DCM 2015: Mentored Novices Thread

Mrs Mc

Day off to day to catch up on R & R after the family wedding at the weekend. Booked in for sports massage this morning got the legs totally flushed out for the big day and advised to have an Epsom salt bath tonight to flush out more. The next time I see her I'll be done and dusted and hopefully calling myself a marathon runner.

This Fat Girl Runs

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Day off to day to catch up on R & R after the family wedding at the weekend. Booked in for sports massage this morning got the legs totally flushed out for the big day and advised to have an Epsom salt bath tonight to flush out more. The next time I see her I'll be done and dusted and hopefully calling myself a marathon runner.

Fixed that for ya...:D

smashiner

Hi all,

Just to echo what a lot of people have put up already.......Great Thread Dubgal!!
I have really enjoyed my daily 'fix' (sometimes several) of this years DCM Novice Thread and learned a lot from you, the Mentors and also this years Novices....so cheers and thanks to all of you for that

We now have all the training done and just need to remain calm for the week and with a bit of luck on our side, we will smash it out of the ball park next weekend!

Best of luck to all with the rest of the week and the prepp for the race itself.

By choosing to enter the DCM, you are already winners, you just need to go out and enjoy the day and remember to smile as you cross that line as a marathon runner...:)

'Honorary Novice'
Smashiner

wall.e

Dubgal72 wrote: »

ORIGINAL POST:

nop98:

OK! I'll kick this off, feeling suitably star-struck!

Hey Eliud - first of all, well done on your superb results in Ireland (and abroad)! If I ever manage to run a half marathon in the time you manage to cover 3/4, I'll be a happy runner

My question is about the mental part of the run/race. We've discussed bad running days on this thread before. Some of us posted our mind-games to talk ourselves through a rough stretch. But we're total amateurs. How does a professional athlete like you deal with bad patches during races? What's the most valuable advice you've ever received in this regard?

Many thanks for taking the time for us Novices. Good luck defending your title next Monday, and save us a seat in McGrattan's - no doubt there'll be plenty empty seats when you arrive, as (almost) everybody else is barely through halfway!


Singer:
Hi, I'm Singer, 36, running for about 18 months.

1. What next after Dublin? Are you planning on competing in any of the big 6 marathon majors / Olympics / World championships?

2. I saw the video about your home that you recorded for Second Captains. It was very inspiring, and it looks like you put the winnings from last year to good use! What will you do with your winnings from this year's Dublin marathon?

3. Do you intend on going into coaching after you finish running competitively or will you retire to your farm?

This Fat Girl Runs:
This is brilliant! Thanks so much for organizing this!!

I almost wasn't going to ask my questions. As such a slow plodder of a runner, I feel utterly unqualified to ask an elite anything! Ok, having said that, I won't let my lack of confidence get in the way so here's my questions!


Thank you so much for taking time to answer our questions, Eliud! It's really appreciated! I saw you run DCM last year. Well done and congratulations on the win! Enjoy this years race and good luck!! So, my user name is This Fat Girl Runs (says it all!). I'm 39 and have been running for 2 years. The first time I ever went for a run, I could barely manage 120 metres. This year I've run as far as 18 miles. DCM 2015 is my first marathon and I'm really looking forward to it!

1. DCM has a reputation for being one of the best international marathons. What is your impression of DCM and how does it compare to other marathons you have run?

2. Your training plan doesn't show gym work. What do you do for strength and conditioning?

3. What do you eat before a marathon and when? What do you eat afterwards?

Eyeball Kid:
Hi Eliud,

Thanks for doing this. Its bound to be fascinating to to get some insights from a top runner.

Anyway, my question is just on strategy. Outside of conditions like weather etc, how strictly to you adhere to your pre planned race strategy? Do you change it depending on who you are racing against or do you always just follow your own plan? Is it easy to change it midway through the race depending on what your competitors are doing?

Thanks!

diego_b:
Hi Eliud,

Thank you very much for sharing your time and knowledge with us boards.ie 2015 Dublin City Marathon novices.

Congratulations on your previous successes and best of luck to you with your running career for the future, especially defending your title from last year in this year's Dublin City Marathon.

Can you tell us about some of the more significant changes you have made to your training since starting running? Is there any tips you could give novice runners that they should incorporate into their training?
What is your strength training regime like?

Phoebas:
First off, best of luck on Monday week Eliud.
I have two short questions.

