DCM 2015: Mentored Novices Thread

walshb

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I contacted a running club about joining about a year ago. I told them how slow I was and if that was ok and they ignored all my attempts to contact them.

Steer clear of those clubs. They hadn't got the balls to be straight with you.

JMSE

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Well done Jim tuffing out the race, think mix during weekly runs, tempo,400m reps & longish mid week helps endurance, it's learning curve for us all.
plenty of time before next year 😀

Thanks kenny!! That funny quote about not knowing what strides etc were was frash's . Too much tempo was something I was doin too much of back in September , ah well there'll be plenty more races, dyin to do a 5k when things calm down a bit.

JMSE

walshb wrote: »

Steer clear of those clubs. They hadn't got the balls to be straight with you.

I disagree with that advice, I can't imagine there's a decent club where they're not interested in people who want to join, based on their speed.

walshb

JMSE wrote: »

I disagree with that advice, I can't imagine there's a decent club where they're not interested in people who want to join, based on their speed.

Did you not read TFGRs post? Maybe that club is only one...

BTW, my post was sound advice. No point looking to join a club that clearly does not want you.

Neady83

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I contacted a running club about joining about a year ago. I told them how slow I was and if that was ok and they ignored all my attempts to contact them.

It's fine though, I understand I'm a completely different kind of runner to the kind clubs want on the books.

FOR NOW.

In future I may try again with a different club.

TFGR check and see if there is a Fit for Life group near you. They're affiliated with running clubs and I know loads that have graduated from F4L to club interval and tempo sessions.

The Galway City Harriers have 6 groups that run twice a week: Beginners, Baby joggers, Slow joggers, Intermediate joggers, Fast joggers, Runners and Advanced runners. As you improve you move up through the groups at your own discretion. I'm sure there are similar F4L groups in Dublin

Kennyg71

JMSE wrote: »

Thanks kenny!! That funny quote about not knowing what strides etc were was frash's . Too much tempo was something I was doin too much of back in September , ah well there'll be plenty more races, dyin to do a 5k when things calm down a bit.

Ah sorry misread, did a lot of early runs to fast as well, but went on over
time on slow twich after couple a kicks in ass, counterintuitive but really
worked.:)

Sacksian

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I contacted a running club about joining about a year ago. I told them how slow I was and if that was ok and they ignored all my attempts to contact them.

It's fine though, I understand I'm a completely different kind of runner to the kind clubs want on the books.

FOR NOW.

In future I may try again with a different club.

I'd persevere. I honestly don't know of any club that would turn anyone down. The same thing happened to me - no response to an email and I ended up having to physically present myself at the running club to ask around!

Once I got there I realised that you're unlikely to get a response from email from a lot of clubs (including many Dublin ones), simply because everyone's a volunteer and the volunteers' time is often spread across lots of different tasks. There may be no one or lots of people who get the emails forwarded to them. It's very easy for a random enquiry to fall between the cracks, but - and I think this goes for almost any club - you'll be well looked after if you turn up at training any night.

This Fat Girl Runs

Sacksian wrote: »

I'd persevere. I honestly don't know of any club that would turn anyone down. The same thing happened to me - no response to an email and I ended up having to physically present myself at the running club to ask around!

Once I got there I realised that you're unlikely to get a response from email from a lot of clubs (including many Dublin ones), simply because everyone's a volunteer and the volunteers' time is often spread across lots of different tasks. There may be no one or lots of people who get the emails forwarded to them. It's very easy for a random enquiry to fall between the cracks, but - and I think this goes for almost any club - you'll be well looked after if you turn up at training any night.

I thought so too at the time but they also ignored the texts I sent to the contact number I was given. It's fine. I understand and yes, they could have just been extremely busy and I slipped through the cracks rather than it being a snub. I'm not bothered either way, both are understandable!

Some great ideas for alternatives have been mentioned (thanks guys!) and I'll look into those soon though I'm not actually in a hurry to join. I do have a plan for running in place for the next couple of months so want to concentrate on that first.

