DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread

pd79

ReeReeG wrote: »

Not at all, you should be fine to get to the next step of 8 miles next weekend! You'll be adding 1 mile to one of the midweek runs by the looks of it which you'll be fine with too.
Hope you're excited!

Thank you, I meant to say I'll be following hal higeon plan

Treviso

Best of luck to everyone starting their marathon training plan tomorrow! Looks like next week will be a hot one so keep hydrated.

I've 2 weeks completed already and I'm really enjoying the structure of the plan. One bit of advice would be to write down what pace you should be running for each run in the plan (according to your current fitness/training paces). That way, you have a mental note of the pace you should be running.

marathon19

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Hi marathon19, you're very welcome to the thread.

While I'd agree with coogy that you have the potential for a sub 4 hour marathon, unfortunately I don't think it's a realistic proposition this year.

It's difficult to get an accurate gauge on where you are at.
You say that the only race you've done was the HM a few years back, were the most recent 5k, 10k, and 10 mile times that you mention achieved in solo runs?

Given the times you mention, and the lack of mileage in the spring, I'd think a time somewhere around the 4:20 mark might be more realistic, but an up to date race time would help to give a better indication. It's hard to judge based on the information you've given.

A common mistake people make is to train based on notional target times. This approach is wrong. You should train based on current fitness, and adjust if necessary as fitness improves. Again this is hard to give an accurate answer without a recent race time, but 8:30min/mile is far too fast for any run. That is MP for a 3:45 marathoner, none of the boards plans feature runs at faster than MP. Based on your times mentioned, your easy pace can be 9:30 or slower, and LSR at 10:00 or slower.

I would not worry one bit about age slowing you down. Some of the best runners around here have their 40's in the rearview mirror, came late to running, and are absolutely flying it. It takes patience though. My advice is to train properly for DCM this year, forget the 4:00:00 target and just enjoy the experience. Then, if you still want that sub 4, run consistently over the winter and spring, and target sub 4 at DCM 2020.

In the short term, find a race and get an accurate gauge on where you are at.

Been up to me you know whats in work this week so didn't get a chance to reply, I've chewed on everything above and sort of started putting some of the advice into action, I run solo mainly.

I'm a bit stubborn so the 4 hour will sit in the back of my mind while I build up the miles and put the rest of your advice in place. I've decided to run mornings before work for the boards plan which has me out at between 5.30 am and 6 midweek, tried a quick pre session snack a few weeks ago when I started morning running but didn't take to it, left me feeling uncomfortable so I run these pre breakfast which feels fines so far.

I've dipped my toes in the slow lane this week already to get a taste for it. As I said my comfortable not trying pace sits naturally at about 8.30 for 6-8 mile. I already see this need knocking on the head.

Before I read your post and considered the advise I did a short 4 mile Wednesday at 8.31/m pace,

Thursday I went out with marathon plan in mind, did an easy 5m at 9.19/m
This was nice, the pace really adds an opportunity to enjoy the surroundings.

Friday I wanted to try my new PMP which I have tentatively put at 8.45-8.55/m, came home at 8.49/m for the 4m, found this pace to be comfortable.

Saturday I had a day off,

Today I did an easy 2k at 11.00/m with the pup in the junior parkrun and then went out on my first LSR.
I ran 10.3m at 9.30/m. It was really enjoyable at this pace and didn't cause me any issues with tightness or fatigue post run. The one thing I found really difficult was slowing down when I was in the zone. If I didn't focus on the pace I went up to 8.30-9/m. To solve this I'm going to set the pace on my watch next weekend.

To say I'm excited to start the training plan proper this week is an understatement.

Might start a log for the plan.

I will try to fit some races and get a better idea of my level but for now I will stick to the boards plan

I know these things are dynamic as fitness improves so I have decided to start with my PMP as above(8.45/m) and stick at 10mile LSR till the plan catches up in two weeks time

Easy will be 9.20 to 9.30 and LSR 9.45 -10.00/m

Thanks again for your time and advice,

TillyDcm

Hi, hope it's ok to join in here.

