was very warm out there today and even though i had a water bottle with me i could have done with another so must look at a water belt for these longer runs now. it will also take the pressure off the arms and shoulders. took 2 gels during the course of the run at 1hr and 1h45. Something must have kicked in as my pace was picking up towards the end and i had to slow my self down! well done all on the LSR and onwards and upwards