Dream big, work hard, achieve your goals - My DCM '19 Journey

Sun Aug 21st - Easy/Rec miles - 6.43miles 9:46min miles

Really enjoyed this run, good tunes & my own meandering thoughts going around in my head. Felt really good about all things running really😊

Mon 22nd - Easy miles - 5.05miles 9:20min miles

Tues 23rd - W/u, EIM 12*400, C/d

Quite enjoyed this too, turned out to be a beautiful evening

Weds 24th - W/u, 25mins@7:15, 2min jog, 20mins@7:05, C/d

Wasn't really too sure how to feel about this one. Warmed up then tried to get into a rhythm for the 1st 25mins, tried to build up to the pace a bit slower than I usually do, felt a bit tough at times but managed to talk myself around, was very happy to see the 2 min rec, was kinda doubting myself now for the 20mins but surprisingly once I got into this I actually found it a bit easier, I had found a new tarmac loop in the park across from the one I usually use, shorter but a lot smoother so this is what I used. Happy to have managed it quite well.

Thurs 25th - W/u, 5*400,5*200,5*Hills, C/d

Went out for this after work, nothing much to report!

Fri 26th - W/u, EIM 4*1K, C/d

Got out early for this as I was booked in to get my hair done & really didn't fancy doing it afterwards...full fringe back now for Autumn/Winter😁

Sat 27th - Easy miles - 4.28miles 9:28min miles

Again got out early enough for this as I we were heading to see Liam Gallagher in Kilmainham. Really enjoyed the gig & stuck to only drinking a few pints as I knew I had my long run the next morning(so dedicated😉🤣)

Sun 28th - 3hr long run - 20.78miles 8:44min miles

As this was my longest run to date in this block I really wanted to change it up a bit. I wanted to run from My house out to PP & back again, even though it's not a huge jump in miles from my last long run somehow in my head to see that mapped out on strava, that I actually ran to the PP to me felt like great motivation. I roughly mapped out a route & off I went. I had my DCM19 playlist on & my belt with my water, 2 gels & jelly bar that I have been using from decathlon. It so mad the way the mind works, as I said it's not much further than i have been doing but because it was all the way out to the PP I decided I should bring my leap card, just in case🤷 I have never brought my leap card out running before, weird! Once I passed Kilnamanagh I was on a route I had never run before in my training. Passing through all the places I knew & some I didn't know so well felt absolutely amazing. I passed by Kilmainham, where we had been the night before & just thought this feels unreal. Got to the PP & there was a bike race on, some roads closed etc, park was quite busy. Headed back towards Palmerstown, then through Clondalkin down the canal & back onto familiar territory of the Grange Castle Road. Paces felt so comfortable the whole time, took a jelly bar I had at mile 5, a sis beta fuel gel 40g strawberry & lime at mile 10 & found this worked really well, then I bought a bottle of lucozade because I was really craving it! This all seemed to work really well for me so will be using these gels & bars going forward. Everyone in my house thought I was absolutely crazy when I told them the route I was doing & actually I think they thought I wouldn't. I was so pleased with myself for the rest of the day, felt just as good if not better than a race😊

Mon 29th - Rest

Tues 30th - W/u, EIM 7*1K, C/d

Had been asked to speak at a conference for Jigsaw mental health in Croke park in front of almost 200 people! They wanted real people who had used the service to speak & asked me to speak from a parent's perspective. Was extremely nervous & not sure how I managed it but I felt amazing once I finished speaking, it was very emotional but hopefully if it helps them improve on their services(which are already one of the few services that work in a very broken system) to help more children & young adults then job done. Was very flattered to be asked.

Got out for the run & felt a bit drained, really glad to clear the head a bit & slept like a baby.

Weds 31st - W/u, 3*12mins@threshold, 4mins rec, C/d

WFH today so was really happy to get out at lunchtime, the sun was shining & it was very warm. Wasn't too sure again how this was going to go, but again happy to settle into the 1st 12mins feeling good, 2nd 12 mins was mostly into the wind which felt quite strong, let the effort match it & let the paces ease off a bit but once i turned I had the wind behind me so up the paces again. Finished my 4 min rec & set off on the 3rd 12mins & my ankle rolled on a broken shore, what I fright I got, luckily nothing bad, I rolled it around a bit & started off again around the tarmac loop I found. This felt really good, very comfortable, happy this went so well after my self doubt!