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)
- 5k 26:59 (2017)
- 10k 56:42 (May19)
- half marathon 2:12:06 (Mar19)

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? (No problem if you do)
- Occassionally, when my head tells my legs they can't go on!

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.
- Quite unstructured. Try to get out 3 or 4 days with avg 16 miles per week.

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?
- Would be happy to finish, but a sub 5 hours would be amazing.

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?
- I can train 4 days, so will follow the Hal Higdon plan.

What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
- I'm worried that I will lose motivation and not make it to the start line!

Why are you running this marathon?
- I have been a spectator for the past few years, and the atmosphere and support is fantastic. Would love to experience this as a participant.

Mr. Guappa

DCM TRAINING - WEEK 1

The time has finally come to officially begin your training - as of tomorrow you are all in training for a marathon! In just 125 days time you will line up on Fitzwilliam Square for the start of the DUBLIN CITY MARATHON! If you use the next 18 weeks wisely and follow our advice, you will line up that morning feeling super prepared and ready to take on the challenge. Put in the training over the coming months and you will reap the rewards in 125 days time. Here's what the week ahead holds for those following our plans:

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|3m easy|3m easy|3m easy|rest|6m lsr|cross
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|4m easy (5 x100m strides)|3m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|8m lsr|2m rec


If you haven't already done so, it might be useful to print off your chosen plan and stick it in a prominent place, on the fridge or wherever. Once again the plans are here: HHN1 and Boards. The plans have a prescribed number of days for a reason - you will not be sufficiently prepared for the marathon by running 2-3 days a week. Run easy and run often!

As you will see most of the running is at easy pace. This is a pace you should be able to hold a conversation at, you should feel relaxed and not out of breath in any way. Some of you have done a great job to date of slowing it down, although most of you can still afford to take it down another peg or two. In case we haven't hammered it home enough here's a cracking post on the benefits of easy running, from the guy who wrote the boards plan.

For those doing the boards plan, strides feature this week. We've touched on strides before, but just to refresh:

Strides are a running drill which will get you used to picking up the pace on tired legs without leaving your legs wrecked! In this case the strides prescribed should be 100m or 20-30 seconds long. We recommend you do the strides towards the end of your run preferably on a flat stretch of even road. These are not intended to induce fatigue, so allow for full recovery after each before attempting the next one. Jogging back to the start after each stride should allow sufficient recovery, but take longer if required. You can include these in the prescribed mileage or you can add them on as a little bit extra - either option is ok.

Each stride consists of 3 equal parts:
- controlled acceleration
- sustained speed of up to 90% of your max speed
- controlled deceleration

The important thing is to focus on form throughout; stay relaxed & run tall, watch that the shoulders aren’t being hunched/tensed up! Remember these are not a sprint, you should feel in control!

Best of luck to everyone for both the coming week and the 17 that will follow. Keep us updated on your progress, and as always, any questions - just ask! This is the start of an amazing journey - GOOD LUCK!

kyomi

An ok week of training for me. Did 31 miles in total, all easy except the Pride run on Friday. Today's LSR was meant to be 13 miles - I ended up only doing 12 but wasn't too concerned as the plan proper hadn't started yet! Feeling a bit tired this evening but I have a planned day off running tomorrow so I'll use that to recover properly.

The Pride run on Friday went quite well. I started with a 7:05 mile and thought "This is great, now if only I can keep this up...". Unfortunately I couldn't really - mile 2 was 7:13 and mile 3 was 7:17. That order is quite unusual for me because usually during 5Ks I slow down in the second mile and I nearly always manage to step it up for the third, but not this time. Finished with a time of 22:14 (my 5K PB from earlier this year is 21:54). Overall I really enjoyed the race though, a great atmosphere and lots of support.

Next week's plan is still a bit up in the air because I've been trying to tweak my marathon plan again. I wanted to step back for two weeks at the end of July/start of August because I'll be on holidays and logistically doing long runs will be very difficult (I do still plan to do shorter ones though). Because of my pattern of three weeks of building up followed by one step back week, though, if I want to fit in these two easier weeks, I'll either have to go for more than three weeks without a step-back week, or take several step-back weeks in close proximity, with only two weeks of building up miles between each of them. I wonder which one of these options would have a worse effect on my training overall - any advice welcome!