First step on the plan...run race the Jingle Bells 5k

Kennyg71

FBOT01 wrote: »

Don't be kidding yourself, G. The false dawn is if you think MrsG is aiding in recovery for you. Beware of the IKEA Catalogue and paint colour cards that will appear in the coming days

That is probably it alright, seen her with a List. Will have to fain injury:D

oirishfruitie

A short report from me. I can’t remember the details anyway! But what a day!

Weekend before: Well that was the quietest bank holiday weekend I’ve had! 2.5 miles on Saturday morning and my left glute started to talk to me. First time in 4 months. Not to panic.

Morning of the run: I chatted to some randomer who was hoping for 4:20 – but was telling me he was going to position himself at the start of the 4:10. I told him I was also aiming for 4:10 but was going to line up at the back – happy to make the time up during the course instead. He looked at me like I had two heads. I smirked – thinking all the things I learned from this forum!

The run: I enjoyed the pace and found myself next to the 4:10 pacers on Chesterfield Avenue. But my glutes (both!) were talking to me again. Not enough to stop, but just telling me they existed. I took this as a warning not to go any faster and comfortably kept with the 4:10 guys. Great atmosphere. Lots of friends and family along the way. Gels every 5 miles and water where the stations were. I never lost site of the pacers – but they did go a little ahead of me around 18-19 miles. But my watch was telling me I was spot on for my 4:10 finish (having started behind them). My glutes stayed tight for the whole time, so I never wanted to push it for fear of totally seizure. However, when I hit that 25 mile mark, I felt great. I still had a lot to give so I hit the acceleration. My last mile was my fastest?! 4:08:33.

Post run: Great to meet with everyone in Mc Grattans; it was a bit packed – so I only really got to talk to the 20 mile LSR guys (Nop98, Neil, Diego, Dennis) and it was great to finally meet Dubgal! I left and found it funny to be wandering towards my lift on Stephen’s Green wearing shorts, flip flops and a DCM 2015 medal in the pouring rain! I got a lot of smiles and well dones.

I loved Clearier’s questions and am going to answer them here as I think I’ve learned so much….

What went well with your training plan?

I came across the Boards forum quite late in. Initially I just wanted to know when I should be starting my long weekend runs and how long they should be. So I did them and was delighted to do the 20 milers with fellow boardies.
I continued to do my mountain running once a week. This was a huge help on the 2 hills on the course. I flew them.

What would you do differently with your training? (frash's example of a longer midweek run is an excellent one)

Ach…. A lot! I’m not a runner. I don’t think I ever will be. I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow the plan like so many of you amazing people did. I knew I could do a marathon, but I didn’t want it to take over my life; so I continued to do all the other activities; pilates, horse riding…. And partying! Do things differently; I’d actually read up on what those mid week runs should be and follow the training plan a little closer!

What went well about the race?

I felt comfortable throughout. My numbers show I overtook 996 people from the 30km mark. I finished strong. Of course I’ve been asked by a few people; why didn’t you go for 4hrs? And who knows? Maybe I would have been fine, but maybe my glutes would have packed up and I would have struggled to finish. So I’m delighted with my time. And really – 6 months ago when I signed up I hadn’t a clue about any of this!

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?
Nothing. Great day.

Thanks Dubgal and the forum in general. It turned me into a marathon runner!!!!

Dubgal72

Sacksian wrote: »

I'd persevere. I honestly don't know of any club that would turn anyone down. The same thing happened to me - no response to an email and I ended up having to physically present myself at the running club to ask around!

Once I got there I realised that you're unlikely to get a response from email from a lot of clubs (including many Dublin ones), simply because everyone's a volunteer and the volunteers' time is often spread across lots of different tasks. There may be no one or lots of people who get the emails forwarded to them. It's very easy for a random enquiry to fall between the cracks, but - and I think this goes for almost any club - you'll be well looked after if you turn up at training any night.

+1 to this! I emailed my own club about five times recently and got no reply I was told that the person it got sent to will probably check in a month or so Not ideal I know but as Sacksian said, many clubs are run by volunteers and....