1. In this week before the marathon, what will your taper be like; how much running and other training will you be doing?

2. As a first time marathoner on the wrong side of 40, I'm expecting things to be getting tough around about 20 miles.
What one bit of advice can you give a novice marathoner at this point in the race?


Dubgal72:
Some great questions guys. Thanks for taking the time to do this Eliud, and the very very best of everything to you on the 26th.

I'd like to ask
a)which you find tougher mentally, steeplechase or marathon?
which you find tougher physically, steeplechase or marathon?

Toughest session?

How and when do you share the balance between running by feel and being ruled by using a stopwatch/gps watch in training?

Clearlier:
Another Q&A question if it's not too late. Mostly aimed towards James but I'd be very interested in Eliud's opinion.

Imagine a novice who has been running for a year. They take part in a few races, get the marathon bug and follow an 18 week plan averaging 40 mpw. They finish in 3hrs and are hugely motivated by the experience. They come to you for advice on how to become the best that they can be. What advice do you offer? If you're coaching them what kind of information do you need to know to build a plan and how far in advance do you look?

Thanks in advance!

Murph_D:
would love to know what Eliud does for his long runs and recovery runs. How slow does he go?

nop98:
Eliud:
My goal is to always finish the race. I never want to quit and so when things become difficult for me I know there is no option but to keep going until the finish. The best advice I have received is to always finish and not create a habit of dropping out. Maybe the race is not going well for me and I am not able to accomplish my goals for that day, but my last goal is to always finish and I can prepare to accomplish my goals again in another race.

Singer:
Eliud:
There are many options for me in the Spring and Summer next year. After Dublin I will discuss with my coach what the next step is.

I was married earlier this year and have a baby due this month. I will use my winnings to support my wife and child as well as expand our farm to create a better future for them.

I will focus more on my farming after I am finished running competitively.

This Fat Girl Runs:
Eliud:
Last year I visited Scoil Na Mainistreach in Celbridge. In January they started a program called the Lilly White Lap, you can google "Rang4snam Lilly White Lap" to find it. Some boys in last years class were unable to finish one lap, 400m, without walking when they began the program, but by the end of the year every boy in the class was completing multiple laps without walking. The power of sports, of running, is magical. Keep it up and keep sharing the sport with others.

I like Dublin because of the weather, the difference in time zone between Kenya and Ireland is very little and it is easy to adjust to, and the course is challenging but not too challenging. In Ireland many people know me now and I receive a lot of support. Where as in the US my fans are spread across a larger area.

At the moment we do not have facilities for strength work. As my success and success of my teammates grows, we hope to have the funding to incorporate a strength training program.

Before a marathon I eat two slices of bread, a cup of tea (tea, milk, and sugar), and a banana. I always eat the same meal the morning of a race. Before the race I will take a few sips of a sports drink during my warmup and a couple sips of a caffeine drink right before the start. Immediately after my race, I will eat some bananas, bread, and take tea. When my race is finished I am to be relaxing and enjoying time away from running. I eat the same food I eat in Kenya, but after my race I will enjoy other foods before returning home.

Eyeball Kid:
Eliud:
My race strategy is not always the same. I prepare different strategies before the race so I am able to adapt to what my competitors are doing. Last year Dmitry Safronov was three minutes ahead of us at half. I could tell the others were not wanting to push so I had to chase Safronov if I wanted to win.

diego_b:
Eliud:
This year I have added some short sprints on my easy days. Otherwise my training is mostly the same. My advice about training would be to find a coach to help you develop a training program that is specifically for you.

At the moment we are unable to incorporate strength training. Hopefully in the near future this aspect of training will be available for me.

Phoebas:
Eliud:
I will continue to run each day. I will run workouts Tuesday and Thursday but they are much lower in volume than I have been doing and will be faster. My volume will decrease throughout the week.

At 20 miles you must remain positive and know the finish is getting near.

Dubgal72:
Eliud:
I find the marathon to be more difficult mentally and physically because of how long you must concentrate your mind and push your body.

I find long runs to be the most difficult because of the same. You must be running and concentrating for a long time.

In my training I use a GPS watch with a heart rate strap. All of my morning sessions I use these to help me stay in the target training zone. My evening recovery sessions I will record my training using my watch, but I am to run very slowly and do not need it to help me.


Clearlier:
Eliud:
To be your best you must follow your training program.

