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DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread
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Lombardo123 wrote: »Hi Huzzah..
No problem doing LSR in Spain, I'll have to do the 16miler the following week there, so I'm already signing up to one on the sat. So it's really what's better..
A) 19m Friday evening here, then 20 miler Thursday morning here.
20m Monday Spanish heat and 16m Saturday Spanish heat.
My preference, but open to guidance is 4m easy today (instead of tomorrow) and 8m easy tomorrow (instead of Tuesday) then rest to Thursday, which gives me 2 full days. Thoughts?
And there's no way you can do the 20 on the Saturday? When do you fly back from Spain?
If neither is an option, I'm leaning towards B with a shortened second LSR.0 -
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WEEK 11 PREVIEW
Some very impressive long runs and races in the week just gone. There were some great results in Tullamore - and I'm sure some valuable lessons learned regarding pacing, preparation, fueling and hydration.
I know lots of you were apprehensive about the long runs in week 10, but from what I see on strava pretty much everyone nailed it. The training has built up appropriately to get you to a position where you are capable of these runs, and you went out and did them. Well done all! At this stage of the plan there will be times when the legs feel fatigued - this is perfectly normal. You are clocking up mileage that you've never seen before - now more than ever it is important to keep the paces and effort truly easy. There is nothing positive to be gained from running faster than your prescribed paces. I've noticed one or two long runs where people have started out too fast and faded towards the end - this week keep the paces a bit slower to start and you will find the legs stronger for longer.
In week 11, the mileage increases again, but just a touch
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|4m easy|8m easy|4m easy|rest|16m lsr|cross
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|8m easy|4m easy w/ 5 x strides|rest,cross or 3m rec|20m lsr|3m rec
It's the landmark 20 miler for the boards crew - you already have a 19 miler behind you, what's another mile? There are no PMP miles this week, which should help keep the legs a smidgen fresher for the long run. For the HHN1 guys, this will be the second highest weekly mileage that you will do all plan, so give this week your full attention. A good night's sleep is the best recovery you can have.
By now you should be treating the long runs as trial runs for the marathon. From dinner the night before and breakfast the morning of, to clothing and hydration during, you should be practising all aspects of DCM Sunday (except of course the drinking afterwards :pac:)
Homework
Something slightly different for homework this week (robbed from AuldManKing in 2017 :P):
- How was week ten for you?
- Write down your progress - where have you come from as a runner since starting this plan?
- What are the small/big changes that you need to make in the coming few weeks BEFORE the taper.
- What are the things that you NEED to do in the coming 3-4 long runs to better prep for DCM?
Best of luck for the comimg week folks - you're doing great. 0 -
Thanks Mr Guappa, ReeReeG and Huzzah! And thank you to all my fellow novices.
I can't believe I am where I am. This all seemed so insurmountable to me back in June yet here I am! Running a marathon in a few weeks if you don't mind!
I am going to take a bit of time to think about the homework questions this week and I will be back tomorrow with my reply.
Thank you again everyone. I'm enjoying this all so much that I'm actually a little bit sad that it will be all over in 8 weeks
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Bananaleaf wrote: »Thanks Mr Guappa, ReeReeG and Huzzah! And thank you to all my fellow novices.
I can't believe I am where I am. This all seemed so insurmountable to me back in June yet here I am! Running a marathon in a few weeks if you don't mind!
I am going to take a bit of time to think about the homework questions this week and I will be back tomorrow with my reply.
Thank you again everyone. I'm enjoying this all so much that I'm actually a little bit sad that it will be all over in 8 weeks
You wish! No it won't :pac: You'll just be part of a new community with new and different goals, all encouraging each other, egging each other on, until you realise you are in it for life and can't escape :eek:0 -
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Mr. Guappa wrote: »A good night's sleep is the best recovery you can have.