ReeReeG

Mr. Guappa wrote:

DCM TRAINING - WEEK 1

YESSSS! Let the fun begin! Looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on with week. As Mr Guappa says, check in here if you've any questions

Mr. Guappa

TillyDcm wrote: »

Hi, hope it's ok to join in here.

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)
- 5k 26:59 (2017)
- 10k 56:42 (May19)
- half marathon 2:12:06 (Mar19)

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? (No problem if you do)
- Occassionally, when my head tells my legs they can't go on!

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.
- Quite unstructured. Try to get out 3 or 4 days with avg 16 miles per week.

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?
- Would be happy to finish, but a sub 5 hours would be amazing.

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?
- I can train 4 days, so will follow the Hal Higdon plan.

What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
- I'm worried that I will lose motivation and not make it to the start line!

Why are you running this marathon?
- I have been a spectator for the past few years, and the atmosphere and support is fantastic. Would love to experience this as a participant.

Hi TillyDcm - it's great to have another novice on board!

It sounds like you are in a very decent position to be heading into week 1 of the training. Train sensibly and keep the paces easy and that sub-5 hour goal is very realistic.

Do you have an entry secured, or are you waiting on the July 1st batch?

Mr. Guappa

eabha19 wrote: »

Thanks for that - makes sense about the easy runs. I probably could manage a work lunch time easy run in addition once a week but I have found that I've been tired and was worried about overdoing it. Just back from 22k on a beautiful morning, still can't fathom adding another 20 to that but step by step...

You should find that once you decrease the intensity you won't be as tired and will be able to run more often.

eabha19 wrote: »

Hi, my weekly mileage at the moment is 40k plus and long run is up to 22-24k. Should I step back a bit to follow the plan or keep the mileage up? Am thinking of trying the boards plan although was going to swap out the strides/tempo runs for a track night with the club and just roll in with whatever they have planned for that night. Is there a boards 2019 sheet on that link or is the boards 2018 the one to follow?

There is a boards 2019 alright - should be here (on mobile it seems to open on HHN1 and you have to navigate to the correct tab). You can keep going as you are mileage wise, the plan will have caught up to you by week 3. I'd try and stick to the plan as much as possible, the MP midweek miles are a key component of the boards plan.

Mr. Guappa

marathon19 wrote: »

Been up to me you know whats in work this week so didn't get a chance to reply, I've chewed on everything above and sort of started putting some of the advice into action, I run solo mainly.

I'm a bit stubborn so the 4 hour will sit in the back of my mind while I build up the miles and put the rest of your advice in place. I've decided to run mornings before work for the boards plan which has me out at between 5.30 am and 6 midweek, tried a quick pre session snack a few weeks ago when I started morning running but didn't take to it, left me feeling uncomfortable so I run these pre breakfast which feels fines so far.

I've dipped my toes in the slow lane this week already to get a taste for it. As I said my comfortable not trying pace sits naturally at about 8.30 for 6-8 mile. I already see this need knocking on the head.

Before I read your post and considered the advise I did a short 4 mile Wednesday at 8.31/m pace,

Thursday I went out with marathon plan in mind, did an easy 5m at 9.19/m
This was nice, the pace really adds an opportunity to enjoy the surroundings.

Friday I wanted to try my new PMP which I have tentatively put at 8.45-8.55/m, came home at 8.49/m for the 4m, found this pace to be comfortable.

Saturday I had a day off,

Today I did an easy 2k at 11.00/m with the pup in the junior parkrun and then went out on my first LSR.
I ran 10.3m at 9.30/m. It was really enjoyable at this pace and didn't cause me any issues with tightness or fatigue post run. The one thing I found really difficult was slowing down when I was in the zone. If I didn't focus on the pace I went up to 8.30-9/m. To solve this I'm going to set the pace on my watch next weekend.

To say I'm excited to start the training plan proper this week is an understatement.

Might start a log for the plan.

