Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Dublin Marathon 2012 - Mentored Novices Thread
Options
Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
Where to start ?
I'm shattered here - absolutely shattered. I've never felt pain like yesterday, yet never felt as inspired as yesterday too. My target was to hang onto the 5 hour pacers as long as I could. No real time goal at all - just to finish in one piece. Training as regular readers here would know has been next to non existant for the last 4-5 weeks due to injury so the best case scenario was to simply get around.
I met Blockic for a gentle stroll towards the start line. As he is a souped up wave 1 attendee we had to part as soon as we got to the start area. I met up with my physio who taped up my leg to give me the best chance of getting around on the inured leg. After dropping my bag off I joined the back of Wave 3 and began gently jostling towards the 5 hour pace flags. I was nervous - very nervous - and the nerves grew to a point where fear was taking over. The kind of fear that you just want to run and find your family and hide from the world. I gave myself a mental slap in the face and got focussed on the task in hand.
The starting gun went off up ahead for wave 1 and all I could see was clothes flying left and right. It was like a cartoon fight where loads of objects and items are thrown out of the big ball of flying fur. Then wave 2 went off and pretty soon it was our turn. The first mile or so was a little congested but nothing near what I had expected. I was trying to conserve energy by not zig zagging around other runners but I was also afraid of losing the 5 hour group. By the time we got to O'Connell bridge everything had thinned out though and I was back behind the pace group. My wife and little one were waiting for me there and I handed over my jacket to keep going and grabbed a little hug off my daughter.
Things felt very good at that point. Only issue was the tape on the leg was starting to peel off. By the time we got to dorset street I had to stop and rip the tape off. No major problem though as the shin was holding up well. I was chatting with a couple of people along the way and ended up meeting / chatting with Curr33 for most of the NCR and Phoenix Park. Things were going very well and I at that point was thinking that I probably could see things out with the 5 hour group. I was wrong
I lost the 5 hour group around Rialto but in hindsight I had started to lose them at the Chapelizod water station. One minute I was talking to Curr33, then I veered right a bit to grab an energy drink. It should have lost me 2-3 seconds at most but when I looked up they were further away. It suddenly felt like an effort to keep up. The hill out of Chapelizod wasn't as bad as I feared at all. In fact I managed to just about catch back up to the group. At that stage though it was again a struggle to keep up. I knew we were about a minute ahead of 5 hour pace at that point which was probably a bad thing as I allowed myself the luxury of a 1 minute gap knowing that I would still be on for a 5 hour. The only good thing about Rialto though was my wife, child and at that stage my mother who had joined them had hopped a LUAS out and I again had some friendly faces and encouragement waiting for me.
Turning right at Crumlin and that long drag up to Walkinstown broke my heart. I spent that time looking at the 5 hour group taking off into the distance. My lack of training bit me in the ass at this stage and an enforced walk-run-walk-run strategy came into play. I was cold, tired, hungry and dejected and hating that hill. I got passed by two lads singing bohemian rhapsody at full voice and hated them too ! (When I later passed them out in bits at Milltown I had an evil giggle to myself) When I saw the half way sign in the distance I didn't know whether or not to be encouraged or dejected by the fact I was still only half way there. I remembered though that there would be cameras there and I didn't want to be seen walking so dug deep and managed to get up and around the turn at the roundabout before resuming my walk run strategy.
At this point I really started to appreciate the support from the crowd.(Not that there wasn't any up until then but you just appreciate it so much more when struggling) I had read here to put my name on my shirt and wow what a difference it made. At least 100 times on that course someone shouted my name and gave me encouragement to keep going. The amount of people standing on that course for hours on end handing out fruit, jellies and sweets to complete strangers was humbling to say the least. The fact they were still there for us at the tail end of the race was even more remarkable.
