DCM 2017 Mentored Novices Thread

Lazare

Perfect!

Thanks a mill Niamh

leesider77

Getting my week 2 report in early as have a crazy busy day today and will be on airplanes all day tomorrow.

Felt good all week - trying to be careful to stick to the plan and not to do too much as determined not to risk any injuries. Saying that I'm a week ahead of the plan - trying to give myself a buffer just in case. Really hope I never need it.

3.1 miles @ 9.5
4.4 miles @ 10.3 ( included a few hills)
3.1 miles @ 9.4
9.2 miles @ 10.4 ( had some adult beverages last night so made it harder for myself than needed but didn't feel too bad considering - won't be able to get away with this too much longer though I'd say!)

So settling into my routine of 2 fast(ish) short runs, another short run that takes in some hills and my long slow run at the weekend.

Don't know what I'll be able to fit in next week as I'm away with work and have very long days but will do my best! Hope everyone had a good week!

Amirani

Currently hungover - 10 pints last night. Still, feeling like attempting a LSR, 8 miles maybe...

clickerquicklic

Week 2
Decided this will be a step-back week , I don't want running to become hard work and if I feel like I have to do something i'll get annoyed and not do it properly.
Monday - rest
Tuesday - 1k warmup/ 5k at 4.15 pace/ 2k warm down (this was a tough session)
Wednesday - cycled to work 15k / ran home 15k at 5.35 pace ( warm but easy running)
Thursday - cycled 30k went hard from start 1hour
Friday- cycled 15k to work / cycled 35k up over howth on way home ( did the evening cycle 100% effort)
Saturday - ran to parkrun / tried to run parkrun at controlled pace 19.29 (felt like I could have easily upped pace anytime) ran home 16k total
Sunday - plan is an easy 10k

Total for week will be 45k running and 95k cycling

This is a fairly typical week , next week i'll try get up to 55k running and then hopefully the following week break 40 (long time goal ) at Fingal , i'll need some advice on how to taper for Fingal ( do you need to taper for a 10k race?
Thanks for all advice in thread its invaluable reading every evening, best of look to everyone in there training and congrats to those that ran PB's in Docklands.

Battery Kinzie

Running with a bad hangover can go one of two ways. It'll either completely clear your hangover and you'll feel amazing, or it'll make it 10 times worse and you'll find yourself 3 miles from home and wishing you never bothered with anything ever. Good luck.

AuldManKing

skyblue46 wrote: »

Before anyone gets too excited it was 40 seconds per mile SLOWER than 3:59 pace!!! ������

oh yeah - thats what I meant

Halloween Jack

Made all my miles this week, despite having a cold and not being good for much Monday and Tuesday. Meant I had to run 4 days in a row but legs felt ok for the most part.

Am on hols from this day next week. Will be spending a week hiking in the Swiss alps so no running that week but a week chilling out where I will hit the roads again

scotindublin

Some great progress from the novices again this week with some brilliant weekly updates.

Don't be shy in sharing your weekly update; we are all here to offer help and support.

Keep up the good work.

Craig

Lazare

Week 2 report.

Went to the gym session again on Monday morning, worked on back, biceps and legs, all medium intensity stuff, I was happy to start doing some work to strengthen the glutes.

I don't know whether it was the leg work or the roughish sleep I had Mon night (have a 2 year old that loves nothing more than getting out of her bed at 4am to poke me in the eye) but I was about 20 seconds slower than last week with the same effort on the 3 mile easy. It would have bothered me had it not of been for AMK's great post about the ebbs and flows of your energy levels, and that it doesn't matter if you're slow one week and quicker the next, all that matters is the effort.

Wednesday's pace run was similar, was 8 seconds off target pace. A very enjoyable session and again no worries about not hitting the target.

Thursday called for a 3m recovery run but I ran it easy.

The standout run of the week and by far the most enjoyable was today's 10 mile LSR. What a buzz afterwards, still swimming in the endorphins.

