Dublin Marathon 2012 - Mentored Novices Thread

Donal112

17 miles run this morning. Delighted with it. Felt a bit iffy the first 3 or so miles and was thinking it was going to be a bad day but really settled into it after that. Used an audiobook for the first time thanks to a great suggestion here and found it brilliant, really helped to pass the time, although I skipped forward with my iPod shuffle by accident at one stage and couldn't get back to where I was! (only lost a few pages I reckon and was a crime thriller with a not too intricate plot so easy to pick up again in case anyone is interested haha!)

My run took in from mile 11 of the marathon route (Dolphins Barn) to mile 21 (Fosters Avenue). Nice to get familiar with the route. Average pace was 9.14/mile which was prob 20-30 secs / mile too fast, will defo slow down next week. But didn't really notice I was going a bit faster. Last mile was my fastest of the whole run, but in fairness it was all downhill and the chocolate milk was calling me!

No I'll effects afterwards so far except my ankles a bit stiff and I have a huge knot in the back of my calf that I could feel during the run! Suppose that why I should prob get one of those sticks or rollers to work out?

Hope everyone has a good run this weekend.

Runchick

tang1 wrote: »

career_move wrote: »

Hi-ho, Hi-ho, its off to Athlone we go

Thats 3 of us, anymore takers??

Would absolutely love to do it but it's just too far for me. I'm itching to race before the big day:)

So are you back running Tang?

tang1

Na, still laid up. Trying to stay positive that i'll be back for Athlone, 18 days off running now. If i had hair it would be well pulled out at this stage:):). Went for 80km cycle this morning, its just not the same as running.

Pacing Mule

tang1 wrote: »

Na, still laid up. Trying to stay positive that i'll be back for Athlone, 18 days off running now. If i had hair it would be well pulled out at this stage:):). Went for 80km cycle this morning, its just not the same as running.

But you are keeping the fitness levels up so when the foot is ready to go you won't have lost too much progress wise.

Keep that chin up mate.

darabbit

murphd77 wrote: »

Am I the only one who finds it frustrating that half of us are talking in miles, the other half (me included) in kilometers? It makes for unnecessary calibration, calculation, translation, frustration.

The official measuring system in Ireland has been metric for a long time now (my kids have no idea about miles, pounds, stones, pints, etc.). For older people, we sometimes need a push (for me, it was the simple observation that measuring small things in millimeters was more easier than sixteenths of an inch. Easier to say too.

I think it would be a good idea for this thread in the future to specify one measure only (I would suggest that it be kilometers, not because it's my preferred unit, but because, well, we don't have road signs in miles anymore for a start).

Before ye come down on me like a ton of bricks, I'm over 50, so it's not like I grew up with one system and can't think in another.

Let's do next year's spreadsheet in kilometers only! Please!

I can understand your frustration but the course will be marked in miles not KMs so I'm training in miles. It just makes it easier!

career_move

darabbit wrote: »

I can understand your frustration but the course will be marked in miles not KMs so I'm training in miles. It just makes it easier!

26 miles is a LOT less than 42km :D

tang1

darabbit wrote: »

I can understand your frustration but the course will be marked in miles not KMs so I'm training in miles. It just makes it easier!

Theres also less miles to count in a marathon than km's.

tang1

career_move wrote: »

26 miles is a LOT less than 42km :D

Beat me to it:D

career_move

And I was just going to say exactly the same thing.....but you beat me to it! Freaky :eek:

darabbit

I had the most frustrating 15 mile (24k:)) run this morning. I drove my route first and dropped a couple of bottles and gels at a couple of points along the way. I started out nice and steady running 10.30 minute miles (6.2ish minute KMS) and felt fine for the first 10 miles (16 km) but when I hit mile 11 (17.6km) I started to fade badly and by mile 12 I was reduced to a shuffle/crawl at a pace of 12min plus per mile. I forced myself not to walk.. A mental battle I tell you!! Mile 14 is a steady climb and I nearly stopped at one point but kept redaction to myself.. I must not walk, I must not walk!! I struggled home but felt terrible. I drank a glass of low fat milk and a dioralyte, showered and fell into bed!!
I have to take my hat off he ye folks that have smallies as I just don't know how ye do it!
I just don't know what happened this morn. I rand 3-7-4 mid week and I felt great. I ran my 4 mile on thurs at a 10 min/ mile pace and felt Great after it.