Over halfway there now to DCM22 & feeling really happy with my training & also really enjoying it. I feel stronger both physically & mentally as the weeks go by so hopeful the rest of the training feels just as good😉

Thanks a mill P, ticking along nicely 😊

Thurs 1st Sept - W/U, 4*1K, C./d

Out after work, nice run.

Fri 2nd - EIM mixed run, 5*400,5*200,5*hills, C/d

Again headed out after work, nothing very memorable about this.

Sat 3rd - 80mins easy with surges

Had a little lie on then headed out for this run, nice easy pace.

Sun 4th - 60min progression(9:15 - 7:54)30min Tempo(7:06-7:17)C/d

Decided to head out to the park for this, beautiful morning out there. Passed by C early on with his group of runners, smile & a shout from me to say morning, he coped me as they went by but his friend waved & smiled straight away so I did feel silly🤣 The progression went well, enjoyed picking up the pace for each bit whilst keeping it controlled. Passed by a lot of friendly people this morning which was really nice. I was a little worried about the tempo on tired enough legs but decided not to stress too much & just take it loop by loop. Passed by J when I was completely in the zone, he was on the opposite side of the road so copped him last min but in enough time to shout morning & smile! Surprised myself with this run & am happy to say it never got too tough which is great!

Mon 5th - 60mins easy

Tues 6th - W/u, 3*2k,3*1k, C/d

Another run after work, felt good for this.

Weds 7th - 20mins easy, 8*1min Vo2 max(5:57-6:03)off 2 mins, 20 min easy

WFH today so got out at lunch time. Planned the 20mineasy so I would end up in the park I found a few weeks ago with the very smooth loop. Set off for the 1mins & really enjoyed hitting the paces. Turns out the loop was exactly the 3 mins I needed for the reps & recovery. Happy with this then did some of the 20mins easy on the grass.

Thurs 8th - EIM mixed run, 5*400,5*200,5*hills, C/d

Fri 9th - Easy miles with strides

Was only to do this if I could get out early so I made sure I got up & out before work. A very miserable morning but not cold. Happy just to shake the legs out.

Sat 10th - Rathoath half marathon - New PB 1:33:01(CHIP TIME)

Was at a family party last night but didn't drink, was home & all for 11:30 but took a while to fall asleep. I had laid everything out for the morning. Woke at 7 & went & had a bowl of cherrios. Pottered around for a bit then got myself dressed. Looked like a perfect morning for a race. Still wasn't exactly sure how I was feeling about this race, hadn't put too much emphasis on it & decided not to taper for it. With my training going so well I really just wanted to see where I was at in the middle of my marathon training on an honest course(especially as Antrim had measured short last year). Got there in plenty of time, really handy to find & the parking was great, right beside everything. Parked up & set off on a W/U. Got back to the car to change into my running top, which had my white feather & yellow ribbon for my dad pinned to the number like always! Put the super shoes on & off I went to use the loo then off to the start. Lined up near enough to the front & got chatting to a couple of men who I had heard saying they were aiming for a similar time to me. The announcer then informed us of the very sad passing of Thomas, which I had heard the night before. We observed a minutes silence & then we clapped, so so sad, RIP.

Miles 1 - 9(7:07,7:07,7:10,7:13,7:06,7:16,7:10,7:09,7:14)

Off we went & I settled into a nice pace, the man I had been chatting to was just ahead of me but decided to stick to my own pacing. I had thought if I could go between 7:07 - 7:10 for at least the 1st 7 or 8 miles I should be in good nick then reassess. Mile 2 saw me settle into a small group, 3 women ahead & 3 men behind me. One of the men settled beside me at about mile 3 and asked me a few questions about my target etc. He was a Raheny runner named Brian, he had been injured so was using today as more of a progressive run himself but he said he wasn't too sure how long he'd last at this pace. He was such a great help, very encouraging, I told him my plan to keep at the paces roughly till mile 8 as I wanted to be consistent & feel strong not like FD. He almost took on the role as my personal pacer, I went ahead a couple of times but he always got back to me & said I was doing great & was running really strong. I felt really good at this stage, taking on water at every water station as it was getting very hot. We passed by the 3 girls in front briefly then by mile 7 they overtook us again but Brian was encouraging anyone around us, really nice man. Just before mile 9 I decided I was going to pick up the pace as things were going really well for me. I thanked Brian & he wished me the best of luck & that he'd see me at the finish! Off I went & could still hear him in the distance behind me again offering support to others.

