DCM 2017 Mentored Novices Thread

ariana`

ariana` wrote: »

I think you are right a conservative first 10km if you can manage it is gold. My friend did her 1st in Dublin last year and had a cracking good run, overall she had a negative split of 2:xx minutes, but she also had a negative split within the first half (which is what i think you are getting at?). She went through 10k in 53:xx which would indicate a 1:51:xx first half but she went through half way in 1:50:xx. Her second half was 1:47:xx and she finished in 3:38:xx. Her half time going into it was 1:40:xx but I'd say that was conservative as it was a tough tough half, very exposed and on a windy day.

clickerquicklic wrote: »

I've spoke to a few people this week that have done marathons and they all seem to say you won't be able to speed up in the last 6 miles of a marathon , if you can hold pace you are doing really well but its just not possible to speed up but say 1 minute a mile after 20 miles. Has anyone actually sped up in last 10km and finished strong or is it a pipe dream?

Clicker the only person i've ever known to do it is the girl i mentioned in this previous post. It was her first marathon in Dublin last year and she ran each 10 km faster than the previous one. It was incredible to follow on the Tracker, every time it updated her projected finish time came down . She ran strong and finished smiling. She's a good runner and an incredibly tough chick, i've raced in a different (team) sport with her and wouldn't want to race against her in any sport

Kellygirl

Some tips from Irish Runner about food planning for Marathon week - next week!!!!

Kellygirl

AuldManKing wrote: »

This is a great question and is one that a lot of people get wrong and it can impact your race.

The general "wisdom" is to eat lots of pasta the night before the race......... This is incorrect and will leave you bloated and sluggish the morning of the race - I made this mistake last year.

Your biggest meal should be on the Friday night. Saturday is about eating more often but smaller meals/snacks (more carbs, more calories than normal, but broken up over the day)

The aim of carb loading is not to fill your stomachs, but to restore your glycogen in your muscles - it can take upto 24 hours for carbs to be turned to glycogen.
So quite often, that big meal the day before your marathon, just sits there in your stomach or has not fully restored your glycogen.

Heres a good article on it.

https://runnersconnect.net/pre-race-marathon-nutrition/

Thanks a million AMK. Great info.

Kellygirl

clickerquicklic wrote: »

I've spoke to a few people this week that have done marathons and they all seem to say you won't be able to speed up in the last 6 miles of a marathon , if you can hold pace you are doing really well but its just not possible to speed up by say 1 minute a mile after 20 miles. Has anyone actually sped up in last 10km and finished strong or is it a pipe dream?

I can't imagine speeding up then much as I would love to. I wonder though after the hill at mile 22, once you recover and it's downhill (just from looking at elevation map) I'm wondering will it be easier than if it was flat. Just speculating really but I am changing my paceband to a more conservative finish I think.

28064212

clickerquicklic wrote: »

I've spoke to a few people this week that have done marathons and they all seem to say you won't be able to speed up in the last 6 miles of a marathon , if you can hold pace you are doing really well but its just not possible to speed up by say 1 minute a mile after 20 miles. Has anyone actually sped up in last 10km and finished strong or is it a pipe dream?

If you can run the last 6 miles at a pace 1 minute per mile faster than the previous 20, then you ran the first 20 way too slow. A successful negative split pacing strategy would look something like 1 minute faster over the entire second half, not a minute per mile

The Muppet

There's lots of talk of times in here over the last few pages, its great to have a target time but try not to get too caught up in them. Hopefully all of you will achieve your target but if that happens you will be the first group of novices to do so.

Realistically some of you won't hit that target. There are lots of variables that can lead ot that outcome.

Dublin City Marathon is a special event, one that you should all enjoy and have great memories of , the last thing you want is to finish outside your target and be deflated/disappointed because you didn't hit a time.

It's your first Marathon, soak up the atmostphere, run as best you can , enjoy your day and smile the whole way around .

skyblue46

The Muppet wrote: »

There's lots of talk of times in here over the last few pages, its great to have a target time but try not to get too caught up in them. Hopefully all of you will achieve your target but if that happens you will be the first group of novices to do so.

Realistically some of you won't hit that target. There are lots of variables that can lead ot that outcome.

Dublin City Marathon is a special event, one that you should all enjoy and have great memories of , the last thing you want is to finish outside your target and be deflated/disappointed because you didn't hit a time.

It's your first Marathon, soak up the atmostphere, run as best you can , enjoy your day and smile the whole way around .

