Carlow Half Marathon

SusanneKn

Hi.
I was thinking about doing the Half Marathon in Carlow in September but can't find much about it online.

Has anyone more Information about this race?

webpal

This is all I could find, maybe email the organiser.

http://www.runireland.com/events/carlow-marathon

tommycahir

I ran it last year when it was on Sept 1st, they had to move this year due to clash with other local races (guessing rockford 4 mile in Tinryland)
It was a very well organised race, plenty of water stations and loads of support from the marshalls, nice tech tops and medals aswell, not exactly a flat route but not too hilly either. ill post links to gamrin activity once it fixes its DNS issues (ignore my pace!)

There facebook page has some more details on it - https://www.facebook.com/carlowmarathon.superbowl?fref=ts

Below is the poster for it

echancrure

One week to go: aiming for 1:28 as preparation to DCM.

Anyone else?

Bahanaman

echancrure wrote: »

One week to go: aiming for 1:28 as preparation to DCM.

Anyone else?

Don't think I'll make it echancrure. Love to support it as Éist is a very worthy cause. Also with the achilles problems I'm having I'd be afraid I'd do damage. Got an interesting bit of advice from our club coach re doing a half as a preparation race for a marathon. He said run the first 10 miles at marathon pace and then go flat out for the last 3.1 or 5k. That way you'll get a great race type workout but won't be pressurised by a time target.

echancrure

Bahanaman wrote: »

Don't think I'll make it echancrure. Love to support it as Éist is a very worthy cause. Also with the achilles problems I'm having I'd be afraid I'd do damage. Got an interesting bit of advice from our club coach re doing a half as a preparation race for a marathon. He said run the first 10 miles at marathon pace and then go flat out for the last 3.1 or 5k. That way you'll get a great race type workout but won't be pressurised by a time target.

Sounds like a plan: the last thing I want to do is to injure myself.

Ran the course today as part of 20m LSR: it's fine, a little boring in the back long straight, also very sharp short descent after the church just before the finish and that will hurt.

Hope you'll make DCM in good shape.

SliM Dedalus

Thinking of signing up for this as marathon prep. Gonna go all out for 1:50 & hopefully see if I may make sub 4 in the full!

Just wondering, are there pacers at this event?

tommycahir

There wasn't last year and haven't heard anything about them being added for this year..

echancrure

Just completed the half-marathon in Leighlinbridge this morning.
The venue is great with loads of room at the 'superbowl' to warm up if you wish or for kids to run around safely.
I think the field was quite small but I don't have numbers: I had no problem being in the front row for the start!

I did this race as preparation for DCM and was aiming for a 6:45 pace and 1h 28' 30'' overall. I am in the middle of marathon training and I had a mini taper of 4 days, one of which would have been a day off anyway. So I don't feel I have compromised my training by doing this race.

With no gps as usual, I went out too fast in the first mile in third position running 6:17 !!! I'll have to watch out in Dublin, although the start will be more congested.

2nd mile in 6:29 still needed to slow down. It would be an good idea to check on the map where the first 0.5 mile exactly is in Dublin, so I have earlier feedback of my pace. Maybe I should practice my start to be around 7' to avoid running the first mile in 6:17!!!

As expected the two guys in front disappeared in the distance and I could hear someone else's light steps behind me.

Over the next few miles I tried to settle in my pace, watching my breathing, and running as relax as I could, my advance on my 6:45 pace settled around 30-40 seconds as I checked every mile marker.

I got passed by a very slick looking guy, running much lightly than me around mile 4. I stayed behind him at about 50m-100m for the next 3 to 4 miles and then he disappeared.

As expected the back straight was very long and not very entertaining but I must have maintained my 6:45 pace up to mile 10. The few spectators that were there gave me a boost every time, every little helps as they say. There was plenty of water on the course with 4 stations, but those cups are sure hard to drink from. Thankfully the clouds came back in and most the race was not in full sun.

Back on the main road for the last 3 miles I stretched it a bit, legs felt fine, breathing was OK but not really comfortable. Lead on 6:45 pace stretched to 45 seconds by mile 11 I think.

Still trying to increase the pace, remembering to smile too. A quick glance behind: nobody. And I sure could not see the other 3 in front either! So 4th place it would be, running pretty much on my own for the entire race then.

I did not give everything in the last mile but just under, I had nothing to aim at really: I was happy with my pace, even if the breathing was a little heavy at the end.

I took care in the sharp descent just before the finish not to trip and fall flat on my face. Turn left, sprint and that's the finish.

Came 4th in 1h 27' 15'' (on my watch so +- 5 seconds) for my second half marathon. That's a 1'15'' faster than I aimed for and a 6:40 pace overall. A good day at the office I'd say.

Also a vast 11' improvement on my previous pb in Waterford in June last year (but in true Waterford fashion that was a longish half-marathon).