I set out to try time it that I finished it at Griffeen parkrun. Planning a 6:15 pace (km (obv)) I arrived at Griffeen at 8:15 am, did some dynamic stretching and set off in the direction of Lucan village with the intention of running 5.5k then turning back. Headed out past the weir, up the hill at Laraghon which was a test, out the Clonee back road to the canal, then 1.5k up and back on trail before turning around and heading back.

Timed it almost perfectly, arrived back at Griffeen at 9:26, ran up and down the warm up area then joined the back of the pack. I fell in with a girl I know and ran along at her pace chatting, copped the watch then and I was running at almost MP. Ran at that pace until the last 800m or so then made a bolt and ran at 5k pace.

Felt absolutely awesome afterwards. Last week I began to fatigue at the 7k mark, didn't feel like it at any stage today, felt so strong throughout. Maybe the four days in a row last week was to blame for that.

Top o the world ma.

Hope you all enjoyed your week too.

Lazare

Is anyone else keeping a handwritten training log? I have a little diary that I'm updating after every run with simple notes, pace, how I felt, how I slept etc.

I'm guessing it will be useful towards the end, and definitely next year.

Younganne

Lazare wrote: »

Is anyone else keeping a handwritten training log? I have a little diary that I'm updating after every run with simple notes, pace, how I felt, how I slept etc.

I'm guessing it will be useful towards the end, and definitely next year.

It's always great to read back over a training log(handwritten or otherwise) and see how runs went. Put as much info in as possible after each run, including weather (heat, wind,rain etc), nutrition, hydration both before & after the long run so that if something works (or doesn't work)you have a record of it . Also track your mileage on your runners.

You'll love reading back in years to come .:D

skyblue46

So it's 2 weeks to the Fingal 10k. Who's going to be running it?

Lazare

skyblue46 wrote: »

So it's 2 weeks to the Fingal 10k. Who's going to be running it?

Yeah definitely, I think most of us are.

Be nice to meet up beforehand.

Lazare

Younganne wrote: »

Also track your mileage on your runners.

lol, I thought for a min you meant physically 'on' your runners.

What's the general guideline on how much mileage before you put them to pasture?

Was listening to Paul Tomkinson's podcast (v good btw) the other day about his London Marathon, he says he always buys a brand new pair of the same shoes for every marathon, the same pair he's trained in. Sounds like a good idea. Not sure if I could afford to, but what do people think?

clickerquicklic

I use strava and have a look at the training log there as a record , I'm not running that long so my records are going back months rather than years but it'll be great to look back on in a few years.
I'm doing Fingal hoping someone from here will pace sub 40 for me
It'd be great if they had pacers for these races.

Lazare

clickerquicklic wrote: »

I use strava and have a look at the training log there as a record , I'm not running that long so my records are going back months rather than years but it'll be great to look back on in a few years.
I'm doing Fingal hoping someone from here will pace sub 40 for me
It'd be great if they had pacers for these races.

Ah there definitely will be pacers.


Some fantastic times for someone not running that long btw.

skyblue46

clickerquicklic wrote: »

I use strava and have a look at the training log there as a record , I'm not running that long so my records are going back months rather than years but it'll be great to look back on in a few years.
I'm doing Fingal hoping someone from here will pace sub 40 for me
It'd be great if they had pacers for these races.

They definitely have pacers for the 10 mile and half. Mine is a Passat with a wind shield, a tow rope and I'll have regular bottles from a team of helpers. Thinking of targeting the hour for the half ;-)

quickbeam

I'm in for Fingal 10K anyway. It'll be my first ever race, so looking forward to it. I don't expect a great result, but should finish at least. What pacers do they have?

skyblue46

quickbeam wrote: »

I'm in for Fingal 10K anyway. It'll be my first ever race, so looking forward to it. I don't expect a great result, but should finish at least. What pacers do they have?

No pacers as far as I know. Trust your watch and go at your own pace. My first race was only 2 years ago and I have only run 7 so far despite my half century of years. They are a proper buzz, enjoy it!!

choons

Also doing the 10k and will be my first proper race!

Slightly ahead of a rough copy of HHN1. Feels like I could be doing way more but advice seems to be to take it easy, any advice there?

