2022 DCM Novice Thread

Turkish1

Week 4 done,

Monday, Wednesday nice easy 6/7km.

Tuesday a good intervals session 5x4min on 2min off.

Saturday, got the long slow run of 21km in, pace was at 6 per km for first 16 and then kicked on to do PMP for last 5

Recovery this morning of just over 5km.

Overall nearly 60km done, legs a little tired after yesterday but it may also have been the bottle of wine last night....

Overall another good week in the legs and interested to see how the longer runs go now as have never ran more than 21km.

Laineyfrecks

Week 5 

Less than 100 days to go 😮 - the weeks are really flying by now.

The weekly reviews seem to be proving popular, and they are very useful for us mentors in identifying potential areas for improvement in your training.

- Did you get in all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?

- Did you run the runs at an appropriate pace?

- Are your friends/family fed up of listening to you talk about running and the marathon yet? 😉

There's no time to rest as we press on with week 5:

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday

HHN1|rest|3m easy|5m easy|3m easy|rest|10m lsr|cross

Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|6m easy with 5 x 100m strides|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|15m lsr|3m rec

As you'll notice, there are sizable increases in mileage for both plans this week, with the Hal Higdon long run hitting double figures for the first time. This will be unchartered territory for many of you - keep the paces easy as advised and you'll have no problems. Any queries or otherwise - just ask! Once again the boards crew have strides this week - the majority of the run should be at easy pace with the strides ideally towards the end. Keep the strides controlled - they should not be a flat out sprint. Focus on form, relaxing the shoulders, and importantly allowing full recovery between strides.

Just to refresh you on strides:

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 with the week ahead😀

masterK

I was away on hols for most of the the week so was slightly short on the boards plan, had also swapped week 4 and week 3 around.

My runs were

Monday - 8km (5.43 pace)

Wednesday - 8km (5.54 pace)

Saturday - 10km (4:38 pace) - I went at this full throttle, finished in 46m25s which I was delighted with as I hadn't run hard for at least 4 months (though the hamstrings are still sore today 😀)

Sunday - 5km (6:00 pace)

Overall I was happy with this week, I've managed to slow the pace in the slower/recovery days.

Like probably everyone else this weeks LSR will be my longest ever run, likewise the total weekly distance will be my most ever so looking forward to see how I manage it.

Dublinlad1989

Weekly update:

This was my first full week running the plan and the most i've run in one week in a considerable amount of time. I'm using the Hal Higdon plan

Monday - 5km @ 6.23 per KM. This was in about 27 degree weather

Tuesday - 7.5km @ 6.24 Per km

Wednesday - 5km @ 5.35 per km. Wanted to try out a faster pace and it felt fairly comfortable

Thursday Rest

Friday - 5km @ 6 min per km.

Saturday - 10km @6.43 per km. LSR. Longest distance i've ran in nearly 3 years so went nice and slow.

Sunday - rest

Overall felt really good to get back training, not really worrying about time at all just mainly focusing on getting the runs in and building up some consistent training. Nearly all of my runs this week were at an easy pace apart from wednesday.

Looking forward to the plan this week with a 10mile run on Saturday

MisterJinx

I'm similar to masterk and Dublinlad, highest weekly milage ever last week with week 4 of the boards plan. No ill effects from the hill sprints and got plenty of time on the feet and slow running as was out a lot with my wife which helps keep me in check!

Great to get the lsr in on Sunday in the pp, it was a little harder than I expected and I welcomed a couple of forced breaks at traffic lights and railway crossings as it was warm but otherwise all good.

AntrimGlens

Week 6 done for me

Monday - 7 miles steady @ 8.15 min/mile

Tuesday - S&C for 30 mins

Wednesday - 10 miles @ 8.31min/mile

Thursday - rest day

Friday - 90 minutes bike

Saturday - 2 miles w/u, Parkrun, 2 mile c/d Parkrun time 22.04.

Sunday - 16 miles with 6 @pmp (First 9 miles @ 9.10 min/mile, 5@ 8.10pmp, 1 @ 9.20.

total weekly mileage - 40 miles plus 25 bike

All going well so far.

Wednesdays run was not intended to be that pace. I ran 3 miles before club training and then due to lack of people at training the A group just wanted to do a steady run instead of the hill reps session we were scheduled to do.