James:
My advice is to set short term and long term goals. You should continually be reassessing these goals, allowing them to be dynamic to your current situation. We may never know our limitations but we can always look to improve upon where our fitness is currently. When I work with athletes, whether professional or recreational, either I assess or have them go to a lab for physiological and/or biomechanical assessment. I also have them fill out a questionnaire to give me an idea of what they have previously accomplished in training. The duration of a training block varies on the athlete's goals and situation. Ideally, a marathon training block could be four to six months in length.

Murph_D:
James:
Eliud does his long runs in his A1 zone. This may be 5:40-6:20 min/mile pace at altitude. His recovery days he will do an A1 run in the morning and an A0 run in the evening. A0 is anything slow enough to keep his heart rate below the lower limit HR of A1. I tell him to run as easy as he can.

---

Thank you everyone for your questions. As mentioned we hope we can stop in at McGrattans at some point after the race. Best of luck to everyone!

You can stay up to date with Eliud on Facebook using the Facebook url followed with:
/EliudKibetToo
or on Twitter: @RunnerEliudToo

Mrs Mc

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Fixed that for ya...:D

Thanks for that ! Forgot .... Positive mental attitude

Chops1234

Dubgal - just want to echo what everyone else has already said - thanks so much for all the time and effort you've put into this thread. I'm so excited about next Monday! Don't think I would feel the same if I'd just followed the plan without getting the extra feedback from here. I haven't posted much but have read every single post - was dying for the thread to start this year and registered just for this

unaaine

Can I add my thanks to Dubgal et al, for your absolutely outstanding mentoring of this forum. The insights, advice and encouragement has been truly heroic, above and beyond. It’s a great thing you’ve done here and it’s much appreciated by one and all.

So finally at the 11th hour my route report. A bit like the course itself it’s a bit long and windy but I’m hoping it might add in some small way to the excellent overviews I’ve already read from others. It is written from a personal viewpoint obviously and subject to the vagaries of (according to my kids) a very selective memory (BUT mam I did tell you - you just don’t remember!!). Apols also if the sectioning into miles doesn’t quite add up and also for any typos!

Miles 3 - 7:
Having not covered the route from miles 0-3, I’m only guessing that it will be a slow enough start to DCM and am anticipating to be running PMP + 10/15 secs for these first few miles. I will definitely not be pushing myself and my (cunning) plan psychologically is to treat this part as a warm up to my ‘usual’ 20 miles lsr! So joining the route at NCR at roughly mile 3, this is a short flat section after what I’m guessing will have been a bit of a drag up Manor + Aughrim Streets. Turning into the PP through narrow gates and onto a narrow section of road I’m expecting to meet some congestion and there’s a little drag uphill passing Garda HQ and turning left onto Lord’s Walk (zoo carpark area). When I ran this section last Saturday there was a swirly breeze so I’ll still be running at PMP + at this stage. It doesn’t last for long though and once onto Lord’s Walk there's a bit of a breather on this short flat section. Turning right onto Chesterfield Avenue it’s straight here up to Castleknock gates and up through the village to Myos Pub. I do a lot of running in the PP and am very familiar with this stretch of road and I always find it a bit of a drag. However I think the route last year in through the main gates at parkgate street would have been much harder and combined with not having to run the length of Chesterfield avenue this change of route will reduce the monotony as well. Though I’m sure that the crowds and the cheering on the day will help to make it pass quicker than usual. The road flattens out a little after the Aras roundabout and it goes up again slightly through the Castleknock gate and on through the village. After a tight enough left turn at Myos the road narrows again and goes uphill slightly for a few hundred metres. When I ran these miles last weekend the drag overall really wasn’t that bad and the breeze was there but minimal. I’ll also be thinking of trying to tuck in behind a group and benefit from the shelter but I’ve never yet managed to do this successfully in any other race. I’d still expect to be behind target by mile 7 though and I won’t be aiming to hit PMP through any of these miles.

