Should know better

Sorbet

Hi All - I'm one of Mr.Guappa, Huzzah! and ReeReeG's DCM 2019 novices - the training logs were mentioned in that thread and after some lurking I've decided to take the plunge to record my training experiences and hopefully pick up any tips along the way.

About me - I'm a 45 year old man who should know better. Never thought that running was my thing. Had an aborted couch to 5k experience that ended in back surgery about 10 years ago and wrote off running altogether. Always had something in the back of my head about the marathon though. Started another couch to 5k plan 12 months ago and this time the running bug got me .

I haven't raced - have only done three park runs but have been consistently running for the last 12 months. At this point alarm bells are probably ringing with many of you as my racing experience is non existent and I've signed up for a marathon however I am taking it seriously and respecting the distance. I was working towards a half in March but after building miles too quickly developed a knee injury that ultimately was put down to extremely flat feet and with prescription orthotics in since March I haven't looked back. Having the guidance of the Novice thread is perfect for me as I'm committed to the training but thrive on the direction. It is such a joy to me that people are so willing to share their guidance and knowledge with novices like us and I'm focused on following the plan as best I can.

Enough about me - to the training feedback;
DCM TRAINING - WEEK 1

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|4m (5 x100m strides)|3m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|8m lsr|2m rec


First week went well overall. I've been working on slow paces for a while having read a lot of last years DCM Novices thread and have managed to keep my paces around where I think they need to be. Really helpful feedback before the plan began from Mr. Guappa on training mid week runs too fast has helped focus the mind on pacing. Don't want to run out of steam 6 weeks into the plan.
Strides were fun and ran my first LSR of the plan at my slowest overall pace of any LSR I've done - really enjoyed it.

DCM TRAINING - WEEK 2
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|1m w/u, 3m PMP, 1m c/d|3m rec|rest,cross or 3m rec|10m lsr|2m rec


Not finished the week yet but off on holidays in the morning....

Enjoyed the 3 miles PMP. Basing my pacing on my fastest 10k training run (given I have never run a 10k race) so looking forward to the South Dublin 10k this month to check my paces are appropriate. 10 mile LSR due on Saturday - hoping I can find some pavements in Vilamoura or this may be my last enry

Thanks for reading.

Mr. Guappa

Great to see another log start up... best of luck with it!

You've done some really good training over the last month or so, nice job!

Enjoy the holiday!

ReeReeG

Good luck with the log and DCM training Have fun on holidays!

Murph_D

Welcome to the logs. What’s the marathon goal?

Sorbet

Murph_D wrote: »

Welcome to the logs. What’s the marathon goal?

Thanks. No hard time goal yet, focused on training to current pacing which suggest I might manage 4hr 30 on the day. Will see how the 10k goes and revise from there is my thinking.

Kellygirl

Welcome to logs and best of luck training.

Sorbet

10 mile LSR on holidays today. V hot so went early.

Average pace 7.10 mins per km and average HR 138 so seemed slow enough. Very comfortable first 12k last 4 a bit more of a struggle but mainly psychologically as was back to my starting point so knew I could stop anytime. Slight tightness in right hamstring - stopped to stretch it out twice.

Looking forward to doing the half marathon distance on LSR next week. Will have to plan route so I don't have the option to stop early!

Sorbet

Week 3 DCM Boards plan - 8.7.19 - 14.7.19Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wed|Thurs|Fri|Sat|Sun
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|5m with 5 x hill sprints|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|13m lsr|2m rec


Was away in the Algarve for the week - managed to keep to all my runs and went well overall.

Mon 8th - Recovery 3 mile
5km at 6.57km HR below 133. Legs felt a bit heavy after the 10 mile on Saturday but not an issue.
Tue 9th -3 miles easy
5km at 6.39km HR 135. Felt good, legs fully recovered. Probably should have gone slightly slower.
Wed 10th - 5 miles with 5 Hill Sprints
8km at 6.37km (no HR as thought I'd forgotten my watch charger and saving battery for LSR!). Went out at 3.30 in the afternoon in the heat - foolish. Really felt this run towards the end and then did the hill sprints. Not familiar with the area so hill wasn't hugely steep but went at it and really focused on form. Went well but delighted when I'd finished this run.
Thu 11th - 4 miles easy
6.6km at 6.45km (again saving on watch battery so no HR). Really tough towards the end given the heat (again went in the afternoon 31 degree heat) but in an odd way enjoyed the struggle of it.
Fri 13th - 13 mile LSR
21.1km at 7.16km HR 140. Very consistent run. Went out at 5.30am this time to avoid the sun! Enjoyed covering the distance (only second time I've done the HM distance). Although pace was slow I was glad to finish when I did and didn't feel like I could have kept going too much more. Marathon distance seems a long way off but I guess that is what the plan builds to. Knees felt a little achy afterwards - nothing significant but will keep an eye on it - conscious that my runners have now done 400 miles I've ordered replacements and that will hopefully resolve.

