PB or not PB...that is the question

Laineyfrecks

Very best of luck on Sunday😊

Murph_D

Best of luck!

Cartman78

So 3:16 and a new shiny PB...it was a real shoot for the moon and landing in the stars style effort in the end.

Was holding 3:10 pace comfortably enough but the wheels started coming off from 30K onwards so, as in 2019, it was a case of grinding it out and locking in the PB.

My Garmin still thinks I can do a 3:09 😂

Anyway, will be back with a more detailed report when I process things a bit

Lazare

Nice one man, well deserved. Looking forward to the report.

Cartman78

Dublin Marathon 2022

After what felt like the longest build up to anything ever in my life, the overriding feeling on Saturday morning was relief.

Having made it to the start line relatively unscathed I just wanted to get it done and do my training/prep justice.

Hit the road early from Limerick and checked into the Clayton in Ballsbridge around mid-day just in time for our room to be ready. Had my homemade lunch in the room and headed towards the Expo...my kids (7 and 10) were with us for the first time and had a fabulous weekend.

Popped on the DART and hit the Lego shop on Grafton Street, probably did a little bit more walking than I planned but doubt it had any impact tbh.

Back to the hotel for my homemade dinner and put the feet up. I wasn't taking any chances with food...a gluten flare up at the 11th hour would have been a disaster.

Had a bit of a meh sleep but felt grand on wake up...had porridge in the room, gave everyone a big hug and headed out to reception to hop into my prebooked taxi at 7:15.

PLOT TWIST! The taxi didn't show 😡

There was a couple of other lads in the same boat so after waiting in vain til about 7:30 we said fuppit and started walking. Not ideal but it was probably only ~2.5K and again, I don't think it had any real impact on what unfolded later on.

Hit the rather chaotic bag drop around 8:05am...came in from the wrong side so had to go up to the far side through hoardes of people. Anyway no major panic really, got a spot on the steps and got my stuff sorted...had all sorts of old t-shirts to throw away but the heat was already noticable so just went with an ancient long sleeve Mallow 10 Mile top and headed to the start 😬😬😬

Positioned myself in sight of the 3:10 pacers, chatted to a few people around me, retied my shoes once and then we were off.

The first couple of kms didn't seem to be as crowded as I remember (?) so I was able to settle into a rhythm fairly quickly....there did seem to be a LOT of random street furniture (bollards, signs, high kerbs etc) early on that I don't recall either. Some of them were well marshalled but a couple of signs seemed to pop out of nowhere.

Anyway, they didn't cause a problem for me but the heat kicked in early on which I definitely don't remember from previous Dublin marathons 🥵

Was cruising along really at this stage...no issues whatsoever in and around the Phoenix Park. Gels going down ok, water stations grand and I'd made contact with the 3:10 pace group.

As with the pace group in Charleville, I got uncomfortable in the crowd, got clipped a couple of times...when everyone slowed going downhill it was the final straw for me....it's like people switch off or something...if the pacer had gone for a pee I'd swear a crowd of people would have followed him into the portaloo 😂

So I changed gears and spurted out into the open space in front of the pace group...was feeling super at this stage.

Can't really remember anything else of note until halfway tbh....one thing I did sense was the beginning of a blister on my right heel. Was wearing the Vaporflys and hadn't had the problem before. Needed a pee break as well so nipped into toilet at halfway and repositioned my sock. Ran back on to the road and was still a few metres ahead of the pace group so was feeling pretty smug 😎

Halfway in 1:34...pretty much bang on the button.

Had a fleeting thought that if I could replicate my Charleville time, I'd sneak under 3hrs 😂

Somewhere between 25K and 30K things started to unravel a bit....nothing major but a few subtle twinges that I knew couldn't be ignored for long...the first pang of cramp struck in left calf, swiftly followed by right quad. I don't remember anything from the route at this point...it was all about when not if I was going to have to take a mini break and gather myself.

By now my neck and shoulders had seized up a bit as well and the strain of that was giving me a headache....there was a water station on the horizon so grabbed a bottle and (drum roll)...started walking for about a minute or so.

