Right from the start. Unable to run for a minute ----> To a Marathon.

Pacing Mule

I unfortunately have been carrying an injury since the LSR on Monday. Had a 5k run on Wednesday which left me in worse pain than after Monday. Rested up for the week and went out for a 4k run this evening. Trouble is what was sore on Wednesday is fine today but a host of other pains manifested themselves today. Am due to do a 13.1 mile LSR in the morning. Fingers crossed all goes well !

zooming

How did you get on?

Pacing Mule

Sorry I didn't have time to update this until now.

Where do I start ? The report on the LSR will come in due course but I need to set a scene. These logs I feel should not just be about logging ran x distance in y time but should also log the mental state too.

So as you have probably guessed by now my mental state has been on my mind over the past few days. It's no coincidence that this has happened as the marathon training ramped up. Anyone reading the mentored novices thread will have seen quite a lot of injuries, niggles and self doubt cropping up in the last couple of weeks. I have been questioning my own ability to actually do this (as have a lot of the other novices) There were a few posts made by some of the more epxerienced runners / mentors for the project to their own logs and marathon finishing posts from their first marathons which led me to find this post made by Mr Slow

Mr Slow in 2010 wrote:

Nope, I'm still on sub 4, to quote someone wiser than I "Oprah did it in 4:30"

My initial reaction to that was ah FFS - Oprah ran her first marathon in 4:30 and here I am struggling badly. What does that say about me ?

I chewed this over for a couple of days and came to the conclusion that all that says about me is that I am a whiny bitch. So what if Oprah done it in 4 hours 30 - taking out of the equation that she had an army of personal trainers - the fact is that I should not be focused on what everyone else is doing / has done and look at and judge myself by how I do versus my own abilities and times. To do anything else is naive in the extreme and sets you up for a mighty fall.

And Ladies and Gentlemen I have been naive from the start of this journey. Right from the OP where I set myself a 40 minute goal for 5 miles, to entering the marathon and comparing what times I may finish with if I kept that average pace going etc - all of it was lunacy :pac: It was setting targets that I had nothing to base them on.

If you're a novice runner and you've read this far - don't take any of the bull**** I spouted about times and goals along the way as advice - see it as a reflection of the mindset of a noob runner. The single most important thing I can advise you on is this - get up and get running, you are more than capable, and once running don't worry about anyone elses progress but your own.

So with that epiphany reached I went out for my scheduled LSR and first ever half marathon - 21.1 kilometres to cover. I was shattered after 16k My foot was aching me, my energy had long since left me and I had the oportunity to call an early halt (I had been doing some loops of the phoneix park, dropping back to the car after each one for a drink / gel) I knew that I was in no state to run another 5k but I decided that even if I wasn't going to run I could still walk. I could cover the distance. It's all about time on the feet and let's face it October will most likely have a bit of walking too. So off I went for the last 5k, posted in the novices thread whilst out there and managed to lightly jog some of the last few kilometres.

Total time 2 Hours 48 Minutes for a half marathon. I'd have been lapped if the marathon was being ran as two rounds of the course I ran but I don't care. I'm happy I covered the distance and am looking forward to increasing this and ultimately completing this years DCM. Times are something I will worry about next year.

zooming

You are a bloody star!!!!
Imagine having the guts to keep going when you were in pain, that shows real determination and Im impressed!!
I think alot of us newbies on here pick a time out of our asses (sorry) and think I HAVE TO DO THIS when in reality we have NOTHING to base our ludicrous goals on, only as what you said in your post, cos OPRAH did it. Big deal, people dont actually realise how far a half marathon is, much less a full marathon.. fair play to ya. You are fantastic!

career_move

zooming wrote: »

You are a bloody star!!!!
Imagine having the guts to keep going when you were in pain, that shows real determination and Im impressed!!
I think alot of us newbies on here pick a time out of our asses (sorry) and think I HAVE TO DO THIS when in reality we have NOTHING to base our ludicrous goals on, only as what you said in your post, cos OPRAH did it. Big deal, people dont actually realise how far a half marathon is, much less a full marathon.. fair play to ya. You are fantastic!