I am getting negative thoughts about the October bank holiday now.. Am I nuts to think I can push up the mileage again next week?

Runchick

tang1 wrote: »

Na, still laid up. Trying to stay positive that i'll be back for Athlone, 18 days off running now. If i had hair it would be well pulled out at this stage:):). Went for 80km cycle this morning, its just not the same as running.

Ah right, best of luck with your recovery. Cycling'a def not the same but I think my few weeks on the bike made my legs noticeably stronger, every cloud silver lining and all that :-))

Runchick

darabbit wrote: »

I had the most frustrating 15 mile (24k:)) run this morning. I drove my route first and dropped a couple of bottles and gels at a couple of points along the way. I started out nice and steady running 10.30 minute miles (6.2ish minute KMS) and felt fine for the first 10 miles (16 km) but when I hit mile 11 (17.6km) I started to fade badly and by mile 12 I was reduced to a shuffle/crawl at a pace of 12min plus per mile. I forced myself not to walk.. A mental battle I tell you!! Mile 14 is a steady climb and I nearly stopped at one point but kept redaction to myself.. I must not walk, I must not walk!! I struggled home but felt terrible. I drank a glass of low fat milk and a dioralyte, showered and fell into bed!!
I have to take my hat off he ye folks that have smallies as I just don't know how ye do it!
I just don't know what happened this morn. I rand 3-7-4 mid week and I felt great. I ran my 4 mile on thurs at a 10 min/ mile pace and felt Great after it.

I am getting negative thoughts about the October bank holiday now.. Am I nuts to think I can push up the mileage again next week?

Sounds like you've just had one I these bad runs everyone's been reporting recently, bet next week's LSR is much easier as your body will remember today. Well done for not stopping when the going got tough:-))

Murph_D

darabbit wrote: »

I can understand your frustration but the course will be marked in miles not KMs so I'm training in miles. It just makes it easier!

Well I don't know about previous years but actually this year the route is marked in miles AND at 5k intervals, according to the DCM website.

career move wrote:

26 miles is a LOT less than 42km

Well Eight 5k markers is a LOT less than 26 miles

Dilbert75

17m just completed and boy was that tough! After the euphoria of racing, and beating my own targets, two weeks in a row, this has me back to earth with a hell of a bump. Plotted a course that'd have me run around the town then out one national route, then cross-country then in another national route. Chose the clockwise direction as that'd leave me with a shop about 8k from home - I knew I'd need more water at that stage. The downside was that, from about 6k to 12k was various grades of uphill. Once I got to the top, I met the wind in my face and there it stayed for the duration.
Around 16k I started tiring - perhaps it'd been too long since breakfast - and I took my gel (high5 with caffeine) at about 19k. The caffeine kicked in almost instantly and I started feeling human again, to the point where the watch was back telling me to slow down. Got my bottle of water and headed for home - total distance 27.7k in 2hrs 48.
18m next weekend - going to do a very easy cross-train tomorrow cos I've to pull next week forward by a day - bringing my son to the air show in Portrush next weekend so 5 hrs driving each way.

tang1

darabbit wrote: »

I had the most frustrating 15 mile (24k:)) run this morning. I drove my route first and dropped a couple of bottles and gels at a couple of points along the way. I started out nice and steady running 10.30 minute miles (6.2ish minute KMS) and felt fine for the first 10 miles (16 km) but when I hit mile 11 (17.6km) I started to fade badly and by mile 12 I was reduced to a shuffle/crawl at a pace of 12min plus per mile. I forced myself not to walk.. A mental battle I tell you!! Mile 14 is a steady climb and I nearly stopped at one point but kept redaction to myself.. I must not walk, I must not walk!! I struggled home but felt terrible. I drank a glass of low fat milk and a dioralyte, showered and fell into bed!!
I have to take my hat off he ye folks that have smallies as I just don't know how ye do it!
I just don't know what happened this morn. I rand 3-7-4 mid week and I felt great. I ran my 4 mile on thurs at a 10 min/ mile pace and felt Great after it.