On the way into Terenure I passed the 16 mile mark and celebrated the fact that I was now into record breaking territory (previous record distance was 16 miles some weeks ago) I also lamented the fact it was 10 miles to go too. Pain was steadily building all over me at this stage but thankfully the shin I had been most worried about was ok. Into Terenure and over the mat a guy on the PA roared my name. I also saw my physio there who gave me some more encouragment. A few miles later and the long drag to Clonskeagh was in front of me. At this point it was more walking than running but trying to keep a fast walk when doing so. Mentally I was starting to fatigue as well. I could hardly think straight - felt in a bit of a daze. Just on the corner before turning towards the road leading to "heartbreak hill" there was a girl and her friend there who shouted my name and "let's be having you" Before I realised it I had shouted back Do we have time ? The crowd around laughed and I kept going but it clicked with me that I wasn't as bad as I thought I was mentally. There was some function still there. So when I got to the sign saying heartbreak hill I decided I was going to plough up it non stop. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected it to be - for me walkinstown drag was worse. In fact trying to go down the steep hill of fosters avenue was harder.
Once again the family were waiting for me out on the course at the bottom of fosters hill having bussed it out. Brave face on
little one runs a bit with me - I keep going but by the time I got to the UCD flyover I was done. I was literally seizing up out on the course. Nutley lane will forever more for me be associated with the worst pain ever. I wanted to stop, I knew if I did that I would not start again. I texted the family to say exactly that. I was hoping for some inspiration back to get me going. The text back simply said (my daughter) says she loves you, don't stop, don't let the leg beat you. Irony was the leg injury was the least of my concerns but that text had me close to tears yet full of joy at the same time. I remembered then that I had placed 3 pain killers in my pocket just in case the shin had gone during the race. Fished them out - sweat etc had melted and fused them into this hard salty mess but with a water station in front of me I threw them in. They tasted disgusting - truly disgusting but they seemed to help within a mile. (Could have been a placebo effect mind you)
I was delighted at that stage to be able to start putting together a string of small runs. Each time passing other runners. In fact the last 2 miles in I probably made up 100+ places constantly reeling in those in front of me walking because I was running half the distance. It felt good. Eventually got around to the finish area. I grabbed my little one by the hand and she ran the last couple of hundred metres home with me through a cheering crowd. It was a very special moment for me to cross with her - the tannoy announcer even mentioned her as if we were a group coming home.
Came home in 5:36 with an intact leg. Happy days I had the pleasure of meeting a few of our boards community up in mcgrattens afterwards proudly wearing my finishers shirt. A perfect end to a great day.
Special thanks at this point to all the volunteers, stewards and marshalls out on route, to all the pacers, to YoungAnne and the other mentors here on boards too and last but by no means least thanks to all of you guys here for being a part of this experience. I will be back next year for sure. 0 -
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
Pageant Messiah wrote: »Where to start ?
I'm shattered here - absolutely shattered. I've never felt pain like yesterday, yet never felt as inspired as yesterday too. My target was to hang onto the 5 hour pacers as long as I could. No real time goal at all - just to finish in one piece. Training as regular readers here would know has been next to non existant for the last 4-5 weeks due to injury so the best case scenario was to simply get around.
I met Blockic for a gentle stroll towards the start line. As he is a souped up wave 1 attendee we had to part as soon as we got to the start area. I met up with my physio who taped up my leg to give me the best chance of getting around on the inured leg. After dropping my bag off I joined the back of Wave 3 and began gently jostling towards the 5 hour pace flags. I was nervous - very nervous - and the nerves grew to a point where fear was taking over. The kind of fear that you just want to run and find your family and hide from the world. I gave myself a mental slap in the face and got focussed on the task in hand.
The starting gun went off up ahead for wave 1 and all I could see was clothes flying left and right. It was like a cartoon fight where loads of objects and items are thrown out of the big ball of flying fur. Then wave 2 went off and pretty soon it was our turn. The first mile or so was a little congested but nothing near what I had expected. I was trying to conserve energy by not zig zagging around other runners but I was also afraid of losing the 5 hour group. By the time we got to O'Connell bridge everything had thinned out though and I was back behind the pace group. My wife and little one were waiting for me there and I handed over my jacket to keep going and grabbed a little hug off my daughter.