+1 on this

limoncella

Don't be too down on yourself PM, you are putting in a lot more training than I did last year for DCM and trust me I was scared out of my mind on race day, considering that in September I had only ran a 13 miler, 16, miler, and 12 mile LSR and only 10 other runs of 4 miles or less :eek: (was "doing" HH novice 1). I was so exhausted and frustrated going into october and thought there was NO WAY I would even be able to walk the marathon and finish. Looking back I can say that I was running my training runs all out every time (10-11 min miles cus I'm slow), being a noob and to some extent pride wouldn't listen to the run slow in training advice. October wasn't any better either, I ran the 18 and 20 milers but only TWO other 3 mile runs. TWO!!! :eek: Jesus just thinking about that now I have no idea how I made it, but I did. I mean I ran a slow 5.26 marathon but if my training was anything to go on, I should have never finished. What's weirder is I felt pretty good the whole way through during the race (aside from being sore, ect) I never felt like I would die or not finish once I started. I just went out comfortable and tried to have fun. I had the confidence I could finish it and I did. And look, I'm back again this year wanting to do it again! Although I'm jumping on the training plan late, I'll still be going into this marathon with WAY more training and of course another year of running. It's easy to get wrapped up in time goals but really it should be about the joy of running in general and pushing yourself to do something you never would have imagined you could do. Plus the marathon is so much fun in the back of the pack! that's where the party is :P

dazza21ie

Well done PM for keeping going. It's always good to get a milestone distance under your belt.

We all make the mistake of setting goals that are totally unrealistic at the start. The important thing is that you have realised what you are capable off. If you keep up the hard work for the next 9-10 weeks you will continue to improve and you probably will surprise yourself on the big day.

docjewel

i agree with all the previous posters Pageant Messiah,your really pushing yourself & the fact that you did not give up on your LSR will really stand to you on the big day.
You have come so far since you started in March & remember one of your original goals was for this log to serve an an inspiration to other total beginners,well in my opinion it is doing just that,Well Done:)
Not only is the log an inpiration but also your contribution on the mentored thread is invaluable to all that are associated with it(and you can be sure that there are many more not signed up for the thread but will read it to see how you and the rest of the gang are progressing so they can gauge for themselves how they are gettting along).
Oh & forget about Oprah,we're just interested on how you do,the time will be irrelevant once we know you cross that finish & have a detailed report here straight after the marathon your mission will be completed.

Pacing Mule

(Missed logging a 7k run during the week - I was in tatters after Mondays LSR and needed a few days rest ! Nothing too exciting so will leave it at that)

Today was my first ever 10 mile race.

I have to say I had a decent race - came in around 1 hour 47 a fraction outside my goal time but happy enough for my first ever official 10 mile.

I just about made it to the start - cut it way too fine trying to source parking and get down to the start - which seemed an eternity away from the castleknock gate ! Also made a schoolboy error and forgot to apply vaseline - more on that later !

This was my fourth race and I think this was the first time I got my wave positioning right. Even when going in the correct wave going too far to the front of that wave will cause you hassle. Today I started about 2/3rds of the way back in wave 3 and it really stood to me. I went off at the correct pace (didn't get pushed along at a higher than sustainable pace because everyone around me was like I did at the DLR 10k) and didn't spend my entire race dropping back down the field which can be disheartening.