Got going ok but knew that the last few miles were going to be rough (in the end, the last 12K took me an hour...not a disaster by any means). There was a lot of people dropping off around me as well...seemed to be a very high attrition rate from halfway.

Anyway ploughed on with running, water,walking strategy....it was grim in hindsight...each mile marker seemed like a slap in the face..."3 miles to go" felt like an eternity.

Hit 40K in 3:05...the marker was right outside the hotel so I knew exactly what was ahead having speed walked in earlier on in the day.

I had mentally scheduled in another mini break before the finish but the crowd literally kept me going. I'd been playing to the crowd for a while...if I hit a quiet section of people just staring I'd roar "C'mon" and wave my arms which got a mega roar every time...good buzz I have to say and something I'd forgotten about until just now 😜

Trundled past the RDS, and ran shoulder to shoulder with a tall well built fella for a few metres before cruising by him...it wasn't til I heard a few shouts of "Gwan Gillick" that I realized who it was and he now joins John Treacy on the list of ex-Olympians that I've beaten in running events 😂

My Garmin dinged for 41K but then I saw the 25M marker.... WTF 😒....that was a real mindfcuk....my body was groaning big time now (even my teeth were sore!)...there wasn't going to be a sprint finish but I wasn't fupping walking again either.

Finally the line was in sight and a wave of emotional relief washed over me...not sure if it was endorphins or just general raw joy 😭😭😭

Stepped over the line and everything seized up....the medic guy started to walk towards me and obviously did some sort of visual welfare check, he asked was I ok and I gave him a thumbs up.

I staggered in a daze towards the t-shirt and medal collection....I was a borderline blubbering mess now so just needed a moment or two to compose myself...leaned over a railing to "stretch" and had a good cry 😢

Dunno where it came from tbh....it's like everything over the last 3 years bubbled to the surface when I crossed the line...there was a couple of times since 2019 when I thought I wouldn't be able to run again, nevermind run another marathon. Throw in COVID, lockdowns etc and all the sh1t and stress that went with it....well it all came out as I leaned over a barrier in Merrion Square 😅

Anyway, I was eventually moved on by a marshall and sauntered back to baggage claim... everyone looked shell-shocked.

My family were waiting round the corner at the meeting point....I was probably too dehydrated to cry anymore at that point but everyone got an extra big hug.

Headed back along the route to the hotel....some very unsettling scenes of people getting CPR etc, haven't heard anything on the news regarding fatalities so hope everyone pulled through.

Was hobbling along a bit....walking in a straight line was ok but having to stop and move to the side was a challenge.

Anyway tldr....an 8 minute PB for a 44 year old runner who doesn't really like marathons 😎

ariana`

Another brilliant report. Nothing like crossing the finish line of a marathon to make a grown man (or woman) cry! It really is such an experience, it's an honour really to get to do it! I've cried after all of mine, for different reasons mind you, but it's always been an emotional thing like no other really - kind of akin to childbirth. Massive well done to you on your achievement! I'm sorry things didn't go perfectly but I suppose they rarely do and any day you can eek out an 8 min PB is still a good one! You've had a string of setbacks and should be so so proud of yourself getting to this point. Wishing you a speedy recovery now.

ReeReeG

Great result considering the run-up wasn't entirely smooth for you! Well done, really enjoyed that report!

Cartman78

EPILOGUE

I've been kinda struggling to process my thoughts since Sunday.... something felt a bit off and I still can't put my finger on it.

I should be over the moon with my time (I think) but it feels a bit meh 😕

Would I feel any better if I'd ran 3:12, 3:09, 3:04, 2:59:59??? I'm not sure I would if I'm being honest...

Maybe I'm overthinking it but right now I have no desire to run another marathon in the short to medium term.

As I mentioned in another thread yesterday, there's a bunch of other targets I have (specifically at 5K, 10K and 10 Mile) that I feel are in scope following my showing at Charleville a few weeks ago.