Things felt very good at that point. Only issue was the tape on the leg was starting to peel off. By the time we got to dorset street I had to stop and rip the tape off. No major problem though as the shin was holding up well. I was chatting with a couple of people along the way and ended up meeting / chatting with Curr33 for most of the NCR and Phoenix Park. Things were going very well and I at that point was thinking that I probably could see things out with the 5 hour group. I was wrong
I lost the 5 hour group around Rialto but in hindsight I had started to lose them at the Chapelizod water station. One minute I was talking to Curr33, then I veered right a bit to grab an energy drink. It should have lost me 2-3 seconds at most but when I looked up they were further away. It suddenly felt like an effort to keep up. The hill out of Chapelizod wasn't as bad as I feared at all. In fact I managed to just about catch back up to the group. At that stage though it was again a struggle to keep up. I knew we were about a minute ahead of 5 hour pace at that point which was probably a bad thing as I allowed myself the luxury of a 1 minute gap knowing that I would still be on for a 5 hour. The only good thing about Rialto though was my wife, child and at that stage my mother who had joined them had hopped a LUAS out and I again had some friendly faces and encouragement waiting for me.
Turning right at Crumlin and that long drag up to Walkinstown broke my heart. I spent that time looking at the 5 hour group taking off into the distance. My lack of training bit me in the ass at this stage and an enforced walk-run-walk-run strategy came into play. I was cold, tired, hungry and dejected and hating that hill. I got passed by two lads singing bohemian rhapsody at full voice and hated them too ! (When I later passed them out in bits at Milltown I had an evil giggle to myself) When I saw the half way sign in the distance I didn't know whether or not to be encouraged or dejected by the fact I was still only half way there. I remembered though that there would be cameras there and I didn't want to be seen walking so dug deep and managed to get up and around the turn at the roundabout before resuming my walk run strategy.
At this point I really started to appreciate the support from the crowd.(Not that there wasn't any up until then but you just appreciate it so much more when struggling) I had read here to put my name on my shirt and wow what a difference it made. At least 100 times on that course someone shouted my name and gave me encouragement to keep going. The amount of people standing on that course for hours on end handing out fruit, jellies and sweets to complete strangers was humbling to say the least. The fact they were still there for us at the tail end of the race was even more remarkable.
On the way into Terenure I passed the 16 mile mark and celebrated the fact that I was now into record breaking territory (previous record distance was 16 miles some weeks ago) I also lamented the fact it was 10 miles to go too. Pain was steadily building all over me at this stage but thankfully the shin I had been most worried about was ok. Into Terenure and over the mat a guy on the PA roared my name. I also saw my physio there who gave me some more encouragment. A few miles later and the long drag to Clonskeagh was in front of me. At this point it was more walking than running but trying to keep a fast walk when doing so. Mentally I was starting to fatigue as well. I could hardly think straight - felt in a bit of a daze. Just on the corner before turning towards the road leading to "heartbreak hill" there was a girl and her friend there who shouted my name and "let's be having you" Before I realised it I had shouted back Do we have time ? The crowd around laughed and I kept going but it clicked with me that I wasn't as bad as I thought I was mentally. There was some function still there. So when I got to the sign saying heartbreak hill I decided I was going to plough up it non stop. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected it to be - for me walkinstown drag was worse. In fact trying to go down the steep hill of fosters avenue was harder.
