The second coming of a runner
Comments
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Thanks! There is a fair bit of a buffer ok 😅
I love that analogy! I'm definitely going to steal it 😅
After seeing what I needed to do this week, I'm convinced I must have kicked Hal Higdon's dog at some point, it seems a very tough week directly after a half, but this is the plan, and my plan is to stick with the plan!
A few weeks ago I did a mp 12k followed by a 24k run so it's not completely alien to me, just need to make sure I take the easy runs easy and do whatever I can to recover (rest well etc)
Good tip with the loosened up legs, I have been using the message gun a lot more since I started the marathon training and I think it does help a lot. Its even a cheapo one from Amazon and it seems to do the job. My issue with foam rolling isn't the pain of the rolling (which obviously isn't pleasant) but the actual activity of doing the rolling I find hard to do, like on my arms 😅
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Week 30 - August 28th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 10.
6.5k | 13k | 6.5K | Rest | 13K | 27.5K | Cross
Monday: Easy 7k (7:11/km). Legs very tired from Saturdays Half, mainly my quads and hamstrings but after a very painful massage gun session on Sunday night I was feeling ok enough to get out and do this. Felt ok on the run.
Tuesday: Easy 13K (7:08/km). Legs probably not as bad as Monday morning, but still very tired, so another massage gun session the night before saves the day, also had an epson salt bath.
Wednesday: Easy 7k (6:59/km). Legs are getting better as the week goes on, which is nice since I'm still running on them. Hamstring still a bit tender during the night before massage gun session
Thursday: Rest day from running, very welcome. Kids back to school though so no actual rest :)
Friday: 13K @ MP (6:17/km). The run I was probably most worried about during the week, but my legs are feeling a decent bit better. Really needed to keep track of my pace to stay on target 6:20/km, I had the pace in me to go faster but if I lost concentration at all I would slow down a decent bit.
Tried out a new singlet today and had very bad chaffing on my arm that I only noticed when I stopped, so something to look out for.
Saturday: Easy 27.5K (6:49/km). Out with the run group. Nothing too eventful to say about this run, probably a bit fast but even on a hilly route, I felt ok on it. Legs were tired towards the end, but I suppose unsurprising after a tough week. I could have kept going if I had to.
Sunday: Cross training. Went for a 5K/60 min walk
Weight: Didn't weigh myself this week I dont think, Was fairly decent food wise other than yesterday and Thursday, for some reason I am much hungrier on days I don't run.
Summary: ~67K for the week. Most I've ever ran in a week again, and happy to get it done on tired legs! This was probably the week I was most worried about on the plan, seeing as it took me a couple of weeks to be back into the swing of it after my half in July. Definitely big thanks to my wife and the massage gun sessions for being able to get it done.
This week coming is most K in a week on the plan (71K) and then the only other major milestone is the 20 mile long run in the week after next (~3 weeks) , feels like its getting close now!
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Week 31 - Sept 4th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 11.
8k | 13k | 8K | Rest | 13K | 29K | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (7:00/km). Went out at luch time because i needed to drop my kids to school. It was sunny and warm but was quite an enjoyable run
Tuesday: Easy 13K (6:54/km). Met up with one of the run group to do this, was good!
Wednesday: Easy 7k (6:51/km). Don't remember much from this one
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: Easy 13K (6:49/km). Was very warm, drank as much as I would normally drink during a half marathon on this...
Saturday: Easy 29K (6:49/km). Out with the run group. Very warm one! My run buddy struggled with this one so the pace ended up very inconsistent as I slowed down to as slow of a jog as I could to let her catch up when she needed to take walk breaks. She actually ended up cutting her run short in the end
It is a hard thing about a slower runner, there isn't many people in the group that have any interest in going as slow as me! Some are just faster and then there are others who are probably at a similar level as me but haven't bought into the whole running slow thing.
I feel my comfortable slow pace is somewhere in the 6:45-7:30 range, if I start knocking up on a 8:00 pace, I think its extra tiring on my legs. Some of the KM before she finished up were like this.
Legs were tired after it, but I wasn't too bad overall.
I drank so much water both during and after, like literally about 4L and I was not excessively going to the toilet, I would have loved to have weighed myself before and after!
Sunday: Cross training. Went for a 60 min walk, brought the kids for the first 2k so was a slow pace, only did 4k.
Weight: Didn't weigh myself this week
Summary: 71K for the week. Most I've ever ran in a week again, and the most thats on the plan.
I'm feeling really good about the training though, I am not the lightest I've been, but there is absolutely no doubt I'm the fittest I've ever been. I'm not sure I would have ever thought I
A) would do a marathon
B) be genuinely excited to do it
In a less related update, I did kind of have a tough week outside of running. Nothing major or anything, but I have historically had issues with anxiety and this was probably my worst week since I started this log. Nothing really specific, just a combination of a lot of things. One of the reasons I mention it here is that running has improved this situation immensely for me. It is an interesting consequence of following the plan so strictly is that my worst day, Thursday, also happened to be my rest day. Let's hope I have a better week when I start tappering!
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Congrats on another highest mileage week!
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Week 33 - Sept 11th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 12.
8k | 8k | 8K | Rest | 13K @ MP | 21K | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (7:00/km). Starting to get really dark in the mornings!
Tuesday: Easy 8K (6:53/km). First day I was actually cold starting a run in I don't know how long! Much preferred to the heat of last week
Wednesday: Easy 8k (6:46/km). Two cold days in a row!?
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: 13K @ MP (6:13/km). Bit of a challenge but was generally fine. Got absolutely soaked, but I can't pick the weather for DCM so good to experience it all!
Saturday: Easy 21K (6:48/km). Out with the run group. Lovely morning for a run. "Just" a half, felt good.
Sunday: Cross training. Went for a 45 min walk on the treadmill, not a fan but I could only do it after the kids went to bed so needs must!
Weight: Didn't weigh myself this week, not a great week food wise either (was a very busy week)
Summary: 58K for the week.
Was back in the office last week so the timing of the step back week and having the extra commute worked out well. Was very tired all week!
Kids & my wife were sick over the weekend as well so a bit of extra running and racing to do bits for them so extra challenging, but every on the mend thankfully, and it seems like I've missed the worst of it (I hope)
The mountain that is 32K is on the plan for this week, It may humble me on Saturday but I'm not overly worried about it at the moment. I kind of feel once I don't go too fast it should not be an issue at all. I'm looking forward to it, it will be nice to tick it off the plan. Then from then to DCM is only runs I have done already
Weekend Runs left:
- 32K
- 20k
- 32k
- 20k
- 13k
- DCM
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Week 34 - Sept 18th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 13.
