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DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread
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clickhere: That's a really great run, and I'm delighted that you are so pleased with it. It's easy for me to say beforehand that sub 4 might be there for you, but you went out and got it. Congratulations
Wombled: Congratulations on nailing your target - talk about cutting it tight
Yep! Your plans for the next while mirror mine - the best of luck with them!Mile 27 5.55 best feeling in the world
Clareview: That's an incredible amount to have raised for charity - well done! Well done also on seeing it through on Sunday - sounds like it was tough going for the closing stretch. I'm glad to read that you will continue running - it is pretty addictive!0 -
Mr. Guappa wrote: »clickhere: That's a really great run, and I'm delighted that you are so pleased with it. It's easy for me to say beforehand that sub 4 might be there for you, but you went out and got it. Congratulations
Wombled: Congratulations on nailing your target - talk about cutting it tight :)Yep! Your plans for the next while mirror mine - the best of luck with them!
Best of luck with your plans too Mr Guappa , Thank you so much, I am sure our paths will cross again. You have been absolutely amazing on this thread. You are one very wise man0 -
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The Aftermath
I've done a marathon. I think I'm still struggling to believe that. Lads, really...me? Doing a MARATHON? Lol!
But there's disappointment. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to run the race I had trained for, that I was ready for, and that I was capable of running. But I think I'll get over that. Probably am getting over that by now.
What I'm by far the most disappointed about, and what had caused me to fight back some tears, is that I didn't, I couldn't, get to enjoy the experience. That was my major, overarching wish, to enjoy it whilst embracing the challenge, but that was taken from me by my stupid stomach, and can't be given back.
But. Here's the but. I also have come to realise in the past 2 days that it was a privilege to get to finish it, even if it was under less than perfect circumstances. Ais_Byrne7's experience was sobering (relieved you're okay Ais
), and quite a few reports of better runners than I not finishing.
I've said all along that I'd do one marathon. Just to knock it off the bucket list. But, I also feel now that I've unfinished business with DCM.
Will I do it again? No. Maybe. Yes.
Actually, it now seems that I have to let the stupid new lottery system make the decision for me :rolleyes:
You actually barely mentioned your hernia at all. I'm so sorry you'd such a rotten time it during DCM. You trained so hard and so well, it's really unfair that this happened to you. I'm not sure I'd have finished if I'd experienced that kind of pain, so honestly, well done for that. You should be really proud of yourself.0 -
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DCM Race Report (better late than never)
Pre-Pre-Race
One of the things I had to sort out for DCM was accommodation. I had an online friend from a now-defunct forum who I'd kept in contact with for years but never met. When I mentioned I was doing DCM he offered to put me up. I demurred as I didn't want to put him out but in the end accepted. I'm glad I did as it was one of the highlights of the weekend to put a face to the name.
About a month before DCM I started a new job and started working what felt like 12 hour days. This affected a few things: making time for runs (luckily we were into the tapering period), proper meals (usually I was just grabbing something on the go) and marathon prep. It meant I didn't really have any time to think about the marathon but since I didn't have time to think about it I also didn't have time to worry about it. So it had the side-effect of making me quite relaxed as the race approached.
In the days leading up to DCM this thread and the whatsapp group chat got very busy with lots of talk of nervousness and excitement and difficulty sleeping etc. I was feeling none of this and it momentarily crossed my mind if there was something wrong with me but I didn't really give it much thought.
My original plan was to take the train up but then I was told I was working on the Saturday so that scuppered that and I wondered if I'd make the expo in time to collect my race number. Thanks to Mr Guappa for offering to collect them for me if I couldn't make it up in time. Luckily I finished my jobs by 2pm and made the RDS by 5.30pm. When collecting my race bag the lady asked if it was my first marathon and then asked my name. She then took the microphone and asked for a cheer for me doing my first DCM. A little embarrassing. The other guy behind the desk told me I should be at the start point for 7.50am at the latest. This ruled out any pre-race photos for Sanctuary Runners or the Boards novices.