RolandDeschain

Hi, long time lurker here coming out into the open and hitching my cart to the Novices wagon!

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)

Raheny 5 Mile Jan 2017 -37:43
Great Ireland run 10k April 2016 - 49:11
Trim 10 Mile - February 2017 - 1:19:22
Half Marathon - River moy 1/2 marathon May 2016 - 1:48:56
Half Marathon - Achill half marathon July 2017 -1:55 (those hills....)

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? (No problem if you do)
Nope

How much training do you currently do ? Distances, how many days a week, cross training - whatever you think is relevant to your current fitness level.

Run 4 times a week and go to the gym 2 days a week.

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?

Goal A: Finish it!
The dream goal is sub 4 hours.

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?

I can run 4 days a week and plan on going to the gym 2 days a week.

I'm planning on loosely following the Boards plan.


Why are you running this marathon?

2 years ago I weighed just over 18 stone. I managed to get my head out of the sand and have spent the last 2 years transforming my life and my health both physical and mental. Running has played a massive part in the journey and I've grown to love it. Never thought I could run 5k. Now i want to nail this marathon.

skyblue46

RolandDeschain wrote: »

Hi, long time lurker here coming out into the open and hitching my cart to the Novices wagon!

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)

Raheny 5 Mile Jan 2017 -37:43
Great Ireland run 10k April 2016 - 49:11
Trim 10 Mile - February 2017 - 1:19:22
Half Marathon - River moy 1/2 marathon May 2016 - 1:48:56
Half Marathon - Achill half marathon July 2017 -1:55 (those hills....)

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? (No problem if you do)
Nope

How much training do you currently do ? Distances, how many days a week, cross training - whatever you think is relevant to your current fitness level.

Run 4 times a week and go to the gym 2 days a week.

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?

Goal A: Finish it!
The dream goal is sub 4 hours.

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?

I can run 4 days a week and plan on going to the gym 2 days a week.

I'm planning on loosely following the Boards plan.


Why are you running this marathon?

2 years ago I weighed just over 18 stone. I managed to get my head out of the sand and have spent the last 2 years transforming my life and my health both physical and mental. Running has played a massive part in the journey and I've grown to love it. Never thought I could run 5k. Now i want to nail this marathon.

That's a great post! I can relate. Came from 15st to 12 and the first step was C25k. Smoked 40 a day too! Our times are similar....37:17, 50:20, 1.22:14, 1.48:03. I'll look forward to keeping track on your progress and getting across that line in October!!

RolandDeschain

skyblue46 wrote: »

That's a great post! I can relate. Came from 15st to 12 and the first step was C25k. Smoked 40 a day too! Our times are similar....37:17, 50:20, 1.22:14, 1.48:03. I'll look forward to keeping track on your progress and getting across that line in October!!

Thanks Sky blue!

Got my first week (basically 2nd week of the Boards plan) nearly completed. Did the long run today. I left out the slow bit because i went WAY too fast. I must try to follow the advice on here and do my best to slow down (sounds crazy though). Just one of those days were the legs felt like they could run forever.

skyblue46

RolandDeschain wrote: »

Thanks Sky blue!

Got my first week (basically 2nd week of the Boards plan) nearly completed. Did the long run today. I left out the slow bit because i went WAY too fast. I must try to follow the advice on here and do my best to slow down (sounds crazy though). Just one of those days were the legs felt like they could run forever.

I'm getting the idea that it's all part of a process. We are training for a marathon, not a half. I had my eyes opened last night when I read through the 2016 novices thread. Those who targeted 4 hours struggled. It has made me reevaluate and just hope to get around!!

Spirogyra

How much water does one drink before a lsr ? 'loading up ' now but not sure how much I should drink... I'm sure it depends on physique but in general ?.

Also the idea of eating a banana during it ?.

skyblue46

Spirogyra wrote: »

How much water does one drink before a lsr ? 'loading up ' now but not sure how much I should drink... I'm sure it depends on physique but in general ?.

Also the idea of eating a banana during it ?.

