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Eye of the Tiger Beer.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Singer, the new 'how to run a marathon' guru
Fair play to you B, you break every rule in the book and still come up smelling of roses. Hats off on a phenomenal performance today, you looked relaxed around the 16.5 mark. Great to catch up today today. 0 -
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Race Report!
Remember that time I ran DCM on a whim?
In fairness, I'd done some amount of marathon relevant stuff over the last while, so as long as I didn't do anything too crazy I was sure I could run reasonably well and finish a half-decent marathon. The 6 days prior involved a crash taper. I was feeling tired from Sunday's efforts at the (pretty easy) club session on Tuesday, so I took another two days off and then just did some easy miles to the expo on Friday and a few around Swords on the Saturday so I wouldn't show up having forgotten how to run. The club had access to an office on the other side of Fitzwilliam Square to get ready so after strolling through town I popped in there to get changed and exchanged some nervous chats with some Cru folk. After a quick group photo I did a very easy warmup and then made my way to the starting area. I got close enough to the 3:20 pacers and was happy with that. I needed to do a wee but didn't fancy the prospect of pissing on a random building, which seemed to be the done thing - why don't they have urinals as well as toilets available? I took off a sacrificial hoodie and threw it in the direction of Fitzwilliam Square. It got no further than the head of a runner standing near the side. Whoops.
Careful now - 7:44, 7:20, 7:40, 7:31, 7:31, 7:27, 7:41
The start was very crowded, as expected. I wasted zero energy trying to hit a pace or get past people. The 3:20 pacers seemed to saunter off a good bit ahead of me but I knew I'd easily catch up. My watch got bumped twice in the first couple of miles hitting the lap button each time, so I had to manually hit the lap button at the third mile so it'd be in line with the markers (this caused my some confusion at least twice thinking I was two miles ahead of where I actually was for a second or two). When we got down to the quays I spotted murph_d nestled in the middle of the 3:20 pacing group and made my way over. We didn't expend too much energy nattering away, but it was good to have some friendly company especially in the early parts when holding back was very much the plan. It felt a little warm in the sun so I made a mental note to take on plenty of water, even though I still needed to wee. I had my first gel (a Gu double expresso) going up Chesterfield, waved to TFGR and a work colleague, and enjoyed the banter from the pacers. The support in Castleknock was incredible. I said to D at the time that going through there was nearly as good as finishing. It's the closest us mere mortals get to scoring a goal in a football match or playing Glastonbury. My plan was to push on after Myos so I said bye to D on the way down Tower Road and hoped I wouldn't see him again until the pub.
Speeding up - 7:14, 7:09, 7:05, 7:28, 7:11, 7:10
It took me a while to get through the crowd around the pacing group and I avoided the temptation to hop onto the path to get past. After I finally got past it was like the seas had parted. It was a lot cooler and I could easily follow the racing line as opposed to being stuck in the middle. Heading back into the park I was recalling how I felt at this stage last year, where things started to fall apart. Things couldn't be more different today - I was feeling no fatigue and was still very fresh, which is how things should be at this stage. I was running near a Clonliffe runner who was running a good racing line so following him allowed me to tune out a little. Heading out of the park I got a good roar from Mrs_mc, and a shout from a club mate who tore something on the course and was limping home. I took it very handy going up the hills into Inchicore, again very conscious of blowing up here last year and having to stop to walk. Support was again amazing going through Kilmainham and over the canal. I was starting to pass a fair few runners and this felt pretty good. Around mile 11 I was starting to fatigue and effort levels were rising, but not badly so.
Zzzzz - 7:19, 7:21, 7:11, 7:10, 7:09
I went over halfway, looked over to where I stopped last year and sailed on by. The next few miles are the worst part of DCM - support is a little sparse, the wide roads provide no shelter from wind or sun and the drag after half way is a silent energy sapper. I don't remember much wind, but I was starting to feel a bit hot in the sun. I kept up my rhythm, still passing a good amount of folks including some runners from the club who I had brief chats with. The shade of the Bushy Park trees provided a lot of relief, as did the slight downhill. I took my second gel here, a High 5 Isogel with caffeine. I was trying to pay some attention to form - a lot of folks around me were slumping around the place and hitting the road hard with their feet, but I think I was still running well enough and my feet felt nice and light wearing racing flats. I still needed to wee, but I figured it was making no difference to my running and I'd held on for this long so just kept going.