Pre-Race
In retrospect I could probably easily have made these as there was a delay letting us in to the baggage area. I had my hoodie, arm warmers and gloves on and was in a tight crowd so not really feeling the cold although I had no leggings.
We were eventually left in and actually walked past the green wave start point and were waiting quite a while for things to start up. Security seemed quite lax and we only once got asked to show race numbers. While waiting I got talking to two guys also doing their first DCM. One was hoping for a sub 3.30 and had done all his training runs at 5 min/km pace. I was about to say something about how this was not a good idea but realised we were a few minutes away from the start point and there was SFA he could do about it now so I bit my tongue.
He had an unusual first name so I could find his result after and he did 3.31 so I guess it does work for some. The other guy I was talking to had only got his ticket the week before from someone who couldn't do it. I'd forgotten a few things to bring with me on road to Dublin, phone charger and Garmin watch charger being the main things. I'd brought my nipple plasters but forgot to put them on in the morning. My fellow novice kindly offered me some running tape that did the job.
Despite all the training going pretty well I really hadn't fully decided what pace I was going to run at. This was one of my "to do" things that never got done. I can honestly say I wasn't concerned with finishing time. I would have been happy with anything sub 4 and would have been ok with sub 4.30 if it came to that. So pretty soon we were moving up to the start line. The 3.40 pacers were just in front of me with the 3.50 pacers a little further back. Last minute decision was to start off with the 3.40 pacers and see how things progressed. With that the hoodie was tossed over the railing and we were off.
First Half
Splits (8.28, 8.13, 8.31, 8.07, 8.06, 8.55, 8.10, 8.21, 8.14, 8.24, 8.12, 8.08)
The first mile was over before I knew it and we were motoring along. I recall it still feeling a bit nippy along here as were were still in the shade from the buildings and so the extra layers were going to remain in situ for a while more. The first few miles were comfortable although I don't really recall much of it. The arm warmers got discarded after about 3 miles or so while I held onto the gloves for a good while longer. Pretty soon we were hitting the Phoenix Park and somewhere along the way I'd passed out the 8.40 pacers.
I was feeling that I needed to make a pitstop so stopped at the portaloos here. No bog roll. Hmmm... Decided to forego the pitstop and rejoin the race. The 8.40 pacers were now ahead of me and we were heading up Chesterfield Avenue. I gradually tagged on again to the 8.40 pacers again over the next mile or two. We exited the park and came up to a left turn which I assume was Castleknock village and just got hit by a wall of noise. I just couldn't help grinning from ear to ear with that level of support. It must be what rock stars get everytime they take to the stage.
Looking back on the elevation graph for this section of the race there's quite a few uphill sections. Tbh I didn't feel them at all or really notice them. The running group was fairly tight, albeit not feeling too congested, which meant it wasn't a simple matter of scanning the road ahead for rises and falls.
At mile 8 I did a system check. Yep, this is not an easy run but it's a marathon so you gotta expect to be out of your comfort zone. But I still felt relatively comfortable and was going at a good rhythm. No cause for concern. I was looking forward to the halfway point as a psychological marker - get there and it's just a half marathon left.
At some point along here I was wondering if the pacers were going too fast - 8.20 seemed a bit zippy so I asked one of them and he confirmed that they were doing 8.20 pace. Finally the halfway point was in sight. Just coming up to it I saw someone from my cycling club in the crowd up supporting his wife. I gave a shout out but he didn't hear me. We crossed the half way point and I did wonder if I could keep this going for another 13 miles.
Second half
Splits (8.21, 8.18, 8.03, 8.14, 7.59, 8.06, 8.01, 8.35, 9.37, 11.35, 10.55, 10.23, 9.08, 7.51)
One of the casualties of not having/giving enough time to strategy planning was that I hadn't brought any zero tabs with me to add to the water I was taking. Tbh I had grown to hate the taste of the zero tabs. I'd run my last 18 miler LSR without any gels or liquids and felt fine but that was LSR pace rather than MP. For this race I had gotten a flip belt and loaded it up with high 5 gels. I'd been taking these every 30 minutes approximately and taking a water bottle at every water point and keeping hydrated. I'd mentally broken up the race into 8 mile sections. The first 8 miles had gone well and the second 8 miler was now within sight. A systems check showed that while the tops of the quads and lateral hip area was feeling the race they hadn't got any worse than earlier. I was simultaneously fiddling with a gel and water bottle on mile 16 when I noticed that it was almost over. Mile 17 was when I started to allow myself believe that I'd finish in sub 3.40 as I had by now overtaken the 3.40 pacers and was averaging 8.16 min/mile and feeling pretty good. I recalled reading previously that most of the hills would now be behind us. Things were looking reasonably good and, if anything, I was picking up the pace and feeling strong.