Miles 10 - 13(6:57,6:55,6:52,7:00,6:19(0.1) )

I felt good picking up the pace & was delighted to see I had past the 10miles faster than FD(1:10:46) this instantly gave me a lift. I remembered how sh!t I felt at mile 5 in FD & I was no where near that pain either mentally or physically. I don't really remember feeling like this was just too hard which was great, as I looked up ahead I could see people turning into the racecourse so knew there wasn't too long left but also knew this would be mentally tough because it was around the race course. People were cheering said brilliant running, keep going, almost there etc. The support was brilliant. At this stage I had well passed a few people I had my eye on at the start & this was a great feeling. As I entered onto the sand leading onto the racecourse I seen AMK on the opposite side, I shouted out to him & felt so bloody jealous that his race was almost over! This bit was defo the toughest part of the race, I knew I was slowing down(not by too much but to me it felt like I was walking) As I passed mile 12 I just thought oh god here's the suffering, for a few seconds I let the doubts in but quickly banished them! I knew timewise I was either on for a very similar time to Antrim if not better. I started picking up the pace as I seen the sand again so I knew it was almost over, as I ran onto the straight leading to the finish line I really picked up the pace & finished strong absoultely buzzing!

I got my medal & goody bag & ate my banana straight away whilst waiting to see Brian finish a couple of mins after, he came straight over to me & said well? I said yep a PB & he gave me a huge hug, delighted for me he was! I thanked him again then headed off to my car. Set off then for a C/D & bumped into AMK so he joined me & we chatted all things running which was really nice, I felt like the littlest person running beside him though🤣 Said goodbye then I set off for home with the biggest grin on my face!

Although getting a PB is always amazing, more than that I ran the race I really wanted to run. I stuck to my plan & played the waiting game, the 1st couple of miles were downhill so I could have went out fast but I didn't, I had the discipline to run a good well thought out race & for this I am so so proud. Getting a PB is just the icing on the cake really 🤗

Sun 11th - Easy miles

Still grinning I set off for this run later than usual as I'd had a few drinks with some friends the night before. I really enjoyed these easy miles & decided to run down by my dad, blew him a kiss & the biggest smile ever, his crazy running daughter still doing what she loves but doing it just that little bit better than before💛

Whilst all this is really positive I do know that the next few weeks are going to be tough & just because I did well yesterday it's no guarantee for the big day but I am going to work damn hard to be just as happy & proud on that day too!!

Thanks all💛

Mon 12th - 5mile easy

Tues 13th - 10min easy, 10min Tempo, 5*1min Threshold to Tempo, 10 min Threshold, 10min easy

Did this run after work. Wasn't really sure how it would go, once I warmed up I got into the Tempo which is 7:06/7:17 for me, felt comfortable & made my way to my local little tarmac track I found😉Set off on the 1min Threshold(6:46/6:55) then the recovery was my tempo pace. The loop was perfect for these, really enjoyed them. Ran the 10 mins Tempo quite comfortably then finished with the easy miles. Was buzzing after this, great session! Cheers S😁

Weds 14th - 70mins easy with surges

Managed to get out for this at lunch time - not much to report!

Thurs 15th - W/u, 8*1k EIM, c/d

Headed out as soon as I could after work, slightly longer than my usual EIM 1k reps but felt good.

Fri 16th - W/u, 5*400, 5*200, 5*hills, c/d

A very familiar run at this stage of the plan, a nice run!

Sat 17th - 30min v.easy, 30 easy, 30 moderate, 30 HM, 30easy

Got out nice & early for this, the 30min moderate into the HM was a bit harder than I had expected but I managed to keep a consistent pace, slightly slower than I had thought I might manage but as S had said it was better to keep the 30 mins consistent than go too fast to keep the pace then dying off, so that is what I did - overall happy with how it went.

Went to Corkagh park for a 2k colour run with my grandson & my youngest daughter, highlight of my year I think!! It was brilliant, he loved every minute of it. Standing at the start line &I looked down at him with his face full of excitement he said "nana I'm sooo excited, I'm gonna run a race like you" well my heart just melted💛 It was so well organised & such a lovely day that we sat down in the grass & enjoyed some food from the markets there!