Try their website, many have a phone contact number posted. Hope this helps

davedanon

Most clubs will lie empty all day, to be fair. If you want to find a particular person, turn up on training nights and ask around, it's the quickest way.

hot buttered scones

I wasn't sure where to post a race report - I didn't contribute to this thread bar one post at the beginning and couple more last week, so I feel like a bit of a gatecrasher posting it in here. Mods –feel free to move this to the main DCM thread if you feel it’s more appropriate in there. On the other hand, I enjoyed reading this thread throughout my preparations and have enjoyed reading the race reports so I hope by posting my report in here I can still contribute something to the thread.

This was my 2nd marathon, but my first in Dublin having run Cork in June this year, so in a way I was a Dublin novice, and I still feel like a novice. Cork went well tbh, but Dublin was a very different experience.
My first mistake happened very early on. I didn't give myself adequate time to recover from Cork before getting stuck into training for Dublin, going on two 15 mile long runs in the two weeks directly after Cork. Ancient history now of course. Training went ok, and my tune up races left me feeling that my goal of 3:40 wasn't ambitious enough, so about 6 weeks out I changed my goal to a soft 3:30. My training, my half marathon times my fitness levels all lead me to believe I had it in me to pull this off on the day, all going well. I’d had to deal with a few niggles which hadn’t 100% cleared up by race day, but had been doing some strength and conditioning work which had been paying off.
Two weeks out I ended up with some sort of viral bug which left me congested and I missed some workouts this week - a course of antibiotics just in case and a course of steroids just to clear the chest left me feeling better by the last week. Then I woke up on Thursday last week with a sore left tib post which left me rushing to the physio paniced to get it taped up. The weather report was also looking poor for my goal. In the end I was so anxious that I just made a decision to stick to my target and assess my progress as the race went on.

I woke way too early, but had had a good sleep the night before, so wasn't worried. I had trouble eating breakfast too, but forced it down and put this down to nerves. I had driven up from Cork the day before, spent about an hour at the expo, then just had a short jog and chilled out in my hotel room for the night so I felt rested enough. Tib post felt good and I felt excited but relaxed.

I arrived in Merrion Square at the bag drop and was immediately lost. I thought I was more familiar with Dublin than this, but it had been nearly 15 years since I was last in this part of the city. Got caught in the shuffling scrum heading past the toilets to the start line and I felt a bit panicky and uncertain. Once I got a bit of free space I felt better. I did a very abridged self-conscious warm up and found my way to the 3:30 pacers (Fantastic job lads btw). After a quick chat with one of them I felt better and decided to stick to my plan of following the pacers, as I didn't really know most of the course. Off we went. I just wasn't used to running in such a big crowd and I couldn't find space to run for ages, slowing to a walk around some corners. We were well into the Phoenix park before any space opened up and it was here I noticed my heart rate being way higher than it had been in last few weeks of training (166 instead of 151 to 155). I also had to take my glasses off as they were fogging up so I couldn't see very well -well enough to run though. Decided to stick with the pacers as I knew there was some downhill coming and had a good chat with one of them on the way down to Chapelizod which put me in better form.

I had no idea where I was throughout most of the 2nd half of the race, and without glasses I missed nearly every mile marker. I stuck with the pacers until mile 11 or so I think and then I pulled ahead slightly. I just wanted some space to run comfortably. They weren't that far behind I don't think, because I was back in the pace group again not long after halfway.

