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DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread
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Finally getting a chance to sit down and put my thoughts on paper. I had it all written out, and then it all disappeared on me. So here I go, all over again.
First of all, a few words on the implications of running when you've a hiatus hernia. Sorry, I know I probably have gone on about this, but it turned out to be critical to my day on Sunday.
To explain what a hiatus hernia is, it's a hole in the diaphragm, just where the oesophagus enters the stomach, right under the breastbone. The stomach can slide up through the hole to some degree, sometimes completely if the hole (hernia) is big enough. In my case, just a bit of stomach can peep through, but it tends to be painful, and can cause the diaphragm to go into spasms which are very painful. For me, it only happens if I'm running, or if I've eaten too much of certain types of food, or *ahem* over-consumption of wine:o.
The pain, when you're running, tends to shoot up into the shoulders too. To control it means keeping the breathing deep ("diaphragmatic breathing"), steady, and a conscious effort to keep the diaphragm relaxed, because stress and tension (and diet, and physical exertion) causes the stomach to move upwards and push through the hole in the diaphragm. The aim is to stop the stomach squooshing up at all, or to try to make it slip back down again if it does squoosh up.
I've been managing the problem for months now since I realised what was going on and under doctor's orders, so much so that I had all but forgotten that it's an issue. But, I have to assume now that the excitement and anticipation of the big event on Sunday morning must have made things go askew on me. I also wonder if my carb-loading on batch bread did me harm. God I love batch loaf, but I'm not too sure that it loves me
Marathon Day
Up at 6am, got stuff done at home with our various animals that needs to be done, marathon or no marathon. A bowl of porridge and honey at 7am, into the car with my husband, and a straightforward journey to Dublin. Got parked. Headed towards the Wave 4 area, saying my goodbyes to my husband and my friend who had joined us. Quick hello to my sister-in-law and her mam who were volunteering at the bag drop. By chance, I found Bananaleaf and Fraggle in the waiting area (okay okay, maybe I was slightly stalking ye), we were all wrapped up with our disposable hoodies, track suits and hats. Anxious-bladder syndrome drove us into the portaloos more than once!
We didn't have to wait too long before we were off, at about 9:45. What a buzz! Everyone was in great form and the atmosphere was electric.
Plan A was 4:50-4:55. Plan B was sub 5 hour. Plan C was to finish. The plan was to start out nice and steady, well behind the 5-hr pacers, and to review things at 7 miles, half-way, and again after Heartbreak Hill, lifting the pace at each stage if all was well.
I was carrying my own water bottle and Zero tabs, which I topped up whenever needed at the water stations, and I was taking gels (Maurten, because of the kind-on-stomach reputation, every 4 miles. One hi-5 caffeine gel for Mile 16ish. All pre-tested on LSRs.
Miles 1-7: 11:30; 11:37; 11:50; 11:38; 11:52; 11:39; 11:37
Lots of hollering and whooping for the first mile. It was right here, along Kevin St, the opening mile, that to my horror, I felt the faintest twinge of discomfort in my stomach/diaphragm. Uh oh. Today? Really? REALLY?
Haven't had to do this in a while, but I start to control my breathing and relax the area to help relieve the discomfort, to make my tummy drop back down below the diaphragm. By the time we got to Christchurch, the pain was getting sharper. I remembered that leaning forward and quickly standing back up again can do the trick... and it did. Instant relief. The next mile up to Stoneybatter was okay. Met my mam and sister in Blackhall Place. Quick hugs, and onwards.
Tummy slightly uncomfortable heading towards Phoenix Park, and getting more uncomfortable as we head up Chesterfield Avenue. Damn. Desperately trying to keep everything relaxed, trying to get things working normally. Despite the discomfort, we kept a good, steady, sensible pace. Out of the park and Castleknock... whoa! They weren't lying about the incredible crowds here! Holy moly, I could not wipe the grin off my face here, the atmosphere was so fantastic. Hair-standing-on-end-fantastic. Incredible!
Miles 8-13.1 (half-way): 11:01; 11:03; 11:03; 11:33; 11:23: 11:36
The downhill back into the park was a nice break, quiet time to regroup after the madness of Castleknock. We picked the pace up on the downhills because it felt easy and effortless. Tummy was jagging at me a bit, but I thought I might be getting it under control, as I have done before on previous races where it tried to scupper me.
Chapelizod was another nice lift with the crowds, but once we crossed the river I was into unchartered territory, the next pile of miles until Milltown are parts of Dublin I really don't know.
I had asked here whether it makes any difference, knowing the course ahead of time or not. It was felt that it shouldn't make a difference, but to be honest, for me, it did. I found not knowing where I was, not knowing the lie of the land, not knowing what was ahead (despite having watched videos and studied elevation charts and read first-hand accounts), was quite disorientating and made me feel like I wasn't fully in control of things. Not on a run of this scale anyway... probably wouldn't matter so much on a 5km run!