I will try to fit some races and get a better idea of my level but for now I will stick to the boards plan

I know these things are dynamic as fitness improves so I have decided to start with my PMP as above(8.45/m) and stick at 10mile LSR till the plan catches up in two weeks time

Easy will be 9.20 to 9.30 and LSR 9.45 -10.00/m

Thanks again for your time and advice,

It's great to see you taking some of the advice on board marathon19 - nice work. I know the feeling all too well of the pace creeping up as the mind wanders - keep working at it, after I while I found that it came almost like my default setting. Setting the range on the watch is a good idea to keep you disciplined.

I think 8:45 is far too fast for PMP - roughly 9:05 would be PMP for a 4 hour marathon, which I still think is ambitious. Hopefully you get a race under your belt soon and we can have a better indication of where you're at. Nice work this week though, you can probably go a touch slower again, but well done!

Mr. Guappa

kyomi wrote: »

An ok week of training for me. Did 31 miles in total, all easy except the Pride run on Friday. Today's LSR was meant to be 13 miles - I ended up only doing 12 but wasn't too concerned as the plan proper hadn't started yet! Feeling a bit tired this evening but I have a planned day off running tomorrow so I'll use that to recover properly.

The Pride run on Friday went quite well. I started with a 7:05 mile and thought "This is great, now if only I can keep this up...". Unfortunately I couldn't really - mile 2 was 7:13 and mile 3 was 7:17. That order is quite unusual for me because usually during 5Ks I slow down in the second mile and I nearly always manage to step it up for the third, but not this time. Finished with a time of 22:14 (my 5K PB from earlier this year is 21:54). Overall I really enjoyed the race though, a great atmosphere and lots of support.

Next week's plan is still a bit up in the air because I've been trying to tweak my marathon plan again. I wanted to step back for two weeks at the end of July/start of August because I'll be on holidays and logistically doing long runs will be very difficult (I do still plan to do shorter ones though). Because of my pattern of three weeks of building up followed by one step back week, though, if I want to fit in these two easier weeks, I'll either have to go for more than three weeks without a step-back week, or take several step-back weeks in close proximity, with only two weeks of building up miles between each of them. I wonder which one of these options would have a worse effect on my training overall - any advice welcome!

Nice week kyomi, and well done on the 5k. It's no wonder you're tired, a 12 miler on the back of a 5k race is a serious effort. While we will all be pushing our limits during the training, rest is of huge importance, and it's important to listen to our bodies - your plan is pretty full on, so be sure to watch that you're not pushing too hard.

I don't know enough about the reasons behind the overall structure of your plan, so I can only speak generally. All the Hal Higdon marathon plans, from Novice to Advanced, have a step-back week every third week, so it would seem ok for you to do two weeks building, one week step back to accommodate the holidays.

Soulsun

good luck all starting their plans today...

kulekat

Late to the thread but I have my marathon ticket and have followed the posts for a while...

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)
- 5k 24:30 (may 2019)
- 10k 55:29 (aug 2018)
- half marathon 2:05 (june 2019)

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

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 3 days (lsr, easy 60min or speedwork)
- strength conditioning 2 days
- cycle ~ 30k one day
- pilates 2 days

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?
- Sub 5 hours

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?
- 6 days as i currently do, with rest normally on sunday.

What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
- potential injury!

Why are you running this marathon?
- i love to run!!

Comic Book Guy

The very best of luck to everyone starting into your plans today. You have a great journey ahead of you.
Remember to keep us all updated with how you find the runs each week. If you are struggling or unsure about something you can be sure that someone else here will be in the same boat.
Put your faith in the plan and the 3 mentors and you will be beaming with pride in 18 weeks time!!

kyomi

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

I don't know enough about the reasons behind the overall structure of your plan, so I can only speak generally. All the Hal Higdon marathon plans, from Novice to Advanced, have a step-back week every third week, so it would seem ok for you to do two weeks building, one week step back to accommodate the holidays.

That's perfect, thanks Mr. Guappa! Definitely puts my mind at rest about fitting in the holiday weeks!

bucky08

Hi all just came across this thread today plan on getting a late entry into DCM for my first full Marathon.