The downhill start helped and I didn't find the climb back up to be that bad for mile. As we turned at the roundabout to climb back up to castleknock gate there were plenty of people longingly looking at those running back down chesterfield avenue and debating a quick step between the cars to cut off a bit of distance. Saw one sneaky fecker actually do it too ! (the phrase only fooling himself comes to mind)

Anyway get up to Castleknock gate and start back down the avenue. I had been saying to myself that I could pick up some time on the downhill but truthfully I was doing well to keep my pace up so settled for this and kept going. Went through the roundabout and I spotted a police bike coming up from the right. I was wondering was I about to see the winner rushing past us whilst we still hadn't got half way. Yep sure enough wheelchair athlete comes speeding by followed by Usain Bolt disguised as a white man sprinting down the path. Gave them both a round of applause but doubt they heard me

Kept going and at this stage I was starting to feel it, nevermind speeding up on the downhill I was beginning to struggle to stay running. Done a deal with myself that I would take a small walk break at the end of the downhill. I wasn't looking forward to the hills on the way back as I was feeling tired and sore but again the joy of being in the right wave came to play because there were plenty of people around me in the same boat. I had a great strategy for the first hill up from the kyber - don't look at the top, look at the runners of the person in front of me and follow them. Great idea until those runners stopped for a walk ! latched onto a second pair who also stopped - at that stage the runners in front of me were on the end of a rather attractive pair of legs and truth be known I felt like a pervert so stopped for a walk myself.

Water station was a God send at the top of this hill as I wasn't expecting it until later (thought it was in same place as the 5 miler) BIG thank you to all the volunteers manning the stations and the marshalls etc. Bit off respite before the next hill up towards ordnance survey. At that stage everyone (well most !) were struggling and pace and positioning was all over the place as people slowed, stopped, walked, ran a bit faster but in general the same faces were around and it was nice to be in a group as such.

Had a nice surprise at the right hand turn back to chesterfield avenue. My little one was there waiting for me and her excitement and exuberance gave me a bit of a lift and speed boost (which lasted until I was sure she couldn't see me anymore at which point I came close to throwing up )

At the end of the path there was the right hand turn onto Furze road and into the finishing straight. I have a constructive criticism to make about this. It's not a good idea to have the likes of the chip timing, baggage collections etc out on the course itself. The road was partially blocked by other finishers collecting their items and hanging around and I ended up kind of zig zagging around the gaps until I got to the barriered off section. It reminded me of the tops of the mountain stages of the tour de france. At one point there was room for about 3 people wide and no more to get through. Most were cheering those who were still running and it was a great motivation to dig in for the finish line but it was a little frustrating / intimidating to run through the crowd hanging around. (In fact by the time I was coming back after collecting my bag etc and the tail end of the race was coming too in dribs and drabs it was worse and I saw one runner come to a stop trying to navigate through the crowd. It wasn't fair for the slower runners and the slower you were the unfairer it got.

It's only a minor grumble though - it by no means ruined the day. The schoolboy error of no vaseline on the nipples won't be made again !! My little one was quite concerned when she saw "daddy had cut himself" - I knew they were sore but hadn't realised they were bleeding. Lesson learned.

In summary I had a great run and am very happy with my time.

Got a confirmation of 1 Hour 47 Min 5 seconds 4025th place out of 5536.

That's not too bad at all.

(PS - sorry if you are seeing this for the 3rd time - this was also posted in the mentored novices thread and the race thread itself. It does though dserve to be here in my own log)

career_move

Great run and great race report....it deserves 3 viewings

zooming

AMAZING!!!!! You should be the official race reporter with your description. Brilliant! Bet you feel so good now after you achieved that milestone. A really great job. Hope you having a beer now.

Pacing Mule

zooming wrote: »

AMAZING!!!!! You should be the official race reporter with your description. Brilliant! Bet you feel so good now after you achieved that milestone. A really great job. Hope you having a beer now.

Guilty

Pacing Mule

Regular readers will know by now that I generally do my weekly LSR on Mondays.