Laurence's Hill was a case in point... what a pig of a hill:(. We knew we had to cut the pace right back when we saw it ahead, but it did cause a bit of a brain shock. Similarly, that long, long drag up to Crumlin Children's Hospital... the advice I'd read in advance had not really prepared me for this either. There were other drags up to and beyond the half-way point that I wasn't fully expecting either, and I do think I'd have benefited from sussing out this part of the route in advance. Drags aside, simply not knowing where I was for a large chunk of the race was not nice. There was also a long stretch with no water station, not sure where... but I see others noted this long waterless stretch too.
By the time we reached half-way, despite the nagging discomfort in my midriff, we were pretty much on target with our paces, particularly in light of the reputation of this route giving a negative split (*ahem*). I knew the rest of the race was going to be a bigger challenge than I had reckoned on with this pain to contend with on top of what was to be expected in the course of a "normal" marathon. But, I think a point came at about the half-way mark that I started to lose the battle with my stomach pains. Here's the thing. Once a hiatus hernia is making its presence felt, there are 2 things that are almost certain to make it worse in the moment: physical exertion, and eating/drinking You can probably see where this is going?! I knew taking on water and gels was going to do me harm, but not taking them was also going to do me harm... on balance, I quickly concluded that more harm would be done by not taking them, and I was going to have to suffer the consequences of taking them.
All of a sudden, shortly after the half-way gantry, the pain went from just about manageable, to stopping me right in my tracks, gasping. I came to a complete and immediate standstill. Bananaleaf looked back, I could see the worry on her face, but I gestured to her to keep going... I knew this was not going to be something I'd cruise through now. 13 miles of trying to compensate with my posture and form and breathing was taking its toll, I think.
I very quickly realised that Plan A (4:50ish) was now gone out the window. Within seconds of that, I also realised that Plan B (sub 5) was gone too. In fact, holy sh!t, Plan C (finishing) was not looking good either. I was a long way from the finish at this point, and the thought of even attempting to get through that distance with this stupid pain was very daunting.
I doubled myself over and stood back up quickly... that often makes the stomach move back down. Not today though. Well... maybe a a tiny bit... I walked a bit, maybe 50 metres or so, then started to run again until I was forced to stop again. And that, my friends, is how the 2nd half of my DCM went.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Look what happened the paces from the half-way point on... I tried so hard to keep the stops/walks as short as I could possibly get away with. I may have slowed down a lot, but looking at the figures, it looks like I was nevertheless remarkably consistent across the miles with my enforced, unavoidable run, stop, double-over, walk strategy. What a slog. But I'm a dogged, stubborn fecker, and not finishing was such a horrible, horrible prospect
Miles 14-26: 12:25; 12:39; 12:43; 13:24; 12:24; 12:37; 12:24; 12:56; 12:43; 12:46
The sense of feeling "lost" in an unknown part of the Dublin suburbs was probably worse because I was feeling so crap now. On the plus side, my legs, in fact all of me other than my midriff, still felt good and strong. At least my legs were still following the plan, huh?!
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
More positives from the 2nd half... In Terenure (I think!) I met my cousin who'd come out especially to support me. In Rathgar, another cousin who took to run alongside me in his normal clothes, chatting as if we were sitting over a cup of tea.. it was funny and hugely appreciated:o.
Down into Milltown, I wasn't expecting to see my husband, mam, and sister, who had beetled out of town on the Luas to join forces with my aunt and more cousins, posters with my name on held aloft... what a great lift. Quick stop for hugs and to tell them things were not going great, thanking my mam for her genetic gift of the hiatus hernia
As I left them, I noticed a small group of ladies right beside them holding a poster with Mr. Guappa's name on it! Of course! ReeReeG and Huzzah! The best I could muster at that moment was a "waahhhhh" and a particularly demented facial expression, I was afraid to stop again in case I couldn't start again. I'm so sorry I couldn't have been more coherent ladies, but thank you so much for being there because I did laugh on the inside
Another cousin, who had done DCM a few years ago, ran alongside me for a while here in his jeans and shirt, knowing I was in pain, just getting me prepped in my head for Heartbreak Hill, or as he called it, the "kick in the ar5e".
At Clonskeagh, my lil bro, a lovely stylish runner himself, jogged along beside me, repeating his mantra to "run the tangent, don't run around bends... cut them!" to save time and energy. We were then joined by his multi-marathoner girlfriend who gently coaxed me, encouraged me, told me I was looking very comfortable and maintaining a very even pace (her sister videoed me along here and it was true... I didn't actually look like I was struggling.. I wonder do they think I was making it up?!:pac:) They left me so they could cut down through UCD so they could meet me again at Nutley.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Heartbreak Hill? Bizarrely, gave me little problem. The sticky road in the run-up to it was a strange experience, but the hill itself wasn't that bad. Once I got out onto the N11, I was back on very familiar territory. I've run this route many times during the Women's Mini Marathon. I meet Bananaleaf again here, so good to see her... I knew she was struggling but could see the grit in her face to get to the finish... we run together for a while and meet my lil bro again, who runs with us with his "run the tangent" mantra. In the knowledge that we can be blunt with one another, I said to him, "I love you to bits, but would you ever fnck off with your tangents right now?!" I had to stop again, Bananaleaf headed onwards, and I was once again joined by my brother's girlfriend to run down Nutley. She pointed out, by way of encouragement, that I was passing lots and lots of people, which I was. It felt weird running through so many walkers. She told me that the crowds in the next 1.5 miles to the finish line would carry me through, keep going, keep going!