I saw the "Mr Guappa says relax...." sign held by ReeReeG I think when passing what I now presume was Milltown. The brain wasn't quite in gear so I think I came out with something like "Oh, Mr Guappa, heh" or something equally nonsensical. I was still feeling ok but the course was now becoming a bit more undulating and all around me runners were hitting rough patches.
I was feeling it but things were still ok until, suddenly, somewhere along Roebuck Road, they weren't and this happened:
I don't have any qualms about walking during a race if needed. I walked Foster's Avenue to the Radison Blu and started shuffling onwards again from there. I crossed the flyover by UCD and had to walk again on the down ramp to Nutley Lane. I managed to get going again from Nutley Lane but had another brief walking break on Merrion Road. Looking back that doesn't seem that much walking but it felt like a lot more on the day. At this stage I didn't care about anything except for it to be over. I wasn't really taking notice of the crowds or where I was - the only thing I was really interested in was where was that f**king finish line? Finally I saw the 26 mile marker. Thank Christ!! With the relief I automatically upped the pace and surprised myself to find that I was now running at 6.35 min/mile pace. Where was that energy when I needed it a few miles earlier? Someone shouted my name, I looked around but there was just a crowd of faces, and I assumed they're read it off my number. Found out afterwards it was the lad I'd seen at the halfway mark. There was still some more to run before reaching the blue carpet but I was able to cruise in and had to dodge around a few people including the guy who annoyed me by abruptly turning across me when he saw someone he knew in the crowd just before the end.
I remembered to raise my arms at the end but didn't remember to smile. The arm raise was so half-hearted and tbh at this point I just felt horrible, ill, wrecked and no energy even to be relieved that it was over or genuinely celebrate.
Post Race
I collected my medal and shirt and headed, zombie like, over to the baggage claim area. First I had to find a toilet as the feeling of needing a loo stop had stayed with me for much of the race. I actually think this was a result of using the flip belt which I'd only used on one long run as I got it late in my training. Even when I'd used it I didn't have it loaded with gels. Effectively I was using this for more or less the first time for the marathon and it was a mis-step. Also I had never taken this many gels on one run previously. Taking as many as I did was also a mistake as my stomach started feeling bad in the last quarter of the race. I didn't take as much as a selfie at the marathon. Fortunately a kindly garda posed with me after the race for this quick photo of me at the finish.
After using the loo I was still feeling crap and feeling poor enough to consider going to the medical tent. I asked where it was and was told that I'd have to go the long way around to get back to it. I had zero interest in doing that so had a Lazarus like recovery and proceeded to walk to McGrattans. I think only mr paul was there when I got there and I couldn't find anyone I recognised from our group. I didn't know there was an upstairs but tbh I wouldn't have been very sociable at this stage. I had a hotel room booked off O'Connell street and headed back there and had a long hot shower followed by a dinner. This had the effect of bringing me back to life. I strolled back to McGrattan's later and had the pleasure of meeting mr paul, greentea is just wrong, ReeReeG, Mr Guappa, Laineyfrecks and the gentleman skyblue46 (not nearly as scary in real life :P)
Conclusions
So, the inevitable question - would I do it again? A marathon? Almost definitely. DCM? - perhaps but most probably not. The summer training schedule meant I had to sacrifice too many events for the sake of the marathon. If there was some way of getting around this then I'd do DCM again but, if not, then my next one will be a spring marathon with the training over the winter.
Was it worth it? Ah yeah, definitely. I managed to get most of the training runs done (guesstimate of around 95%) and enjoyed the process. My approach to running has changed (honestly!) and it's not all about improving times on each and every run.