Have you raced before?? If so what are your PB's.
Only ever raced half marathon in April 2019 Wexford 1hr58mins.
Best 10 k 52mins.
Best 5k 24mins.

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

How much trading do you currently do??
I train on average of 3 times a week two short runs Tue/Thurs and one long run on a Sunday.

What do I want to achieve??
I want to finish the race first off and shoot for a goal of 4 hours if possible...

How many days a week can I train??
I can train most days of the week just means getting up early before work which is ok by me...

Biggest fear??
Not finishing or getting injured before the race day..

Why am I running this marathon??
I started running 12 months ago and am happy with how far I have came and want to get my first full Marathon completed..

Sorbet

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

DCM TRAINING - WEEK 1

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|3m easy|3m easy|3m easy|rest|6m lsr|cross
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|4m (5 x100m strides)|3m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|8m lsr|2m rec


Quick question - I see some of the Wednesday sessions are to be at marathon pace in the boards plan - what pace should week 1 Wednesday be at? Sorry wasn't clear from the plan.

Excited to have started - did my recovery run a little too fast today but will slow them down next time. :rolleyes:

Mr. Guappa

Sorbet wrote: »

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

DCM TRAINING - WEEK 1

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|3m easy|3m easy|3m easy|rest|6m lsr|cross
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|4m (5 x100m strides)|3m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|8m lsr|2m rec

Quick question - I see some of the Wednesday sessions are to be at marathon pace in the boards plan - what pace should week 1 Wednesday be at? Sorry wasn't clear from the plan.

Excited to have started - did my recovery run a little too fast today but will slow them down next time. :rolleyes:

Thanks for spotting - you should do the 4 miles at easy pace, with the strides done towards the end of the run. I've edited that previous post now.

Unknownability

Hi All,

 

Decided to join in on this as I have been looking at it for a long time and after reading it have come around to the idea of doing a marathon.

 

I don’t currently have an entry to the marathon but will try and get one July 1st.

 

So a bit about myself I started running in September 2018 after a long period of inactivity and weight gain, I had a holiday booked for late November 2018 and I got it into my head that I would run 5k every day until I went. First few 5ks ranged in time from 25’4x to 29’2x.

 

Which I did , it was kind of a mental challenge as well as physical. I’ve kept up the running since that block of 5ks and moved into slightly longer distances and I did the Mullingar half on St. Patricks day, it was enjoyable but the I didn’t follow any plan just went for random distances as fast as I could, the weather was terrible and I was slightly hungover (unavoidable social event on the Friday).

 

These three things combined meant on reflection I felt there was a much better time in me.

 

So I’ve signed up to the Tullamore half on the 31st of August, a PB here is my main target for the year preferably sub 90.

 

Have you ever raced before?

 

5k 19’19 May 2019

10K 44’23 May 2019 (I’ve never raced this distance and I’ve only ran that far 3 times.

Half Marathon 98 mins March 2019

 

Do I still take breaks?

 

No

 

How much training do I do?

 

I’d try and exercise 4-5 times a week, I play a team sport that I train with when possible.

 

Biggest fear?

 

Getting injured, running has really become important to me and with a recent hamstring twinge it really got to me that I couldn’t run.

 

Why am I doing it?

 

No particular reason, I do like the structure of a plan and I love giving the medals to my baby daughter.

 

 

I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place with times as I would be happy enough with a 3’30 marathon but am training for a 90 mins half so  my plan is to do all the running based on my 90min half except for the runs at PMP I will adjust this to the longer time.

 

I’ve done my run for today already, with new runners, an updated garmin and running in miles for the first time so feel like a proper runner now.

Mr. Guappa

kulekat wrote: »

Late to the thread but I have my marathon ticket and have followed the posts for a while...

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)
- 5k 24:30 (may 2019)
- 10k 55:29 (aug 2018)
- half marathon 2:05 (june 2019)

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

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 3 days (lsr, easy 60min or speedwork)
- strength conditioning 2 days
- cycle ~ 30k one day
- pilates 2 days

What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?
- Sub 5 hours

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?
- 6 days as i currently do, with rest normally on sunday.