500 ml per hour of vigorous exercise is a good rule of thumb. A long run wouldn't be too vigorous so you could get by with less. The banana would do no harm but assuming you generally eat well you don't actually need it yet.

Spirogyra

skyblue46 wrote: »

500 ml per hour of vigorous exercise is a good rule of thumb. A long run wouldn't be too vigorous so you could get by with less. The banana would do no harm but assuming you generally eat well you don't actually need it yet.

500l is half a litre?. Stopped for tea and a scone after 15 miles...stomach, body in general usually feel quite 'unsettled' after a long or intense run....so it doesn't go down very well, but still there has to be something at the end walked the mile home from there

That's about 31 miles for the week

Omeceron

Week 2. LSR of 2 hours. Stashed some water at mile 7 and had some jellys for the last 30 mins. Went down well. Knee felt a bit inflamed for the last 10 mins and continued into the night.

Was tempted to give the recovery run today a miss but a bit of foam rolling on hamstring and glutes helped a lot. Walked for about a half hour after the run and feels fine now.

Day | Run | Pace
Mon | Rest |
Tue | 4.25 Miles Easy | 10:36
Wed | 5 Miles inc 3 @ Pace | 10:13
Thu | 4.33 Miles Recovery| 10:23
Fri | Rest |
Sat | 11 Miles LSR | 10:50
Sun | 2.25 Miles Recovery | 10:37

Kmagic

Week 8 (HHN1) report

Mon- day job/rest day

Tue- 3 miles 27:00 Quickest I've ever run. I know i could not sustain it over much more that 3 miles at the minute but a nice little test for myself.

Wed- 6.2 miles in 1:00:17 got a bit of a niggle in my hamstring about half way, an old grade one tear i never got treated properly back when it happened, stopped and massaged it out, felt okay after (but a sign of things to come, more later).

Thurs- day job/rest day

Friday- 3miles in 28.20 slight back pain starting out but slowed down and the body fixed it for me.

Sat- full rest day

Sunday- Half marathon, Cahir, Co. Tipperary. I'll start by saying fair play to Mooreabbey Milers AC on the organising. Plenty of water along the way and everyting seemed to go well. As for my race . . .

I decided, first ever race, go slow, enjoy it, no matter what it will be a PB, something to build on. Parked my car, collected my bib/number, hung around for an hour and headed to the start. Five minutes to race time, clouds parted and we get glorious sunshine, uh oh.

Race started and i was out the back, knew id be 2+ hours so said I'd stay out of the way of "real runners". Three people i could see doing the HM pushing buggies, and myself and a few others. Starters horn blew, and off we went.

First few miles were slow, like i planned, but i felt okay. Bit of banter with another runner, as ya do. Exactly at the 6 mile marker, the previously mentioned hamstring started to twinge, stopped and rubbed it out for 30 seconds, felt okay for about a mile, but again needed to stop and rub it out. This pattern repeated until the finish.

I drank so much water by mile 8 my tummy was a bit upset, so that coupled with the heat and my hamstring made the final 5 miles the worst I've ever felt running. Also needed a lot of walking breaks which was a first.

Also, and it might just have been how i felt with the sun and everything else but the first 12 miles felt all up hill.

I was never more glad to finish a run and get out of there. I dont know my time, I'll find it when results go up on line.

My major take aways.

1. I do my 3 mid week runs on a hilly stretch of road, not crazy hills, but i thought it was enough. I do my LSR on a flat surface. Possibly my LSR route is too easy and did not prepare me at all for this HM.

2. I try to do my LSR early in the morning 6 or 7 am, to avoid the heat, another thing that went against me i feel today.

I'd suggest to others to try out as many testing conditions as you can so that you will be better prepared for your runs than i was.

At this point I'm questioning my life choices that lead to this point, but know I'll probably be ready to go again come Tuesday.

Off now for a big dirty Domino's and celebratory can of Coke. :-)

Battery Kinzie

Got my long run done this morning, quite tired now. Anyone any tips of how to get some energy back for the rest of the day? I know if I sit down for a bit I'll probably just fall asleep, and if I need to go into town or anything in the afternoon I'll just be shattered.