Micilín's Mucky Miles

backspacer · 25-10-2011 10:36pm

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I've been asked to do an interview on Dublin's Raidió na Life about me doing the Dublin City Marathon!! Will be on the radio between 6.30 and 7 this evening on 106.4FM and www.raidionalife.ie !!

Do they have any listen back option so I can check this out, as you Raidio na Life would have been a bit of a stretch for me out in the Connemara Gaeltacht

tHE vAGGABOND · 26-10-2011 8:46am

Do they have subtitles on that station :pac:

backspacer · 26-10-2011 10:03am

Sport 106 is being repeated on Raidio na Life now, any idea how far into the show your interview is Micilin?

Micilin Muc · 26-10-2011 11:12am

I did the interview at 6.30 yesterday, so it's probably 30 minutes in!

backspacer · 26-10-2011 11:15am

Feckin missed it, will keep an eye out for it.

Micilin Muc · 26-10-2011 1:59pm

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Do they have subtitles on that station :pac:

In all fairness, that station is a lot easier to understand for non-native speakers than Raidió na Gaeltachta. A few key words: rith, traenáil, rás, maratón!

Micilin Muc · 26-10-2011 2:19pm

Uh-oh, I just entered the Connemarathon Full in a moment of madness! I can always defer my entry for a year or drop down to the Half Marathon if I don't feel up for the Full.

backspacer · 26-10-2011 2:23pm

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Uh-oh, I just entered the Connemarathon Full in a moment of madness! I can always defer my entry for a year or drop down to the Half Marathon if I don't feel up for the Full.

Brave / Crazy / Stupid, insert as applicable...fair play haven't got the nerve to tackle the half at the moment never mind the full!

Micilin Muc · 26-10-2011 2:33pm

backspacer wrote: »

Brave / Crazy / Stupid, insert as applicable...fair play haven't got the nerve to tackle the half at the moment never mind the full!

All 3 I think! Last year I had entered the Connemarathon Half before I had finished Couch to 5 Miles, so the Brave / Crazy / Stupid mentality is not a new thing!

You're well able for the Connemarathon Half Backspacer. Compared to our 12-mile LSR a couple of weeks ago, it's only an extra mile and an extra 45 metres of climbing (we did 155m). It's 22 weeks away (10 weeks of 10-mile training and 12 weeks of Half-Marathon training). Go for it!

rainbow kirby · 26-10-2011 2:35pm

Micilin Muc wrote: »

All 3 I think! Last year I had entered the Connemarathon Half before I had finished Couch to 5 Miles, so the Brave / Crazy / Stupid mentality is not a new thing!

You're well able for the Connemarathon Half Backspacer. Compared to our 12-mile LSR a couple of weeks ago, it's only an extra mile and an extra 45 metres of climbing (we did 155m). It's 22 weeks away (10 weeks of 10-mile training and 12 weeks of Half-Marathon training). Go for it!

That's the spirit

Micilin Muc · 26-10-2011 8:13pm

Wednesday

Run: Rathmines to Booterstown

Not feeling particularly fit this week. My abs are sore from jumping across rivers on Monday night and my legs are sore. Switched the plan around a little bit for the last week: did my longest run this morning and doing 3 miles Friday and 2 miles Sunday.

Has the benefit of my taper peaked too soon? I felt much better this time last week!

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:48
Pace: 9:27min/mile
Climb: 0m
HR: 161bpm

backspacer · 26-10-2011 8:16pm

Micilin Muc wrote: »

All 3 I think! Last year I had entered the Connemarathon Half before I had finished Couch to 5 Miles, so the Brave / Crazy / Stupid mentality is not a new thing!

You're well able for the Connemarathon Half Backspacer. Compared to our 12-mile LSR a couple of weeks ago, it's only an extra mile and an extra 45 metres of climbing (we did 155m). It's 22 weeks away (10 weeks of 10-mile training and 12 weeks of Half-Marathon training). Go for it!

Talk about throwing down a pretty big gauntlet:D I won't lie its very tempting at the moment, will definitely something to consider soon.

Micilin Muc · 28-10-2011 9:15am

Friday

Run: Rathmines to Sydney Parade

Feeling a lot better today. Found it hard to slow down!