I started feeling bad about 16.5 miles or so. My stomach was unsettled and I felt very warm. At about mile 18 I knew I wasn’t going to hit my goal time so I decided to try to stick with the group until mile 20 and then slow down and try get in under 3:35. I dropped off the back of the pace group and started to feel even more uncomfortable. I couldn’t drink much, the gels (I’d been taking Isogels every 25 minutes or so since the start) didn’t seems to be having the desired effect. Then I was sick – just a small bit, and again a few more times in the last six miles. My left hamstring cramped – this had never happened to me before so I stopped to stretch it and again I had to do this numerous times in the last six miles. I stopped at the loos in mile 22 I think for a quick pit stop and felt a bit better afterwards. The last 4 miles were a hellish mixture of walk for 20 seconds then run for as long as I could, stretch the hamstring, run, walk, run. 3:35 was gone now as well and I seriously thought about a DNF around mile 23. I knew my family were up around Holles street and I scanned the crowd frantically as I wanted to be running when I passed them. After I saw them, I think I ran more of the last mile than the previous 5. I got to the green carpet and saw the clock say 3:39 – I don’t know where it came from but I managed to run in the last 800m with a “sprint” finish to finish with a chip time of 3:38:39 and 11 minute PB. I felt like death warmed up and was glad it was over. I couldn’t eat much for the rest of the day, but still managed a couple of pints. My stomach only started to feel normal yesterday and I’ve been eating all around me since then.
I was totally unprepared for this experience. I was overwhelmed by the crowds, both participants and support. The support was fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but also on a level that I’d never experienced before. I wasn’t prepared for the noise and the rows and rows of faces. It was both amazing and disorientating. The water stops I found to be quite chaotic. I went for the first table along with everybody else it seems. I felt like I was simultaneously getting in peoples way and being crowded out. I’m used to the crowd thinning out after a mile or so at the most but found it hard here to get into my stride and run relaxed. I don’t know how you can prepare for atmosphere like that. I don’t like crowds at the best of times – this is probably why I like running quiet roads for hours on my own around Cork. I’ll be back next year though, but my goal will be to soak it all in, and enjoy it and forget about the time (well – within reason). I hope to run it with a friend too, like I did the first 15 miles of Cork.

While I’m delighted with my time (11 min PB!!!), I’m not so happy with the way I ran the race. My overall assessment is that the course was tougher than I’d expected (tougher than Cork imo), and the conditions were far from ideal – I don’t mind a bit of rain, but the wind was against us for a good stretch on the Southside which broke me long before Roebuck Road. It was also very warm – I reckon about 4 degrees too warm. I took gels and electrolytes, but still crashed and cramped – I think maybe my stomach being upset meant I wasn’t absorbing the carbs and salts into my system as efficiently as I needed. I was too stubborn. I didn’t adjust my goals for the conditions and I think I was very over ambitious. My final warning wasn’t heeded either. My race number was 3350 (3:35:0).

Sorry for the rambling nature of the report, but in a way it reflects my experience. For most of the race I was uncertain about where I even was in the city, especially out on the Southside. I got a great time, but still feel a little bit deflated for having to walk for some periods in the last few miles and for basically having a poor race strategy. I ran Cork conservatively and with negative splits, and decided to just go for it in Dublin – perhaps my first strategy suits me better. On the other hand my first 20 miles were awesome! I also hoping no one thinks I’m complaining about any aspect of the race – my faults are my own. My footwear choice turned out to be far from ideal either. I wore Adidas Boston Boost which I had raced in and done some long runs in, but my feet started to hurt after about 18 miles so in hindsight I wish I’d worn my supernova glides – which I’m not too fond of but they have way more cushioning.
I’m very tired now still, but my legs feel ok – calves and quads are a bit sore, but no sign of injury (well nothing I can discuss in polite company – ahem).

Now the focus is going to be on proper recovery. I’d like to focus on 10 mile to half marathon distance next year, starting with Dungarvan in January. I’ll run Dublin in 2016 but try to enjoy it more and wait to have another crack off my PB in 2017, but maybe somewhere a bit flatter!
Any feedback would be appreciated, and I’m particularly curious as to why I cramped – this has never happened before even in training.

Splits in case you’re interested
1 7:58 /mi
2 7:52 /mi
3 7:56 /mi
4 7:49 /mi
5 7:56 /mi
6 7:53 /mi
7 7:59 /mi
8 7:55 /mi
9 7:48 /mi
10 7:57 /mi
11 7:52 /mi
12 7:48 /mi
13 7:48 /mi
14 8:05 /mi
15 7:51 /mi
16 7:48 /mi
17 8:01 /mi
18 7:57 /mi
19 7:58 /mi
20 8:00 /mi
21 8:42 /mi
22 9:57 /mi (pit stop)
23 9:06 /mi
24 9:20 /mi
25 9:25 /mi
26 9:40 /mi
0.4 9:07 /mi

menoscemo

davedanon wrote: »

Most clubs will lie empty all day, to be fair. If you want to find a particular person, turn up on training nights and ask around, it's the quickest way.