Miles 7-10:
After mile 7 it’s onto Tower Road and the welcome start of some downhill sections of road. I’m planning to up the pace here, though not sure by how much. Maybe PMP - 10/15 secs is the way to go but I’ve haven’t discussed this with anyone yet. I will be especially concentrating on relaxing and allowing forward momentum to do some of the work. I have had experience of forcing myself to slow on a steep downhill before and injured my quads. So it’ll be about relaxing, smiling and positive thinking and making up some of the time lost over the previous miles. According to the DCM route map it’s roughly a mile of downhill here before we turn back into the Park through the Knockmaroon gate. The road goes uphill again but only for a short section until for once in a race we go the opposite way down the Upper Glen Road for roughly a mile and a half or so until exiting the Park for the last time at Chapelizod gate. As far as I remember it’s flat enough along Chapelizod Road over the bridge in the village turning onto St Laurence’s Road at the 10 mile mark. I hope to be approaching PMP by this point, but if I’m not, I’m not going to worry.

Miles 10 - 13
Then there’s the first ‘proper’ hill at the end of St Laurence’s Road. I’ve done this a few times during the LSRs and haven’t found it too bad. I’ve also done some hill training with my club and while my instinct would be to power up it and get it over with I think I’ll be dropping the pace and keeping the effort level consistent. I think it’s too early and the race ahead too much of an unknown for me to be thinking of any doing else. There’s a left turn then onto Sarsfield Road and a welcome stretch of flat road until the right turn under an overpass(?)/bridge onto Inchicore Road. To me this looks worse than it is but again I’ll be dropping the pace here. Straight again until the right turn at Kilmainham Gaol and another short enough uphill until the left turn onto SCR. Nothing too memorable in this stretch for me which winds right around by james Hospital and through Rialto until up and over the bump at the canal at Dolphin’s Barn.

Miles 13 - 15
Passing the halfway (yay!) mark, I’ve run this section encompassing the Crumlin Road on a few occasions and have had different experiences each time. For me this could be the make or break in terms of creating problems for later on. Once or twice I encountered a pretty stiff wind and while I felt that my effort level was high when I checked my pace it was unbelievably slow. On other occasions it was actually not too bad. It is a drag though for the 2 miles to the Walkinstown Roundabout so I won’t be hoping for PMP here either and if it’s windy the pace will be very very conservative. Not a lot more to say about this section - it’s long, boring and usually windy. If the brain is still working at this point I think it will be time to dig deep and focus.

Miles 15 - 20
Turning left onto Cromwellsfort Road after the Walkinstown Roundabout if my memory serves me correctly this is an okay though long-ish section down to KCR. And it must be flat or downhill if I’m visualising it as ‘down’ to KCR. A right turn then onto Fortfield Road and then a quick left turn and for some reason I don’t like this section at all. Can’t put my finger on it but it just seems longer and tougher than it should. The route turns left at Terenure College/Bushy Park onto Templeogue Road and again it seems flat but I remember checking my pace here once or twice and it never reflects this. It is definitely faster and a relief once the route turns right onto Terenure Road East following into Orwell Park and Darty Road and all the way to Milltown is pretty okay overall. Then there’s a hill at Milltown after the underpass and it’s pretty steep and looks daunting. I’m hoping to be able to draw on the benefits of the ‘easier’ miles beforehand to get up and over this one. But really no idea how this is going to pan out on the day as I’ve only ever hit it at 16 miles and not 20 so I guess it’ll be slow and well below PMP. It’s a right turn then onto a flatter Clonskeagh Road and a chance to draw breath again.

Miles 20 - 23
This section is a series of gradual inclines interspersed with flatter sections (breathers) which I’m guessing will be challenging enough given the miles already in the legs. The route winds around the perimeter of UCD with a left turn onto Roebuck Road culminating in the hill at the end - called Heartbreak Hill by some. On my LSRs I’ve never found this hill too bad and have managed to get up it with an increase in cadence and a small increase in effort. But again given the stage we’ll hit it at it will be ‘interesting’ to see how much more it will hurt on the day. Foster’s Avenue is a welcome flat or downhill I think and mile 23 is a left turn onto the Stillorgan Dual Carriageway and up and over the flyover at UCD.

Miles 23 - 26.2+
Coming off the UCD flyover (downhill obviously) there’s a barely noticeable incline up to the right turn onto Nutley Lane. This is a nice stretch - flat to downhill and then a right turn at Merrion S.C. onto Merrion Road. Not a huge fan of this section as it seems long and I’ve only run it towards the end of the LSRs when the legs were feeling heavy. Past the RDS onto Northumberland Road and the end is in sight. The pseudo finish is at the intersection of Mount Street and Merrion Square where we will all be immediately upping the pace to PMP -100% to slake our thirst in McGrattans.