What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
- potential injury!

Why are you running this marathon?
- i love to run!!

Welcome to the thread kulekat. With decent training that 5 hour goal time will be very much achievable for you. I do think you need to be running more than 3 days per week to be ready for a marathon - other forms of training are advised, but the majority of your training over the next few months should be running. Can you cut back on something else and do extra easy runs instead?

Doc76

I’m really leaning towards HH 1 due to time constraints down the road mainly but my current average weekly mileage is 5-10 miles above the first week of HH 1 and the weeks following... should I maintain my current mileage or scale back to follow the plan? That being said the next few weeks will be out of normal routine and am hoping to get the bare minimum in (I am ok about this because I feel I have a solid base right now).

kulekat

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Welcome to the thread kulekat. With decent training that 5 hour goal time will be very much achievable for you. I do think you need to be running more than 3 days per week to be ready for a marathon - other forms of training are advised, but the majority of your training over the next few months should be running. Can you cut back on something else and do extra easy runs instead?

Thanks a mil, yes i can def do another day of running. I was doing 4 days then picked up an injury so am building it back up again now. Thanks for the support!!

Doc76

I’m really leaning towards HH 1 due to time constraints down the road mainly but my current average weekly mileage is 5-10 miles above the first week of HH 1 and the weeks following... should I maintain my current mileage or scale back to follow the plan? That being said the next few weeks will be out of normal routine and am hoping to get the bare minimum in (I am ok about this because I feel I have a solid base right now).

Mr. Guappa

Doc76 wrote: »

I’m really leaning towards HH 1 due to time constraints down the road mainly but my current average weekly mileage is 5-10 miles above the first week of HH 1 and the weeks following... should I maintain my current mileage or scale back to follow the plan? That being said the next few weeks will be out of normal routine and am hoping to get the bare minimum in (I am ok about this because I feel I have a solid base right now).

You can maintain your current mileage and wait for the plan to catch up. The plans have to fit in with your lifestyle, so if HHN1 is the better fit then so be it. You do have a solid base alright, and you'd be well able for the boards plan, but the HH plan gets plenty novices to the finish line every year too!

Mr. Guappa

bucky08 wrote: »

Hi all just came across this thread today plan on getting a late entry into DCM for my first full Marathon.

Have you raced before?? If so what are your PB's.
Only ever raced half marathon in April 2019 Wexford 1hr58mins.
Best 10 k 52mins.
Best 5k 24mins.

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

How much trading do you currently do??
I train on average of 3 times a week two short runs Tue/Thurs and one long run on a Sunday.

What do I want to achieve??
I want to finish the race first off and shoot for a goal of 4 hours if possible...

How many days a week can I train??
I can train most days of the week just means getting up early before work which is ok by me...

Biggest fear??
Not finishing or getting injured before the race day..

Why am I running this marathon??
I started running 12 months ago and am happy with how far I have came and want to get my first full Marathon completed..

Happy to have you on board bucky08, fingers crossed you get an entry - the additional entries will be on sale from next Monday morning at 9am.

Based on those times 4 hours does seem a touch ambitious this time around. Take a look at both plans on the first post of this thread, and see what you think. Keeping your training paces nice and easy will help get you to the start line, and the finish line.

jackc101

Week 1, Day 1; Following Boards plan appropriately, I've done zero miles. Happy with how it's going so far.
This marathon stuff is super easy

healy1835

Just wishing all the runners in this thread all the best for the training block ahead. Ye're in the hands of some great mentors for sure this year This time 4 years ago as a novice I started my first week of training for DCM '15.....it looked a little like this;

8k: 48.07 @6:01/km
8k: 45:38 @5:58/km
Session: 2k wu - 5k Tempo 27:55 @5:35/km - 2k cd
8k: 48:03 @6:00/km
Long Run:13k: 1:13:52 @5:41/km

I had no idea of what was in store but it was the best decision I ever made to start training for a marathon. Less than 3 years on from the above weeks training I managed to run a sub 3hr marathon so out of small acorns can grow (relatively) fast marathon times I had no expectations when I started training for that first marathon but the Boards community really helped me (and i only joined the novices thread that August I think). It's gonna be a bumpy ride but it will be worth it. Best of luck guys....and enjoy it.