The build up to DCM felt very pressurized....entirely my own fault I guess but that feeling of being "all in" on something (when there's a zillion things that could fupp it all up) wasn't fun for the last few weeks...two people on my team at work testing positive for COVID in the past 10 days really spooked me 😱

At least with the shorter distances there's always another option around the corner.

Anyway, here's some random points that led to my PB:

1) Going gluten and dairy free (on medical advice) was a real game changer. I could run every day of the week if I wanted now...pre-2020, even doing 2 consecutive days was risky and 3 days back to back was a physio trip. I obviously had a latent problem for years which exploded spectacularly in late 2019. If anyone reading this has similar issues (ie. repeated unexplained injuries) then I'd recommend at least looking into your diet for clues.

2) Cycling - invested in a decent bike earlier this year and found it excellent for cross training and general fitness.

3) Shoes - the Vaporflys deffo made some sort of difference on race days in Dublin and Charleville, but all the hard miles were done in Pegasus...a real workhorse of a shoe so hopefully Nike don't fcuk them up anytime soon. Shout out to the crazy Nike Tempos I had for a few weeks....they fell apart but were great fun to run in

4) And finally Boards 🙂

Keeping the log here definitely helped...I knew if I did anything stupid I'd have to write about it so that kept me within tolerance.

Anyway, gonna take a break for a while.... probably not that long...will see how the body recovers

AuldManKing

Superb report and an amazing performance - to PB by 8 mins - (on an already good PB) while going through that is astonishing!

Fair play - I think the emotion on the day is telling - its such a big build up for 1 race it, but once it goes, it does leave you feeling a bit down - I've read a about a lot of people, Elites and hobby joggers like us feeling a bit 'meh' after a big goal race, especially one with a big lead up to it.

Enjoy the recovery and get back to enjoying running - good news on the diet - that should lead to some breakthroughs in the not too distant future.

Laineyfrecks

Great race report. Well done on the PB, it's ok to feel Meh, sometimes our feelings just can't be explained. Best of luck with your future goals.

Kellygirl

Great report. I get the “Meh” feeling. I had it too and still a little to be honest. Congrats though and well done.

Cartman78

Thanks to @ariana` , @AuldDaysul@AuldManKing ,@Kellygirl, @ReeReeG , @Laineyfrecks and @Lazare for the replies...much appreciated.

The meh feeling has dissipated a good bit at this stage... it was probably approaching the maximum I could have achieved on the day so I'm starting to feel happier with it as time goes by.

In hindsight, Charleville probably raised expectations slightly beyond my capabilities. I nailed all my long runs but there wasn't enough MP miles in there to really build the endurance I needed.

Anyway, the body is recovering better than expected (although I have an annoying head cold).... starting to look ahead 2023 events.

The Newmarket/Duhallow 5K in December might come too soon I suspect but would like to have another go at Dungarvan 10 Mile and Adare 10K.

The Limerick Half is a good option on my doorstep, followed by the usual plethora of local summer races in June/July all building towards my potential target race in October.... 🥁 🥁 🥁...the Great South Run (10 Mile) in Portsmouth. My sister lives about 500m from the start line so it's a handy one in terms of logistics and stuff 😂

Dubh Geannain

After the previous health issues and the struggle to get to the bottom of it that has to be hugely satisfying. I think it was SB that said you should be celebrating getting to the start line of a marathon after all the training. Then to run such a terrific time. Don't mind your meh 😀 Big congrats.

Lazare

Massive congrats on a superb PB. Super well written report too.

As others have said it's pretty normal to go through a period of meh about it. Brain chemistry is a strange thing, I'd imagine a super charged endorphin rush that we experience after a marathon has that type of effect as it dissipates.

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 31/10/2022

A very slow and sedate week on all fronts.

Felt like I had a cold for most of the week...the kids were under the weather as well so don't think it was purely post marathon burn out.

Got out for a few walks (🤮) to keep the legs moving.

Finally got out for a 6K run yesterday and followed it up with an hour on the bike this morning.

In the office tomorrow so have the gear in the car for a lunchtime workout.