Good luck everybody. The hay is in the barn, our work is done now!

tang1

Alone in a crowd of strangers
Anxiously waiting for the gun,
You haven't trained so well, I know,
I hope you're ready for the run.
Endure! Endure!

Ahead you'll find the reality wall
Where hope is lost and daydreams end.
When time and distance become one
Just don't let your spirit bend!
Endure! Endure!

It's better to stagger alone today
And bear the pains and aches,
Than to wonder for a lifetime
If you have the strength it takes.
Endure! Endure!

Best of luck this day week folks, DG has ye well prepped. Enjoy the occasion.

nop98

unaaine wrote: »

So finally at the 11th hour my route report. A bit like the course itself it’s a bit long and windy but I’m hoping it might add in some small way to the excellent overviews I’ve already read from others.

Thank you unaaine! Excellent description, and the mental notes where to drop below PMP are very useful. I had the course-profile from the 'official' DCM thread (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=97431008&postcount=177) open in a second window to add to your narrative. Great work.

Must ask. How does one pronounce your nickname?

FWIW - I have little experience with the course itself other than the 20-miler LSR with diego, neil, and orishfruitie - but I wholeheartedly agree with what has been said before, don't believe the hype of the hill at the end. It really isn't that bad. Yes, it will be late in the day and yes, our legs will hurt. But the reward for getting to the top (<4M downhill/flat all the way home) will be worth the investment!

duffer247

Hi all
Just touching base with everyone, I took a week off posting last week as I had a bit of a niggle to get rid of and just focused on that. Glad to say I'm feeling much better, physio tomorrow to be sur.. Full of nervous energy now!
Thanks again to dg, I've had a real topsyturvy journey to get here, the support here means the challenges I've faced have spurred me on rather than kept me back.
Means a lot

Toulouse

Back from my sports massage, all good. Then 3 easy miles and the legs feel better but I know I'll be sore tomorrow.

Met a fellow novice in the Physios, just couldn't remember his name and didn't want to be the crazy lady asking if he was a Boards DCM runner/Strava person! So if you're here then I hope everything is okay and you're not injured!!

Dubgal72

Deleted User wrote: »

You don't need to be signed up! they just take a swipe of your credit card and then if the bike isn't returned they use that as the deposit

I'm feeling pretty miserable. The cold is not on my chest thank god. Mostly sinuses. I've been told not running unless I'm 100%. Rest, vitamins, sleep, fruit and veg is all I'm allowed now. My taper had been going so well

Well do as you're told and gws! Mind the old fruit and veg later in the week tho, not too much!

Pink11 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is well? I have a lot of catching up to do! I'm going to try but I'm not confident I'll get every post covered.

Hope everyone is on track and excited for next week!? Can you believe this time next week we'll be out pounding the streets on our 26 miler?!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting. Really busy few weeks. Moved house, job and was on holidays and my nightmare tooth/root canal problem still isn't fully sorted. I kept up the training pretty much BUT I did miss out on one LSR. The 18 mile from (week Sept 28th) the boards plan (I only managed a 14 mile that week purely due to time!).

I trained throughout the holiday but I did eat way more than I normally would but think I'm pretty much balanced out now as I'm eating normally again. BUT I'm craving bad food a lot the last few days. Sweets, chocolate, cake etc. I think this is boredom because of the tapering?!

Have a heavy cold now at the moment that I'm focusing on getting cleared up for next week!

Ah welcome back!! We were nearly worried about you! Sounds like you are still on track tho, just focus on getting plenty of rest and shaking that cold

Dubgal72

Gillo wrote: »

Just think how amazing lunch will be afterwards:D

So I'm just back from a light enough run, I wasn't expecting it to be great (five hours of rugby and pint's yesterday) and my stupid IT band has started playing up, it had been fine since late summer so hopefully a lot of stretching over the next few days.

Hi Gillo, try not to aggravate the itb too much, I'm hearing from a few separate sources that foam rolling it is a definite no-no.

If you have the time, no harm seeing a professional about it, it could be as simple as tightness around the insertional points that can be released.

No more pints now

Dubgal72

Thanks for that unaaine, the icing on the cake!! Nop, pretty sure it's two Irish names together: Úna and Áine, pronounced oona awnyeh?

nop98

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Thanks for that unaaine, the icing on the cake!! Nop, pretty sure it's two Irish names together: Úna and Áine, pronounced oona awnyeh?

ta DG, I see it now.

unaaine

nop98 wrote: »

Must ask. How does one pronounce your nickname?
!