I am getting negative thoughts about the October bank holiday now.. Am I nuts to think I can push up the mileage again next week?

As Runchick said just a bad run, we all go through them. Your body will remember today and be all the stronger for it. Keep the chin up, everybody had bad days even the pro athletes have days when they struggle. Think how much your fitness & health has come on since you started training for DCM.

Deedee2012

Well done everyone on the LSRs today!
I just had 7 miles today after doing my long one midweek. I remembered a post earlier on, I think it was pageant messiah, about the effect of long miles on the pace of shorter runs, I decided to race the clock for 5 miles to see where my short pace was. I took 5 secs off my 5 mile in the Phoenix park time and today included serious hills, so my short time has definitely improved. I managed to continue on to complete the 7 in a much quicker time than I would have thought I'd be capable of, so I'm very surprised and pleased with the improvement in my pace, felt great to let go a bit after plodding around for 3 hours earlier in the week. Good luck to anyone LSRunning tommorrow.

overpronator

Dilbert75 wrote: »

17m just completed and boy was that tough! After the euphoria of racing, and beating my own targets, two weeks in a row, this has me back to earth with a hell of a bump. Plotted a course that'd have me run around the town then out one national route, then cross-country then in another national route. Chose the clockwise direction as that'd leave me with a shop about 8k from home - I knew I'd need more water at that stage. The downside was that, from about 6k to 12k was various grades of uphill. Once I got to the top, I met the wind in my face and there it stayed for the duration.
Around 16k I started tiring - perhaps it'd been too long since breakfast - and I took my gel (high5 with caffeine) at about 19k. The caffeine kicked in almost instantly and I started feeling human again, to the point where the watch was back telling me to slow down. Got my bottle of water and headed for home - total distance 27.7k in 2hrs 48.
18m next weekend - going to do a very easy cross-train tomorrow cos I've to pull next week forward by a day - bringing my son to the air show in Portrush next weekend so 5 hrs driving each way.

Well done fair play, did my 16 today and it was pretty uncomfortable, knees bothering me. I hear you when you say you're back down to earth. Did the Frank Duffy 10 mile last week and really surprised myself with my run but it took alot out of me and i realised that all week and in particular this morning! Did mine in the Park and Chapelizod area and found the heat a killer too, but not to worry its under the belt now so onwards and upwards!

jinxremoving

Went out with the intention of doing my lsr. Felt dreadful, legs like lead,sore head and heart racing, sweating buckets. Decided to cut my losses and just do 3.5 gentle miles and come home. Feeling like I have ran 20 miles now I'm in. Exhausted is not the word for me now. Annoyed and frustrated :-(

career_move

Hope you feel better soon jinx!

career_move

Donal112 wrote: »

No I'll effects afterwards so far except my ankles a bit stiff and I have a huge knot in the back of my calf that I could feel during the run! Suppose that why I should prob get one of those sticks or rollers to work out?

Donal the last time there was running stuff in lidl I got a pair of ankle supports. Sometimes my ankles feel a bit weak after a long run/pace run and I find them great to put on then for a few hours. I think they were only about 9 euro.

tang1

jinxremoving wrote: »

Went out with the intention of doing my lsr. Felt dreadful, legs like lead,sore head and heart racing, sweating buckets. Decided to cut my losses and just do 3.5 gentle miles and come home. Feeling like I have ran 20 miles now I'm in. Exhausted is not the word for me now. Annoyed and frustrated :-(

Sounds like your coming down with something jinx, go to Doc if your not feeling better soon.

joe40

Hi just finished my 15mile (24K) run this morning. It was tough especially towards the end but great to have it done. I got around on a bananna and a bottle of lucozade sport, I had a gel with me but was a bit reluctant to use it in case absolutely necessary (Still worried about digestive issues so will try a few next week during shorter runs)

Clutching for positives where I can but there are only three more "training runs" left on HH1 where distances are increasing - 16, 18 and 20 miles. Not counting the big one of course.