Signed up for Adare 10K (Feb) and the local 10K is back on this year in mid January so I'll probably be on pacing duties for that. Will keep an eye on Dungarvan and Mallow announcements as well.

Will probably give Newmarket 5K a miss... it sounds tempting but hard to justify driving that far to run for less than 20 mins. I should be able to PB handy enough on my own TT route or might even return to ParkRun.

Anyway, glad the marathon is over tbh...the sense of pride and achievement finally seeped through as the week went on and meeting my family at the finish is a memory I'll cherish for a long time.

But I'm more convinced than ever that marathons don't really suit me....I'm not saying I'll never do one again but the itch has been firmly scratched for now 😉

Murph_D

Haven’t really been following this log but I am now! Really enjoyed that Dublin report and I understand that feeling at the end -I had a similar reaction at the end of my virtual Mara in 2020. Sometimes the run just means more than at other times. Congrats on the PB in tough conditions, really says a lot.

DeepBlue

Regarding Newmarket - I used to think that too i.e. why travel for "just a 5k"?

However it's a fast course afaik, attracts a lot of fast runners so lots to work off and maybe easier to get a better 5k PB in the process than you would get in a TT and definitely easier to PB than in a parkrun imho.

Cartman78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846744#Comment_119846744

I haven't ruled it out just yet 😉

To be honest, it'll probably come down more to what shape I'm in at that stage than anything else and whatever other family activities are on that weekend.

There might be one or two from the club travelling down as well maybe so car pooling might be an option

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 07/11/2022

So kinda betting back into it gently after DCM.

4 runs last week (all at easy pace) and one 60 min blast on the bike.

Not feeling any major effects of the marathon thankfully so hoping to drive things on now and start looking towards my 'As Yet Unspecified but probably Wildly Ambitious 10 Mile target' for 2023 😋😎

Took an aerobic rest day on Friday and did some light weights, core and stretching.

The athletics highlight of the week was undoubtedly seeing my two young lads competing at the County Indoors in Nenagh yesterday - no medals but they had a great time and it's a fantastic experience for them...would love to have had the option at that age but back in 1980's Mayo it was football or nothing really...even soccer was seen as exotic 😅

Anyway, will keep ploughing on this week and introduce a gentle speed session maybe.

Have a pair of Vaporflys sitting at home in the porch too so a nice treat to unbox them on a dull Monday evening

Cartman78

And now I know for sure what the colour "University Gold" looks like 🤣

These will be going into hibernation for a bit before launching in the spring

ariana`

The athletics highlight of the week was undoubtedly seeing my two young lads competing at the County Indoors in Nenagh yesterday - no medals but they had a great time and it's a fantastic experience for them...would love to have had the option at that age but back in 1980's Mayo it was football or nothing really...even soccer was seen as exotic

Fantastic to hear your kids had fun. I think at that age that is the main thing that should be prioritised and everything else will naturally fall into place over time. As a Mum of 3 kids with very different natures, I can tell you there still aren't very many options in rural Ireland for kids who don't love GAA or just aren't competitive enough for it.

Nice kicks, good luck with the 10m target 😉

Cartman78

Yep.... totally agree...there was a really nice vibe/atmosphere at the Indoors.

Everyone there (kids, coaches, parents, officials) wanted to be there and has a genuine interest and passion for the sport.

I also help out with underage hurling and it's a different story altogether....very obvious that some of the kids hate it and some of the coaches seem to be doing it as a miserable obligation 🙄

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 14/11/2022

Bit of a funny week - feel like I have a constant low-level cold which isn't helping and sleep is gone a bit haywire. Not sure if it's a delayed marathon hangover or whether I'm just run down generally.

As a result, my running has dipped a bit in quality and quantity but will keeping plugging away at it for the headspace if nothing else.

Did 4 x 2K on Monday at something like 70-75% effort, bike on Tuesday and rest on Wedsnesday.

Had planned something a little longer and slower on Thursday but was badly stuck for time so ended up doing a half-arsed 5K TT 😜

Started out grand but was huffing and puffing at the end for a quasi acceptable 20:11 - fell off the pace in the last 2K so relatively happy in the circumstance. The path was pretty slippy in a couple of spots (including a previous accident black spot...long term readers might remember me falling spectacularly a couple of years ago) so had to really slow down for about 10 metres (twice...as it was an out and back route).