Preparations still ongoing:

Have worked out a mile-by-mile schedule for my family to follow me around the course!

I still don't know what I'm going to do in terms of hydation and gels. I got some Isogels during the week but I don't think they're the same ones I used before on my 20-mile LSR. Hopefully there'll be some at the expo tomorrow.

My brother says I should be self-sufficient in bringing gels & drinks around the course. As there'll be water every 3 miles and some family members in different places in between, I think I'll run without anything except maybe two or three gels for the first 2 hours.

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 26:53
Pace: 8:57min/mile
Climb: 0m
HR: 163bpm

backspacer · 28-10-2011 10:01am

Nearly there now, just put the feet up this weekend and relax, you'll be good to go on Monday.

Bally8 · 28-10-2011 10:25am

Best of luck Monday Micilin. Enjoy it:)

ronanmac · 30-10-2011 10:41am

Go n-eirí leat ar an Luain. Beidh gels agus uisce ar iompar agam, má fheiceann tú ar thaobh an bhóthair mé!

Micilin Muc · 30-10-2011 10:59am

ronanmac wrote: »

Go n-eirí leat ar an Luain. Beidh gels agus uisce ar iompar agam, má fheiceann tú ar thaobh an bhóthair mé!

Grma! Cén áit a mbeidh tú? Beidh mo t-léine Connemarathon orm. Go n-éirí le Máirín!

tHE vAGGABOND · 30-10-2011 11:37am

Good luck mate - a long way we have come since Conn in April

Hope your about for a herbal tea after in McG's :pac:

Micilin Muc · 30-10-2011 3:49pm

Sunday

Run: Rathmines to Crumlin

Very easy 2 miles. It was quite hot out and when I got home my OH said to me "You look like to ran 10 miles." Great :rolleyes:

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 20:09
Pace: 10:04min/mile
Climb: 0m
HR: 144bpm

Took a taxi down to the Expo as my bike is now permanently locked to the railing with a broken key in it. Must get an angle-grinder so I can cycle for next week's recovery!

Expo was good, a good variety of stands. Got talking to Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh! Bought myself a 25-pack box of Isogels, a long-sleeved DCM technical top and two pairs of running tights. I was quite disappointed with the goody bag from the Expo: a Lucozade sport, a muesli bar and a packet of crisps. There wasn't even a Compeed in there!

I've been sleeping well and eating well and am not too nervous about the race, just excited! I've been carbo-loading for three days and have the carb-sweats, if such a thing exists!

Friday
Porridge
Muller Rice
two pasta salads
soup and nice bread

Saturday
Porridge
Pancakes
Beef and a mushroom Risotto
Two glasses of wine

Sunday
Porridge
Pancakes
Lasagne tonight
Maybe a baked potato later if I feel like it.

Plan for Race Day:
6.30 Porridge
7.00 Pancakes
8.15 Start walking down to race start
9.30 Banana
9.55 Race

I'll start with two Isogels safety-pinned to my shorts and will pick up 4 more from my OH along the way and a banana and a Lucozade Sport from my cousin at the half-way mark.

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement! I really appreciate the support you gave me in training!

Micilin Muc · 30-10-2011 3:56pm

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Good luck mate - a long way we have come since Conn in April

Hope your about for a herbal tea after in McG's :pac:

Was just reading over my log from Connemara this morning and it seems like Conn was a lifetime ago!

I'll have my family in town for a little while after the race so I think I'll go home, have a shower and a nap and then head in to McGrattan's for a pint or two

backspacer · 30-10-2011 11:51pm

Go n-eireoidh leat amarach. Tá an obair déanta agat, anois bain taitneamh as. Beidh mé ag faire amach le haghaidh na torthaí amarach am a cinnt:D

Micilin Muc · 31-10-2011 5:26pm

Garmin time of 4:42. Not ideal, but I can now say I've ran a whole marathon without walking

Full race report in the morning

In the meantime, the garmin profile might give an indication of what happened.

backspacer · 31-10-2011 9:10pm

Fair play Micilin, very good time for you. Next stop Connemara!!

