DCM 2023 Mentored Novices Thread

I'm a 28/29 inch waist & I got size 2

Hi,I just got a transfer for my first marathon so I’m in the market for for a watch-would you take something for it? That’s very kind of you

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120894682/#Comment_120894682

Hi all, I just took a transfer spot for my first marathon is it too late to join the group.

Would be great to have somewhere to bounce questions from.

Sure.

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)

Did kilkee 10k in 53mins in July 23

Parkrun not sure if that count in 24:10

Did one hm last year was very bad and finished in 2:30ish

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

No but will walk or stretch if I ever feel the need.

How much training do you currently do ? Distances, how many days a week, cross training - whatever you think is relevant to your current fitness level.

Been running every day since mid April so 7 days a week one 10k usually at a tempo pace and one 5k at race pace rest of the days are very easy runs of 4-7k total 40k most weeks.

I also do 2 days a week of squats and weights as I find it keeps the niggles at bay.

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

Dream would be 4:10.

I'd like 4:30 but will be happy under 5 hours

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?

Plan on continuing to run 7 days as I like the daily morning habit. Plan to drop the speed 5k and replace with an easy run and do Sunday lsr building up to 30k with 3 weeks to go to the marathon.

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

I'm a heavy runner 6foot and about 108kg so worry that the weight will impact the feet and joints as the distance rolls on.

Why are you running this marathon?

Something I'd like to do and I hear the atmosphere is great

Of course it would. If you could answer the few questions in the first post that would be brilliant.

For yourself and anyone else who has joined up recently we have a Strava group set up. Just PM any of myself, MisterJinx or Kellygirl with your real name and then request to join the group. It's a useful way for us to see your training. 😉

Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)

5k - 25:06 (2023)

10k - 53:30 - (2019)

1/2 - 2:12:24 - (2022) 

Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? 

No

How much training do you currently do? 

Following the boards plan but I'm a week or two behind the long run distance

35 - 40 km a week typically 

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

Just want to finish, only have one half marathon under my belt so far so don't mind too much about the pace, just want to get over the line 

How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?

Much as I need, Boards plan 

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

Injury preventing me from doing the race

Why are you running this marathon?

Cross it off the list before injury precludes me from it 

Welcome to everyone joining us 😃

WEEK 5 UPDATE

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

Yes, 6 runs this week, 56.5km. My tired calves became a real distraction but the foam rolling suggestion from @MisterJinx worked a dream. Gonna try do it daily. New runners broken in, although got a small blister on corner of third toe during lsr. Hopefully it doesn't develop further.

- Did you run the runs at an appropriate pace?

Yes, I think so. I've been around 7.30p/km but the tired calves really made me question if that was too fast for 6 runs per week, and I considered going slower. I think with the foam rolling success I'm back on track.

The strides on Wednesday were a nice addition to the run.

For the lsr I decided to break it into 3 parts of 8km, psychologically. I used the route planner that @skyblue46 linked earlier,.such a good tool. I parked the car at a point and then I ran from and to it 3 times in different directions. I took a gel after the first 8km and scoffed a banana at the 16th. There were all weathers - heavy rain, heat /sun and high winds. I had 2 urgent bathroom events that I won't go into, but suffice it to say the situation is starting to stress me out a little on runs. I'm proud that I deviated from my well worn route a bit, as I'm a terrible creature of habit and the urgent events are exacerbating that. I think I've just stumbled upon my new 'stress dream' - DCM laughing stock due to unruly bowel 😆😆😆, think I'd rather stick with night before leaving Cert Gaelige exam and haven't opened a book! I still have that dream and I did my LC in the 20th century! 🤣

anyway...

Up the yard, Week 6!!

That is also the fear I was talking about a few weeks ago! People say what's the worst that could happen doing the marathon, that!

According to last year's map, there are toilet facilities every 4-5km on the route so it's pretty frequent.

Worth taking it into consideration for your longer runs though and having a plan. I do also try do some stretches at home before my runs to see if there is any movement

I don't disagree with any of that but the HH boards plan was only up at 16k for the LSR this week , and steps back next week! Was one of the reasons why I didn't like it.

(insert standard marathon-noob advice disclaimer)

This is a somewhat contested issue. IMO you shouldn't feel that you have to be be chucking gels down your throat, and I think they're fairly pointless/counterproductive for shorter easy runs, but it is uncontroversial that if you're going to do it on race day then you should practice/experiment in training.

Personal opinion: I prefer exercising without gels and dealing with the fatigue afterwards. To me, it feels like the empty-refill cycle is a positive thing for my confidence and wellbeing, rather than trying to stay constantly topped up, but I almost never do more than 8 hours of training a week for a sustained period, which is absolutely no where near the limit of what's possible. I know that there are people (particularly some cyclists and multi-sport athletes) who do absolutely monstrous training loads (like many hours a week of high aerobic) which would not be sustainable without rigorous and constant "fuelling" as they say, and there is a load of sports science to back this up. I don't want to live like that, but a couple of gels on a long run (and one before, if fasted) is sensible. I wouldn't not use caffeine gels for all of them though, at most the first one and the last one.

I take gels on my long run of the week to practise with them as much as anything. I did 20k at the weekend and took two gels. I did 3 at a recent half marathon and felt it was a little much for me, but maybe it will work for you

One issue I have with gels, is it's kind of impossible to know in some ways how good, bad or indifferent of a benifit they are having to you on that run, because there are other factors that impact how you feel too. Like if I run 20k this week and same next week and I do the same thing with gels, I could feel completely different in terms of it being easier or harder (maybe your more tired/stressed sore whatever) So if I changed my gel strategy between the two weeks, it's not necessarily the gels that's making the difference, so it's quite difficult to figure out what strategy to go with.

You'd nearly need to clone yourself on one run and see how it feels!

One of the entertaining aspects of following you lot on Strava is seeing the difference in reactions to the long runs.

Normal friends: OMG you're amazing! Or going to die! This is brilliant or terrible!

Fellow travellers: thumbs up for doing the thing on the spreadsheet I guess