8k | 13k | 8K | Rest | 8K @ MP | 32K | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (6:48/km). Lovely morning for a run, the colder weather definitely makes things more comfortable!
Tuesday: Easy 13.5K (6:35/km). Was fairly wild in the morning so I thought it would be safer to go to the local loop and just do that a few times. Was horrible morning for a run
Wednesday: Easy 8k (6:38/km). was promised windy again so I went to the loop again, but it wasn't bad at all.
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: 8K @ MP (6:00/km). Felt good but way too fast, need to work on this. Should be 6:20ish
Saturday: Easy 32K (6:55/km). Out with the run group. Was a hilly route. Really started to feel it for the last 5k or so, but was still able to finish fairly strong. I was kind of hoping to feel a bit better doing this, but maybe the next one will be better!
Sunday: Cross training. Went for a 4k walk
Weight: 91.5KG. Have definitely dropped the ball on this. Will make a better effort for the next few weeks. Not to starve myself but just stop eating crap!
Summary: 70k for the week.
Nice to have the first 20 miler done. It feels very close now. Looking forward to getting it done. I've probably said it here already, I'm enjoying the running but not really enjoy the hold it has on my life at the moment!
Weekend Runs left:
32K- 20k
- 32k
- 20k
- 13k
- DCM
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Well done on ticking off the 20 miler - always a great milestone. Sounds like a strong run, especially consdering the legs won't have been too fresh after the (faster than) MP miles the day before.
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My dad used to say it's better to journey than to arrive. I totally get why you feel the training has a hold over you but glad to hear you are enjoying the runs! You're going well and great to get that 20 miler done.
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Yeah I'm probably being a bit harsh on myself, it's just one of the first long runs on the block where I could really feel myself running out of steam. But it was the end of a busy week so shouldn't come as too much of a surprise!
Wise words! I am enjoying it but there is so much kicking the can of jobs and things I should be doing til I've freed up a bit, and that is a bit of a nightmare for me! I'm looking forward to a day where I can just do a whole lot of nothing!
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Week 35 - Sept 25th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 14.
Planned: 8K | 8K | 8K | Rest | 13k | 19.5k | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (6:55/km). Possibly the worst run of the training block, just didn't enjoy it from the first step to the last. Didn't sleep well the night before. Couldn't even say exactly what I didn't like about it, but 0 fun.
Tuesday: Easy 8K (6:43/km). Much better feeling! Was a nice morning for a run other than a few puddles. "Easy" is definitely faster since it got colder.
Wednesday: Easy 8k (6:39/km). Was a cold wet run, forgot to put on Vaseline and paid the price! Worst chaffing I've ever had!
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: 13k (6:36/km). I've been trying to run a bit more on feeling than constantly looking at my watch. I felt good for the whole thing, but probably too fast. Was a lovely morning for a run!
Saturday: Easy 20K (6:59/km). Out with my marathon training buddy as the wider group had 20 miles on their plan. This felt pretty effortless, which is a nice feeling!
Sunday: Cross training. Went for hour walk , 3k on my own and a 1.4k with the kids. Absolutely lovely day!
Weight: Was 89.9KG after Saturday's run. That's probably not a true state of affairs, but I definitely lost weight this week. Was much more strict with myself. Think I got a good balance though as it didn't impact the running at all.
Summary: 57k for the week.
Just 4 weeks to go! The fact that its October now and this is the last big week of training is exciting and a little a bit scary!
My Strava summary for September was 38 hours of activity with 315KM of distance
Weekend Runs left:
32K20k- 32k
- 20k
- 13k
- DCM
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Week 36 - Sept Oct 2nd
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 15.
Planned: 8K | 13K | 8K | Rest | 8k @ MP | 32k | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (6:43/km).
Tuesday: Easy 13K (6:41/km). A lovely morning for a run. Last midweek 13k of the plan. It's possible my favourite distance for a midweek run, I've a nice loop from my house and while and hour and half is a chunk of time, days im not in the office it is managable.
Wednesday: Easy 8k (6:52/km). Another lovely morning for a run, its so dark though that the run light is now a non negotiable. What felt easy was a good bit slower today.
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: 8k at MP (6:15/km). I tried to be a lot more focused on keeping pace and I did a much better job than the last time I did MP, but still too fast. I got absolutely drowned, but it was still an enjoyable run.
My whole house is sick again, I wasn't feeling 100%, but not too bad
Saturday: Easy 32K (6:59/km). was a bit of a battle. Was deceptively warm so ended up taking on a good bit of fluid. I was pretty sore immediately after the run, but while I was still running I definitely felt like I could have kept going if I had to (who knows if I could have ran for another hour or not!)
Sunday: Cross training. Went for 50 min walk , 4.25k
Weight: Didn't weigh myself this week but was generally good so I'd imagine it trended downwards again.
Summary: 69.5k for the week.
Starting tapering next, quite scary...
Weekend Runs left:
32K20k32k- 20k
- 13k
- DCM
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Week 36 - Sept Oct 2nd
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 16.
Planned: 8K | 10K | 8K | Rest | 7k @ MP | 20k | Cross
Monday: Easy 8k (6:43/km).
Tuesday: Easy 10K (6:30/km). Too fast, but HR was generally in the right zone
Wednesday: Easy 8k (6:49/km). Was a bit stricter on my pacing
Went for a walk at lunch time, and for another one in the evening while waiting for my daughters rehearsal to finish.
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: 7k at MP (6:11/km according to Strava, 6:17/km according to my watch). I had to stop to adjust my sock early on and was trying to adjust paces to stick on time, I guess Strava cut out the sock adjusting time.
Saturday: Easy 20K (6:35/km). Out with the run group and even though it was quick, it felt very comfortable.
Sunday: I missed a session! I was too busy with family life in the morning to go, then went out visiting people and I just plain forgot to go on the treadmill when I got home.
Actually really disappointed to miss one, even though I know in the general scheme of things missing a walk is not going to have any impact, it was just my goal to not miss a session if possible, and its annoying to lose that streak due to forgetfulness. I easily could have done it in the evening if I thought of it.
Weight: Didn't weigh myself this week but was not great with food. It was full on week with work in the office and I was doing some more of the running and racing with the kids.
Summary: 53k for the week.
Feeling good about the marathon... I think. I'm continually reminded that 4:30, while a very modest goal for some, is certainly not a given for me.