One more stop, no double-over this time, just a quick walk, then run again. Legs are finally feeling tired now... they've done well, but then again, they didn't have to run as fast as planned today!
There's the finish gantry! OMG there's the finish! It seemed to take so long to get there... but finally, the moment we've all dreamed of... I'm on the blue carpet, holding it together and not feeling the elation I thought I'd have earned at this stage, but I'm on the blue carpet! Over the line.
Plan C, thank feck, has been salvaged.:o
Chip time: 5:19:15, though my watch timed 26.31 miles at 5:17:56... every minute counts, huh?! And see? I ran the tangent pretty well, lil bro!!!
The Aftermath
I've done a marathon. I think I'm still struggling to believe that. Lads, really...me? Doing a MARATHON? Lol!
But there's disappointment. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to run the race I had trained for, that I was ready for, and that I was capable of running. But I think I'll get over that. Probably am getting over that by now.
What I'm by far the most disappointed about, and what had caused me to fight back some tears, is that I didn't, I couldn't, get to enjoy the experience. That was my major, overarching wish, to enjoy it whilst embracing the challenge, but that was taken from me by my stupid stomach, and can't be given back.
But. Here's the but. I also have come to realise in the past 2 days that it was a privilege to get to finish it, even if it was under less than perfect circumstances. Ais_Byrne7's experience was sobering (relieved you're okay Ais), and quite a few reports of better runners than I not finishing.
I've said all along that I'd do one marathon. Just to knock it off the bucket list. But, I also feel now that I've unfinished business with DCM.
Will I do it again? No. Maybe. Yes.
Actually, it now seems that I have to let the stupid new lottery system make the decision for me :rolleyes:
Mr. Guappa, Huzzah! and ReeReeG... thank you so, so much. Such great patience and selflessness with your time. Just fab. Take a bow
My fellow novices...no, no, my fellow GRADUATES... thanks for sharing the anticipation, the excitement, the jokes... yiz are as mad a a bottle of frogs 0 -
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Finally getting a chance to sit down and put my thoughts on paper. I had it all written out, and then it all disappeared on me. So here I go, all over again.
First of all, a few words on the implications of running when you've a hiatus hernia. Sorry, I know I probably have gone on about this, but it turned out to be critical to my day on Sunday.
To explain what a hiatus hernia is, it's a hole in the diaphragm, just where the oesophagus enters the stomach, right under the breastbone. The stomach can slide up through the hole to some degree, sometimes completely if the hole (hernia) is big enough. In my case, just a bit of stomach can peep through, but it tends to be painful, and can cause the diaphragm to go into spasms which are very painful. For me, it only happens if I'm running, or if I've eaten too much of certain types of food, or *ahem* over-consumption of wine:o.
The pain, when you're running, tends to shoot up into the shoulders too. To control it means keeping the breathing deep ("diaphragmatic breathing"), steady, and a conscious effort to keep the diaphragm relaxed, because stress and tension (and diet, and physical exertion) causes the stomach to move upwards and push through the hole in the diaphragm. The aim is to stop the stomach squooshing up at all, or to try to make it slip back down again if it does squoosh up.
I've been managing the problem for months now since I realised what was going on and under doctor's orders, so much so that I had all but forgotten that it's an issue. But, I have to assume now that the excitement and anticipation of the big event on Sunday morning must have made things go askew on me. I also wonder if my carb-loading on batch bread did me harm. God I love batch loaf, but I'm not too sure that it loves me
Marathon Day
Up at 6am, got stuff done at home with our various animals that needs to be done, marathon or no marathon. A bowl of porridge and honey at 7am, into the car with my husband, and a straightforward journey to Dublin. Got parked. Headed towards the Wave 4 area, saying my goodbyes to my husband and my friend who had joined us. Quick hello to my sister-in-law and her mam who were volunteering at the bag drop. By chance, I found Bananaleaf and Fraggle in the waiting area (okay okay, maybe I was slightly stalking ye), we were all wrapped up with our disposable hoodies, track suits and hats. Anxious-bladder syndrome drove us into the portaloos more than once!
We didn't have to wait too long before we were off, at about 9:45. What a buzz! Everyone was in great form and the atmosphere was electric.
Plan A was 4:50-4:55. Plan B was sub 5 hour. Plan C was to finish. The plan was to start out nice and steady, well behind the 5-hr pacers, and to review things at 7 miles, half-way, and again after Heartbreak Hill, lifting the pace at each stage if all was well.
I was carrying my own water bottle and Zero tabs, which I topped up whenever needed at the water stations, and I was taking gels (Maurten, because of the kind-on-stomach reputation, every 4 miles. One hi-5 caffeine gel for Mile 16ish. All pre-tested on LSRs.