On this, it's probably a good time to start getting into the habit of getting to sleep earlier. As someone who has succumbed to Netflix binges many times, I had to enforce a ban on Netflix after 10pm on myself
The mileage is really peaking over the next 4-5 weeks, and one big part of tackling that will be getting enough sleep to aid the recovery. Have a look at your current habits maybe and see if you can make some changes to improve that. If needed of course, maybe some people are already good for this!0 -
You love it J :P
Maybe
Bananaleaf wrote: »Well, that is just the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! :pac::):):):)
Best think you novices can do is meet up for an LSR or before/after the half. I guarantee, you won't regret it. The contact lasts and lasts 0 -
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You wish! No it won't :pac: You'll just be part of a new community with new and different goals, all encouraging each other, egging each other on, until you realise you are in it for life and can't escape :eek:
Hmmm community or cult
haha
It really has been great having so much support & advice from people i haven't meet yet 0 -
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- How was week ten for you?
The week was great apart from the LSR. I was underfed and I definitely won’t be doing that again as the long runs get longer. Otherwise I felt really happy and strong during the other runs especially today’s 5 miler.
- Write down your progress - where have you come from as a runner since starting this plan?
This is the first time I’ve followed a proper training plan really. I love the schedule and that I’m running nearly every day without injury or fatigue. It’s such a boost and a sanity saver to be running like this.
- What are the small/big changes that you need to make in the coming few weeks BEFORE the taper.
I am wondering if I need to switch from Hi5 aquagels to their regular gels? I’m not sure I’m getting much of anything from the aqua ones honestly unless I’m using them incorrectly? I’ve been taking one after the first hour of running and then another after the second hour (never taken more than two). On the other hand I tried the gummies and they seemed to give me a little more boost of energy.
I’m also going to get a new pair of runners. I’ve only done 350 miles or so on my current pair but will get a new pair of the same in the next few weeks I think.
I need to sleep more (says she on boards.ie at 10:30 pm )
- What are the things that you NEED to do in the coming 3-4 long runs to better prep for DCM
1. Eat more the day before LSR
2. Eat a proper breakfast before LSR
3. Get more sleep0 -
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Well done to everyone with their long, long LSRs in the bag! I'm quite envious of ye
My Tullamore HM Race Report
After a reasonable night's sleep, I started off with an early brekkie at about 6.30am after my daily dawn rise to let the geese, turkeys and hens out of their various sheds... a bagel with cream cheese and a cuppa tae. I don't drink coffee
Tullamore is only a half hour away, isn't going to local races so much nicer than a big journey to get there? I tend to get apprehensive about races until I actually get to the venue. Eyrie's words from last year's Tullamore HM thread were flipping through my head... what are you nervous for? All you've got to do is run! Which is so true... but you also have to remember all your gear, and get there on time, which are the bits that vex me. Maybe it's not nerves as such, more anticipation. Anyway, once I get there, I hit my zen zone... after all, NOW all I have to do is run!
After the obligatory toilet trip, I headed outside to do some drills to warm up. Then I met kemcloughlin, who I recognised straight away from her photos on strava We headed for the start, chatting away like a pair of oul wans :pac:
As I outlined last night, I'd opted to try for 10 minute miles, so stuck myself to the 2:10 pacers, the slowest pacer group... I wish more races would cater for oul plodders like me and provide slower pacer groups, but there you go. They said they'd aim for 9:55 minute miles. I knew this might be a challenge for me over 13 miles.
Off we went.
Miles 1 and 2 were good, fairly flat and a nice welcome to the course. I actually felt like passing the pacers, but I copped myself on and made myself take it nice and handy... 9:57 and 10:02 mins respectively.
Then the climbing started, although there were some respites too, but over the next 4 miles or so, I noticed we were really flying along for long enough stretches as the pacers tried to bank time for the long uphills they knew were ahead, every time I checked my watch on these faster bits, we were around 9:30 mins/mile. But, we must have slowed down enough on the hills because we weren't actually banking time yet... I found the pace manageable, and felt good and strong.
Mile 3 10:10 mins; Mile 4 10:00 mins, Mile 5 9:58; Mile 6 10:15... this mile was a long, uphill drag I tells ya.
Finally around the half-way mark, the long climb was over, and there were some nice, gentle enough downhill bits. I could feel myself flagging a bit along these couple of miles and was glad to be able to let gravity kick in a bit. I had taken a Clif Blok earlier, but decided now was a good time for a gel. I had been carrying water with a Zero tab in it since the start.