Hillville - 7:12, 7:19, 7:23, 7:42
From Rathgar on I was back on familiar territory, having run to and from St. Luke's here a bit. With familiarity though came a bit of dread of the foothills of the Milltown mountains looming and wondering what on earth would happen after 20 miles given my lack of long runs. Nothing I could do about it at this stage other than plough on and keep an eye on things. The race were still going to plan and there wasn't much chance of a DNF at this stage, though I did start to calculate in my head what I'd finish at if I had to slow down to easy or recovery pace. My wife and kids were in the vicinity of the LUAS stop here and getting a shout from them provided a nice boost. I was definitely feeling quite ragged by the time I got to Heartbreak Hill. I discarded my running belt and remaining gels, which made running ever so slightly more comfortable, and every little counts at this stage.
The bit at the end that's quite sore - 7:34, 7:29, 7:36, 7:43, (07:25)
I caught up with AMK after the UCD flyover who was surprisingly and sadly plodding along. He gave me a bit of stick in the pub for telling him "fair play to you for sticking with it", I'll let him away with it this time Contrary to rumours being spread by FBOT I did not slap him on the arse, though maybe I should have gone for it. Running was getting difficult. I saw my pace on my watch and cursed at it. My calves were starting to get very sore, a known risk of wearing racing flats. A blister was forming in my left middle toe but wasn't too sore. Coming up to RTE I did a snot rocket and nearly hit an English lad, and that kicked off a bit of banter. He was kind of nuts, shouting at the crowd to get them going and encouraging people around him so I stuck with him for a couple of miles and he helped drag me along until the 800 metres to go sign. I think it was a little windy heading towards the finish though at this part of the race any breeze would feel like a gale. At this stage I really wanted to stop running, but I could nearly see the finish so convinced myself there wasn't much point in stopping. There was nothing like a sprint finish left in me, I hadn't checked pace in a long rime but at least I wasn't crawling along. I got a nice shout from dubgal, failed to see my wife and kids who were back a bit in the crowd and struggled on to the line. I considered slowing down to hit 3:14:15 exactly but 4 seconds of more running wasn't very attractive at the time Job done - I'd run well, hadn't embarrassed myself and was honestly a bit relieved with that.
10k: 47:04
Half: 01:37:20
30k: 02:17:14
Chip finish: 03:14:11
Gun finish: 03:14:58
29 second negative split!
Positions
10k: 1947
Half: 1678
30k: 1393
Finish: 1107
The time isn't that impressive coming off my recent race times over shorter distances, but given the lack of specific training and taper it's pretty much as good as I could have done on the day, and an 18 minute PB is not to be sniffed at. I lost a couple of minutes or so in the last few miles, maybe I could have pushed a bit more but I didn't want everything to go to sh1t. A good bit away from where I want to be (a sub-3 attempt next year) but nice to know that I can actually finish a marathon
The support was amazing. Not only were the crowd, DJs etc. a great boost I probably got over a hundred shouts for the Crusaders singlet. Some nice shouts out from boards folks on the course too. It really does help.
After the race I said thanks to the English lad who took a selfie with me (he was delighted with a 5 minute PB) and struggled to walk, eventually catching up with some Cru heads and we headed back to grab our bags etc. I split off down to my office to meet my wife and kids, and had a shower. Coming back up the stairs I started to get very pale and a little nauseous, but after sitting down for a few minutes and eating some junk I started to feel a lot better. I ambled painfully down to McGrattan's and caught up with a load of folks and had as much fun as the marathon itself. The legs felt a lot better after a few beers. My wife called me a couple of times to make sure I'd eaten to not repeat my feinting escapade a couple of years ago - thankfully, I didn't repeat that.