So far so good training runs are hard but If I can stay injury free the marathon looks doable. Hope these words don't come back to haunt me. Good luck to everyone with training

Murph_D

27k LSR today - longest ever run for me, and coming on the back of the Frank Duffy 10m last week and a 13k pace run on Weds.

Set off this morning up the Royal Canal from Croke Park area about 9:30. The plan was to go as far as Clonsilla and turn back. I was a bit apprehensive as I've never gone further than Broombridge and wasn't sure what the going is like after that, although a friend who cycles the canal recently assured me it was grand.

Nice warm morning. I was carrying a half-litre water bottle as I've mislaid my hydration belt. So that was a bit uncomfortable. Lots of activity on the canal to distract me: a string of boats heading up to Phibsboro for the Phizzfest, lots of activities on the locks. If you're familiar with the stretch up from Binn's Bridge you'll know it's quite an uphill slog but no bother this early in the run. At the Shandon Mills there was a game of canoe polo in full swing. As you go on up past the wonderfully named Coke Ovens Cottages, which front onto the canal (probably a security nightmare), there is a very wild and quiet stretch with lots of swans, ducks. Beautiful, and so inspiring I was going faster than the 6:10/km pace I'd set for this particular LSR.

Past Broombridge and the towpath widens into a lovely cinder-type track at the apartment developments at River Road and Ashtown - lots of ghost apartments and wasteground where the development obviously stalled but the canal frontage is in great shape, no doubt spruced up to help sell these apartments. At Ashtown there is a dock, a restaurant and the Canal Bar (although its unfortunate logo makes it look like ANAL BAR to me...). So much to see, I was hardly noticing the kilometers rack up. Around 9k I crossed high over the M50/Blanchardstown exchange on the canal aqueduct. A great piece of engineering - nice to finally see how they did it. Then at Castleknock there is a Marina and a hotel - who knew?

I'd been averaging about 5:52 up to this point but after Castleknock the paving runs out and you are running on a first muddy, then stony narrow path that rises up about six metres over the canal itself, which looks like it was blasted out of rock at this point. Have to be careful here (a trip could send you plummeting down into the water). I was worried about this rough ground. You could easily go over on an ankle. So far my training has been injury-free so I would plan on bypassing this area, about 1.5 km long, next time and find a route around it on the adjacent roads. But after the bridge at Coolmine Road (I think) we were back to a wider, even dirt path again. This path is obviously being improved at the moment: closer to Clonsilla it is dressed and then nicely paved.

So at Clonsilla, having exhausted my water supply I asked directions to the nearest shop and bought another half litre which I took with a Power Bar gel, just to try it out. Gel tasted salty and the stomach, very briefly, felt a bit iffy. But I ran back to the canal and went up about another kilometer before turning around where the canal starts to veer to the south at Barberstown. Holy crap - I was nearly in Meath! At this point I'd done about 14.5k.

Not sure how much good the gel did but I negotiated the rough ground successfully, in fact it didn't seem so bad on the way back, although I made a mental note to scold my cyclist mate for not cluing me in to this stretch. There were plenty of runners out, mostly friendly except for one lug who I heard heaving up behind me on this rough stretch. I stepped in to let him pass and he just ploughed past without a word, ignoring my "You're welcome!"

Started to feel tired once over the M50 again and over the final six, and especially the final two kilometers, I was flagging. At Phibsobro, the canoe polo was still going on and the boats were continuing up the lock complexes. I was heartened to see a couple of boats I'd seen two and a half hours earlier hadn't moved more than a kilometer. There was an interminable wait to cross the street at the top of Whitworth Road, but at least the last k was downhill. Hit the 27k mark exactly as planned at Binn's Bridge where I bought some chocolate milk and sat down watching a long barge coming through the double lock there.