This Monday called for a 10 mile LSR, however I had raced 10 miles on Saturday. In resting / tapering for the race I had skipped a 7 mile midweek run so I went out today for a 7 mile recovery / LSR

Ran it quite slow, 7:18 per km average pace (just under 12 min miles) in the lashings of rain. Thoroughly enjoyed it, very comfortable despite being only 2 days after the 10 mile race and other than stopping to tie a shoelace or two along the way ran the whole thing non stop.

Rest of the week looks like this

4 mile run Wed
7 mile run Thursday
4 mile run Friday

and next Monday the biggest run so far 15 miles :eek:

Firegaurd

I discovered your thread at the weekend and I was delighted to find a log written by someone starting from scratch.

Like you in your OP I have started running with the C25K in the gym and from a starting point of 2.5 stone overweight. Im in week 5 and have lost a stone in the past 4 weeks.

Your blog is inspiring and should be recommended reading for all people new to running. I have enjoyed reading it showing the ups and downs and knowing what to expect as I progress.

Well done and good luck with your long term plans.

Kayleen

Pageant I am new to running and really enjoy your blog but I just HAVE to ask this question.... I know I am going to kick myself black and blue when I read the answer but my brain just won't function at the moment..........Here goes....What does LSR stand for???????????????????

Pacing Mule

Kayleen wrote: »

Pageant I am new to running and really enjoy your blog but I just HAVE to ask this question.... I know I am going to kick myself black and blue when I read the answer but my brain just won't function at the moment..........Here goes....What does LSR stand for???????????????????

No need to kick yourself

I mentioned it in a post back in May but it's easily missed. The LSR is Long Slow Run. The Long Slow Run is done once a week at a slower pace than normal. It gets you used to the increased mileage for longer race distances. An excellent post as to the logic behind it was made recently by menoscemo

menoscemo wrote: »

In order to cover a distance fast, you first need to be able to cover the distance slowly. Going about it the other way (constantly running at x Speed and trying to increase the distance) just doesn't work and you get stuck in a rut injured, frustrated and burnt out. You can still use some of your shorter runs and races as speed work and the idea would be that you build endurnace from the long slow runs and speed from the pace runs and races and combine the two thing on the day.

Pacing Mule

Firegaurd wrote: »

I discovered your thread at the weekend and I was delighted to find a log written by someone starting from scratch.

Like you in your OP I have started running with the C25K in the gym and from a starting point of 2.5 stone overweight. Im in week 5 and have lost a stone in the past 4 weeks.

Your blog is inspiring and should be recommended reading for all people new to running. I have enjoyed reading it showing the ups and downs and knowing what to expect as I progress.

Well done and good luck with your long term plans.

Hi Fireguard

Thanks very much for the feedback and congrats on getting off that couch and going for it. Delighted you have seen those kind of results already !

I've kind of fell off the wieght loss wagon if I'm honest - plateaued out at 14.5 stone. The increased mileage has me eating like a horse. I really should be eating a bit healthier though and am determined to start dropping some more weight. I'd be aiming to get under 13 stone.

Kayleen

Thank you so much for the response Pageant, I have myself suitably kicked:D

Pacing Mule

2 runs in a row in the absolute pissings of rain. This time for added lunacy I went out just as it got dark. In all seriousness though since the Samsung night run (in hurricane like conditions) I'm really not bothered by the rain. Wind is a different story of course

A little over the 4 miles done - total of 6.7km in 44 minutes - average pace 6:36 per km / 10.5 min miles.

This was a bit faster than the LSR on Monday (well it should be so no great surprise there) but was still reasonably comfortable. Full distance covered without any walk breaks which is encouraging.

leeomurchu

I'd be the same on that one the rain never bothered me but the wind is a pain seems to always be in your face no matter what direction you run in

I was out myself lastnight it was lashing and the paths covered in slugs made for slippery conditions starting to get a bit weary of running in the dark might have to switch runs to silly o clock in the mornings. :eek:

dazza21ie

leeomurchu wrote: »

I'd be the same on that one the rain never bothered me but the wind is a pain seems to always be in your face no matter what direction you run in

I was out myself lastnight it was lashing and the paths covered in slugs made for slippery conditions starting to get a bit weary of running in the dark might have to switch runs to silly o clock in the mornings. :eek:

Still dark at silly o'clock these days too. just a sign the big day is getting closer!

leeomurchu

dazza21ie wrote: »

Still dark at silly o'clock these days too. just a sign the big day is getting closer!