I think the talk is more about finding a pace that you can, in as much as is possible while running 26.2 miles, enjoy it. Personally I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that, not to run the fastest possible marathon I can. Maybe Paris in the springtime for that!! :pac:

Kellygirl

skyblue46 wrote: »

I think the talk is more about finding a pace that you can, in as much as is possible while running 26.2 miles, enjoy it. Personally I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that, not to run the fastest possible marathon I can. Maybe Paris in the springtime for that!! :pac:

Yes - I agree. I was just explaining to somebody this morn that I’m wearing a pace band to keep me slow and in control and I have no intention of going out to try to win the race! I want to cross that finish line strong and smiling and knowing I just had a great day out. I know parts will be torture and a mental battle but hoping I can push through them and be proud of myself for doing so at the end.

ariana`

skyblue46 wrote: »

I think the talk is more about finding a pace that you can, in as much as is possible while running 26.2 miles, enjoy it. Personally I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that, not to run the fastest possible marathon I can. Maybe Paris in the springtime for that!! :pac:

Hmmm Paris in the Springtime, that'd be nice! Is it a hard one to get entry too? Amsterdam is meant to be flat too and i think it's Springtime... I just might have to wait 10 yrs til the kids are a bit older :pac:

Kellygirl wrote: »

Yes - I agree. I was just explaining to somebody this morn that I’m wearing a pace band to keep me slow and in control and I have no intention of going out to try to win the race! I want to cross that finish line strong and smiling and knowing I just had a great day out. I know parts will be torture and a mental battle but hoping I can push through them and be proud of myself for doing so at the end.

Great attitude.

Huzzah!

ariana` wrote: »

I'm walking ok, today wasn't anything like 1.5 weeks ago where it seized up completely.Today was more discomfort that turned to pain, I was limping running but I've been fine once I came home and stretched & iced it .

I text physio earlier and he said to keep my chin up there's still 10 days! So obviously he still has some hope. I have decided that IF by some miracle I get to do it I will start at 7 min/km and stay at that until at least 35 km so essentially aim for 4:5x:xx. It'll be the very best I can hope for now at this point in time. No need for pace bands or pace group, I'll just work with my watch and how my body feels... but at this stage it feels like a very big IF.

Ariana', I'm so sorry to hear this. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed that it goes well on Friday.

Wubble Wubble

ariana` wrote: »

Hmmm Paris in the Springtime, that'd be nice! Is it a hard one to get entry too? Amsterdam is meant to be flat too and i think it's Springtime... I just might have to wait 10 yrs til the kids are a bit older :pac:



Great attitude.

Paris in the springtime is indeed nice! My first marathon, way back in 2014. What an experience it was, and who knows how much better I'd have done if I'd trained for it the way you've trained for this one!

ariana`

Huzzah! wrote: »

Ariana', I'm so sorry to hear this. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed that it goes well on Friday.

Thanks Huzzah. Nice to see you popping getting familiar with the environment... roll on 2018 ;)

skyblue46

ariana` wrote: »

Hmmm Paris in the Springtime, that'd be nice! Is it a hard one to get entry too? Amsterdam is meant to be flat too and i think it's Springtime... I just might have to wait 10 yrs til the kids are a bit older :pac:



Great attitude.

I think its only NY, Tokyo, London, Boston and Chicago have entry standards and ballots. Paris is similar to Dublin with a first come first served set-up.

ariana`

skyblue46 wrote: »

I think its only NY, Tokyo, London, Boston and Chicago have entry standards and ballots. Paris is similar to Dublin with a first come first served set-up.

Fuel for thought but i don't think i could face another marathon training cycle for a while to be honest, this one is going to leave some scars I think if/when i'm up to it again i'll probably do a low key one like Limerick/Galway/Cork.

Unthought Known

skyblue46 wrote: »

I think the talk is more about finding a pace that you can, in as much as is possible while running 26.2 miles, enjoy it. Personally I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that, not to run the fastest possible marathon I can. Maybe Paris in the springtime for that!! :pac:

That's it exactly. Unfortunately there's no magic formula for your first time, it's a bit of a guessing game.
On the other hand you may well nail it and the training you've put in has given you the best possible chance.

AuldManKing

ariana` wrote: »

Fuel for thought but i don't think i could face another marathon training cycle for a while to be honest, this one is going to leave some scars I think if/when i'm up to it again i'll probably do a low key one like Limerick/Galway/Cork.

Clonakilty on December 9th :P

Kellygirl

AuldManKing wrote: »

Clonakilty on December 9th :P

Maybe check the elevation profile for that one before signing up! It's got a hill or two in it! ;-)

Though a beautiful one! I'm planning on the half there.

ariana`

AuldManKing wrote: »

Clonakilty on December 9th :P

Kellygirl wrote: »

Maybe check the elevation profile for that one before signing up! It's got a hill or two in it! ;-)

Though a beautiful one! I'm planning on the half there.