What would I have done differently? Tbh I wouldn't now change how the day went despite suffering a bit at the end. For any future attempt I would definitely make sure I have some electrolyte tabs to take with the water which I think was a crucial error. I would also practice fueling exactly as I would do it during the race. I'd ditch the flip belt as I think it puts a bit too much pressure on the abdomen and leads to an uncomfortable feeling. Naturally the early pace was a factor although I'm not certain it was the critical one.
In case I'm giving the impression that I was unhappy or disappointed with my marathon - I was not. I'm very happy with the time - 3:48:17 (Unofficial). Tbh I had my eye on a 3.45 finish but any time between 3.30 and 4.00 I would have been happy with.
Memory of a tough finish quickly dissipates so that wasn't really an issue and, in a perverse way, is good to have experienced.
I'm hugely impressed by the amount of time and effort our three mentors put in over the last 5 months. Keeping track of strava uploads for 40 runners, advising them individually, responding to queries and constantly keeping an eye on things and advising. There was some amount of hours put in there for no pay. Huge thanks to Mr Guappa, ReeReeG and Huzzah! for all the effort. It has not gone unappreciated.
I'm also impressed by the efforts put in from my fellow novices and am pretty much in awe of those of you that kept the runs going despite busy jobs and families to take care of. At least I just had to look after myself but with family demands it takes a lot more effort. Kudos to all of you. Onwards and upwards in your running journeys and bring on the Grads plans!!0 -
DCM Race Report (better late than never)
Pre-Pre-Race
One of the things I had to sort out for DCM was accommodation. I had an online friend from a now-defunct forum who I'd kept in contact with for years but never met. When I mentioned I was doing DCM he offered to put me up. I demurred as I didn't want to put him out but in the end accepted. I'm glad I did as it was one of the highlights of the weekend to put a face to the name.
About a month before DCM I started a new job and started working what felt like 12 hour days. This affected a few things: making time for runs (luckily we were into the tapering period), proper meals (usually I was just grabbing something on the go) and marathon prep. It meant I didn't really have any time to think about the marathon but since I didn't have time to think about it I also didn't have time to worry about it. So it had the side-effect of making me quite relaxed as the race approached.
In the days leading up to DCM this thread and the whatsapp group chat got very busy with lots of talk of nervousness and excitement and difficulty sleeping etc. I was feeling none of this and it momentarily crossed my mind if there was something wrong with me but I didn't really give it much thought.
My original plan was to take the train up but then I was told I was working on the Saturday so that scuppered that and I wondered if I'd make the expo in time to collect my race number. Thanks to Mr Guappa for offering to collect them for me if I couldn't make it up in time. Luckily I finished by jobs by 2pm and made the RDS by 5.30pm. When collecting my race bag the lady asked if it was my first marathon and then asked my name. She then took the microphone and asked for a cheer for me doing my first DCM. A little embarrassing. The other guy behind the desk told me I should be at the start point for 7.50am at the latest. This ruled out any pre-race photos for Sanctuary Runners or the Boards novices.
Pre-Race
In retrospect I could probably easily have made these as there was a delay letting us in to the baggage area. I had my hoodie, arm warmers and gloves on and was in tight crowd so not really feeling the cold although I had no leggings.
We were eventually left in and actually walked past the green wave start point and were waiting quite a while for things to start up. Security seemed quite lax and only once got asked to show race numbers. While waiting I got talking to two guys also doing their first DCM. One was hoping for a sub 3.30 and had done all his training runs at 5 min/km pace. I was about to say something about how this was not a good idea but realised we were a few minutes away from the start point and there was SFA he could do about it now so I bit my tongue.
He had an unusual first name so I could find his result after and he did 3.31 so I guess it does work for some. The other guy I was talking to had only got his ticket the week before from someone who couldn't do it. I'd forgotten a few things to bring with me on road to Dublin, phone charge and garmin watch charger being the main things. I'd brought my nipple plasters but forgot to put them on in the morning. My fellow novice kindly offered me some running tape that did the job.