My friend did Amsterdam over the weekend and she is a much more experienced runner than me and she did a 4:22:xx, a bit worse than she expected/hoped, I havent talked to her about in detail yet, but it seemed to go to plan up to the 32k, didn't go out to fast or anything. There is not much change between what she did and what I hope to do and I would be my house her being a much better runner than me!
And then the running channel on youtube released a video of "Tom" doing his first marathon in Chicago. Tom describes himself in the video as "a Guy who likes food", similar to myself! and his goal of 5 hours ended up being 6:10. I'm not sure exactly what his training was but I do feel like I'm better prepared than he is/was but I guess just a reminder of how it can get away from you.
Only niggle to speak of it my feet have been a little tired since the 32k last week, not impacting my running at all and it has been getting better. Left one is fully back to normal and right one is improves every day too. Maybe just a result of all the KMs for the last few months.
Definitely getting a bit nervous about it too, seeing pictures of the signs being put up was a real "oh crap" moment...
Weekend Runs left:
32K20k32k20k- 13k
- DCM
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Week 38 - Oct 16th
Pre-Week Plan: HH intermediate 1, week 17.
Planned: 6.5K | 8K | 6.5K | Rest | 5k | 13k | Cross
Monday: Easy 7k (6:39/km).
Tuesday: Easy 8K (6:38/km).
Wednesday: Easy 7k (6:27/km).
Thursday: Rest day from running
Friday: Easy 5k (6:38/km). First time running 5k since July!
Saturday: Easy 13K (6:30/km). Weird how nearly 1.5 hours of running feels so little!
Sunday: Did 30 mins of stretches rather than walk
Weight: Didn't weigh myself but food hasn't been the best this week. At this point it kind of is where it is til after the Marathon.
Summary: 40k for the week.
My tired feet from last week continued on my right foot til eventually I was getting a very minor dull pain in my heel over the weekend. My Wife has had plantar fasciitis in the past so it did seem like it was probably some version of that, although no where near as bad as her was as I could even run on it fine. And when she had it if you poked her foot in the right place there was pain, I didn't have that at all.
PF stretches were relieving for a time, but I decided I better go get it looked at. Luckily I was able to get a physio appointment for first thing Monday morning.
Physio confirmed it is a mild case of PF, or maybe even a precursor to it, as all the stretches and poking he did as part of the assessment did not add additional pain at all. So he gave my calf a workout and then did some sessions with the ultrasonic thing on my heel.
He gave the all clear to even continue running this week, happy its nothing serious! I walked out of the physio very relieved as I thought I'd be devastated if I couldn't do it.
Unfortunately, I do have some personal stuff going on since that, it seems like everything is going to be ok with it, but it really does put everything into perspective. So mind is completely occupied with the non-running stuff for the moment until I hear more news about it. Probably a bad week to only have a few short runs!
Weekend Runs left:
- DCM - no where to hide now!
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The very best of luck on Sunday and I hope all will be ok on the personal front too. Look forward to reading your race report next week!
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Thanks @Annie get your Run , I appreciate all the comments you've left throughout the year!
Yeah I think things are ok, My Dad had a bit of health scare this week I was being vague as I had a sister who didn't know yet. Unclear exactly what happened but he's doing very well at the moment.
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Glad to hear your dad is doing better😊
Very best of luck on Sunday, go out & enjoy it, nothing quite like the buzz of it all🤗
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Best of luck on Sunday, hope you have a super experience, don't worry about pace too much, try to enjoy it - if you can!!
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Race Information
- Name: Dublin City Marathon
- Date: 29th of October 2023
- Time: 5:31:22
Goals
- A Sub 4:30 - No
- B Sub 5:00 - No
- C Finish - Yes
Timing Mat
- 10K - 1:05:49
- 20K - 2:09:20
- Half - 2:17:23
- 30K - 03:38:27
- 40K - 05:11:38
- Finish - 05:31:21
Week Of Training
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5K Easy
Wednesday: 7k Easy
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 3k Easy
Bit of a hard week personally with my Dad going into hospital on Monday, but he thankfully was back out again later in the week with nothing too serious.
Generally taper wasn't too bad, would have preferred some longer runs for distraction earlier in the week
Pre-race
Up at ~4:30am, get breakfast (Eggs and toast) and then get ready. Friend collects me at 6am and we set off. Got to Dublin and walked a KM or so to the bag drop off, so was there at around 8am. Ate a nut protein bar at this point. I think I underestimated how long of a wait it would be til my wave went. Ate a banana before the run started. I am surprisingly calm. The incident with my Dad definitely lead me to re-evaluate the importance of the 4:30 goal, I've done 14 weeks of training, 5 times a week where I didn't miss a single run, 700Km in total, I feel like I'm ready for it.
Race
Really great buzz around the place. My plan is to basically stay in front of the 4:40 pacers roughly for the first half of the race.
I'm not 100% sure when but around 5k I was thinking to myself that I have definitely felt better at this far into a run, but I had similar when I was running in Kilkee, so I decide to stick to the plan and trust that it would pass. I took a gel 5 minutes early just in-case it's fuel related. And it did seem to pass for a bit.
I paced exactly as I wanted to, the 4:40 pacer even passed me out for a while during the long stretch in the phoenix park and I didn't pass them again til the next park section.
I continued with the plan of taking gels every 35-40 mins as I did in training.
The support was really fantastic, I was taking the advice of high-fiving every kid who offered when I was near the barriers, was definitely good fun.
Outside of the park I spotted other boards novice A-M and chatted with her for a bit.
I can't remember exactly when it was but there was a hill around the 16km mark that was a toughie. I'm back to thinking I've felt better at the same point in runs, but I keep thinking trust the training and the plan. I'm not even sure whats up exactly, my breath is ok, I'm just not feeling it.
Around the 20k mark I start to struggle, I nearly don't know how to describe it but my legs weren't exactly sore, but they just felt heavy or something. I also start to feel a bit light headed, I did honestly think it was like a dream or something. Even my vision is a small bit blury. It's like nothing I have experienced before.
I pull it back a bit hoping it would pass, but it doesn't a lot. I kind of feel like I need to toilet so I decide to jump into the ones at the half point in case it's that (weird that you could easily miss the timing mat by going to the toilets btw)
Unfortunately its not that either, I'm not feeling to well in the stomach at this point, but I assume I'm hitting the wall (something that's never happened to me), so I try another gel (I'm basically due another one anyways), but it doesn't seem to help a huge amount. I struggle along for a bit before I need to start walking. I haven't had to stop to walk on a run in months, 21ks have been "short" long runs to me for the last few months and here I am stopping.