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Thanks for that unaaine, the icing on the cake!! Nop, pretty sure it's two Irish names together: Úna and Áine, pronounced oona awnyeh?

Tá an ceart aicí !

Fieldsman

I had my last longish run this morning of 9.3 miles in 1 35 and felt fine after it but how would I be if I had to run 17 more.Good luck to everyone next Monday and hopefully I might make it to McGrattans for the post mortem's.

Dubgal72

Wow, I've been flitting in and out of boards today and have been completely overwhelmed by the gorgeous good wishes on this thread today. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have nearly been brought to tears on a few occasions.
Tá míle fáilte romhaibhse!

So, I was going to save this for later in the week but I can't not respond to all your really lovely posts today. This has been nearly as much a journey for me as it has you guys.

When Ososlo and TFBubendorfer approached me way back in May about this, my first reaction was 'no, hell no!'...Ososlo then worked her magic and persuaded me that this would be 'A Good Thing To Do'. She was right (she usually is ).
Ososlo, to me, has probably been one of the most influential boardsies from the minute I joined boards; from being our legendary mentor last year, to forcing me encouraging me to keeping a log here, to believing in my running and now to believing that I could 'do' this. So again - and it's nearly a joke now - I rarely speak to, or of, Ososlo without thanking her: THANK YOU!

So armed with lots of essential advice from her and a kick up the bum, in I jumped.

But I couldn't have done this without The Team. And just writing all the following names down reinforces what a fabulous, generous, giving community the athletics and running world is.

All the previous mentors; amadeus, raycun, younganne, rainbow kirby, career move and of course Ososlo laid the ground work year on year and set the bar, thank you.

Clearlier has given, given and given. Can I be clichéd and say he has been my rock?! Damn right I can THANK YOU.

FBOT, Murph, meno, Myles Splitz and Netwerk Errer and all the others who unhesitatingly jumped in with their wisdom and expertise, time and time again, thank you.

My back up crew who, at the drop of a hat and without hesitation jumped in and took over when I realised I needed a halfway break: annapr, aquinn, Bungy Girl, Firedance and Laura a_c3, thank you, thank you, thank you. More wine and dinner soon!!

All boardsies who have come on board with their invaluable knowledge and personal experiences, including last year's graduates especially, thank you!

My 'real life' running club and of course my dad, off whom I have bounced ideas and questioned, with and without their knowledge

All the pacers, who so good naturedly interrupt their running schedule and a racing opportunity to pace this gig, in advance, thank you!

But most importantly, this thread could not happen without you:

All of you Novices THANK YOU!

...and a special HUGE thanks to your partners, spouses and offspring for *allowing* these guys' absences from the family scene

Right this is getting a bit 'Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars-esque' so I'm outta here.....please please please let me not have forgotten anybody

Peter D61

I did 10 miles on sunday, my programme has rest today and tomorrow, 4m on Wed, 3m on Thur, 2 on Fri. Would it do any harm to move them to a day earlier and rest for an extra day before Monday?

menoscemo

Peter D61 wrote: »

I did 10 miles on sunday, my programme has rest today and tomorrow, 4m on Wed, 3m on Thur, 2 on Fri. Would it do any harm to move them to a day earlier and rest for an extra day before Monday?

Is your programme set up for a Sunday or Monday marathon? I only ask because most programmes are for a sunday marathon, in which case you are already getting an extra day of rest.
It's all very personal but I like to do a few miles the day or two before a marathon. Keeps the legs loose. You must do them all very slow mind!! At least 1 minute/mile slower than MP.

Dubgal72

Peter D61 wrote: »

I did 10 miles on sunday, my programme has rest today and tomorrow, 4m on Wed, 3m on Thur, 2 on Fri. Would it do any harm to move them to a day earlier and rest for an extra day before Monday?

Hi Peter, that would mean three days off in a row immediately prior to the marathon. I wouldn't take that option myself, ideally you're aiming to keep the 'engine' ticking over on a low purr. You could take Friday off and do the two miles on Saturday. Would that suit?