The day was topped off by heading out & having a few drinks watching a band(as we were supposed to head to see Aslan but that had been cancelled due to Christy being unwell) A nice way to finish off the day with a bit of dancing😄

Sun 18th - Easy miles

Thankfully I didn't have too much of a hangover. Headed over to the Park & met S. It was a beautiful morning & the miles passed by so quickly whilst having the chats, always great having company😊

Mon 19th - Rest Day

Tues - 20th - W/u, EIM 8*1k,C/d

Again another nice run after work, getting used to the longer miles now mid week!

Weds 21st - W/u, 20min Tempo, 800m jog, Mona fartlek, C/d

Got out at lunch time, great benefit of working from home! The Tempo part went well, felt comfortable then headed into the park onto the tarmac track. Completed the Mona fartlek but think I went a bit too hard on the hard bits, I didn't feel in bits after but knew it was a fair bit faster & harder than any of the sessions I had done in previous weeks. Mentioned it to S & yes I had been a bit too eager but no real harm done once I ran very easy the next day as was in the plan for the week.

Thurs 22nd - Very easy miles

Tough day at home & in the office & even though this was probably the slowest & shortest run of the plan it felt like the worst one! Felt sluggish & like time was standing still! Suppose you won't enjoy them all!

Fri 23rd - W/u, 5*400, 5*200, 5*hills, c/d

Much better than yesterdays run!

Sat 24th - W/u, 60min moderate, C/d

A lovely morning for running, felt comfortable for this.

Sun 25th - 3hr Long run

Woke up early & had brekkie & got a few things sorted. Set off with my water & fuelling in my belt. Ate a natural fruit stick that I had been trying on previous runs, then decided to take a Gel at about 3miles, was using the sis beta fuel 40g ones with some water. Stuck pretty much to the route I did last time. Took another fruit stick then another gel a bit after. All felt really good until halfway then my stomach just didn't feel great so it started to feel harder & very uncomfortable. It felt like a much longer run home!! Happy I could still keep the pace as steady as possible but not a great way to feel on a long run. Ate out in a pub yesterday & had pork nachos so not sure if that could have contributed? Will really need to be careful nutrition wise now going forward as that would be my worst nightmare feeling like that in the Marathon. Anyway very happy to have another couple of weeks ticked off & almost at my target for my charities but of course anything extra would be a bonus😊

Cheers lads, happy with it! That would have been cool D😁

Aw thanks a mill, I know it sounds like self pity👀I just thought I might have been able to pick it up a bit but when I sat & thought about it I realised what a solid run it was😊

I am honestly soooo excited E😁

It's based on Tinman times using my 5k time. I'm happy it was a nice solid run😊

I'm thrilled myself C, as you say one less thing to worry about!

Yeah C it really was good to get it done, happy with how it went. Hope you are recovering well.

Mon 17th - Rest

Tues 18th - W/u, 4*1k, C/d

Weds 19th - W/u, 4*10mins Tempo off 4mins, C/d

Thurs 20th - Rest

Fri 21st - W/u, 4*400, 4*200, C/d

Sat 22nd - 35min easy

Sun 23rd - 10miles easy

Mon 24th - Rest & sports massage

Tues 25th - W/u, 2*1k, C/d

Weds 26th - W/u, 15min Tempo, C/d

Thurs 27th - 30min easy

Fri 28th - Rest

Just want to get the last 2 weeks down. All the runs went pretty well except for the 2 I did in Coventry, absolutely awful place to run & just thanked my lucky stars that they were only short runs. The whole trip was a bit mental but that's a story for another time or the pub😂

Monday was the worst maranoia day, I think the lack of sleep over the weekend (not from partying!!) really affected me & I was questioning my whole existence at that stage😮 I questioned everything, even reset my target, but after some proper sleep & lots of thinking I felt much happier in myself. I went back to my original target & I'm sticking to it.

Do I believe I can do it? Yes

Do I believe it will be easy? No

Do I believe in my training? Yes

Do I believe I put in a really solid training block? Yes

Is it the end of the world if I don't get my target? No

I am in a really good head space right now which is a great feeling, I'm very content in myself & while there are healthy nerves the main feeling is excitement & gratitude that I get to go out & run a marathon, a choice many people unfortunately don't ever get to do!

A quote I have at home on a plaque which I love & believe relates to a lot of things in life (& the marathon) is "you don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step" Martin Luther King

Very best of luck to everyone running on Sunday, hopefully see a few of you in Mc Grattons🤗