I actually can't believe it, it honestly feels like a bad dream to be spent at half way. All I'm thinking is that I trained better than this, but I don't know what to do the fix the issue. I'm not even 100% sure it is the wall, or am I sick or whats wrong with me. Whatever it is, I know I'm in for a long day at this point. Probably a bad thing to do but I start roughly calculating how long of a day its going to be, and I don't like the answer.
I decide to try some food from generous spectators, cause what do I have to lose. I got some wine gums off one person, but they were way too chewy to eat and jammy dodger off someone else but it was so dry it was like sucking the moisture out of my mouth. I probably gave up on this plan too quickly, maybe something like a banana or something would have helped. But my stomach starts to feel pretty sick at this point, so I really don't know what would help. I'm not sure exactly when but I decide I can't take another gel as I'm pretty certain I would get sick.
I'm run/walking at this point, Jeffing if it was my strategy I guess!
I met some friends at 24K and they run along side me for a minute, I'm still nearly in disbelief talking to them that I'm struggling so much.
I meet my family at 26K and I'm really emotional, I can tell from the look on my wife's face that she's emotional too, at this point I've been struggling for 40 mins I guess. I go over and hug them and my kids tell me to keep going. And I try for them.
From here to the bypass was a struggle, I don't even remember a huge amount of it to be honest. I definitely walked large portions of it anyways. The support continues to be great, but I definitely feel a bit embarrassed when people tell me I'm doing great, I don't feel like I'm doing great. It was quite tempting to pull out at this point, I really wanted my first marathon to be a stronger showing than this, but I don't want to let my kids down.
I managed to pick the running up a little bit again. I try to run where I can on the flats and downhill but walk up any hills. I had a some lucozade at some of the stops as I was able to stomach that a little so I thought it might help.
With 800m to go I decide to give it one last push, no stopping til the line. I know I don't need to leave anything in the tank at this point so don't need to conserve energy. I do this and even manage to pick it up even more towards the end. When I thought of the day doing well I had thoughts of finishing strong, so at least I achieved that, but it was always under different circumstances.
Post-race
There sure is a lot of walking after the finish line to get out! We went for food in a pub somewhere with my family and my buddy and then went home.
Reflection
I'll be honest, I'm absolutely gutted how it went. I'm even worse today than I was yesterday.
I know there is some pride to be gleamed from actually struggling through and finishing it, but I'm just so disappointed to have struggled for so long. I actual feel embarrassed to only just about make the half way point before the wheels come off. I've never had it happen before, I've run a half marathon in a 02:04:XX and not hit a wall, so to have it happen at the same point but +30 second per KM pace slower feels awful.
When preparing mentally for the race, hitting the wall around the 20 miles or something was something I knew could happen, to have it happen half way wasn't even on the cards. I had trained better than this
I know there will be people who had worse days than me, I've come through physically unscathed so that's a positive
I guess obviously my fueling let me down, I did basically exactly what I've done through out training, other than having the eggs and toast as I normally don't eat before running. But I guess I didn't eat enough to account for the 2ish hour drive up and nearly 2 hours of waiting/walking around for the waves. And although I did take the gels throughout all my long training runs, I think I'll have to come up with an alternative plan if 4 is my limit, maybe alternate with something more solid
The most frustrating thing for me is that I wont really be able to tell how to fix the problem til I do another one.
I'm also really not looking forward to the next two weeks of reliving something I'm at least currently so disappointed with every time I meet someone. I'm envisioning the same conversation of them asking how it went, followed by me saying not the best and them telling me I should be proud of myself.
Like even on the group chat with the local run group there is messages going around about how everyone is feeling, and it's full of people who are wrecked but proud as punch. I'm not really either. My legs are tired, but they should be worse, I never thought I'd want sorer legs after a run!
Another thing that got me today more than it probably should was I went to look at the live stream video of the race to at least see me finishing strong, and it stops at 5:10, I didn't even make that cut!
I know doing a marathon at all is a great achievement, and I'm extremely proud of being able to complete the training block I did, I picked one that was a challenge for the level I was at and I did every bit of it (other than one missed walk!) I just know I have a much much better showing on the day than I showed yesterday.
But let's end on a more positive note. I want to get back on the horse. My initial thought is to try do one in spring (I was thinking about doing Limerick, but I have literally one thing in my calendar for 2024 and it's on the same day! So I need to find a different one) and go for Dublin again next year.
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Don't underestimate the stress related to your dad. The body is an amazing thing, the mind has far more control and effect on physical stuff than most people realise. How was your sleep in the run up to the race? I am surprised to hear you say you haven't been eating before your long runs (and maybe you mentioned that before). Your experience reflects my own, nearly 10 years ago now right here in the novice thread so I 100% understand your disappointment. It is true however that you have completed a marathon and that is a wonderful achievement - watching from the sidelines yesterday (and most years) reminds me how bloody hard it is to complete 26.2 or 42km and not everyone can do it. Many people DNF'd yesterday, others didn't make the start line. I know that is no consolation to you but it something to bear in mind that while you didn't achieve your goal, you didn't give up, you stuck with it, you crossed the finish line. You are a marathon runner. The 2015 top says Proud Finisher in big letters (perhaps others years also say this but that one stands out for me) and that is what you are, a proud finisher! You might not want to hear it but I'll say it anyway, congratulations! You completed 16 weeks of training and you finished the race.
Enjoy the rest for the next few weeks and then think about what you want to do race wise. Cork is a good event although can be very hot!
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Thanks @Annie get your Run
Sleep was a bit mixed last week, lots of waking up in the middle of the night, not that unusual for me though
Maybe "not eating" is the wrong to say, I mainly mean i don't really eat breakfast. For longer runs, I would have a protein bar when I wake up and a banana before I leave the house to meet with the run group, but for anything less than a half I'd only have the banana
DCM effectively started at 10:45 (9:45 after the clocks went back) for me though, which is a lot later in the day than I'd normally start running (usually half 7 at the latest), so I guess I didn't prepare well enough for that scenario
I'm not really enjoying the rest yet anyways 😅 I'm just back from a 3k walk and all I was thinking is that I'd prefer to be running!
My left hamstring is a bit tender, but other than that I actually feel ok, I've definitely ran on worse!
If the hamstring eases off I'll probably do something short and easy on thursday. And play it by ear as well, if I feel anything not right, I'll bale out.