Today my calves are in absolute bits, the blister needs to be lanced at some stage but I think my hangover is actually worse than any running related problems. I've been eating all day so far and don't plan to stop any time soon. No running today, I think the most active I'll be is bringing the kids swimming.0 -
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Well done B, I think you paced that just about perfectly. Very sensible start, a pleasure to help slow you down. All the best people had post-race queasiness this year, it's a thing. Congrats on the big PB and a well executed week, all the way to the race itself. 0
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No serious pains... my calves were fantastically sore just like after the Frank Duffy (except a bit worse), which I'm putting down to wearing the racing flats. Didn't happen after the Dublin Half though. The calves were a good bit better this morning, so I did a nice commute to work earlier and it went great, no niggles or anything, I felt very rested after two days off. Blister still needs to be dealt with though, it's now filled with blood but isn't sore.
Some more little bits of info before I forget them (mostly for my own use).
Fuel: I was well fed going into the marathon. I started on Friday night with a late night wholemeal bagel washed down with some Lucozade Sport, then some muesli as normal on Saturday morning followed by a large lunch of pancakes and patatas bravas and a regular sized bowl of pasta for dinner. I drank a good bit of water over the course of the day, one of the cups was with dioralyte. For breakfast on marathon morning I just had some more muesli and downed a bottle of Lucozade Sport over the course of the morning before the race. Oh, and some bloody beetroot juice. I wish I never read about its efficacy. I should probably not bother with it, it's marginal gains stuff and it makes my pee turn red. During the race itself I had two gels, a Gu Espresso and High 5 Isogel, both with caffeine. I also had a pack of Clif Bloks on me but ate just two of them in between the gels, and a pack of Sportbeans by Jelly Belly that got discarded unopened along with my running belt and most of the Clif Bloks. I also had a small cup of Lucozade Sport at the 22 mile stage or so.
Niggles: I had a couple of niggles at the start of the month, my left hip was a bit sore and my left calf was achey where it got injured this time last year. I did nothing about either of them and they went away on their own 2 weeks or so ago, so I went into this niggle free. Maybe if I had some active niggles I mightn't have plunged in so eagerly.... maybe.
Rest / Taper: I've had a suspicion that a lot of my best races have been where I've been doing some fairly intense stuff in the buildup. Last year I ran a big PB in the Docklands 5k, having ran my first 20 mile LSR of the year 4 days prior. The last two years I've done a moderately intense parkrun the day before the Fingal 10k and ran good races in both of them. I've done a good few "ok" races with more serious significant tapers. Hmm.
9 and a half weeks until my next marathon. I don't plan to PB there, but who can trust what I say about anything these days? 0 -
Not too much going on this week. Two days of zero running after DCM as my lower calves were very sore, once I got back out I felt great and headed into the hills on Saturday morning with a couple of work colleagues for a Run The Line recce. We did a few of the climbs, which were somehow mostly enjoyable. I am still terrible at the downhills though they are completely exhilarating - totally different running compared to my usual plodding along listening to a podcast
Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
1st November|10.1 miles|8:28|A run commute into work, first running after DCM and it felt wonderful. No niggles.
2nd November|10 miles|8:07|A commute home with some strides
3rd November|9.1 miles|8:33|An easier, shorter commute home
4th November|6.9 miles|9:53|Running around Tibradden and Cruagh. 1,400 ft gain, some technical uphills and downhills.
5th November|15.5 miles|8:01|Swords, Feltrim and Malahide Castle on a crisp sunny morning. Passed through 2,500 miles for the year.
Total: 51.7 miles
October total: 253 miles
Next week: More milage and sessions.0 -
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Easy running is not measured in miles per minute, it's state of mind and body
Looking back at every commute this year, almost all the commutes that are close to 8:00 miles have some "strides" thrown in - typically going fast for 30 seconds every mile or so (not really strides, but they do make for a more interesting commute), and I do those kind as a weak substitute for a session. Any of the other faster commutes mostly had a day off beforehand. I run with a bag on my back, and just go at what feels easy and good at the time, and don't really pay much attention to splits or pace. They're mostly in the 8:20-8:40 range which seems about right.