Very good organisation overall, and great races for the kids with 5k timed and 5k fun race: what else could you ask for. Wish my kids did it: a great family day to be had.

Now ... DCM ... let's not beat around the bush: I will aim for under 3 at it even though it will only be my second marathon. Even though I could not I have carried much longer today, I have to trust the training that I am putting in as it did work very well for me on the day of my first marathon (3:14 in Connemara in April).

I am under no illusion: it is a stretch for me, and many are called but few are successful. But I really don't see myself aiming for 3:05 or 3:03.

4 weeks to go and I have my Hal Higdon plan to complete. And I swear, I am already off the booze but, from today I am also off chocolate, biscuits, croissants and other rubbish.

Let's do this right!!

Calvin Johnson

It's certainly a very aggressive target.

Good luck Echancrure

Bahanaman

echancrure wrote: »

Just completed the half-marathon in Leighlinbridge this morning.
The venue is great with loads of room at the 'superbowl' to warm up if you wish or for kids to run around safely.
I think the field was quite small but I don't have numbers: I had no problem being in the front row for the start!

I did this race as preparation for DCM and was aiming for a 6:45 pace and 1h 28' 30'' overall. I am in the middle of marathon training and I had a mini taper of 4 days, one of which would have been a day off anyway. So I don't feel I have compromised my training by doing this race.

With no gps as usual, I went out too fast in the first mile in third position running 6:17 !!! I'll have to watch out in Dublin, although the start will be more congested.

2nd mile in 6:29 still needed to slow down. It would be an good idea to check on the map where the first 0.5 mile exactly is in Dublin, so I have earlier feedback of my pace. Maybe I should practice my start to be around 7' to avoid running the first mile in 6:17!!!

As expected the two guys in front disappeared in the distance and I could hear someone else's light steps behind me.

Over the next few miles I tried to settle in my pace, watching my breathing, and running as relax as I could, my advance on my 6:45 pace settled around 30-40 seconds as I checked every mile marker.

I got passed by a very slick looking guy, running much lightly than me around mile 4. I stayed behind him at about 50m-100m for the next 3 to 4 miles and then he disappeared.

As expected the back straight was very long and not very entertaining but I must have maintained my 6:45 pace up to mile 10. The few spectators that were there gave me a boost every time, every little helps as they say. There was plenty of water on the course with 4 stations, but those cups are sure hard to drink from. Thankfully the clouds came back in and most the race was not in full sun.

Back on the main road for the last 3 miles I stretched it a bit, legs felt fine, breathing was OK but not really comfortable. Lead on 6:45 pace stretched to 45 seconds by mile 11 I think.

Still trying to increase the pace, remembering to smile too. A quick glance behind: nobody. And I sure could not see the other 3 in front either! So 4th place it would be, running pretty much on my own for the entire race then.

I did not give everything in the last mile but just under, I had nothing to aim at really: I was happy with my pace, even if the breathing was a little heavy at the end.

I took care in the sharp descent just before the finish not to trip and fall flat on my face. Turn left, sprint and that's the finish.

Came 4th in 1h 27' 15'' (on my watch so +- 5 seconds) for my second half marathon. That's a 1'15'' faster than I aimed for and a 6:40 pace overall. A good day at the office I'd say.

Also a vast 11' improvement on my previous pb in Waterford in June last year (but in true Waterford fashion that was a longish half-marathon).

Very good organisation overall, and great races for the kids with 5k timed and 5k fun race: what else could you ask for. Wish my kids did it: a great family day to be had.

Now ... DCM ... let's not beat around the bush: I will aim for under 3 at it even though it will only be my second marathon. Even though I could not I have carried much longer today, I have to trust the training that I am putting in as it did work very well for me on the day of my first marathon (3:14 in Connemara in April).

I am under no illusion: it is a stretch for me, and many are called but few are successful. But I really don't see myself aiming for 3:05 or 3:03.

4 weeks to go and I have my Hal Higdon plan to complete. And I swear, I am already off the booze but, from today I am also off chocolate, biscuits, croissants and other rubbish.

Let's do this right!!

Of course it's aggressive! Might as well have a "gold" target. Great running today echancrure. Sorry I wasn't there meself as I might have been able to keep you company on the road! Keep her lit now and the sub 3 just might happen, hopefully for the two of us! We'll fly the flag for the county!

echancrure

Bahanaman wrote: »

Of course it's aggressive! Might as well have a "gold" target. Great running today echancrure. Sorry I wasn't there meself as I might have been able to keep you company on the road! Keep her lit now and the sub 3 just might happen, hopefully for the two of us! We'll fly the flag for the county!

Cheers Bahanaman: yes aggressive!

You got robbed once: won't happen again. You've got a great base.

See you around.