Still a bit of a niggle in the hamstring when encountering hills and the final miles on my long runs. Have an MRI appointment on the 4th august, so I'll see what that says. I've noticed my heart rate is higher than I'd like it to be and some runs are more of an effort than they would usually be. Looking back at my data I can see from when I got Covid in March that my heart rate is higher on most of my runs now. Will keep an eye on this and may have to slow things down.

l3m0n5

Week 4

Mon 5,3 km 34:09 6:28/km -- Never though I'd break my 30c cheery at home.

Wed 6,7 km 44:52 6:45/km --

Thu 8,1 km 48:22 6:00/km --

Sat 21,1 km 2:18:19 6:33/km -- A humid day for this but my splits stayed around the 6:30 mark the whole way bar the hill at 7 km

Sun 5,0 km 32:39 6:31/km -- Doing a 5 k the day after doing a h/m and not having any major aches is a nice check box to mark off

Total of 46.1 k for the week.

This week is going to be a little harder to get it all in as I'm on call this week. I might need to do my long run Monday as I should be able to get some cover from the team in the UK during business hours.

TheRef

Week 4: Boards Plan

Only got back from 2 week holiday on Sunday and spent Mon & Tues getting back into it - very very hard with almost no running while away and the afternoon heat last week, so started back on Wed with the plan. Target: break 4 hours (5:41/km)

Wed: 9km @ 6:01/km

Thur: 6.5km @ 5.43/km (not sure why I went quicker than planned - likely just to prove to myself after Mon & Tues)

Fri: Rest. A little nervous about the LSR coming up

Sat: 22km @ 6:16/km

Sun: 6.26km @ 5:38/km

Total for week: 61.67km

Really struggling to go slow when the distances are short. Between Feb and June, all my runs were minimum 10k with LSRs being 16-20km. I've been feeling pretty ill over the last week and was debating putting off the LSR till Sun, but gave it a lash and got through.

Still wondering if I will go out at 5:30/km when the day comes.

Using Fenix 6x Pro, and HR hovers just under 150. Debating whether to get a chest strap to check accuracy, as never ever seem to get HR <130 while running. I'd be walking I reckon.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119383552#Comment_119383552

Great to see the paces slowed down😊 So you ran the 10k on the Saturday as a kinda TT?

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119383632#Comment_119383632

Great to see the consistency here & great to see most of the runs were done easy, as we have already discussed it's best to stick to the easy paces for all the runs as directed on the plan especially now as the miles start ramping up, main aim is to get to the start line in one piece.

Best of luck with this weeks training 😊

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119383782#Comment_119383782

Great to hear the week went well. You are lucky to have some company for the runs and great to see she's keeping you in check, saves me giving out🤣

Nothing beats a LSR in the PP!

Best of luck with this weeks training😊

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119384194#Comment_119384194

Best of luck with the MRI appointment, hopefully you get some answers.

I know there have been a lot of people on this forum saying their HR was higher after Covid, mine too but a good few weeks of just easy running helped get it back to normal. Good idea to keep an eye on this & slow things down if necessary!

Best of luck with this weeks training 😊

Adiaga 2

Week 4 done!

Monday rec 5.36km pace 6:22 / km

Tuesday easy 5.26km pace 6:01 / km

Wednesday 8.29km w/ hills x5 (actually I lost count and did 6 :-) )

Thursday easy 6.64km pace 6:15 / km

Sunday 22km LSR pace 6:09 / km  

Felt the week went well enough. Fairly tired on Sunday after the long run. But it was a busy enough couple of days Friday, Saturday - non-running related. 22km is as far as I've ever run so the next few weeks are going to be interesting.

I've been using the NRC app and Strava for all runs. I've noticed that the runs on Strava are usually a couple of hundred metres longer than NRC. I'm going to trust the NRC metrics. So as a result my pace looks off on Strava - a few seconds faster. The paces listed above are from NRC.  

- Are your friends/family fed up of listening to you talk about running and the marathon yet?

This made me laugh! And I'd say it's a definite 100% yes! I copped on to it a couple of weeks ago and am much more careful now. Not to get too serious but I feel really lucky to be doing this. Have a young family and it is a big ask to be heading out for your hobby 5 days a week. 