Miles 1-7: 11:30; 11:37; 11:50; 11:38; 11:52; 11:39; 11:37
Lots of hollering and whooping for the first mile. It was right here, along Kevin St, the opening mile, that to my horror, I felt the faintest twinge of discomfort in my stomach/diaphragm. Uh oh. Today? Really? REALLY?
Haven't had to do this in a while, but I start to control my breathing and relax the area to help relieve the discomfort, to make my tummy drop back down below the diaphragm. By the time we got to Christchurch, the pain was getting sharper. I remembered that leaning forward and quickly standing back up again can do the trick... and it did. Instant relief. The next mile up to Stoneybatter was okay. Met my mam and sister in Blackhall Place. Quick hugs, and onwards.
Tummy slightly uncomfortable heading towards Phoenix Park, and getting more uncomfortable as we head up Chesterfield Avenue. Damn. Desperately trying to keep everything relaxed, trying to get things working normally. Despite the discomfort, we kept a good, steady, sensible pace. Out of the park and Castleknock... whoa! They weren't lying about the incredible crowds here! Holy moly, I could not wipe the grin off my face here, the atmosphere was so fantastic. Hair-standing-on-end-fantastic. Incredible!
Miles 8-13.1 (half-way): 11:01; 11:03; 11:03; 11:33; 11:23: 11:36
The downhill back into the park was a nice break, quiet time to regroup after the madness of Castleknock. We picked the pace up on the downhills because it felt easy and effortless. Tummy was jagging at me a bit, but I thought I might be getting it under control, as I have done before on previous races where it tried to scupper me.
Chapelizod was another nice lift with the crowds, but once we crossed the river I was into unchartered territory, the next pile of miles until Milltown are parts of Dublin I really don't know.
I had asked here whether it makes any difference, knowing the course ahead of time or not. It was felt that it shouldn't make a difference, but to be honest, for me, it did. I found not knowing where I was, not knowing the lie of the land, not knowing what was ahead (despite having watched videos and studied elevation charts and read first-hand accounts), was quite disorientating and made me feel like I wasn't fully in control of things. Not on a run of this scale anyway... probably wouldn't matter so much on a 5km run!
Laurence's Hill was a case in point... what a pig of a hill:(. We knew we had to cut the pace right back when we saw it ahead, but it did cause a bit of a brain shock. Similarly, that long, long drag up to Crumlin Children's Hospital... the advice I'd read in advance had not really prepared me for this either. There were other drags up to and beyond the half-way point that I wasn't fully expecting either, and I do think I'd have benefited from sussing out this part of the route in advance. Drags aside, simply not knowing where I was for a large chunk of the race was not nice. There was also a long stretch with no water station, not sure where... but I see others noted this long waterless stretch too.
By the time we reached half-way, despite the nagging discomfort in my midriff, we were pretty much on target with our paces, particularly in light of the reputation of this route giving a negative split (*ahem*). I knew the rest of the race was going to be a bigger challenge than I had reckoned on with this pain to contend with on top of what was to be expected in the course of a "normal" marathon. But, I think a point came at about the half-way mark that I started to lose the battle with my stomach pains. Here's the thing. Once a hiatus hernia is making its presence felt, there are 2 things that are almost certain to make it worse in the moment: physical exertion, and eating/drinking You can probably see where this is going?! I knew taking on water and gels was going to do me harm, but not taking them was also going to do me harm... on balance, I quickly concluded that more harm would be done by not taking them, and I was going to have to suffer the consequences of taking them.
All of a sudden, shortly after the half-way gantry, the pain went from just about manageable, to stopping me right in my tracks, gasping. I came to a complete and immediate standstill. Bananaleaf looked back, I could see the worry on her face, but I gestured to her to keep going... I knew this was not going to be something I'd cruise through now. 13 miles of trying to compensate with my posture and form and breathing was taking its toll, I think.
I very quickly realised that Plan A (4:50ish) was now gone out the window. Within seconds of that, I also realised that Plan B (sub 5) was gone too. In fact, holy sh!t, Plan C (finishing) was not looking good either. I was a long way from the finish at this point, and the thought of even attempting to get through that distance with this stupid pain was very daunting.
I doubled myself over and stood back up quickly... that often makes the stomach move back down. Not today though. Well... maybe a a tiny bit... I walked a bit, maybe 50 metres or so, then started to run again until I was forced to stop again. And that, my friends, is how the 2nd half of my DCM went.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Look what happened the paces from the half-way point on... I tried so hard to keep the stops/walks as short as I could possibly get away with. I may have slowed down a lot, but looking at the figures, it looks like I was nevertheless remarkably consistent across the miles with my enforced, unavoidable run, stop, double-over, walk strategy. What a slog. But I'm a dogged, stubborn fecker, and not finishing was such a horrible, horrible prospect
Miles 14-26: 12:25; 12:39; 12:43; 13:24; 12:24; 12:37; 12:24; 12:56; 12:43; 12:46
The sense of feeling "lost" in an unknown part of the Dublin suburbs was probably worse because I was feeling so crap now. On the plus side, my legs, in fact all of me other than my midriff, still felt good and strong. At least my legs were still following the plan, huh?!