Once again the family were waiting for me out on the course at the bottom of fosters hill having bussed it out. Brave face on little one runs a bit with me - I keep going but by the time I got to the UCD flyover I was done. I was literally seizing up out on the course. Nutley lane will forever more for me be associated with the worst pain ever. I wanted to stop, I knew if I did that I would not start again. I texted the family to say exactly that. I was hoping for some inspiration back to get me going. The text back simply said (my daughter) says she loves you, don't stop, don't let the leg beat you. Irony was the leg injury was the least of my concerns but that text had me close to tears yet full of joy at the same time. I remembered then that I had placed 3 pain killers in my pocket just in case the shin had gone during the race. Fished them out - sweat etc had melted and fused them into this hard salty mess but with a water station in front of me I threw them in. They tasted disgusting - truly disgusting but they seemed to help within a mile. (Could have been a placebo effect mind you)
I was delighted at that stage to be able to start putting together a string of small runs. Each time passing other runners. In fact the last 2 miles in I probably made up 100+ places constantly reeling in those in front of me walking because I was running half the distance. It felt good. Eventually got around to the finish area. I grabbed my little one by the hand and she ran the last couple of hundred metres home with me through a cheering crowd. It was a very special moment for me to cross with her - the tannoy announcer even mentioned her as if we were a group coming home.
Came home in 5:36 with an intact leg. Happy days I had the pleasure of meeting a few of our boards community up in mcgrattens afterwards proudly wearing my finishers shirt. A perfect end to a great day.
Special thanks at this point to all the volunteers, stewards and marshalls out on route, to all the pacers, to YoungAnne and the other mentors here on boards too and last but by no means least thanks to all of you guys here for being a part of this experience. I will be back next year for sure.
So glad you finished it. I was thinking of you ((or your shin)every so often during the day. Think my easiest miles were the ones through the park that sped by while we were chatting. I lost the 5 hr pacers somewhere along cromwellsfort road and did some run walking far earlier than I had planned. That said, thrilled to have done it and not feeling too bad today. Well done and hope the recovery goes well0 -
-
-
So glad you finished it. I was thinking of you ((or your shin)every so often during the day. Think my easiest miles were the ones through the park that sped by while we were chatting. I lost the 5 hr pacers somewhere along cromwellsfort road and did some run walking far earlier than I had planned. That said, thrilled to have done it and not feeling too bad today. Well done and hope the recovery goes well
Likewise. The miles chatting with yourself flew past. I felt bad for not saying goodbye It was a very sudden drop off. 0 -
SnailsPace wrote: »Thats what i have been searching for all morning, berlin and rotterdam seem flat, london too.
Cheers for link to that thread. I see I've a Good For Age time for London but that deadline is over for next years one, pity cos London would be so handy. Always charity entry option?
Rotterdam seems like a good option too.. we could start a thread now I can't see any direct flights from here to there though, surely there must be one?
Berlin seems too far away, I want one asap ha ha. I think I'm now suffering from post marathon madness :eek::eek::eek:0 -
-
Not as exotic as some of the places mentioned here, but what about Cork in June? Nice flat course and great support there too. That's my next goal, will be nice to have one so close to home!Cheers for link to that thread. I see I've a Good For Age time for London but that deadline is over for next years one, pity cos London would be so handy. Always charity entry option?
Rotterdam seems like a good option too.. we could start a thread now I can't see any direct flights from here to there though, surely there must be one?
Berlin seems too far away, I want one asap ha ha. I think I'm now suffering from post marathon madness :eek::eek::eek:0 -
-
-
Not as exotic as some of the places mentioned here, but what about Cork in June? Nice flat course and great support there too. That's my next goal, will be nice to have one so close to home!
Cheers ncmc.Ya it would be great to have one with minimum travel. I've heard mixed reports about Cork , some say its hilly some say its flat?
0 -
Advertisement
-
I only ran part of Cork this year as part of a relay team, but I don’t think it’s very hilly, there are a couple of small hills that I can think of, but I think they are overstated. I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’s any more hilly than Dublin. With your super time, a few hills won’t knock anything out of you!Cheers ncmc.Ya it would be great to have one with minimum travel. I've heard mixed reports about Cork , some say its hilly some say its flat?
Edit: Just adding this link, seems there was a tough hill that they have removed from the course
http://www.corkcitymarathon.ie/therace/marathoncourse/0 -
-
Great reports everyone, some fantastic races there.