Anyway, on to week 5 now. It really is flying by.

masterK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387126#Comment_119387126

Yep, I'd swapped week 3 and 4 of the boards plan around (done week 4 then week 3) therefore effectively did a solo version of the Fingal 10k this week if that makes sense

Dublin334

Week 4 update

Delighted to get all the runs completed as per Boards Plan.

Got the 3 easy runs in @6min/km and kept HR in Aerobic Zone (125-135 for me). Enjoyed (kind of) the LSR @6.05 min/km. It was lashing rain for the first hour which in hindsight I think really helped keep my body temperature down and HR steady. Definitely better running in the rain than the sun/heat. I tried an Energy Gel and water break at the half way point and the gel didn't cause any stomach issues. Not sure how much of a difference it made but I just want to get comfortable with using them on the long runs.

Looking forward to week 5 as the LSR will be the longest distance I have ever run.

68 lost souls

Week 4 done successfully although now I seem to be getting a cold, had two naps on Friday and was wiped the ret of the weekend. Tested negative for covid but felt like I was hit by a bus. Took a day off work yesrday and spent it in bed. Thinking about skipping todays session to give myself the extra day to recover. Doing a round of Inscyd Testing in Thursday so want to make sure I'm right for that.

Tuesday - 5km easy at 6:01/km HR 139

Wednesday - 2000m swim in the AM, 8km easy with hill repeats 6:20/km at 145bpm avg (higher due to hills)

Thursday - 6.5km easy 6:07/km at 141bpm

Saturday - 22.5km LSR 6:30/km avg 144bpm

Sunday - GPS went a stray in the forrest I was exploring but around 4.5-5 km in 30 minutes at 132bpm

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119385671#Comment_119385671

Good to see you back on plan. Most of your runs are too fast. If your PMP is 5:41km then your easy runs should be 45 - 60 secs slower so 6:26 - 6:41. As we have mentioned in previous posts it is very important to run your easy runs at the correct paces. I wouldn't worry too much yet about what pace you will go out at, plenty of time for that. Do you have any races coming up at all?

As for the HR strap, I have one & find it way more accurate than the wrist strap.

Best of luck with this weeks training & try slow down a bit more😉

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387842#Comment_119387842

Well done on another good week, great to see the correct easy paces! Look at you doing an extra hill, must have loved them that much😉

Well done getting all the runs done with other stuff going on, I know life can get so busy but its great to see commitment! I love your answer to the marathon question, I remember everyones eyes used to glaze over when I talked about my 1st one🤣 that's why this forum became so important to me, it was great to discuss things with like minded people!

It's ok to get a bit serious, I agree with you being lucky to be able to run 5 days a week with a small family & other commitments, to me that makes the big day even more special 😊

Best of luck with this weeks training!

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387849#Comment_119387849

Perfect that makes sense. Good going for a solo attempt!

Best of luck with this weeks training 😊

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119391417#Comment_119391417

My apologies @TheRef my mind was in miles mode not kms when I wrote this. Your easy runs should be 28 - 38 secs per km slower than your PMP.

TheRef

Thanks @Laineyfrecks .

I am really struggling to go slow. Feels like I need to almost be walking which is hard to get my head around when I am only going out for 6km. I am trying though :-)

I got the Garmin HRM chest strap today and gave it a go on my run at lunch. I'm going to hold off till I have a few more runs before I comment on it though.

Oh, and I haven't done any type of race since March, so no frame of reference to work out PMP.

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399495#Comment_119399495

If it feels too slow its not a bad thing 😉Have you any races lined up?

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399495#Comment_119399495

To put it in perspective, my own PMP is around 4:44/km (7:38/mi). I have no trouble running easy runs in the 5:40s or 5:50s or recovery runs around 6:00/k pace. It doesn't feel unnatural to me - it doesn't even feel slow. But these runs DO feel easy. The danger is that you are slipping into moderate territory (which can feel fantastic, but is not generating the aerobic base you need to be able to run a marathon successfully - and by successfully, I mean at the same pace (more or less) from start to finish, and hopefully at a pace that is challenging). That's why it's good to have a race or a time trial to work off, but a race from March is better than no race at all. Remind us what it was and what your time was?