The pace I just ran DCM in was arguably not "MP" as I wasn't well trained for the race and based on my race times over the last few months. Throwing my HM time into Daniels' VDOT calculator gives me a MP of just under 7:00 and easy paces of 7:56-8:23 which sounds closer to reality 0 -
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Not an amazing week. Maybe it's post-marathon woes, but I have a new niggle and feel a bit meh. My lower left back has been pretty sore after running, which is a not fun. It's a weird dull pain that seems to go away with some rest, but it's kind of around a lot of the time when not running which is a bit frustrating. If it was going to be around forever and this was the cost of running, I'd probably take it as is. If it gets worse it's a different matter though. That said it's fine now, maybe it just needed a long run to sort it out These woes generally translated into most running being a little conservative this week, not pushing myself too much or fighting to get out running especially in the second half of the week.
I made it over to the club on Tuesday, and joined in the main group session, which happened to be quite long-distance friendly anyway - 4x(400m@HM,10M,10k) with a short jog between reps (like about 20 metres). The paces weren't too bad, really only a few seconds between lap times but mostly in the right range and didn't destroy myself at all. It was pretty cold running back to the quays for the bus.
A message went out to the club Whatsapp group looking for pacing volunteers for Malahide parkrun's 5th birthday so I put myself forward for 20 minutes or slower, having paced 21 minutes well a year ago in Rivervalley and having done Malahide sub-19 a few months ago I reckoned I could reliably get around the course. I got over to Malahide early enough and jogged around a bit then headed over to the setup area. There weren't any 20 minute pacing signs, just 21 minutes and slower, and the RD seemed a bit derisory of my claim that 20 minutes should be no problem, so 21 it was to be again. The pre-race speech stuff went on forever, and it was 9:44 by the time we got going. I was carrying a pacing sign as well as having 21 on my shirt, the sign wasn't a problem really but it still felt good discarding it at the top of the hill a couple of kilometres in. I'd roughly decided on an even-effort pacing strategy so I wouldn't annoy break the heart of anybody barely hanging on at the second go of the hill in the last 300m or so. My Garmin was near useless at tracking pace thanks to the wonderful canopy of trees lining most of the course. I encouraged a few folks around me from time to time and there seemed to be at least a handful runners in my general vicinity. In the 4th km a young runner asked me was I the pacer as I'd been creeping up to him. I confirmed I was, and told him to dig in as it's the 4th km. He sped up a bit and stayed ahead of me for the rest of the timed run. Coming up the hill at the end it became clear that I was about 20 seconds ahead of pace, so slowed down a little, and I got home in 20:46. Not terrible but I'd have liked it to be a lot closer to 21. The lad who I encouraged to dig in finished with his first ever sub-21 and he was delighted with himself. It didn't feel like much of a workout, 21:00 being slower than my HM pace. Afterwards I chatted to a few club members who were also pacing before heading off home.
On Sunday I did a not great long run of a little over 18 miles in just over 2 and a half hours. A few pints watching the match the night before probably didn't help too much, but more importantly I didn't have a large brekkie or bring out any water or fuel which in retrospect would have made it a good bit more comfortable. My younger kid broke my phone over the weekend, so I was running without any aural distraction which could also have helped. I ran up the exposed Oscar Traynor road straight into a wind which was a bit strong at times, further sapping my energy. I didn't finish particularly strong and was a bit grouchy by the end.
Date|Distance|Pace|Notes
6th November|9 miles|8:53|Standard slow commute home.
7th November|6.8 miles|?|Club session as above
8th November|9.1 miles|8:55|Standard slow commute home. 100th commute of the year! I did 103 last year, so looking good for a PB
9th November|4.1 miles|9:21|Some quite slow miles before work
11th November|7 miles|?|Some easy miles either side of a 20:46 parkrun.
12th November|18.5 miles|8:08|Swords to Malahide to Artane to St. Annes to Raheny to Coolock to Santry to Swords.
Total: 54.8 miles
Next week: Might try out my second 20+ miler of the year Unlikely to go to the club on Tuesday due to the match, probably Thursday instead. 0 -
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Well done! 
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