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
More positives from the 2nd half... In Terenure (I think!) I met my cousin who'd come out especially to support me. In Rathgar, another cousin who took to run alongside me in his normal clothes, chatting as if we were sitting over a cup of tea.. it was funny and hugely appreciated:o.
Down into Milltown, I wasn't expecting to see my husband, mam, and sister, who had beetled out of town on the Luas to join forces with my aunt and more cousins, posters with my name on held aloft... what a great lift. Quick stop for hugs and to tell them things were not going great, thanking my mam for her genetic gift of the hiatus hernia
As I left them, I noticed a small group of ladies right beside them holding a poster with Mr. Guappa's name on it! Of course! ReeReeG and Huzzah! The best I could muster at that moment was a "waahhhhh" and a particularly demented facial expression, I was afraid to stop again in case I couldn't start again. I'm so sorry I couldn't have been more coherent ladies, but thank you so much for being there because I did laugh on the inside
Another cousin, who had done DCM a few years ago, ran alongside me for a while here in his jeans and shirt, knowing I was in pain, just getting me prepped in my head for Heartbreak Hill, or as he called it, the "kick in the ar5e".
At Clonskeagh, my lil bro, a lovely stylish runner himself, jogged along beside me, repeating his mantra to "run the tangent, don't run around bends... cut them!" to save time and energy. We were then joined by his multi-marathoner girlfriend who gently coaxed me, encouraged me, told me I was looking very comfortable and maintaining a very even pace (her sister videoed me along here and it was true... I didn't actually look like I was struggling.. I wonder do they think I was making it up?!:pac:) They left me so they could cut down through UCD so they could meet me again at Nutley.
Run. Stop. Double-over. Walk.
Heartbreak Hill? Bizarrely, gave me little problem. The sticky road in the run-up to it was a strange experience, but the hill itself wasn't that bad. Once I got out onto the N11, I was back on very familiar territory. I've run this route many times during the Women's Mini Marathon. I meet Bananaleaf again here, so good to see her... I knew she was struggling but could see the grit in her face to get to the finish... we run together for a while and meet my lil bro again, who runs with us with his "run the tangent" mantra. In the knowledge that we can be blunt with one another, I said to him, "I love you to bits, but would you ever fnck off with your tangents right now?!" I had to stop again, Bananaleaf headed onwards, and I was once again joined by my brother's girlfriend to run down Nutley. She pointed out, by way of encouragement, that I was passing lots and lots of people, which I was. It felt weird running through so many walkers. She told me that the crowds in the next 1.5 miles to the finish line would carry me through, keep going, keep going!
One more stop, no double-over this time, just a quick walk, then run again. Legs are finally feeling tired now... they've done well, but then again, they didn't have to run as fast as planned today!
There's the finish gantry! OMG there's the finish! It seemed to take so long to get there... but finally, the moment we've all dreamed of... I'm on the blue carpet, holding it together and not feeling the elation I thought I'd have earned at this stage, but I'm on the blue carpet! Over the line.
Plan C, thank feck, has been salvaged.:o
Chip time: 5:19:15, though my watch timed 26.31 miles at 5:17:56... every minute counts, huh?! And see? I ran the tangent pretty well, lil bro!!!
The Aftermath
I've done a marathon. I think I'm still struggling to believe that. Lads, really...me? Doing a MARATHON? Lol!
But there's disappointment. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to run the race I had trained for, that I was ready for, and that I was capable of running. But I think I'll get over that. Probably am getting over that by now.
What I'm by far the most disappointed about, and what had caused me to fight back some tears, is that I didn't, I couldn't, get to enjoy the experience. That was my major, overarching wish, to enjoy it whilst embracing the challenge, but that was taken from me by my stupid stomach, and can't be given back.
But. Here's the but. I also have come to realise in the past 2 days that it was a privilege to get to finish it, even if it was under less than perfect circumstances. Ais_Byrne7's experience was sobering (relieved you're okay Ais), and quite a few reports of better runners than I not finishing.
I've said all along that I'd do one marathon. Just to knock it off the bucket list. But, I also feel now that I've unfinished business with DCM.
Will I do it again? No. Maybe. Yes.
Actually, it now seems that I have to let the stupid new lottery system make the decision for me :rolleyes:
Mr. Guappa, Huzzah! and ReeReeG... thank you so, so much. Such great patience and selflessness with your time. Just fab. Take a bow
My fellow novices...no, no, my fellow GRADUATES... thanks for sharing the anticipation, the excitement, the jokes... yiz are as mad a a bottle of frogs
DBB that was such a brave run in spite of such awful difficulties, DCM20 will be no problem to you!0 -
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If you want to join the group, message me your ph no and I'll add you. Not sure what we'll use it for but it's still pinging away for now!!