Mr. Guappa

Quoted below is a post that might have been already mentioned here, but no harm reposting it anyway. It's a post that I refer back to time and again when asked about an easy pace. Well worth sparing a couple minutes to read:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/99741843#Comment_99741843

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119400068#Comment_119400068

Cheers Mr Guppa, great post! I wasn't a believer myself when I 1st started my own proper training DCM19 (Mr Guppa, as my mentor at the time will vouch for this😉) but once I got onboard with it & seen the results for myself in races it just became 2nd nature to run those easy miles truly easy. Trust the advice given by many many people who have been through the process, it works!

Laineyfrecks

There are a couple of people looking to join the strava group. You need to PM me here with your real name so that I can match you up to your boards name, cheers!

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387922#Comment_119387922

Well done on another week done!

Yes I think its a great idea to be trying out your hydration & fuelling now for the marathon during your long runs. Now is the time to see what works best for you & waiting till the big day is not the time to be trying anything new.

Hope this week's training has gone well😊

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388103#Comment_119388103

Well done on another week done & dusted. I hope you haven't been too sick, listen to your body, take the time off if you need to then get back at it when you're better!

68 lost souls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119405305#Comment_119405305

Thanks, I have taken the whole week off to recover so far and early to bed most nights. Coming around now, racing an Olympic Distance Triathlon tomorrow so will see how the body handles that and hopefully back to training next week. I pushed out the testing too as I didnt think the results would be a good reflection if I was sick.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119405318#Comment_119405318

Good decision on the INSCYD test. I went ahead with mine last year not feeling 100% and it ended up being a total waste of time and money.

Good luck in your Tri

Sammy2012

Week 4 finished. Missed my Tuesday 5k run but did 8k on Wednesday and 5k on Thursday and then did 17k today. Managed it in 1hr40 mins and I felt great after it. My last kilometre was at 5.11 pace which I was delighted with. Rest of the kms were around 6min pace.

I got a pair of Brooks runners on Monday and they feel very comfy. Next purchase will be a new watch. Just in relation to what I should be aiming for...stats for today show I was in anaerobic state for 94% of my run. Is this good? Or what should I be aiming for?

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119409032#Comment_119409032

Firstly, good that you feel great after the 17km. It shows your adjusting to the different runs and building your fitness. Did you decide to increase pace based on how you were feeling ?I'm not sure what your using to measure the stats. It may or may not be accurate depending on what you're using. is it a garmin watch or strap?, .Time of day, heat, effort level etc all can influence that. Just bare in mind, time on feet and getting acquainted to longer distance is the key at this stage as opposed to pace. Nice work.

Lambay island

A fair few folk this weekend will have ran their longest run to date. It was noticeable in strava group. Interested to hear feedback in due course or how it went!

memaul

Thanks Lambay Island. It felt great to get my longest run ever ticked off yesterday morning. I was lucky to have a friend visiting for the weekend who joined me on the run. I found it a little bit tough at times in the drizzle, but overall not too bad and felt happy with a feeling that I had a little bit left in the tank if I needed it 😀

ccull123

Morning all,

yesterday was my longest run and got through it. Found the last few Kms hard on my ankles and knees but my breathing was pretty relaxed all the way round. Avg pace 5.53 for the 25kms. Heart rate was averaging 155bmp. Just wondering is that where it should be at for slow run? Thanks for everyone’s input, it’s great to see how well everyone is doing

Dublinlad1989

Completed my longest run in 2 years (16km) on Friday. My wife is away for the weekend so had to do it a bit early.

I had a late dinner and then went out running with a full stomach and honestly the first 3km felt awful, I was going to just do 5km and then head home but after a while I got into a good rhythm and just kept going. Pace was 6.20 per km which is roughly what I was aiming for so happy with that and stayed consistent for the whole run.

My long slow runs haven't been going to plan lately and I was getting disheartened thinking how am I going to do a marathon when I can barely do these runs but now I feel amazing and can see that the training is working 🙂

I'm currently doing the Hal higdon novice plan and I have a concern that there is only 1 20 mile run before the marathon, do you think I should mix up my long slow runs with thr boards plan so I'm covering more distance and get more familiar with longer runs?

Adiaga 2

Week 5 done!