I had emailed and called our club several times, in the end I just turned up I got a welcome reception.
Clubs are just not contact centres and don't employ anyone to answer phones or emails so if anyone has a club in mind just find out when training is on and show up. Knowing someone in the club can help you get introduced to the right person.

RayCun

some clubs also have facebook pages, could be a good way to make contact

This Fat Girl Runs

menoscemo wrote: »

I had emailed and called our club several times, in the end I just turned up I got a welcome reception.
Clubs are just not contact centres and don't employ anyone to answer phones or emails so if anyone has a club in mind just find out when training is on and show up. Knowing someone in the club can help you get introduced to the right person.

+1 to this and everyone saying just turn up on club night.

This is good advice! I wish I had done it at the time.

But back then I was (well, still am) really shy, and would never have had the confidence to just turn up, I would've been too afraid they'd send me home. Not that I was right to think that, of course, but it's where my head was at the time.

But for anyone reading this thread, I'd say don't let lack of self-confidence hold you back, and don't let fear of rejection hold you back either! If I had let it hold me back, I'd have never joined the Novice thread and probably would never have run the marathon either!

aquinn

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

This is good advice! I wish I had done it at the time.

But back then I was (well, still am) really shy, and would never have had the confidence to just turn up, I would've been too afraid they'd send me home. Not that I was right to think that, of course, but it's where my head was at the time.

But for anyone reading this thread, I'd say don't let lack of self-confidence hold you back, and don't let fear of rejection hold you back either! If I had let it hold me back, I'd have never joined the Novice thread and probably would never have run the marathon either!

F it, just rock up with your medal and running gear.

You know what I'm pissed off with today? My knee straightens with no pain. It's terrible that I'm annoyed over something I should be grateful for but the bloody little trolling bastard has nothing wrong with it. Just couldn't have been arsed behaving itself on Monday :rolleyes: :mad:

Alf Veedersane

Deleted User wrote: »

You know what I'm pissed off with today? My knee straightens with no pain. It's terrible that I'm annoyed over something I should be grateful for but the bloody little trolling bastard has nothing wrong with it. Just couldn't have been arsed behaving itself on Monday :rolleyes: :mad:

If you can get your head close enough, you should be able to hear it sing "Tell me why, I don't like Mondays"...

I can empathise. Same happened me. It's a bit like "I know you've put all this work in but today doesn't really suit me so...y'know....tough"

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

If you can get your head close enough, you should be able to hear it sing "Tell me why, I don't like Mondays"...

I can empathise. Same happened me. It's a bit like "I know you've put all this work in but today doesn't really suit me so...y'know....tough"

That did make me smile, thanks Alf

Peter D61

diego_b wrote: »

Out of curiosity has anybody signed up again for next year already? I have not and won't until next summer but thinking about it for sure.
I have no negatives from this experience and barring some quad stiffness today I seem to be recovering well.
Interesting I don't know what is going on with my knee but whatever was there seems to have been worked out a bit which is nice.

I haven't signed up yet but I will. Similar to you I have no negatives from this one. I will probably wait until the series comes on stream and register for them all.

eyeball kid

What went well with your training plan?
I went out for every run where I could bar injury. The increase in milage felt good throughout. Barring an achilles injury, I remained pretty injury free.

What would you do differently with your training?
I was always having issue with my knee over the years where I would get pains just below the knee caps whenever I increased the distance or speed or frequency of my running. Because of this I didn't do any real speed work. There was not a huge amount of variation in the paces I trained at. I would have had variation in training paces.

I tried to spread the midweek runs over 2 nights instead of 3 while keeping the same milage (towards the end of the training I felt a bit more confident in my knees to push it out to 3 and it felt ok). I would try to run 4 or 5 times a week.

I also didn't do any races during the training so I was a bit unsure what pace I could actually do the marathon in. I would look to do the half marathon.

But as I said the reason I didn't do this things was because of injuries I used to get. Maybe if I followed the plan exactly, I would not have made it to the start line. These are things I want to improve on in the future anyway.