Overall really happy that I didn't let the week away get in the way of training. Motivation was there and don't see the running as a chore, biggest challenge was finding a safe route to follow. Away again in Spain in August so will research some routes!

First race next Sunday - 10k in the race series. A bit apprehensive but will be good to have a week off an LSR. Thinking of pacing for 55 mins at 5.30 per km. Haven't run at that pace for a while but hoping I'll manage and if I feel good will push a little more in the last few kms.

Sorbet

Week 4 DCM Boards plan - 15.7.19 - 21.7.19
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|1m w/u, 4m PMP, 1m c/d|3m recovery|rest|3m easy|South Dublin 10k


Mon 15th - Recovery 3 mile
5 km at 7.01min/km HR138. Felt good, slight pain in left knee - strongly suspect its shoe related as I've now done 400 miles+ and need to retire these shoes. New ones ordered and on the way.
Tue 16th - Easy 3 mile
5km at 6.38min/km HR140. Good easy run - no knee pain.
Wed 17th - 6 miles 4 at PMP
9.66km at 6.36min/km HR144. Comfortable run, no niggles in knee.
Thu 18th - Recovery 3 mile
5km at 6.54min/km HR135. Very enjoyable.
Sat 20th 3 miles easy
5km at 6.13min/km HR147. Went too fast - no harm done but need to watch pace.
Sat 21st KBC South Dublin 10k
10km at 5.18min/km HR171 Chip time 53.13 PB:) Really enjoyed the race - race report from DCM novices thread copied below;

“Watch out for the runner” – a Dad to his child on a balance bike in the park the other day – made me smile, I suppose I am a runner now.

Didn’t feel like that when I pulled into the car park at the Grange Castle business park ahead of the South Dublin 10k – my first ever race. Never knew there were so many running clubs – everywhere I looked were groups of runners in club colours – all clearly knowing what they were doing and belonging there – the remaining non club runners were wisely attired in their long sleeve tops to keep warm ahead of the start. Why had I rocked up with nothing but what I was going to toe the start line with….nothing for it but to get out of the car.

Felt better having started a little warm up, the excitement was palpable – couldn’t believe that I was going to run through that professional looking gantry to start in a bit. The announcer (who seemed like great fun) was reminding everyone about running your own race and maybe aiming for a PB. As it was my first race, as long as I finished, a PB was in the bag but I had decided to try and target sub 55 mins so was working on 5.30mins per km. In truth I wanted to come in a bit faster than 55 but more on that later.

Followed the helpful signs to the +50 wave start and slipped in behind a group of Polish runners in Polish-Irish running club colours. They were having a good laugh and my nerves eased just watching them. After watching wave one head off it was our turn.

1st km went well – was a bit congested but eventually managed to get out to a pace I wanted and started out on the ring road. Was a novel experience to be surrounded by so many runners and felt a bit self conscious at first until the breathing and focus took over. 1st km 5.25

2nd km was all about looking for this left hand turn that was going to be bring me to the lovely second section of the race that I had read about – found my pacing here inconsistent as I almost mentally chased down people and my pace was dictated to by others. Decided not to repeat that when I made the turn. 2nd km 5.17

After making that turn into the park really enjoyed the next two kms. Felt downhill and while I was pushing I was enjoying it – pacing so far had meant that I had some time in the bank to cash in against that sub 55 minute target. 3rd km 5.14/4th km 5.09/5th km 5.12

Water……I need water. I never take water on a 10k run, never felt I needed it but the extra push today was telling. I knew there was water at about 6k so this km was all about getting to the water station. Took water on the right hand side (I’m right handed and had read that this was the thing to do) drank a little but found it difficult – tipped the rest over my head and then discarded the cup. Immediately regretted it as I came past a big bin where I could have easily dropped it in – also worried that maybe I’d dropped it right in the path of the next runner. Learning point number one – will definitely be more careful with discarding things at a race next time. 6th km 5.12/7th km 5.26

Just hang on. When I made the turn onto the canal I was prepared for a slight uphill drag. What I hadn’t really thought about was it was a slight uphill after 7kms of the fastest running I had done in a long time. It was starting to hurt. I had read about running 10k races and it was described how 4/4.5 mile point was an important one to keep pushing. I did my mental 1.609 times tables and realised this was it but I wasn’t sure I had it in me to keep pushing. My body and my mind stared doing some bargaining here – they finally settled on keeping the pace under 5.40 and the gains they had made in the first part of the race could be used to still come in under target. I settled in behind two ladies who were pacing perfectly for me while having a chat – amazing that they were so comfortable at this pace but then it takes all sorts. I was hanging on for dear life. A lot of people walking on this stretch but I was determined to keep pushing as hard as I could – in the end turns out I didn’t lose too much. 8th km 5.31/9th km 5.34