Mile 7 10:02, Mile 8 9:47
The next stretch was quite undulating, and I *think* the pacer was a little bit worried that he needed to get things moving because we were a bit behind schedule now. I was fine, chugging along with the group, and all of a sudden, they had pulled away and were gone a lot further than seemed decent
Just a note here... unknownability commented in his report about people jostling to stay beside the pacers... my god, do they what?! There was one fella in our group, which contained maybe a dozen people, who up to the point they left me behind, must have cut right across me and others a half dozen times in his attempts to literally rub shoulders with the pacer :rolleyes: I had to check my stride at least twice to accommodate his sudden swerves.
Anyway... this may be down to my lack of experience with pacers, but I found their disappearance quite disconsoling. I felt a bit queasy too... was this the gel? The Clif Blok? The damn bagel??!! I'm also a fecker for letting my head down and second-guessing myself at the three-quarters stage of races... you know, the bit where you've gone far enough to be tired, but you know there's still a fair chunk left to go? So, I lost them at the worst time.
Even though the road was undulating, some of the uphill bits were short and sharp, which sapped me. It also rained, which I kind of enjoyed for the coolness. But still, rain is a pain. So, my last few miles were pretty modest Just as I climbed that horrible hill after the 12 mile marker, I met Pauline Curley trotting back to her car after finishing (quite a long time previously ), she gave me a huge shout of encouragement which spurred me on.. thanks Pauline!
Mile 9 10:14; Mile 10 10:45; Mile 11 11:16; Mile 12 11:10;
Finally, the home straight! I could hear the announcer's voice bellowing out from the stadium from almost a mile away, a nice bit of encouragement and looking forward to the nice bouncy track under tired feet. Just as I turned onto the track, the strong wind hit me right in the face, feeling icy now that I was wet from the rain. Sharp intake of breath here!
Mile 13 11:06 0.1 10:59
Chip Time: 2:15:58
Average pace: 10:22 mins/mile
That's a shade over PMP for a 4:30 hour marathon, which I had vague aspirations of doing.
All in all, feeling good enough about my time given the course, though a little disappointed I hadn't kept up with the pacers. It's a whole 15 mins faster than I ran my first HM in July in Clontarf, which has to be the flattest of flat HMs in the country... worlds apart from hilly Tullamore! But admittedly, I hadn't tried to overly burst myself in that one.
I am a little bit worried about my stamina and endurance to be honest. That's a 10 mile and 2 HMs I've done where I thought to myself afterwards, how in the name of jehovah am I going to be able to do twice this distance (or more in the case of the 10 mile!)?? I think I may review those vague 4:30 aspirations for DCM... not that I'm hell-bent on a finish time, finishing it is the absolute priority:o:o
I'll ponder your questions for answering tomorrow Mr. Guappa! It's feeling like we're getting into the really serious stuff now!0 -
- How was week ten for you?
SO much better than the 2 weeks beforehand Feeling back to myself, and slept in a few mornings too instead of gym.
LSR 15 miles @ 7:38 /km
8 miles @ 7:12 /km
4 miles @ 6:51 /km
3 miles @ 6:44 /km
- Write down your progress - where have you come from as a runner since starting this plan?
Before starting this, I had run a handful of park runs, and I think 10k twice. I never would of thought it was do-able, but the plan is easy to follow if you stick to it, and trying to keep in mind it's all about progress not perfection.
- What are the small/big changes that you need to make in the coming few weeks BEFORE the taper.
- Take better care of my diet, have been snacking a lot on ****e. bought lots of healthy wholesome food this week.
- Make sure I am sleeping enough.
I haven't taking gels, and I'm toying with the idea of it? On sats LSR, I brought jellies, and bought a powerade around 6 miles in though, and this seemed to work out. Might try a gels in some of the following weeks to see how i get on with them compared to the jellies.
- What are the things that you NEED to do in the coming 3-4 long runs to better prep for DCM?
- Try gels to see if they suit me
- Keep pacing correctly
- MORE soft tissue work, starting to tighten up more0 -
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