Micilin Muc · 01-11-2011 12:52pm

Pre-race
Nerves don’t usually help me so up until Monday morning, I had been procrastinating the nerves and was thinking positive. When I woke up 6.15 having had a good night’s sleep, I was already quite nervous. I put my running gear in the tumble-dryer and made my porridge. On Saturday and Sunday morning, I practised having my race-day breakfast but took over an hour both mornings. The same thing happened on race morning, except I didn’t finish my porridge and didn’t have pancakes. Not good!

The race start was only a mile from my house so I walked down with my OH at 8:45. I didn’t leave my bag with dry clothes at the drop-zone for after the race, but left it with my OH instead. It was a good idea since everybody’s bags were soaked having been left on the ground on Merrion Square with no shelter. We went to the shop on Baggot Street to get plasters for my nips but they didn’t have the ones that I wanted. I decided to wear my base layer long-sleeved top that I got recently as I would have no chafing in that. I also put on my water-resistant running jacket just in case it got very wet. Getting to the pen for my wave was quite difficult. I had to walk all the way down to Government Buildings from Baggot Street and back up Fitzwilliam Lane.

Placing myself near the 4-hour pacers, I met my brother’s friend who took part in the Ironman in Wales. He dropped out of the Ironman during the marathon stage so I was delighted to see he was doing a marathon so soon afterwards. Moved up ahead of him and the 4-hour pacers. Just before my wave started, I took off my jacket and packed it into the little pocket attached.

Miles 1-6
I was already quite hot by the time the gun went and by the time I got to Leeson Street I was sweating. I found it quite difficult to run with so many people around me - I really like my space! It only took me half a mile to find another Gaeilgeoir so I had a small chat with him down to O’Connell Bridge. This guy ran Marathon des Sables and the North Pole Marathon and climbed Everest … in the past year. I would have loved to have kept up with him as I’m sure he had some amazing stories to tell!

I found the first few miles quite difficult and I was really, really hot by the time we got to the Parnell Square. I took my first Isogel at 35 minutes and took a bottle of water from the first water station. Going along the North Circular Road I felt a rumble in my stomach – hunger!! I was also quite worried about the pace as the splits were not what I was expecting from the pacers. I expected a maximum of 9:05min/miles but here’s what I recorded:

9:00
8:58
9:16
9:00
8:43
9:10

Miles 7-12
A nice shower of rain hit us on the Upper Glen Road in the Park so I was glad of the packed jacket still in my hand. I took my second Isogel at this point and it also went down well but I still felt really, really hot. By now the pacers were quite a bit ahead of me but I decided to stick to my Garmin and try and forget about the pacers. The first proper hill going under the N4 flyover was fine, but I was gradually slipping away from the pacers and loads and load of people were passing me out. I didn’t understand what was going on as my pace seemed in line with my calculations of a 4-hour marathon, despite losing ground.

I gave my jacket to my OH at Crumlin Road and picked up an Isogel from her. After this is where I really started to suffer. My stomach went into knots and I started dropping the pace.

9:00
9:02
8:58
9:10
9:06
9:47

Miles 13-18
This is where the mental battle began. Going up Crumlin Road was difficult. The gradual incline didn’t bother me but the heat was getting to me. My cousin was out with her family around mile 14 or so and gave me a Lucozade and a banana. I could only have half of the banana and a little bit of the Lucozade and my pace was still dropping. I knew at this stage that 4 hours was out of reach but that didn’t bother me. I met my sister and her boyfriend just before 16 miles and had an Isogel for me but I knew it would make my stomach worse. Seeing them gave me a boost and I picked up the pace on the downhill to Terenure. My second sister’s family were just before Terenure and had another Isogel for me which I couldn’t take! They ran alongside me for a little bit which was really great!

On the other side of Terenure were my Dad and my third sister’s family. I gave them all high-fives! My pace dropped again on the way down to Rathgar and I kept looking behind me for the 4:15 pacers, not that I wanted to stay with them! They eventually passed me out at the Dropping Well which was not a nice experience: a crowd of 30 people all around me and a few people being quite rude cutting across and elbowing me. I figured that if it took that long for the 4:15 pacers to pass me out that 4:30 would be quite possible. I met my OH again at the top of the hill at Milltown and I took two Isogels off her there.