Total time 2:44:33, pace 6:03, faster than planned but right in the middle of my McMillan calculated range for LSRs. I've been doing most of my LSRs in very rural areas with plenty of hills, great scenery, but little human activity (except the guy I helped round up a couple of horses a few weeks ago in Donegal). This run offered a different type of urban/suburban scenic experience - very memorable indeed. I will run this route again - in fact I'm now curious to see the parts beyond where I turned back. I can see a future LSR to Leixlip or Maynooth, where I could get a train back to town. That's assuming I can stay injury free over the next couple of months of course - no guarantee especially at my advanced age!

Does anyone else run the Royal Canal? I'd be interested to know how the running conditions are beyond Barberstown.

irlirishkev

So I did my 15m LSR this morning. Was pretty apprehensive, what with knee pains, and just general tiredness from constant running.

It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. Knees were sore on and off, but really I just felt a bit drained. I found the 1st 13 miles tougher than I did during the Achill Half Marathon a few months back, and considering I ran the Phoenix Park this morning, that's saying something! It was pretty warm down there between 10 and 12.30 as well.
Sore feet for the last couple of miles, but I'm hoping that's just the new runners breaking in.

Finished in 2.33, so around an average of 10mins 13seconds per mile. If I want to finish the DCM in under 4.15 (which I do) I need to better that.. but sod it, Just finishing is a start!

I tested a High 5 gel on my stomach today. No ill effects, but no major burst of energy either. I may have taken it too late in the run (10.2 miles).

Went to the physio afterwards, and she needled my overly tight calves. Very very painful, but a means to justify the end I guess..

Well done to everyone else on their LSRs.. the park was packed this morning with runners - I'm sure there were some other Boardsies about.

dazza21ie

irlirishkev wrote: »

So I did my 15m LSR this morning. Was pretty apprehensive, what with knee pains, and just general tiredness from constant running.

It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. Knees were sore on and off, but really I just felt a bit drained. I found the 1st 13 miles tougher than I did during the Achill Half Marathon a few months back, and considering I ran the Phoenix Park this morning, that's saying something! It was pretty warm down there between 10 and 12.30 as well.
Sore feet for the last couple of miles, but I'm hoping that's just the new runners breaking in.

Finished in 2.33, so around an average of 10mins 13seconds per mile. If I want to finish the DCM in under 4.15 (which I do) I need to better that.. but sod it, Just finishing is a start!

I tested a High 5 gel on my stomach today. No ill effects, but no major burst of energy either. I may have taken it too late in the run (10.2 miles).

Went to the physio afterwards, and she needled my overly tight calves. Very very painful, but a means to justify the end I guess..

Well done to everyone else on their LSRs.. the park was packed this morning with runners - I'm sure there were some other Boardsies about.

From memory pace needed for a 4:15 time is 9:45 miles. So your lsr pace is probably actually a little on the quick side. But then he without sin cast the first stone!

dazza21ie

Done my 17 mile lsr early this morning. Took just under 3 hours to do which was in line with pace of recent lsr's. A bit tired after it but felt quite comfortable out there. Hardest part was when I stopped my two legs just seized up and started to cramp. Had to do a little more than the normal token stretching. Thinking back now I prob felt in worse shape after doing a three mile run back in january!

career_move

My hilly socks are magic....they turned my black toenails white this morning :D

jprender

Just adding my mileage to the spreadsheet there and noticed the dates have gone a bit askew as August only shows 30 days.

14km done this evening in my new pair of runners. Was probably a little far for breaking them in, but still, no harm done thankfully.

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/217542629


Really tempted to join the crew doing the Athlone half, I haven't had a race in ages and I'm itching to have a blow out

blockic

jprender wrote: »

Really tempted to join the crew doing the Athlone half, I haven't had a race in ages and I'm itching to have a blow out

Come along jprender! sure won't it be a bit of fun! Just registered for it there. €20 is fierce value too in fairness!

tang1

jprender wrote: »

Really tempted to join the crew doing the Athlone half, I haven't had a race in ages and I'm itching to have a blow out

Go you know you want to, all the cool people are running it!!