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Going to revive this again! Maybe the second coming of the second coming
I definitely haven't given up the ghost since the last update, but its been a bit of a mixed bag and I definitely haven't kicked on like I originally thought I would. Have done a couple of half marathons since, but didn't even match my pre-marathon training half.Definitely don't have the same absolutely unwavering determination I had this time last year, which sounds worse than it is cause I am still getting out a decent amount. I'm after signing up for a few races in the next few weeks so I'm hoping that will help!
Also did sign up for DCM, so the next few weeks are about getting into decent shape for marathon training again at the start of July
Weight is probably the big thing again, I'm about 97KG at the moment, so a bit behind where I was this time last year, so that will be a big area of focus.Week starting April 22nd - 37K for the week
Weight 97KG
5K | 5K | 5K | 8k (2k wu, 5 x400M repeats, 2k wd )| 4K | 10K | ~4k walk
Mostly relatively easy, possibly could be slower based on my HR
First time doing proper speed work in a long time! It was ok, funny how much harder it is on stuff like core (as I wouldn't normally feel my stomach muscles being used when running)
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Week starting April 29th - 40K for the week
Weight: at end of week 95.4KG. Have started calorie counting using myfitnesspal. Was pretty aggressive with it, but its quite surprising how much you can eat and still be in a deficit. I didn't have the balance right at the start of the week and I generally didn't feel amazing, but as the week went on I increased the amount of carbs I was eating and it did seem to make a difference.
5K | 6K | 5K | 8k (2k wu, 5 x400M repeats, 2k wd )| 5K | 11.4K | 3k walk
On Wedensday I didn't feel great out for the run, sounds/reads worse than it was, felt a bit spaced or something, but other than that the runs went well. I probably need to eat before I go for the runs, so I need to get up a bit earlier to eat and digest before the run!
Thursday I was able to increase the pace of the 400M repeats from last week which was nice. Still could feel it a bit in my stomach muscles after, but nothing like last week.
Saturday was a trail run in Portumna, was really nice! I was told we would be doing 10K but it was small bit more. Was fairly goosed by the end of it.14K will be the long run this weekend, followed by the Athlone 10 miler the week after. Won't be too hard to beat my time from last year at it, but am not in a position to take anything for granted at the moment, I haven't earned it yet :D
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Week starting May 6th - 36K for the week
Weight: at end of week 93.8KG. Felt much better about food this week, although I probably still maybe not eating enough on Friday night to prepare for the long run on Saturday.
5K | 7K | 5K | Rest | 5K | 14K | 12 Hours of DIY!
Nothing overly exciting to report early in the week.
Missed the track on Thursday due to life getting in the way (One child had training and the other had a match so both parents were required!). Tried to do a little bit of speed work on Friday, doing the 2nd and 4th K at what I thought might be my 5k pace, but I don't think I had 3K more of that in the bank so will need to be more conservative for a 5k at the moment!
Very warm for the 14k on Saturday, even considering not super impressed with my performance at it. Pace was generally ok but I was fairly wrecked by 12K and needed to take a walk. I assume it's possibly food related as I'm running much more consistently for the last few weeks but I was doing closer to half marathon distances a few weeks ago and was better able for it. I'm ok with poorer running performance at the moment in the pursuit of weight loss, the primary goal til July is weight loss but I will try tweak my food a bit to see if I can make some improvements.Athlone 10 miler this week. Judging by the 14K I won't be setting any records, but I'm ok with that. (well, hopefully will be PB an actual 10 miler, but it wont be as fast as pace as my half PB).
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Week starting May 13th - 37K for the week
Weight: at end of week 92.7KG. Food was good again this week, I'm very focused with it. Eating plenty but being particular about what I eat! I ate a good bit extra on Friday in prep for the race on Saturday
5K | 7K | 5K | Rest | 4K | 10 Mile Race | 4k Walk (very hot!)
Again nothing too exciting during the week other than its been very pleasant conditions for running recently! Had company Wednesday morning with one of the people from the group that was a nice change from running solo!
Missed the track again as my wife was unwell so I was going to do the kids training runs, but it was cancelled due to lightning, so it didn't seem like a good day for the track anyways. I wasn't going to do any speed work anyways so wasn't too bothered either way.
Athlone/Clonown 10 Mile:
Just my second race of the year, and the first one where I actually had some decent prep weeks leading into it. But saying that, I wasn't expecting great things from this race as I found last weeks 14K was pretty tough at a relatively easy pace.
I ran this race last year and it was really sunny day, I was inexperienced and it didn't go all that well! It was a warm and muggy day on Saturday, but not quite as sunny and hot as last year.
Got there a lot earlier than the year before so could be a bit more relaxed with warming up etc. Met up with a few from the run group and 3 of us decided to go together. I was a small bit apprehensive about doing this as I couldn't keep a 6:30 pace for over 12K last week, and I knew they would be closer to 6:15, but I had fuelled better this week so I was hoping that might make the difference.
Felt good pretty much the entire way around. We kept a fairly consistent pace the entire way around, with the KM times ranging between 6:00 and 6:19. It was nice to pass places I was struggling last year and to be feeling good.
One of the people kicked on with about 5KM to go, but I didn't have the gears in me to try keep up with them! I was happy enough to keep going at the current pace but I knew I didn't have much more in the tank.
The last 4 or 5k the heat was definitely increasing and the wind wasn't as present, and I could kind of feel the water I had taken on in my stomach so I wasn't too keen on taking on much more.
Was very happy when we got to the 9 mile mark. Me and other person left from who I started with picked it up a small bit for the last K, and did 5:46. Not exactly setting the world alight, but its nice that I was still able to push on at the end a bit
Chip/Gun: 1:39:14 (6:09 /km avg)
Was fairly gassed after crossing the line, but felt much better than I did passing the line the year before! Took 9 minutes off that time too. Not a PB for 10 miles as I ran a half during marathon training at a quicker pace, but I was happy with the result for sure.
Fuelling seemed to be a good bit better. I ate extra on Friday, a bit extra for breakfast on Saturday and had two gels and two energy sweet things during the race.
Feels good to get a good performance in, I haven't had a good race in a while tbh!
Have a 5k Staff relay run on Thursday, I have basically no idea what my 5K pace is! I tried a couple of KM at 5:30 the week before last and wasn't able to sustain it, so I thought it might be 5:45, but I basically did that for the 16th KM of the race on Saturday, so surely it's a bit quicker if I only need to do 5 of them!