Tuesday 6.5km easy pace 6:05 / km

Wednesday 6.5km easy pace 6:11 / km

Thursday 10km with 5x 100m strides

Saturday 24.5km LSR 6:19 / km

Sunday 5.7km rec pace 6:34km / km

Had to change things around this week a bit so did the mid week run with strides on Thursday. Must admit I like doing the strides. Always a bit surprised that I’m able to pick up the pace like that. I did the strides bit early on though - just after 3km because it was a flat quiet section. I know the advice was to do them towards the end. Is doing them earlier a no no?

Yesterdays run was my longest ever - only by just over 2km but it was noticeable. I started off in a nice drizzle but from around 10km to 17km it was steady rain and I was soaked. I was very happy with my pace - it was very steady at 6:19 / km from around 4km and felt comfortable apart from the báisteach. After about 21km I felt fairly tired. Breathing was fine but I just felt drained. I probably didn’t help that I had a big hill to get over around this point too. I took 500ml water and 2 gels with me. Planned to just take 1 gel but so glad I took the 2. Had one after 8km and the other around 17km mark. After food and plenty of water I felt ok for the rest of the day, thought I’d be wrecked but wasn’t. It was definitely an eye opener though. 42.2km is a looong way. Any more tips for these long ones are most welcome!!

Pinoy adventure

A lovely morning for a half marathon in the park today.

it’s great seeing the groups getting bigger and slightly quicker each week.

Your all doing great,stick with it.

Turkish1

Week done and dusted.

Monday - easy 7km @5:56

Tuesday - Hill sprints. 15min warm up, followed by 9x60second efforts uphill. Found it tough but manageable.

Wednesday - easy 10km @6:02

Thursday - 2k warm up, 5km tempo @ 4:45ish and a 2k warm down

Saturday - long slow run, 24km total but finished with 5 at/around PMP. Tough section uphill for about 5k at the 13k mark but overall felt OK. Felt like I could have kept going if needed.

Sunday - 6.5k recovery run @ 6:11 per km.

Overall happy with the week, body still feels fresh although think I need to sort post long run food a bit better. Was drained yesterday evening and suspect it was food/lack there of - downside of trying to lose weight aswell.

Ballpark - how does a 10km time translate to a 10mile? Did the 10km in 48:30, I would be hopeful with 4 weeks additional training that a sub 1:18 for the 10mile might be achievable but maybe I'm dreaming. Thoughts?

Treviso

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier by the mentors about nutrition after long slow runs, but thought I would share some information on it after reading the latest updates. It is really important to get the right food into the body within 20 minutes of finishing the run. It helps with restoring the glycogen levels in your body (carbs) and also help repair muscles from the run (protein). There are a number of options available, some easier than others - here are a few and I'm sure others can add to this list

• Banana and glass of milk
• Chocolate milk (some brands are better than others for carb/protein levels)
• Peanut butter on a bagel
• Dedicated recovery drink

Also be sure to eat all around you during the day, your body will be craving and requiring lots of food. Don't worry, the weight will still drop off

Pinoy adventure

As the miles rack up keep a close eye on the soles of your runners for wear and tear.

replace as needed.

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410526#Comment_119410526

Everyone's heart rate is different - 155 would be just above the easy zone for me but it depends on what your maximum and minimum HR is - I wouldn't worry about it for now, as long as you are running at a genuinely easy pace - how did you determine how fast/slow to run?

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119412245#Comment_119412245

Great point and thanks T.. just to add to this but less so on nutritional side. Ensure you get enough water on board throughout the day afterwards. Even if the sun isn't out, its still very warm and humid out there and you will lose lots of water over 2 hours running. I learned the hard way, get the water in before the headaches arrive, even if the thirst isn't there initially.

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119411931#Comment_119411931

Your 10k time translates to just over 80 mins for a 10 miler. If you can break 80 mins that will be plenty of progress. Remember, the marathon is the main goal here - these tune up races are great for helping with motivation and race experience (if you need it) but as the training is based specifically on the marathon you will never be reaching full potential in any of the interim races.

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410526#Comment_119410526

Fair play. How were the ankles and knees today as a matter of interest? Heart rate can be a very unique thing. What could seem high for one person would be average for another and yet they could run a race in the same time. Is that a bit higher than let's say an easy 5 mile run you would do? It's natural for heart rate to go up the longer you travel. The main things is to ease up pace if you feel you are working too hard. It's all about getting your legs/body used to the endurance.