Dubgal72

Jinx

Peter D61

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Hi Peter, that would mean three days off in a row immediately prior to the marathon. I wouldn't take that option myself, ideally you're aiming to keep the 'engine' ticking over on a low purr. You could take Friday off and do the two miles on Saturday. Would that suit?

Thanks DG, I'll stick with the plan and rest tomorrow, I'm just having taper fever.
I was going to leave this till closer to the day but as everyone else is doing it now I will also. Thank you for your patience, your knowledge, for being there whenever one of us had a moment of doubt (and I had several). I hope we can all make you proud on the 26th, its the least we can do.

Singer

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Wow, I've been flitting in and out of boards today and have been completely overwhelmed by the gorgeous good wishes on this thread today. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have nearly been brought to tears on a few occasions.

Chiming in a little late (and despite ignoring almost everything you told me, such as being up this late ) but a huge thank you! Your work has been stellar throughout and mega-props on getting the interview with Eliud and the words of encouragement from Catherina - pretty epic crescendo to the thread and stuff that will go down in A/R legend

Now all we need to do is feign injury and convince you to stay on to do next year's thread

Gillo

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Hi Gillo, try not to aggravate the itb too much, I'm hearing from a few separate sources that foam rolling it is a definite no-no.

No more pints now

Hi Dubgal72

Thanks, yeah I threw a support on it as soon as I got home and it's already feeling better, I'd planned to go for a walk tomorrow, about 4 km (sorry I work in metric!) so I'll see how it goes but it's already feeling a lot better. My form felt off this morning so at this stage I'm thinking it was just one of those "bad days".
I've also been using scrape's just above the knee when running and found them great, looking at them they are getting pretty worn so I'm going to pick up a new pair during the week.

Ok, pint's I was bold but yeah nothing between now and the finish line.

No idea why but I was reading the post with the guide to the route and suddenly felt really nervous, I know I've put in a decent amount of training but hope the nerves don't get too bad.

JacEim

So I have to get a prize for having my bag packed already!!

Flew out from Cork today and am flying back to Dublin and onto the Midlands at the weekend (where the family will join me)
So had to pack the bag (in a bit of a hurry) and even put it in the car (because the Mrs would forget it....NOT, but I trust nobody right now!!!)
So, bag is in car - gels, Nuun, Garmin, charger, runners, proglide.... Etc etc)

Had to do the nails (in a rush also), and gave myself a great big stab wound in my big toe from the scissors)

Sat on the plane, realised I have forgotten about 5 things from the bag (including everything for after the race... Suppose I'm just focused on the actual event!!!

So, being a novice here I have been very circumspect about offering advice, however I feel experienced enough now to offer advice on this topic.... Set aside some time to make your own list of things to pull together, walk through the event from night before till you get home after the beers, and this will help identify what YOU need. Then set aside proper time to put everything together... In other words, the absolute opposite of what I did!!!

BTW - did I mention I have a wedding on Saturday

Ginger runner

Heading out now for an early 4 mile morning run on wexford quay and across the bridge. No finer setting for a run. Just read your post dubgal, extraordinary stuff. You are just brilliant. Will go with the 3 hr 40 pacers this year

Dubgal72

Gillo wrote: »

Hi Dubgal72

Thanks, yeah I threw a support on it as soon as I got home and it's already feeling better, I'd planned to go for a walk tomorrow, about 4 km (sorry I work in metric!) so I'll see how it goes but it's already feeling a lot better. My form felt off this morning so at this stage I'm thinking it was just one of those "bad days".
I've also been using scrape's just above the knee when running and found them great, looking at them they are getting pretty worn so I'm going to pick up a new pair during the week.

Ok, pint's I was bold but yeah nothing between now and the finish line.

No idea why but I was reading the post with the guide to the route and suddenly felt really nervous, I know I've put in a decent amount of training but hope the nerves don't get too bad.

Morning Gillo, listen to, your body and if you're still not great by Thursday, try squeeze in a last minute appt Fri although earlier in the week would probably be better.

Re the nerves, try to put them away when they flutter now and over the next few days. Try channel them so you only really start to 'use' them quietly on Sunday and then on Monday, along with the race adrenaline, you can let rip.

I imagine my nerves as something I can place into a box and put away with the lid closed until I choose to take them out. Remember, you control your nerves, not the other way round

frash

It's ToeNailTuesday!

PJD

Is it still too early to mention the weather?? Yr.no is showing it to be damp, cool and breezy. Can live with that more than a heatwave!!