Oh it will ping on for a longtime. Our 2017 group still ping daily...yeah with much reduced numbers but the quality folk remain
Sorry to hear about your young fella....I can relate.0 -
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mister paul wrote: »Eventually finished my race report on my log https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=111639031&postcount=187
I'll just copy one short snippet from it here
Can't seem to quote but if 9-minute miles are good enough for Singer 0 -
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Lads, I am so emotional reading all these reports. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in lucan waiting on my grounded teenager to get his hair cut. I was on a high on Monday, didn't sleep Sunday night and then boom on Monday night the teenager brought me back down with a land. I drove him to his friends house whose mum I'm friends with and I said you can't live in my house until we sort out new rules. Cried all night, 2 hrs kip and yesterday was a nightmare. Supposed to be going to Aha last night and had to stay home to sort it out. Peace restored for now but a bit battered after it all. Came here and read those reports and I laughed, cried and got caught up in every journey. I love these stories of grit and triumph - how frickin awesome are we!! So looking forward to some gentle run therapy tonight. P.S. I set up a WhatsApp group ages ago to sort out the gifts. I had to pm group members to invite them and can i say boards is sh1t for messaging, took me about 3 hours to mesage 20/25 people. I'm sure i missed some, i just messaged those who were regular posters that particular week. If you want to join the group, message me your ph no and I'll add you. Not sure what we'll use it for but it's still pinging away for now!!
I can't say it gets any easier, they test us to our limits but we always have their backs
Thanks for setting up the whats app group, absolutely brilliant talking to like minded people with a love for running 0 -
Yesterday was the strangest day, it was the best day ever and yet it was mixed with complete pain, discomfort and hardship, marathon runners we must be sadists!
Miles 1-8 were ok, I was conscious of going to fast but I went on feel, and I wasnt breathing too heavily or working too hard so I just ploughed along conscious all the time that I would go to fast and blow up.
Miles 9-14 were a mix of good and bad. I was still feeling great, took a gel at the 10 mile mark and continue on and hit the hill on St. Laurences Road, oh my god, that flipping hill, it absolutely drained me and I took it as slow as I could. Miles 11 and 12 passed and I felt a bit like , flip how am I going to get to the end of this. I passed the half way mark and two women ran past me and said to each other, pity this isnt the finish line, I was thinking the very same. I also clocked at this stage that my first half had definitely been too fast. I had done exactly what I was told not too, :eek: I could have cried. All I could think of was Frash's race report where the exact same thing had happened to him, at a very similar pace, and all I could think was how in gods name I would get to the finish line. I stopped at mile 14 and took a gel, water and stretched and got back running. At this stage I just had to pull up my big girl pants and keep going. I decided I would just slow down and try and keep going for as long as I could. I had always had a plan that if I just made it to mile 20 I would walk, run and crawl the last 6 miles.
I hit so many walls at this stage I had no idea if I had hit heart break hill or where the hell it was. I want to add though that I was still actually enjoying the whole experience, this is why I think we are a bunch of sadists. The support along the way and people shouting your name gives you such a boost and while I was struggling I still kept telling myself I was so lucky to be running a marathon on a beautiful sunny day, something this time last year I would have never said I would manage. I was amazed how I could go from barely moving my legs, at one point my arms were going faster than my feet, to suddenly be back in a fairly comfortable stride and be back running at a reasonable pace again.
Mile 23-26.2 - I couldnt believe it I was still moving!! I just had to get to mile 25 and the embassy and I wouuld see my boys, I gathered myself, walked a little bit, took out a bag of jellies, struggled to open the bag, nearly choked on a tiny jelly, how can kids inhale bags of these things, when it must have taken me 5 mins to eat one and that neary killed me. Got myself toghether and shuffled on until I came to my brother and the boys, stopped to hug each of them, eldest told me how proud he was and younger two ran along the path beside me for a few metres, it was amazing and made the whole experience so worth it. At that moment in time I was supermom, not the usual nagging one :rolleyes:. They gave me such a lift and this is my proudest moment, it was like they were a power bank and I just took off and literally sprinted the last half a mile, I was soo thrilled to see the finish line. I was buzzing, I'm sure people thought I was nuts but I was just so absolutely thrilled that I had done it, I'd run a marathon and omg look at the time, what the heck, I could have done a dance, except the rigour mortis literally kicked in by the time I'd got my tshirt.
Loved your report. It had all the highs and lows that running a marathon can bring. You'd the right approach from the start, just wanting to enjoy it and I'm glad that you got to. Congratulations!0 -
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Sorry if this has been asked before, but now It's all over wondering about recovery over the next week or so?
In terms of strength work (weights), running, and steady state cardio like yoga etc
Also, When's a good idea to go for a sports massage?
And finally, races or park runs etc, how long to leave it until we can run hard again
Any advice would be really appreciated 0 -
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greentea is just wrong wrote: »Sorry if this has been asked before, but now It's all over wondering about recovery over the next week or so?
In terms of strength work (weights), running, and steady state cardio like yoga etc
Also, When's a good idea to go for a sports massage?