What went well about the race?
I think I picked the perfect pace for me. Started just ahead of the 4:30's but gradually moved closer to the 4:20's and had a really strong finish where I gained nearly 1000 places in the last 12km finishing in 4:19:56.

I also ran with ratracer for most of the race. That really took my mind off things and was a huge help I think.

I took 6 gels during the race approximately every 6km and water from every station. I think it worked very well for me. Never really hit any type of wall.

Socks, shoes, t shirts, shorts etc were used on nearly every LSR prior to this so I was well used to them and there was no unexpected chaffing or blisters etc.


What would you do differently if you could start the race again?

Not a thing.
The last 6 miles were very tough but I honestly don't think I could have ran it anyway faster on the day.

Peter D61

frash wrote: »

Joining a running club doesn't really suit my weekly schedule as from what I see they're mainly early evenings (around 7) and weekends around 9 - 10.

I generally run lunchtimes or after 9pm. Weekends I'd be up & out before 8am.

Might check out a park run though - closest to me is Cabinteely I think - could swing by as part of a longer run.

Same here, I normally work evenings and Saturdays, I usually run early in the morning, I have done a couple of parkruns in Shanganagh, good fun.

JacEim

What went well with your training plan?
The fact that I had a training plan was a good start. i just printed off a copy of the Asics sub 4 plan and it seemed to suit my running style, (and it was free!).
I pretty much stuck to the plan and missed very few runs over the course of the program. I was running 3-4 times per week before I started so didn't find it a big step up really. I wasn't a big fan of the 5K park run on the day before the LSR, and while I recognise that its aim is to provide a little bit of fatigue heading into the LSR, I preferred to let the body rest and hopefully avoid any potential injuries etc (anyone got strong thoughts here as to whether I was doing the right thing?). I consistently ran all my runs (including LSR's) faster than the paces called for in the plan. I suppose this gave me some confidence that I could do better than 4 hours, but never having been beyond the 20M on an LSR I was nervous around what was going to happen in the last 6M. That said, I knew that having done one of my 20M in 2:44 then even if I did blow up on the last 6M I would surely be able to do it in 1:16 to break 4H, or much better if I didn't blow up.
I did really feel tired / overtrained / etc in the last 3-4 weeks. I wondered whether this was down to me doing all my runs too fast and me thinking I was a better run than I really was, or the fact that I live in different hotel bedrooms 3-4 nights every week and the combination of work + training + travelling was really catching up with me. I think this is a factor, but I also think it is partly down to the way that the programs are designed, and why the taper then helps repair and build for the race!


What would you do differently with your training? (frash's example of a longer midweek run is an excellent one)
I would love to have the opportunity to do more running on the roads. Typically at least 3 of 5 runs each week were done on the treadmill (including the torturous 17M LSR), which in many ways is good for managing pacing and providing some cushioning to the legs. However I did suffer with hip flexor (and associated quad / knee tendon) issues towards the end of the program and in the race itself. I definitely think this is down to not running enough on the road and not having the extra muscle load associated with pushing myself forward. I also think there is an issue with my core (i don't have one). Have lost a lot of weight this year, and didn't have time for core work as well as running - I am going to focus more on this now, and I feel it can help give me an other 5 minutes in a race!.
Now that I know what I was capable of, I think I just need to set myself a proper realistic target for my next marathon (Dublin was 3:35). I would like to think that I could take 10 minutes off that time, not sure if that is too aggressive or conservative ?


What went well about the race?
EVERYTHING. Apart from a couple of niggles with the hip which I solved myself, the run was a dream. Never felt out of breath, legs generally were strong and felt my stride was strong and efficient. I did a very slow first 10K in 52.49 and did the last 12K in 60.15. Please don't take this as boasting, but I felt like I could have kept running at the finish line so I didn't leave it all out on the course. Perhaps I could have tried to go out in 50M for the first 10K but who knows how I would have felt at the end. I just know that I got faster in every segment so this was great and very motivating. I did have a 2 second wobble at around 24 Miles - was this the body running out of glycogen and converting over to the incoming gels (it was a kind of surreal feeling as my body kind of shivered at the same time..)
I did give about 20-30 walkers an encouraging pat on the shoulder as I passed them and told them to start jogging / get moving / not far etc.. I was trying to be helpful (I think some did get going again) - is this good etiquette in a marathon?