Despite all the training going pretty well I really hadn't fully decided what pace I was going to run at. This was one of my "to do" things that never got done. I can honestly say I wasn't concerned with finishing time. I would have been happy with anything sub 4 and would have been ok with sub 4.30 if it came to that. So pretty soon we were moving up to the start line. The 3.40 pacers were just in front of me with the 3.50 pacers a little further back. Last minute decision was to start off with the 3.40 pacers and see how things progressed. With that the hoodie was tossed over the railing and we were off.
First Half
Splits (8.28, 8.13, 8.31, 8.07, 8.06, 8.55, 8.10, 8.21, 8.14, 8.24, 8.12, 8.08)
The first mile was over before I knew it and we were motoring along. I recall still feeling a bit nippy along here as were were still in the shade from the buildings and so the extra layers were going to remain in situ for a while more. The first few miles were comfortable although I don't really recall much of it. The arm warmers got discarded after about 3 miles or so while I held onto the gloves for a good while longer. Pretty soon we were hitting the Phoenix Park and somewhere along the way I'd passed out the 8.40 pacers.
I was feeling that I needed to make a pitstop so stopped at the portaloos here. No bog roll. Hmmm... Decided to forego the pitstop and rejoin the race. The 8.40 pacers were now ahead of me and we were heading up Chesterfield Avenue. I gradually tagged on again to the 8.40 pacers again over the next mile or two. We exited the park and came up to a left turn which I assume was Castleknock village and just got hit by a wall of noise. I just couldn't help grinning from ear to ear with that level of support. It must be what rock stars get everytime they take to the stage.
Looking back on the elevation graph for this section of the race there's quite a few uphill sections. Tbh I didn't feel them at all or really notice them. The running group was fairly tight, albeit not feeling too congested, which meant it wasn't a simple matter of scanning the road ahead for rises and falls.
At mile 8 I did a system check. Yep, this is not an easy run but it's a marathon so you gotta expect to be out of your comfort zone. But I still felt relatively comfortable was going at a good rhythm. No cause for concern. I was looking forward to the halfway point as a psychological marker - get there and it's just a half marathon left.
At some point along here I was wondering if the pacers were going too fast - 8.20 seemed a bit zippy so I asked one of them and he confirmed that they were doing 8.20 pace. Finally the halfway point was in sight. Just coming up to it I saw someone from my cycling club in the crowd up supporting his wife. I gave a shout out but he didn't hear me. We crossed the half way point and I did wonder if I could keep this going for another 13 miles.
Second half
Splits (8.21, 8.18, 8.03, 8.14, 7.59, 8.06, 8.01, 8.35, 9.37, 11.35, 10.55, 10.23, 9.08, 7.51)
One of the casualties of not having/giving enough time to strategy planning was that I hadn't brought any zero tabs with me to add to the water I was taking. Tbh I had grown to hate the taste of the zero tabs. I'd run my last 18 miler LSR without any gels or liquids and felt fine but that was LSR pace rather than MP. For this race I had gotten a flip belt and loaded it up with high 5 gels. I'd been taking these every 30 minutes approximately and taking a water bottle at every water point and keeping hydrated. I'd mentally broken up the race into 8 mile sections. The first 8 miles had gone well and the second 8 miler was now within sight. A systems check showed that while the tops of the quads and lateral hip area was feeling the race they hadn't got any worse than earlier. I was simultaneously fiddling with a gel and water bottle on mile 16 when I noticed that was almost over. Mile 17 was when I started to allow myself believe that I'd finish in sub 3.40 as I had by now overtaken that 3.40 pacers and was averaging 8.16 min/mile and feeling pretty good. I recalled reading that most of the hills were now behind us. Things were looking reasonably good and, if anything, I was picking up the pace and feeling strong.
I saw the "Mr Guappa says relax...." sign held by ReeReeG I think when passing what I know presume was Milltown. The brain wasn't quite in gear so I think I came out with something like "Oh, Mr Guappa, heh" or something equally nonsensical. I was still feeling ok but the course was now becoming a bit more undulating and all around runners were hitting rough patches.