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Week starting May 20th - 34K for the weekWeight:
Dropping below 92Kg also moves me from "obese" to just plain old "overweight" on the BMI scale. I got here last year too, so I just need to keep up what I'm doing!
The end of this week also marked 28 days of calorie tracking, after a few adjustments I feel I'm really on top of things with it. I might be a small bit of afraid of treats of any description, but in general I'm happy with the types of food im eating. It does require more prep than throwing on a few slices of toast or having a bowl of cereal (or 3), but its keeping me full so it's doing its job!
Activities: 5K + 2K walk | 7K | 5K | 5k Staff Relay | Rest | 11k | DIY all day
Fairly typical week for me other than having to get up a bit earlier to get the runs down cause I was driving to the office.
Gave myself a rest day Friday cause of the long day on Thursday and the 5k race. I woke up in time, but I was tired and my legs were a little tired from the day before too so didn't want to push it.
11K on Saturday with the group, was a nice run. What feels easy is definitely getting quicker, which is nice.
5K Staff Relay in the Phoenix Park:Between traffic and parking a decent distance away we didn't get to the race as early as we would have liked, expecially as I was the first runner on my team, but I was able to get a bit of a warm up in so was happy enough.
The start of the race was fairly chaotic, I tried to start more near the back as I know I'm not a front runner, but I was passing plenty of people out and getting based by plenty too. The first portion of the race was also on grass that was long but recently cut and all the cut grass was still on the ground so there was even a good bit of basically hay being kicked up in the air!
Once you turned the corner there was a decent chunk of a downhill. Having very little idea of what my actual 5K pace is I was trying to run it by feel, and I knew what goes down has to come back up so I was going at a quick pace that still felt comfortable for me. The pack was starting to spread out a bit at this stage, still busy enough but easy enough to pass people if needed.
The first hill came around 1.5K in but it didn't seem to bad, but saw a good few walkers by top of it.
Wasn't long before it was downhill again, again knowing there must be another uphill I was holding back a small bit.
The hill before the "4K" marker was definitely the tougher of the two. Especially as it when you got to the top of it you were basically running on grass from there on in, which definitely felt a bit heavier to run on that the road.
Also that "4K" sign, my watch was reading 3.7K at it, so I was thinking "great, don't even have as long left as I thought!", this didn't play out as planned :D
The path on the grass through the tents was definitely tough though, it felt kind of deceiving that I thought I was at the final corner til I realised I still hadn't past my teams tent so there was obviously more to go!
Eventually could see the finish line and gave one final push to bring the batten to my next team mate.
No Chip for individual legs so just going by my Garmin: 27:04 (5:13 /km avg, Distance on my watch was 5.18km, so that last "k" from the 4k sign was closer to 1.5k :D)
The race was fairly nice, pretty cool to be running as a team, but it's quite expensive (€40 per person), no timing and its logistically difficult enough for someone out west! It was a long day as I worked from Dublin for the day, so I was up at before 6am and didn't get home til 11 or so.
2nd fastest time in a 5k for me, Wasn't really expecting it. Second race in a week to do better than expected! Maybe I just need to set my expectations lower and I can always keep doing this! The PB is a 25:21 from 2015, I'm going to make a effort to take this from 20s me over the summer. I probably had a bit more in me for this race, especially if the end wasn't on grass and you could see the finish line from further out, but still very happy with it.
Was happy again with the fuelling, ate a bit extra on Wednesday and ate all my food for the day prior to the run.
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Week starting May 27th - 43K for the week
Weight: at end of week 90.1KG. Food was overall good again, but I did eat quite a lot of calories on Saturday (still under my limit adjusted for the long run apparently). Even allowed myself a 99 as there probably has been a bit too much talk of calories around the kitchen at the moment and while I do want to ensure my little ones have generally healthy eating habits, I don't want it to go too far the other way so having a treat in front of them is probably a good thing.
I was surprised about the drop though as I weigh myself on Sunday mornings, so that would have been after 2900 calorie Saturday (I typically eat between 1500-1800 most days)
One thing I guess was interesting is we stopped into a supermacs on the way home from a trip on Saturday (we went collecting some hens), I had already eaten lunch and it wasn't dinner yet so I abstained from getting anything (other than the 99), but just how typically I would have gotten a double bacon cheese quarter pounder with large chips and eat the whole things without thinking twice, and it would be the same amount of calories I have for lunch and dinner on most days.
I'll continue focusing heavily on diet for the month of June anyways, but I feel I have gotten a pretty good balance of the food and doing reasonable mileage that I will be able to diall it back during marathon training rather than throw it out the window.
I can't really control what the scales say exactly, but I think getting to the start line of DCM at 80kg is a realistic goal. Another 4 or 5Kg for the month of June and the last 5 or 6KG over the following 4 months. It would be the lightest I've been in my adult life. I was about 92KG DCM 2023, carrying 2 stone less over 42K would surely be an advantage!
Activities: 5K | 7K | 5K | 5K | 5K | 16k | 4k Walk
Had a small bit of PF this week for whatever reason, it improved as the week went on as I focused on doing calf stretches etc, but I was generally just a little achey all week. I don't often have issues with PF, but its pretty minor when I do. Doesn't seem to impact running at all.
Actually made it to the Track on Thursday, but there was an extra padlock on the gate we don't have a key for, so we just all did a 5k loop. Although I probably wasn't going to to do repeats anyways due to my calves feeling tight.
For the 16K on Saturday a few of us did 5 and a bit before the rest of the group came and then we did 10 and bit. Even at the 5K part I wasn't really feeling it, was at a relatively easy pace but it didn't feel as easy as it should. I had well fueled up for it the day before, and even had a gel and a carb drink on the run so I don't think it had anything to do with fueling. I've been fairly shattered since so maybe just a small bit run down or in need of a break! Don't feel particularly sick or anything, just tired, so heading to bed now to try get a decent sleep!
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Week Starting June 3rd - 32K for the week
Weight: 89.4KG On Sunday morning. A little less weight loss than I've had a in a week previously, and that probably tracks accurately to how the food went this week. Overall ate fine, didn't fall of the rails or anything, but I was a little bit hungrier this week for whatever reason and I just increased what I was eating a little.
I'm calorie counting for 6 weeks now. -1Kg a week was probably never sustainable so we'll see how it goes, but I'll try get back on top of the portions again.
I did have the idea in my head this week that I would love to make bread for some reason. Made a few stabs at it and made a really nice on Sunday. I have been having a carb with my lunch (usually a wrap or a pita bread) so home made bread would fit into that nicely. Have it frozen into slices so you need to be pretty deliberate to eat a piece!