And finally, races or park runs etc, how long to leave it until we can run hard again
Any advice would be really appreciated
The advice is a day per mile raced. That's not to say you can't do any exercise for 26 days but everything should be easy for at least that number of days, even a month. I'm not sure about strength training, but I'm inclined to think the same rules apply. You've micro tears in your muscles after the marathon so taking it easy has to be a good idea.
I linked an article up the way on taking a minimum of two weeks off running altogether. I didn't last year and I suffered a bit (I think) from overtraining as a result.
Here's another good article on the topic: https://runnersconnect.net/how-to-recover-after-a-marathon/ I would take the recommended runs with a pinch of salt though. It gives guidelines for getting massages too.
Don't race for at least a month. If you're looking for a good race, I'd recommend Jingle Bells on 7 December. https://www.popupraces.ie/race/jingle-bells-5k-2019/0 -
kyomi: that's a brilliantly executed first marathon - well done. You were disciplined early on and you followed the pace band perfectly. I'm glad that you took our advice on board and modified your training plan and it's great to see that you had such a strong race on Sunday!
But, tough cookie? Me? Hahaha :pac:
frash: I'm gutted that you had such a tough day. I hope that Mrs Frash was right and that you'll conquer this beast another time. Even though it went pear-shaped on the day, you earned that medal over the past six months, and especially over those closing six miles. Well done.
rizzee: Well done on blowing your target out of the water. You've got the potential to knock huge chunks off that next time around as well. As you say, a little more dedication and sticking to the plan will see you make massive leaps. I think you may have caught the running bug, which is great to see 0 -
The advice is a day per mile raced. That's not to say you can't do any exercise for 26 days but everything should be easy for at least that number of days, even a month. I'm not sure about strength training, but I'm inclined to think the same rules apply. You've micro tears in your muscles after the marathon so taking it easy has to be a good idea.
I linked an article up the way on taking a minimum of two weeks off running altogether. I didn't last year and I suffered a bit (I think) from overtraining as a result.
Here's another good article on the topic: https://runnersconnect.net/how-to-recover-after-a-marathon/ I would take the recommended runs with a pinch of salt though. It gives guidelines for getting massages too.
Don't race for at least a month. If you're looking for a good race, I'd recommend Jingle Bells on 7 December. https://www.popupraces.ie/race/jingle-bells-5k-2019/
2 weeks.....ill be as big as a house! I'm eating everything around me
Loving the race reports - will do my own this week once I've stopped walking like a cowboy 0 -
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2 weeks.....ill be as big as a house! I'm eating everything around me
Loving the race reports - will do my own this week once I've stopped walking like a cowboy
I’m the same 😂, totally underestimated how tired and sore I would be! I’m in awe of anyone who can put the runners on and get back running this week!0 -
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Post Race
It was an out of body experience then until I got to the goodie bag. I had no water on me and I was gasping. The medal went on my neck and I was so happy. I had thought of this moment on manys a lonely LSR awake at stupid o’clock on a Saturday morning, then all of a sudden it was done. I had ran a marathon. I collected my bag and sat on the steps somewhere, took out my phone and rang my wife and parents. I immediately burst into tears, it was all very overwhelming. I met up with them and then a few friends from work for a couple of drinks. I couldn’t get near McGrattans front door and the stairs would most definitely have been my downfall.
Future
I’m going to start up a training log and see how that goes. I want to come up with a plan for next year and try get some PB’s on 10km and Half-Marathons. I always said I would be one and done in Marathons, but now I am thinking I would do another and get that sub 4.
Finally, I would like to thank all the mentors and fellow novices for their advice. I was late joining this thread, but it definitely helped me. I do think I wouldn’t have been able to complete the marathon in the time I did without their advice.
Congrats! You sounded completely in control of that race Super first marathon. I've no doubt you'll get that sub 4 (and some) next time out.
Good shout on starting a log!0 -
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kemcloughlin wrote: »DCM Reflection
August 2018 I had a sinus infection. Went to the GP. Heart murmur detected. Told it may have been present since birth - but it might not have been. I don’t think it was there at birth - only other time heart murmur was detected was during pregnancy - but this time I wasn’t pregnant - but my weight was a big problem - age 42 6 feet tall and 20 stone. Cardiologist visit booked. That day I went to the GP, I was waiting to be told I was diabetic with high cholesterol - I was petrified of that so I joined slimming world that evening - smothered with that sinus infection. I lots a stone in 2 weeks and then went to the cardiologist. Echo showed a problem with my tri-cuspid valve that was causing a back flow of blood - hence the murmur. I was told my heart was fine otherwise and to carry on with life. Scan again in 2 years. On that same day my colleague was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. Suddenly I woke up.