Was feeling a bit leggy on Friday so a planned 10K was dialled back down to a 7K.

Had planned a rest day on Saturday as the kids had a bunch of stuff in the calendar but a couple of things got called off so headed out on the bike in very cold conditions - it was a bit of a grind but ploughed away for an hour....spent the rest of the weekend watching documentaries about Italia 90 😎

No major plans for this week - will keep ticking over...unlikely to do that 5K now I'd say unless my leggy-ness disappears asap. Dungarvan entry open on Thursday so will be logged in good and early

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 21/11/2022

2 x slowish 8K runs

1 x mid paced 10K

2 x bike rides

1 x car break down and expensive tow (to be followed this week or next week by an eye wateringly expensive and lengthy fix 🙄)

1 x possible/probable lower hamstring tear/twang

Not a great week to be fair 😂

The niggle in my knee/lower quad that has been lingering since pre DCM taper seems to have developed into a hamstring issue of some sort. It's a self diagnosis at this stage as I can't get to physio due to the fupping car being a useless piece of shyte 😡

Anyhooooo...no running on the horizon this week. Cycling seems to be ok so will keep cardio ticking over while the niggle heals/rests

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 28/11/2022

So a real nothing burger of a week.

4 x bike rides around 16K so just about keeping cardio fitness up.

No real updates on either the potential hamstring injury or my car 😬😬😬

Might try a short run tomorrow and expecting to hear from the garage as well so could be a rollercoaster of a day either way 😂

Didn't sign up for Dungarvan 10....the current status combo of car and hamstring didn't feel conducive to entering.

Seems to be loads of races popping up anyway....will try to find something nearer home

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 05/12/2022

Started the week off with a solid enough 7.5K effort at 4:30 km pace.

THE END 😂

My knee/hamstring wasn't too bad after it but the dreaded combo of weather, work and car shenanigans meant that was my only workout of the week 😱

Not too bothered right now tbh... feel like I need a bit of rest generally. The kids and missus have been sick on and off too.

So no major plans for the week....not a fan of running in the frost anyway.

Tldr: meeeeehhhh 😂

Cartman78

My watch has regretfully informed me that I am officially in 'Detraining' mode.

In a swift counterattack move, I entered the Mallow 10 Miler this afternoon....not so smart now Mr. Garmin eh??

Cartman78

A depressingly familiar festive update from me I'm afraid 😟

Despite getting the jab in early October I've succumbed to the flu over the last few days....on a course of steroids, inhalers and Tamiflu now so no surprise that my training status has degraded from 'Detraining' to 'No Status' 😆

A disappointing end to what had been a pretty decent year....Comeback #4,529 starting in January 😀

Cartman78

First run in what feels like ages today...6K completed in relative comfort.

Legs felt ok after three weeks sitting on a couch, was huffing and puffing a bit towards the end so I guess my chest/breathing isn't quite 100% yet.

I'm hoping that my pre-flu hamstring injury has magically disappeared via enforced rest....I did stretch it occasionally but not religiously as it felt like too much effort most days 😂

Gonna sign up for my local 10K on the 15th....won't be in any sort of shape for it but would be a shame to miss it

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 02/01/2023

Followed my mammoth 6K on Sunday up with 18K cycle on Monday.

Back in the office on Wednesday and the joys of the flat ringroads of Nenagh...a solid 8K and a toughish 8 x 800m on Friday.

Legs not too bad....the hamstring issue seems to have migrated upwards with all my stretching...feels more like a tight groin now at the moment. Chest/breathing has improved also but not quite 100% tbh so still sucking away on the inhalers 🙄

Did 13K earlier today relatively convincingly...took a micro break after 11K following a long hill into the wind but all good besides.

Most of the run today is part of the 10K race next weekend so whatever excuse I'll be writing here next Sunday won't be related to lack of familiarity with the route.