Activities: Rest | 7.5K Walk | 5K | 5K | 5K at a bit of pace | 5K Parkrun | 12k
As I signed off last week, wasn't really feeling great at the start of the week. Just really tired or something. Decided to take Monday off. Got up on Tuesday to run, but ended up feeling similar so left it off. Went for a walk in the evening and was feeling pretty good at this stage, so I ended up extending my planned 4k walk into a 7.5k.
Did easy 5ks on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Was a bit tight for time on Friday so I said I'd pick up the pace a little, just sub 6min /km so nothing crazy.
I had the unusual position of not having really anything planned for Saturday. We usually do long runs on Saturday but most of the people I usually run with were doing Portumna, I had intended to sign up but it was sold out by the time I tried. I was offered a 1/2 place during the week but I was still not feeling the best at the time and I felt like I was a bit undercooked for racing a half, so I left it off.
So I decided to go try out a parkrun. Signed up probably a year ago or more but have never attended! I'm probably in the middle between Athlone and Mountbellew Park run, but I have a good buddy who runs who lives near mountbellew so I said I'd go up and run it with her,
It was a lovely location, great atmosphere at it, maybe 40 participants or so. The forrest paths were under some renovation so they were doing a different route that normal that involved 3 loops.
Ran with my buddy, she would typically be a much stronger runner than me, but she's not doing a huge amount at the moment, but even still I expected she would be the one bringing me a long. But it actually didn't work out that way.
My watch was basically useless for tracking pace in the forrest, at one point it was saying I was doing a 7 min KM when I looked at it. So I was mostly just running by feel at the start and then just keeping up with the group that was in front of me.
I felt pretty decent the whole was round, was feeling a bit on the last lap, but I still had something in the tank for the last 400M. Which is actually probably something I need to work on for shorter races. My last K was my slowest K, despite picking up the pace at the end, which means I dropped too much pace for the first 600M of it when I clearly had some more in the tank.
There was a bit of an admin error on my part at the finish though. I didn't realise I needed to collect a finisher barcode (I actually had no idea how the timing worked) and I was a tiny bit short so I kept running through the line, and I guess the person giving out the barcodes probably though I had another lap maybe. So when I went to the time scanner person she was asking for my finishing token and I didn't know what she was talking about! So I did pick one up at that stage but I guess I messed the finishing times up for the people between where I actually finished and when I scanned.
My buddy finished a few seconds behind me, and was next over the line. Her time shows as a 25:33, but I guess that is probably my time if I understand correctly how the timing works ( i believe one person marks when someone crosses the line, and then each finisher picks up a barcode, and if the finishers pick up the barcodes in the correct order it will match up to timing when they crossed the line). It matches up roughly with my Strava which shows 25:55, but I probably did do an extra 20/30 seconds to get to 5k after the line. Not worried about the actual time at all, very happy with it actually as I hadn't planned on racing a 5k this week. I feel my long standing 5k PB from 9 years ago (25:20) is within striking distance.
Really enjoyed the parkrun, I'd definitely be up for doing them again. Need to rejig my normal running week to make it happen, but I think that will be fine.
Since I didn't do a long run this week, I decided to go out on Sunday and do 12k, focusing on my HR. I do enjoy running with other people, but I don't mind running on my own either. It's nice to have full control over your pace too.
Signed up for Roscommon 10 miler in a few weeks, after that then its the start of Marathon training.
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Week Starting June 10th - 41K for the week
Weight: 88.8KG On Sunday morning. Pretty similar to last week. Still going fine. I'm fitting into some clothes I bought last year which is nice.
Down over 8kg since I started in April, which I'm very happy with. I must be getting close to the lightest I was last year so if I keep it up I should pass it pretty soon.
Activities: 5K Easy | 7K Easy | 2.5K Walk | 8K Easy | 5K Easy | 16K | Rest
Monday and Tuesday were early morning runs as usual. Got a bit hairy after that
Wednesday my wife was gone in the morning so I was doing the school runs, so no morning run. Thought I would be able to do it in the evening, but I was reminded that my daughter had a soccer match, so no chance of the evening either. Went for a quick walk at lunch time
Thursday I thought I would be able to go to the track in the evening so I didn't go out in the morning, but my wife was going to a funeral so I was on the hook for another soccer taxi job. Went out for a run after soccer was done, it's great how bright the evenings (and mornings!) are at the moment. Went out to do 5k, but realised I wasn't really under any pressure for time so I did a 7.5k loop from my house I have literally never ran before and just tacked on the end bit. Was a lovely evening for a run!
Friday morning was fine
Did 16k for my long run on Saturday, did the first 10k probably too fast with the group, but there was only person staying on to do the 16k so did the last 6k at a nice easy pace.
Was a busy day after that and I ended up being quite tired and sore by the end of the day.
Sunday was fathers day and other than going visiting really didn't get up to a whole lot!
Probably should pick a marathon plan since it will be 18 weeks out this coming Sunday (if I have done my maths right). I will race the 10 miler then jump on the plan whatever I pick, so I'll just start from week 2
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Week Starting June 17th - 37K for the week
Weight: 87.9KG On Sunday morning. Still pretty similar but still making progress.
I was in the work this week and its definitely more challenging, there is so much food bribery in work :D
Activities: Lots actually!
Monday: 2K walk at lunch time + 7K Easy-ish
My back/shoulder was a little bit at me in the morning so I decided to leave off my typical morning run. Felt ok later so met up with some people from the run group in the evening and did a 6:01 /km pace. It's conversational for me, but maybe im just good at conversing when its quick! I felt good after it though so it obviously wasn't that bad.
Tuesday: 2K Walk at lunch time and 7.5K Easy
Pushing my morning run out again as it would have been only a few hours recovery from the run the night before so I met up with more from the run group and did a 6:35 /km pace.
Wednesday: 5K probably a bit fast + 3K walk with the kids
Went for a lunch run with someone in work, but their easy was probably a bit fast. 5:45 /km, but I was chatting with him the whole way round so I dunno. He was going for another lap of the race course but I decided I'd just do the 5k
Thursday: A very small section of 4Marathons4Memory (just over 6K and 1.5K to get back to a car)
I work with Eoin and he was running the width of Galway, just over 4 Marathons, on Thursday raising money for Alzheimers
There was a few people from work who were joining him from Roscam into eyre square. Kind of an unreal experience running through Galway city with a Gardai escort and with a few schools out cheering (I've never felt imposter syndrome quite as bad as this!)