Don't say that I'm happily lounging in denial :eek:

zooming

Yep, I used to be able to get out at 5.15 for a run now I have to wait until 6am before its bright enough. Boo! Bit of a squeeze when doing the longer mid week runs! What are you all planning this weekend mile wise?

leeomurchu

only goin for 20k this weekend hiking up lug on Sunday so that'll do for my cross training. tired just thinking about it but well worth the views as long as it stays nice

dazza21ie

17 miles for me this weekend. Going by past performances going to take very close to 3 hours to do. Probably means heading off after 5 in the morning to get it do before everyone else stirs.

Pacing Mule

Bit of a mixed bag for this report.

Went out on Thursday for the scheduled 7 mile longer midweek run. No problems at all. Covered 11.2K in 1 hour 17 minutes which was a bit faster than Mondays 7 miles on the same route (1 hour 21) No walk breaks taken for the third run in a row (7 miles, 4 miles and 7 miles) was great.

Work and life got in the way for Fridays run and I only went out this morning for the last short run of the week.

Thankfully I was only on for a 4 mile run today - Lasted approx 1 kilometre before finding myself walking. Just didn't have the energy / stamina whatever to run today.

I'm due to do a 15 mile LSR tomorrow morning so I figured it would be counter productive to plough through. Settled for a slow run interspersed with a handful of walk breaks - 5k in 35 min. Not a great feeling I have to admit but let's see how tomorrow goes before panicking !

Pacing Mule

15 mile LSR done today. 24 kilometres in total. Took 3 hours 6 minutes in total (with maybe 10 mins lost to stopping at shops along the way for drinks etc)

Struggled badly by the end. (Where have we heard that before !) The wheels came off gradually from 19k onwards, by time time I was at 22k I was reduced to walking completely. Literally couldn't run my legs were in that bad shape.

The positive of the run:
Longest run ever. When the wheels came off my second longest run (21k 2 weeks ago) they came off sooner than today. So today did represent progress.

The negative:
Fact remains that 8 weeks out I'm falling apart half way around the full marathon course. On a scale of 1 to 10 worry wise I'm at 6.

zooming

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

15 mile LSR done today. 24 kilometres in total. Took 3 hours 6 minutes in total (with maybe 10 mins lost to stopping at shops along the way for drinks etc)

Struggled badly by the end. (Where have we heard that before !) The wheels came off gradually from 19k onwards, by time time I was at 22k I was reduced to walking completely. Literally couldn't run my legs were in that bad shape.

The positive of the run:
Longest run ever. When the wheels came off my second longest run (21k 2 weeks ago) they came off sooner than today. So today did represent progress.

The negative:
Fact remains that 8 weeks out I'm falling apart half way around the full marathon course. On a scale of 1 to 10 worry wise I'm at 6.

Amazing!!! Are you not so pleased? Are you doing the Dublin half on 15th?

Pacing Mule

Hi Zooming.

Yep doing the half.

Pacing Mule

4 mile run tonight. These days 4 mile runs are considered short and something to look forward to which is progress in itself.

Felt a bit adventurous so upped the pace for the run knowing that all I had to do was cover 4 miles. Total time of 38:10 with an average pace of 6:00 min per kilometre / 9:40 per mile. Splits of

5:53
6:14
6:12
6:14
5:46
5:54

Frankly speaking I would not be capable of doing much further at that kind of pace but it was nice to push the boat a bit. 2k from home opened up a bit more.

Only issue is the shin splints hurting a lot more than usual.