August - October 2018 I continued to lose weight and in October I joined a gym. I was in a group training class with 3 other women. The first session…the coach stopped the treadmill after 20 seconds. I vomited twice that morning. I sent him a message that night and said - “this isnt for me”. He said “get back in here in the morning - you will be fine and you wont regret it.” He was right. I fell in love with exercising at the gym and the other 3 women left the class after 4 weeks - so I got 4 more weeks 1:1. At Christmas he was closed for a few days and I wanted to exercise - so I said I would start the C25K again (I had done this many times over the years and always stopped around week 4). On New Years Day I took off to Lough Boora and ran 5K without stopping. I cried with happiness. I was always the girl in school who hated PE, could never finish the 1500m annual torture.
I never went back to the gym. I took myself off to Parkrun. Next the Tipperary fun road races. Then Offaly Road Race Series. Then in April I entered a 10K…I came last (my worst nightmare) - but I didn’t care. When I heard that the DCM had extra numbers for sale me and my husband said we would try our luck. We got in - 4 hours sitting on the computer hitting refresh. Now it was real.
The Boards group has been brilliant. Great support - thank you all.
My marathon training has had its ups and downs. I injured my knee after Tullamore and felt very demotivated after the Phoenix Park Half. Longwood re-motivated me - despite the big drama over the medal…! I have been chased by dogs, men in lorries and it’s all been worth it!
The goal - 5hr 59 min 59 secs.
DCM morning I got up at 5.30. Breakfast was weetabix, skimmed milk and a bagel with cream cheese. Coffee. Husband and I picked up a friend and we drove to J14 M7 where we met lots of people stopping for coffee who were clearly runners…Oh the nerves! Got to Dublin in great time and parked in Stephens Green Shopping Centre (after trying to drive down Grafton Street!). Had another coffee and a pee and then to the baggage area. Husband and friend disappeared to wave 2. I headed to wave 4. Met Kara and had a hug (lovely lady!) and then met Maureen, Sarah and Elaine (more lovely ladies!) and before I knew it, after 2 portaloo visits (and no poos…what the hell?? that freaked me out as I always do those before a race)…it was time to go. My fuelling plan was Dates..I ate 5 and NEVER AGAIN! I relied on the stuff people gave out and the gel they gave out and lucozade and I was fine.
Miles 1-10 12:22 12:57 13:05 13.05 12:43 12.43 12.36 12.32 12.46 12:32
The plan was 13 min miles for the 1st half of the marathon. Absolutely loved the first ten miles. Great crowds, super weather. Loved the park. I was going slightly faster than planned but I felt BRILLIANT! Consciously adjusted pace.
Miles 11-13.1 13.09 12.57 13.01
All going well until I saw that fecking half way bridge. I was going SO well - and then I decided to stop and take a photo of it to text it to my sons…how stupid was that?! Once I stop I find it so so hard to get going no matter what the distance. In my head I had wanted to pick it up a bit speed wise after half way - but no…I do the opposite and stop to take a stupid photo! I then stopped to have a drink.
Mile 14 - 20 13:45 13:05 13:58 13:54 13:29 15.30 13.33
A combination of walking and running for much of this. All psychological. In no pain, felt fine. In my head, I had stopped. In my head I wanted to make sure I ran in the last 3 miles of the race so for some reason I decided to walk - run here. I have no idea why. I was very frightened of the hills people spoke about - maybe I thought if I run - walk I would be ok with the hills and would make it to the end - why did I read that over 20 per cent of people who started the London Marathon don’t finish? That freaked me out.
Mile 21-26.2 13.25 15.41 14.35 13.13 14.12 12.36 12.36
Heartbreak hill - I don’t get it - the hill before that was much worse. Aside for the floor being sticky I didn’t see the issue with Roebuck Road. The last 1.2 miles was fantastic! The crowds were great. I learned you cant run and cry at the same time!
So I got there! I ran 18 miles completely and walk-ran the rest. 5 hours 51 mins and 42 seconds. Goal achieved time wise. I will be back next year - assuming I get through this lottery. I know now I can do it. I know now that the hills aren’t something to be afraid of. I wont give up until I can run the full 26.2 miles non stop.
Husband’s goal was about 4:10 - he ended up at 4:45 as his leg went. So he has unfinished business too. We’ve raised about 1000 euro for the place I work, so an added bonus!
I am now 6 stone lighter. I still have more weight to lose. I will.
I have a marathon medal. But more importantly I have developed a genuine love for exercise. My 13 year old said last week - "Mum, you must have been running or something as you are so happy and full of beans!"
I wouldn’t have got that medal without you guys - I would have ran too fast and died OR continued to run every 5K trying to get faster by even 1 second each time - and then got injured and never would have made it at all to the start line. Trust the plan...and for future novices reading this...trust the mentors and your peers!
Happy resting!
PS just read back over the other reports
Ais Byrne - I am so sad to read what happened - you earned that medal and look at those splits...but at the same time I can understand a little about how you must feel.
DBB - just want to say you are brilliant and have been so supportive...when my Strava went quiet...my phone messages pinged! Thank you x
Bananaleaf - I hope you get selected as a mentor next year. You're inspirational.
Wow. It's quite the cliche, but you've had some journey and I feel like you're still on it, with so much more to come. Congrats to you! Hope to meet you at some race or other in the Faithful county in the future 0 -
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