Absolutely amazing effort from Eoin to get it done, started at 4am and finished 7:30am the next day, incredible.
It took a minute to get used to not having the Garda escort on the way back to the Car!
Friday: Rest
Was kind of tired so I just decided to rest. Was not a nice day so didn't get out for a walk either.
Saturday: 10k Easy
Just tapering a small bit for Roscommon 10 mile next week so just did 10k easy. 6:40 /km
Sunday: Brought the kids out for a walk/go-kart/bike, was about a 4k ramble in the end. Lovely day for it!
Still haven't picked a plan… this week (leaving it last minute!)
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Week Starting June 23rd - 43K for the week
Weight: 87.2KG This morning (Sunday). Was pretty good this week, but I purposely upped the carbs a bit. And I ate a good bit the day of the Race.
Activities: Lots actually!
Monday: 8K easy (6:37/km)
Dropped my wifes car to the mecahanic and ran home. I don't get to travel by running much, but it feels efficient when it lines up!
Tuesday: 5K Very easy (7:11/km) and 3k Walk
Ran 5k trying to keep my heart rate at 140. Went for a walk after dinner then
Wednesday: 5K Very easy (7:07/km) and 3k Walk
Basically the same as the day before
Thursday: Rest
My calves feel a bit weird though, especially my right one. It feels a little dead or something, like I got a kick. I can't feel any issue when stretching it but it feels a bit tender to prod at at
Friday: 4K Easy (6:27/km)
Final run in before the race on Saturday. My calves feel a bit better, but still similar. Doesn't seem to be an issue running at all though so am hopeful it won't impact the race.
Roscommon 10 Mile (29/06)
- Pre-Race:
I kind of don't know what to expect from this race. Since the last 10 mile in Athlone I've had 5 or 6 weeks of good training, I'm also 6kg (basically a stone) lighter, so I should be in good shape but I don't know even really know what to target.
I decide if I beat my Athlone time I'll be happy enough, so I target getting my average pace below 6:00/km
Got there in loads of time, got my bib, did a 1K warm up and some stretches. Met up with a few from the Run group.
1 was going off on their own but there was 3 starting off together, so I decide I'd start off with them.
I have a decent amount of gear with me and I'm starting to regret it looking at others with nothing. I had my run belt with two 250ml bottles with Carb mixed drink (each one is roughly similar to a gel, a little less), two gels and 8 cola bottles (6 is roughly equivalent to a gel).
I didn't plan to consume all this stuff but I felt fuelling was one of my biggest issues in Dublin so I wanted to try some things out and give myself options. I nearly gave one of the drinks to someone I knew who was spectating as it wasn't as nice of a day as forecast. I decide to run my own race though and think I'd rather be looking at it than looking for it.
- Race:
Started out with the group but after a 4K or so but with an average pace around the 5:20/km mark and my current 5k PB is a 5:11/km pace, I decide this is a recipe for disaster and drop back a little.
I decide from this point I'll try keep my HR below 180 as I know that is roughly where I feel it really tough going. My pace drops a little, but nothing huge. I assume the group I started with also slowed down as I they remain a fairly consistent distance in front of me for a large chunk of the rest of the race. I have consistently take a little bit from my drink every couple of KM and have a couple of cola bottles at some point.
My first mental target is half way so I can start counting down rather than up. Weather has picked up a bit and it was quite warm at this point. I know my pace is still a decent bit quicker than I targeted this morning, and its definitely not easy, but im feeling ok so I take my first gel and keep going with my current strategy of trying to manage my heart rate.
Next target is 11k, because I tell myself I run 5ks for breakfast. Finding it fairly hard at this point, but I still feel ok so keep pushing through, I decide I can let myself go a bit closer to 180.
Playing mind games with myself at this point to try keep the effort up. I decide im going to have my second gel at 12K so it gives me something to get through the next KM.
Finding it very tough at this stage, legs are feeling tired, my breath is getting a bit heavier, so I try relax back into it a bit.
There was a couple of short uphill parts in the last mile and I was finding them really hard, just didn't feel like I had to energy to attack them anymore but I keep going as best I can.
The start and end of the race was on the same section of the road, so when go to the portion that turned down the road to where the finish was, I knew it was close so I tried to keep the pace up. I looked at my watch and saw that I wasn't going to be a million miles away from 1:30. When I see the finish line I push as hard as I can for it (Apparently I even got up to 3:44/km :D)
Chip Time: 1:30:02 (05:33/km average)
Absolutely goosed crossing the line. By far the hardest I run a race in a long time. Didn't stop my watch on time so wasn't sure what I did it in exactly. The 2 seconds is obviously a tiny bit of a bummer, as surely I could have made up 2 seconds somewhere, but I would have bit your hand off for this time before the race so I can't complain about it too much!
PB for 10 mile and for 10k (55:25). Over 8 mins faster than athlone 10 mile a few weeks ago. Delighted with it, I don't have a direct comparison to last year pre-marathon training, but I definitely couldn't have done this time last year so I'm in much better shape starting marathon training than last year.
Absolutely ridiculous spread after, starting with a 99 van at the finish line with free ice cream for runners, Chicken curry back at the hotel and then tea/coffee and a selection of brownie things. It has to be the best orgainsed race I've been to, and its very reasonable price too. Definitely one for next year.
I was as sore as I've been after a race. When I got home I was going a couple of bits around the house and I was like that scene from the wire where McNulty and Bunk are investigating a murder and they say nothing by "mother ducker" for the entire scene.
Feel ok today though, will get out for a walk later.
Fueling wise I had 2 gels, 1 and a bit of my bottles of carb drink and I think 4 cola bottles. Felt good for it. Probably would have had a couple more of the cola bottles but it was a bit awkward to take them out of my pouch
Not related to the race but had a bit of a mental wobble in the middle of this week. Not 100% sure why really. But I do sometimes wonder do I put too much effort into running and does it come at the cost of other things. Like no one but me really cares if I get better at running, so why is it the thing I do more diligently than anything else! We are doing some diy in the house at the moment and the whole house is upside down, there is a list of jobs around the house that just keeps getting longer and longer and it was just a bit overwhelming. Running has definitely been a huge help to my general well being since I started, but I do wonder do I put too much effort into it. I'm sure there are plenty of others who put more effort in, but maybe they are top of others things more than me too!
Todays plan is to get out for a walk and also PICK A PLAN FOR DUBLIN, no panic, I only start running it tomorrow.
Post edited by witnessmenow on8