Edit- oops hadn't seen @Murph_D replied already but similar response.

onrail

Being on holiday made Week 5 of the Pfitzinger method particularly tough.

Big sessions were:

- 14km session with 8km at LT pace.

Feel like I'm running LT pace a little fast at 4:05 km, needs slowing down to around 4:10, so that's a focus over the next couple of weeks.

- 16km at general aerobic pace or around 5:00-5:10/km. Went well, but the drinking and poor sleep that usually happens with holidays away from the kids seems to have slowed recovery. Legs were surprisingly tired for a couple of days.

- 26km, with 16km at marathon pace (4.25/km). I was dreading this, because I didn't feel great after the few days of excessive food and drink on holiday, but it went surprisingly well. After the initial 10k at easy pace, I hit 4:20-4:30 pace fairly easily on a hilly route.

In total, 67km for the week. Target was 72km but one of the recovery runs was substituted for a hike.

Overall, fairly happy but worried I may be pushing a little hard. Injuries seem to be staying away though, and looking forward to a 'recovery' (!) week on the plan.

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410888#Comment_119410888

Fair play. I hate having a full stomach when running, good for you sticking it out but I'd try and avoid that going forward, especially the longer ones.

It's also positive that you are seeing the benefits now.

I don't see a need to try and alter things. The plan you are on, you are seeing the benefits and it will continue to build up as the weeks go by. It's working so far so trust the plan would be my advice on that.

masterK

Week 5 done for me, got all the runs in as per the boards plan. Well done to everyone this week, it was great to see the amount of longest run ever on Strava messages. It really feels like this was a key week on the training with so many of us going into unknown territory.

My week looked like.

Mon: 7km @ 5:33km

Tue: 6km @ 5:57km

Wed: Light gym session.

Thur: 10km with 5 x 100 strides @ 5:58km

Sat: 25km @ 5:51 km

Sun: 5km @ 6:25km

I was a bit sore this morning, I've a long standing hip injury. Thankfully after doing a few sessions of stretching and foam rolling today it's eased off quite a bit.

One thing I did find on the 25km run was a felt pretty thirsty towards the end and had no water with me, I did have a couple of gels. Do people recommend carrying a hydration backback or a running belt or do they find these too much of an inconvenience to carry?

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119413000#Comment_119413000

Absolutely carry a hydration belt. As you go into uncharted territory with your long runs it’s important to avoid dehydration. Many runners stash water at different points around a long run route, or do looped routes with a known water source (E.g. a bottle left on top of the car etc). I used a belt myself for years. Anything that makes you feel more comfortable on a long run is worth doing, and of course you will be taking on water during the marathon itself so it’s good to be doing that in training also.

MisterJinx

So week 5 done and dusted. Feeling fine and the body is holding up well at this point which is reassuring. Weekly milage is a little lower than last week as I only got in 5 runs but generally on plan.

Monday, probably a bit of a slap on the wrist for this one, was at club session and only 2 of us were there and we decided to do a steady session, 10k at 5/k, which wasn't on plan or the session which is normally intervals. In fairness we chatted the whole time and my HR didn't leave z2 but pace was between easy and pmp.

Tuesday and Friday off, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday easy and lsr of 25k today. Generally either running with my wife to keep paces low or HR kept well into Z2, I've been keeping the watch on HR to avoid looking at pace on purpose which might explain some of the erratic paces.

I did a bit of a marathon block during lockdown #1, just for something to do, so these runs are not my longest but enjoying them all the same.

@Laineyfrecks great advice on the strides, made sure to ease in and ease out of the stride which made them more controlled than I had done previously. Upper quads felt a little tight afterwards but went away the next day.

Funny @Treviso on the nutrition, I've been craving milk for the last 10 days and probably drank a pint after the lsr today. Mad how your body tells you what you need!

@masterK I got one of those soft flasks from decathlon, 25ml, and it's handy for a few sips as you go. Fits in ur hand with a loop to go over your finger and more comfy to carry than a bottle.

For next week looking forward to the session at pmp, tbh it feels, at the moment, that I'm missing at bit of pace work in the week.