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?
Absolutely NOTHING. I managed to really enjoy every bit of the race, feel really comfortable and come home in a time that I am thrilled with. There is no way that this would have happened without the support of everyone here. I felt very reluctant to offer anybody any advice over the past 4 months - and won't be claiming to be an expert either after just 1 marathon, but I do think I have some learnings that could be applied to novices that have similar circumstances to myself. I think i can run more of these marathons, I think I can run them a bit faster (how much TBD), but to be honest even if I can run them faster I would like to think that I can run them feeling the same way I did in Dublin on Monday!!

I have added in another question to Clearliers list: So what Next ?
Hmmmm. I still really love the idea of getting good at swimming because I am still attracted to the dark side and the variety that the Tri's bring. Things I know for certain:

1. The Turbo gets set up tonight and bike cleaned / tyres changes so it's ready to go from tomorrow night.
2. I'm going to continue running till Christmas (short but fast speedwork during the week - is this ok?, and ~8M LSR's at the weekend)
3. Am going to buy a couple of free weights and also start sit ups / other core work..

Next races:
1. Short 5K / 5M / 10K races over next 3-4 months
2. Ballycotton 10M in March (if I can get into it)
3. Pick 2-3 Duathlons in the new year... and give them a really good lash !!

Things I am not certain:
1. Swimming.....
2. Which marathon(s) for next year... I am thinking probably only 1 if I want to add some more variety..

davedanon

aquinn wrote: »

F it, just rock up with your medal and running gear.

I assume this is a joke, but just in case it isn't, I really wouldn't recommend it. People would just think it strange. No-one looking to join an athletics club has anything to 'prove'. Not unless it's the New York Athletic Club. then you need to be rich as well as connected.

One of lads met a chap at one of the Race Series events, told him he should pop up to the club, he did, joined, trained with us and finished his first marathon on Monday in 3:19. It can be that simple.

davedanon

Also, we have a Fit4Life group in our club. There's no pressure, whether to perform, race or compete. One thing is for sure though. No runner ever got worse after joining a club.

Dubgal72

davedanon wrote: »

I assume this is a joke,

Aquinn never jokes.....;)

JMSE

walshb wrote: »

Did you not read TFGRs post? Maybe that club is only one...

BTW, my post was sound advice. No point looking to join a club that clearly does not want you.

I read your post a bit wrong, in that 'steer clear of those clubs' sounded like 'just steer clear of clubs' . Hard to get tone into text. I add smileys to help with that :cool:

Mrs Mc

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Also anyone with Park Run near them, Great people usually organising
them with lots of running experience, I defiantly would not have been at
start line on Monday if I have not met so many good people there.

Ah shucks G thanks !!!! Ah no agree totally with you it was great having a gang of us from park run doing it sure that's who kept me company on my long runs couldn't have got through without them. There is also loads of levels of experience TFGR so patk run also an option sure we'd love to see you in St Anne's and we go for coffee afterwards. Back at work today lots of well wishes from everyone and talk about my experience so got to relive it again. Was weird coming in this evening from work and not having to run .... I actually feel guilty it's been such a part of life recently it's weird. I'm actually sitting here wondering what I'm going to do for the rest of the evening !!!!

Chops1234

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Ah shucks G thanks !!!! Ah no agree totally with you it was great having a gang of us from park run doing it sure that's who kept me company on my long runs couldn't have got through without them. There is also loads of levels of experience TFGR so patk run also an option sure we'd love to see you in St Anne's and we go for coffee afterwards. Back at work today lots of well wishes from everyone and talk about my experience so got to relive it again. Was weird coming in this evening from work and not having to run .... I actually feel guilty it's been such a part of life recently it's weird. I'm actually sitting here wondering what I'm going to do for the rest of the evening !!!!

Mrs Mc, I'm free Sat morning woo hoo. Is it ok to come down and volunteer? If so, what time do you usually meet up at? Will come down any ways so don't worry if you don't need anyone!