I was feeling it but things were still ok until, suddenly, somewhere along Roebuck Road, they weren't and this happened:
I don't have any qualms about walking during a race if needed. I walked Foster's Avenue to the Radison Blu and started shuffling onwards again from there. I crossed the flyover by UCD and had to walk again on the down ramp to Nutley Lane. I managed to get going again from Nutley Lane but had another brief walking break on Merrion Lane. Looking back that doesn't seem that much walking but it felt like a lot more on the day. At this stage I didn't care about anything except for it to be over. I wasn't really taking notice of the crowds or where I was - the only thing I was really interested in was where was that f**king finish line? Finally I saw the 26 mile marker. Thank Christ!! With the relief I automatically upped the pace and surprised myself to find that I was now running at 6.35 min/mile pace. Where was that energy when I needed it a few miles earlier? Someone shouted my name, I looked around but there was just a crowd of faces, and I assumed they're read it off my number. Found out afterwards it was the lad I'd seen at the halfway mark. There was still some more to run before reaching the blue carpet but I was able to cruise in and had to dodge around a few people including the guy who annoyed me but abruptly turning across me when he saw someone he knew in the crowd just before the end.
I remembered to raise my arms at the end but didn't remember to smile. The arm raise was so half-hearted and tbh at this point I just felt horrible, ill, wrecked and no energy even to be relieved that it was over or genuinely celebrate.
Post Race
I collected my medal and shirt and headed, zombie like, over to the bag claim area. First I had to find a toilet as the feeling of needing a loo stop had stayed with me for much of the race. I actually think this was a result of using the flip belt which I'd only used on one long run as I got it late in my training. Even when I'd used it I didn't have it loaded with gels. Effectively I was using this for more or less the first time for the marathon and it was a mis-step. Also I had never taken this many gels on one run previously. Taking as many as I did was also a mistake as my stomach started feeling bad in the last quarter of the race. I didn't take as much as a selfie at the marathon. Fortunately a kindly garda posed with me after the race for this quick photo of me at the finish.
After using the loo I was still feeling crap and feeling poor enough to consider going to the medical tent. I asked where it was and was told that I'd have to go the long way around to get back to it. I had zero interest in doing that so had a Lazarus like recovery and proceeded to walk to McGrattans. I think only mr paul was there when I got there and I couldn't find anyone I recognised from our group. I didn't know there was an upstairs but tbh I wouldn't have been very sociable at this stage. I had a hotel room booked off O'Connell street and headed back there and had a long hot shower followed by a dinner. This had the effect of bringing me back to life. I strolled back to McGrattan's later and had the pleasure of meeting mr paul, greentea is just wrong, ReeReeG, Mr Guappa, Laineyfrecks and the gentleman skyblue46 (not nearly as scary in real life :P)
Conclusions
So, the inevitable question - would I do it again? A marathon? Almost definitely. DCM? - perhaps but most probably not. The summer training schedule meant I had to sacrifice too many events for the sake of the marathon. If there was some way of getting around this then I'd do DCM again but, if not, then my next one will be a spring marathon with the training over the winter.
Was it worth it? Ah yeah, definitely. I managed to get most of the training runs done (guesstimate of around 95%) and enjoyed the process. My approach to running has changed (honestly!) and it's not all about improving times on each and every run.
What would I have done differently? Tbh I wouldn't now change how the day went despite suffering a bit at the end. For any future attempt I would definitely make sure I have some electrolyte tabs to take with the water which I think was a crucial error. I would also practice fueling exactly as I would do it during the race. I'd ditch the flip belt as I think it puts a bit too much pressure on the abdomen and leads to an uncomfortable feeling. Naturally the early pace was a factor although I'm not certain it was the critical one.
In case I'm giving the impression that I was unhappy or disappointed with my marathon - I was not. I'm very happy with the time. Tbh I had my eye on a 3.45 finish but any time between 3.30 and 4.00 I would have been happy with.
Memory of a tough finish quickly dissipates so that wasn't really an issue and, in a perverse way, is good to have experienced.