10:10
10:41
11:25
12:28
11:40
12:01

Miles 19-24
It was quite wet at this stage and my pace was still crap. Got talking to a fella who was running on behalf of the Marie Curie Hospice in Belfast. This gave me another bit of a boost as I remembered why I was running it for my chosen charity and concentrated on that for a while. Hitting the 20-mile marker I congratulated myself for getting this far. The hill before Foster’s Avenue was grand and I quite liked passing out people who couldn’t run it. I felt better now! Turning down the N11 I looked up Foster’s Avenue for the 4:30 pacers and could see them at the top. They eventually passed me at the Flyover. I gave out to the 98FM people who were standing with their arms crossed while Annie Lennox’s Walking on Broken Glass was being played – how inappropriate for marathon runners! Nutley Lane felt really long and there were loads and loads of people stretching against the trees. I was glad to get to Merrion Road which I have ran dozens of times in training.

12:14
12:48
13.27
12:54
13:21
12:41

Miles 24-26.2
I caught up with my brother’s friend at mile 24 and was very happy to see him! I stuck with him and my pace improved a lot. Picked up my last Isogel from my OH at Shelbourne Road. These miles were just about getting to the end. There was no mental battle, just putting one foot in front of the other. The bucketing rain didn’t faze me. The crowds were really great, especially Nassau Street. Seeing the finish line was something I won’t forget! I have now ran a marathon without walking.

11:16
10:58
10:14 pace for .47 mile.

A few tips for myself

Only chose a time goal that my half-marathon time can convert to.
Wear appropriate clothing, not 3 fecking layers.
Look at my heart rate during the race and adjust pace accordingly (10 miles of the race were above 180bpm - way too high for me).
Work on my demotivational problems.
Don’t do such a crowded marathon.
Practise my hydration and nutrition strategy in training.

Official Time
4:42:04

Micilin Muc · 01-11-2011 2:30pm

shazkea · 01-11-2011 8:26pm

Great report Micilin, sorry it didn't go exactly to plan but great attitude on planning your next one. Well done on a great PB

Slogger Jogger · 01-11-2011 8:55pm

+1. Great report. Any marathon which is ran all the way is a great achievement. You're a target nailed and lessons learned to employ the next time

Micilin Muc · 02-11-2011 10:50pm

Have had time this week to look at what races I'd like to do next. I won't be running any high mileage over the next 4 weeks but don't want to lose my fitness after that!

Primary Goal Race
I'm all on for doing the Connemarathon Full on April 1st. I'll not be putting any pressure on myself to get sub-4, at least not right now! Sub-4 is not completely impossible for me, but why run such a beautiful race if the sweat gets in my eyes

I'd be delighted with an enjoyable sub-4.30. Training should start at the end of November.

Other Races
I spotted the Wild West Run Half-Marathon today. A one-way trail race over the Kerry Way on February 25th. This is one race I'd be mad to miss!

The Leenane 5-mile is on November 20th. I did this last year as my first race after getting back into running so I would love to head back and beat my PB for 5 miles

On November 26th is the Blue Light Mountain Madness 5km, another trail race from the Blue Light pub in Ballyedmonduff up to the summit of Three Rock and back down again. I'll only do this if I don't do Leenane.

MarySamsonite · 08-11-2011 1:09pm

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I broke my PB by 1hr 48mins yesterday!

That's some feat! That has really encouraged me for next year's attempt

Thanks for a great race report! I don't know how you managed to pick up the pace so much in those last miles - I was dying :eek:

Micilin Muc · 08-11-2011 4:24pm

I had a whole week off work the week after DCM so I had plenty of time to relax and recover. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent on the couch reading books and listening to music

I went shopping on Friday, had masters graduation on Saturday, and a hangover on Sunday

I started backing running on Friday, 4 days after DCM, and did just under 2 miles along the canal. I took it very easy and could feel a few niggles, nothing too bad.

Did the same again on Sunday night, keeping my heart rate below 150bpm. Worked out well except for the 180bpm spike when I nearly stood on a rat :eek:

I got a year's membership for the gym and pool in Rathmines on Sunday for myself and my OH, so yesterday I ran to the gym from Booterstown Dart after work and spent about an hour in the pool doing slow lengths, concentrating on my form. I can't wait to do some of the classes, am very interested in Spinning and Masters' Swimming

Micilín's Mucky Miles

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