What to do next?
Take it easy this week, but don't just sit on the couch. Easy walking will help you recover.
Set a day for your next very easy run, whether that's one week or two weeks from now, and stick to it. Don't wake up in January and realise you haven't run since the marathon and you've lost all your fitness. You don't need to set your next target yet, or decide if it's a marathon or shorter race, just make sure you don't fall out of the habit of running.
No races for a month, and no hard running sessions for a month either. All easy runs until December. (If you're in Dublin, the Donore Harriers Jingle Bells 5k is a popular first-post-marathon race)
Join a running club (I'm a bit of a pest about this) No-one ever thinks they're good enough to join a club, but you are all marathon runners now! Any club would be glad to have you.
Am I too ambitious to be running the waterford half on 1st December?
Was going to try for another sub 1:45 like enniscorthy.0 -
-
-
-
Finished in 3:58:31 which I am delighted with.
Felt good up until Nutley Lane but last few miles were very tough. Was tempted to walk several times but thought if I did I wouldn't get going again.
The support from spectators was amazing. I got so many shouts of encouragement (having BREN written on my top) it really kept me going.
Thanks to the 4:00 pacers who I was able to keep in my sight once I got close to them in the Park.
Well done everyone and thanks to all who have contributed to this thread over the past months. I couldn't have hit my goal without the advice received here. A special thanks to PM for setting up the spreadsheet and keeping it going even when injured himself.
Hope to keep the running going over the next couple of months with 1000 mile target in sight (889 done so far). Then some shorter runs early next year, then who knows... DCM 2013???
Yeah I second this...thanks PM for setting up the sheet, was a very bright idea. Thanks also to everyone for the company and for keeping my interest going through the entire training period. It was nice to get to meet some of you along the way!
Thanks to Young Anne for looking after the thread, as if she didn't have enough to be doing and the other improvers for their wise insight and advice to everyone.
I think this group of Novices were smart enough and didn't need too much intervention. :cool:0 -
-
-
Advertisement
-
This was my second DCM. I stuck with the novices thread because i don't feel there was any structure to what I did last year. In saying that, there is still very little structure to what I did this year. I did steadily increase my distances, but I didn't follow the plans of 4/5 runs per week. I just wouldn't have the time. Even though I didn't stick strictly to the plans, I found this thread so helpful and informative, especially when people were voicing concerns similar to mine.
Last week, I got a pretty bad sinus infection, and I was very nervous about my goal time of 3.30. While I felt my sinuses had started to clear, i still felt the energy levels weren't up to full strength. I stuck to my goal time since I didn't really see the point in dropping down without knowing whether I could or couldnt' I knew that even if I blew up, it wasn't like I was losing out on prize money or a winners medal so no big deal.
I ran the first half of the race pretty well. I felt very comfortable, and was really spurred on by the crowds. When I reached the half way mark I felt strong, and was hoping the energy levels would remain. In the second half I started to clock a few 7.30 min miles. I was starting to feel a little over confident. I got such a rush of blood going through the people lined villages, and that spurred me on. Once I hit the 20 mile mark I could feel the legs really starting to get heavy. It wasn't like they weren't heavy before this, but this was different.
I got through to 23.3 miles with 3hrs on the watch. I knew I had a full 3 miles to go with 30 minutes to do it, but my legs were completely bunched. During training, even though I had a goal of 3.30 I felt 3.25 was a realistic time for myself so I was pretty close to exactly where I expected to be. I'm not sure if it was the sinus infection last week playing a part, or if I just hadn't enough training completed. Either way I had to stop the running and try to recover a little by walking some distance. I stopped started all the way to Pearse Street where i finally started running again until the finish line. Chip time was 3.27.39. Happy overall, but gutted with the last three miles.
I'll move myself on over to the improvers thread for next year. 3.15 here I come. But this time with more structure to my training.
Thanks to everyone here with the helpful tips and useful information. Who know, I might even use some of it next year 0
Advertisement