I'm hugely impressed by the amount of time and effort our three mentors put in over the last 5 months. Keeping track of strava uploads for 40 runners, advising them individually, responding to queries and constantly keeping an eye on things and advising. There was some amount of hours put in there for no pay. Huge thanks to Mr Guappa, ReeReeG and Huzzah! for all the effort. It has not gone unappreciated.
I'm also impressed by the efforts put in from my fellow novices and am pretty much in awe of those of you that kept the runs going despite busy jobs and families to take care of. At least I just had to look after myself but with family demands it takes a lot more effort. Kudos to all of you. Onwards and upwards in your running journeys and bring on the Grads plans!!
That’s a heck of a report but is your finishing time a secret, not mentioned at all.0 -
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9:30 on a Sunday night feels like an appropriate time for this post
Thanks so much to ReeReeG and Huzzah! for all their help over the past six months. You were both excellent mentors and always had the novice's best interests to the front of your minds. It's been an absolute pleasure to work alongside you on this adventure. Your love of running shines through, and I think you've passed that love onto so many of the novices. Super job ladies
Thanks also to the many boards verterans who chipped in on a regular basis with advice, guidance and thoughts. I'm sure all the novices found this a very welcoming community.
I'd also like to give special mention to those who started this journey with us, but never realised their marathon dream this year. Hopefully you guys stick with it and do manage to run your first marathon some time soon. It really is something worth persevering with.
And finally - the novices graduates. It's been a total honour to mentor you this year. Watching you all progress (i.e. slow down :pac:) as this journey developed has been such a rewarding experience for me. Whether it's marathon redemption, shorter stuff, or longer stuff :eek:, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all do next - exciting times.
Marathoners - it's been a pleasure!0 -
Thank you Mr. Guappa, your Sunday evening plan became the highlight of my week. I'm not sure what to do with myself this week! Hope you are getting lots of peace and quiet now that you don't have to worry about your novices tearing round their localities at break neck speed.
. The best of luck with all your future running, you too will go from strenth to strength. 0 -
Mr. Guappa wrote: »9:30 on a Sunday night feels like an appropriate time for this post
Thanks so much to ReeReeG and Huzzah! for all their help over the past six months. You were both excellent mentors and always had the novice's best interests to the front of your minds. It's been an absolute pleasure to work alongside you on this adventure. Your love of running shines through, and I think you've passed that love onto so many of the novices. Super job ladies
Thanks also to the many boards verterans who chipped in on a regular basis with advice, guidance and thoughts. I'm sure all the novices found this a very welcoming community.
I'd also like to give special mention to those who started this journey with us, but never realised their marathon dream this year. Hopefully you guys stick with it and do manage to run your first marathon some time soon. It really is something worth persevering with.
And finally - the novices graduates. It's been a total honour to mentor you this year. Watching you all progress (i.e. slow down :pac:) as this journey developed has been such a rewarding experience for me. Whether it's marathon redemption, shorter stuff, or longer stuff :eek:, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all do next - exciting times.
Marathoners - it's been a pleasure!
Special thank you for the invite to join so late. It was a huge help for my first Marathon experience. You and the other mentors put in a tremendous effort to help everyone. Can’t thank you enough.
Enjoy the break and best of luck for whatever you are doing next.0 -
Mr. Guappa wrote: »9:30 on a Sunday night feels like an appropriate time for this post
Marathoners - it's been a pleasure!
Are you.... are you.... breaking up with us?
:(:(
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Many congratulations to each and every Novice Graduate.
This has been my favourite boards thread of the year (The Man Utd one hasn't been fun in years) Ye have all undertaken a massive journey these past 19 weeks and its been a real inspiration to read all the stories of your huge progress in that time period. I hope ye all feel a real sense of achievement and are still on Cloud 9.
Don't let this be the end of your journey though, this is only the beginning! I look forward to ye all making massive progress in 2020 and beyond.
Huge congratulations to the 3 mentors. I can't begin to imagine the amount of time and effort ye put into this thread but ye always did it with unbounded enthusiasm and support for each and every Graduate. Ye should be rightly proud reading all the reports, take a well deserved bow guys!0
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