Mr. Guappa

Unknownability wrote: »

Hi All,

 

Decided to join in on this as I have been looking at it for a long time and after reading it have come around to the idea of doing a marathon.

 

I don’t currently have an entry to the marathon but will try and get one July 1st.

 

So a bit about myself I started running in September 2018 after a long period of inactivity and weight gain, I had a holiday booked for late November 2018 and I got it into my head that I would run 5k every day until I went. First few 5ks ranged in time from 25’4x to 29’2x.

 

Which I did , it was kind of a mental challenge as well as physical. I’ve kept up the running since that block of 5ks and moved into slightly longer distances and I did the Mullingar half on St. Patricks day, it was enjoyable but the I didn’t follow any plan just went for random distances as fast as I could, the weather was terrible and I was slightly hungover (unavoidable social event on the Friday).

 

These three things combined meant on reflection I felt there was a much better time in me.

 

So I’ve signed up to the Tullamore half on the 31st of August, a PB here is my main target for the year preferably sub 90.

 

Have you ever raced before?

 

5k 19’19 May 2019

10K 44’23 May 2019 (I’ve never raced this distance and I’ve only ran that far 3 times.

Half Marathon 98 mins March 2019

 

Do I still take breaks?

 

No

 

How much training do I do?

 

I’d try and exercise 4-5 times a week, I play a team sport that I train with when possible.

 

Biggest fear?

 

Getting injured, running has really become important to me and with a recent hamstring twinge it really got to me that I couldn’t run.

 

Why am I doing it?

 

No particular reason, I do like the structure of a plan and I love giving the medals to my baby daughter.

 

 

I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place with times as I would be happy enough with a 3’30 marathon but am training for a 90 mins half so  my plan is to do all the running based on my 90min half except for the runs at PMP I will adjust this to the longer time.

 

I’ve done my run for today already, with new runners, an updated garmin and running in miles for the first time so feel like a proper runner now.

Hi Unknownability, welcome to the thread!

Those are some very impressive times for someone who is new to running. Your targets may be a touch on the optimistic side, but you've made such giant leaps in your short time running that I won't doubt you.

I do think you are looking at the training backwards though - you should always train to current fitness, not to a target time. So train based on times achieved in a recent race, race again and revise the training times.

I'm guessing you're looking at the boards plan based on your comments? No matter what distance you are training for, the easy days and long runs should be at an easy pace, with the session then being race specific.

TillyDcm

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Hi TillyDcm - it's great to have another novice on board!

It sounds like you are in a very decent position to be heading into week 1 of the training. Train sensibly and keep the paces easy and that sub-5 hour goal is very realistic.

Do you have an entry secured, or are you waiting on the July 1st batch?

Thank you for the support Mr. Guappa.
I have my entry and my first 3 miles of the HH plan are complete!

Unknownability

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Hi Unknownability, welcome to the thread!

Those are some very impressive times for someone who is new to running. Your targets may be a touch on the optimistic side, but you've made such giant leaps in your short time running that I won't doubt you.

I do think you are looking at the training backwards though - you should always train to current fitness, not to a target time. So train based on times achieved in a recent race, race again and revise the training times.

I'm guessing you're looking at the boards plan based on your comments? No matter what distance you are training for, the easy days and long runs should be at an easy pace, with the session then being race specific.

Thanks, I do think it's an optimistic target and I am preparing myself for not meeting. I realise that my progression won't be as quick now, as the weight loss is flat lining.

Yes, I am going to follow the Boards plan.

Rough paces that I am running to are.

Recovery 8'30 - 9 m/m

Easy 8 - 8'30 m/m

PMP 6'45 - 7'15 m/m

LSR 7'30 - 8 m/m

Do these seem generally on target? New watch has heart rate monitoring built in rather than the strap so much easier to use and will start tracking that. Resting heart rate is around 45, so working out the heart rate zones.