I know you are half-joking but it has actually crossed my radar already :eek: But no guarantee i'd be recovered in time and then there's that hill or 2 :eek: But i won't rule it out... I wonder is it booked out or is it one that is likely to book out? I'd need to get a couple of LSRs under my belt without knee trouble before i'd sign up to anything...It would be great to tick the marathon box though at the back of this training cycle as opposed to having to start again next Spring/Autumn.

scotindublin

Edinburgh* end of May one of the fastest marathons in the UK.

* I may be slightly biased as it is in Scotland....must actually get home to do a run there!

ariana` wrote: »

Hmmm Paris in the Springtime, that'd be nice! Is it a hard one to get entry too? Amsterdam is meant to be flat too and i think it's Springtime... I just might have to wait 10 yrs til the kids are a bit older :pac:

Kellygirl

ariana` wrote: »

I know you are half-joking but it has actually crossed my radar already :eek: But no guarantee i'd be recovered in time and then there's that hill or 2 :eek: But i won't rule it out... I wonder is it booked out or is it one that is likely to book out? I'd need to get a couple of LSRs under my belt without knee trouble before i'd sign up to anything...It would be great to tick the marathon box though at the back of this training cycle as opposed to having to start again next Spring/Autumn.

Closing date is end of November. You are safe enough not to book for a while. The hill or two or three are a challenge there alright but it's a marathon everybody loves.

Baby75

Saw this on Facebook a good read https://www.shanefinn.com/journal/survive-your-first-marathon

positron

Berlin marathon registration is open right now I think, September 2018.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057799137

Baby75

anyone suffer from blisters on your feet, I am looking up ways to prevent them and came across this tip

''* Geraldine Wales, an ultrarunner from Ardsley, Pa., swears by the advice of a male running friend. "Lubricate the feet liberally, then--I am not kidding--put on a pair of ankle-length nylons," she says. "Then put your regular running socks on over the nylons. It has worked for me for over three years." She advises large men to "buy queen-size."

https://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/banishing-blisters

Huzzah!

ariana` wrote: »

Thanks Huzzah. Nice to see you popping getting familiar with the environment... roll on 2018 ;)

I've followed every novices' thread since 2015 :P If I spent as much time running as I spend reading about running...

Damo 2k9

How's everyone's prep going? From clothes picked for the day, food for during the week, breakfast morning of etc??

Clothes for the day - Check (minus a fleece for the start)
Gels for the day - Check
Belt for the day - Not yet, think I'll buy a flip belt.
Breakfast for the day - Check
Food for the week - Gonna write these out this week so I know exactly what I'm having.
Remember to cut the toenails - Check

There's plenty more stuff on mind, if everyone throws they're other ideas up it'll help a lot of us remember the small things!!

Candamir

Ah here. I'm gone for a couple of hours and I come back to a page of 'the next marathon' talk!!

Having said that, I've my eye on this one.....

https://www.motivrunning.com/run-surf-city/

(Might stick with the half though:D)

Kellygirl

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

How's everyone's prep going? From clothes picked for the day, food for during the week, breakfast morning of etc??

Clothes for the day - Check (minus a fleece for the start)
Gels for the day - Check
Belt for the day - Not yet, think I'll buy a flip belt.
Breakfast for the day - Check
Food for the week - Gonna write these out this week so I know exactly what I'm having.
Remember to cut the toenails - Check

There's plenty more stuff on mind, if everyone throws they're other ideas up it'll help a lot of us remember the small things!!

Warm tracksuit pants and jacket and hat maybe in bag drop for after? Maybe a recovery drink or protein bar too?
Power charger for phone? (Mine always needs an extra charge during the days
Deep heat or Deep Freeze - whatever you use for muscles after

hot buttered scones

Kellygirl wrote: »

Warm tracksuit pants and jacket and hat maybe in bag drop for after? Maybe a recovery drink or protein bar too?
Power charger for phone? (Mine always needs an extra charge during the days
Deep heat or Deep Freeze - whatever you use for muscles after

I find a small microfibre towel handy, especially if its been raining. I also throw in a pair of compression socks and clean dry runners.

Candamir

A cheap/old hat and gloves for the start if it's a cold day. I'm looking at a selection of the kids over washed/over stretched stash from last winter!

I can see another list appearing on the fridge!

scotindublin

Tip #1 make sure your Garmin is charged!