The last stretch. Made the turn for the hill that I was prepared for and used my extensive hill sprint experience from our training plan (once!) to power up the hill. After that decided to keep pushing. A man at the last roundabout looked me right in the eye “great running keep it up” and slapped me on the back. You probably all had the identical treatment but at that moment it felt like that was for me and I really needed it. Turns out I started my push a little prematurely. You might recall some ramps just at the final bend before the gantry came into sight – if only that had been the finish line. I was spent. I saw the pictures of Paul Pollock last night crossing the line while setting a new course record - smiling. Thank god there were no pictures of me crossing the line – I’d say it wasn’t pretty! 10th km 4.52

Total chip time 53.13 – achieved my goal and more than that proved to myself that I do belong here - running is for everyone, all shapes and sizes and paces and speeds – I’ll never set the course record but my first race experience was my own course record.

Watch out for the runner – no stopping me now!

Mr. Guappa

Nice racing - seems like a very decent debut!

You'll love the support at DCM. I wrote my name across the top of my number last year - random spectators calling out your name and offering encouragement when you're 20 miles in really does provide a little boost.

coogy

Sorbet wrote: »

Week 4 DCM Boards plan - 15.7.19 - 21.7.19
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|3m easy|1m w/u, 4m PMP, 1m c/d|3m recovery|rest|3m easy|South Dublin 10k


Mon 15th - Recovery 3 mile
5 km at 7.01min/km HR138. Felt good, slight pain in left knee - strongly suspect its shoe related as I've now done 400 miles+ and need to retire these shoes. New ones ordered and on the way.
Tue 16th - Easy 3 mile
5km at 6.38min/km HR140. Good easy run - no knee pain.
Wed 17th - 6 miles 4 at PMP
9.66km at 6.36min/km HR144. Comfortable run, no niggles in knee.
Thu 18th - Recovery 3 mile
5km at 6.54min/km HR135. Very enjoyable.
Sat 20th 3 miles easy
5km at 6.13min/km HR147. Went too fast - no harm done but need to watch pace.
Sat 21st KBC South Dublin 10k
10km at 5.18min/km HR171 Chip time 53.13 PB:) Really enjoyed the race - race report from DCM novices thread copied below;

“Watch out for the runner” – a Dad to his child on a balance bike in the park the other day – made me smile, I suppose I am a runner now.

Didn’t feel like that when I pulled into the car park at the Grange Castle business park ahead of the South Dublin 10k – my first ever race. Never knew there were so many running clubs – everywhere I looked were groups of runners in club colours – all clearly knowing what they were doing and belonging there – the remaining non club runners were wisely attired in their long sleeve tops to keep warm ahead of the start. Why had I rocked up with nothing but what I was going to toe the start line with….nothing for it but to get out of the car.

Felt better having started a little warm up, the excitement was palpable – couldn’t believe that I was going to run through that professional looking gantry to start in a bit. The announcer (who seemed like great fun) was reminding everyone about running your own race and maybe aiming for a PB. As it was my first race, as long as I finished, a PB was in the bag but I had decided to try and target sub 55 mins so was working on 5.30mins per km. In truth I wanted to come in a bit faster than 55 but more on that later.

Followed the helpful signs to the +50 wave start and slipped in behind a group of Polish runners in Polish-Irish running club colours. They were having a good laugh and my nerves eased just watching them. After watching wave one head off it was our turn.

1st km went well – was a bit congested but eventually managed to get out to a pace I wanted and started out on the ring road. Was a novel experience to be surrounded by so many runners and felt a bit self conscious at first until the breathing and focus took over. 1st km 5.25

2nd km was all about looking for this left hand turn that was going to be bring me to the lovely second section of the race that I had read about – found my pacing here inconsistent as I almost mentally chased down people and my pace was dictated to by others. Decided not to repeat that when I made the turn. 2nd km 5.17

After making that turn into the park really enjoyed the next two kms. Felt downhill and while I was pushing I was enjoying it – pacing so far had meant that I had some time in the bank to cash in against that sub 55 minute target. 3rd km 5.14/4th km 5.09/5th km 5.12

Water……I need water. I never take water on a 10k run, never felt I needed it but the extra push today was telling. I knew there was water at about 6k so this km was all about getting to the water station. Took water on the right hand side (I’m right handed and had read that this was the thing to do) drank a little but found it difficult – tipped the rest over my head and then discarded the cup. Immediately regretted it as I came past a big bin where I could have easily dropped it in – also worried that maybe I’d dropped it right in the path of the next runner. Learning point number one – will definitely be more careful with discarding things at a race next time. 6th km 5.12/7th km 5.26

Just hang on. When I made the turn onto the canal I was prepared for a slight uphill drag. What I hadn’t really thought about was it was a slight uphill after 7kms of the fastest running I had done in a long time. It was starting to hurt. I had read about running 10k races and it was described how 4/4.5 mile point was an important one to keep pushing. I did my mental 1.609 times tables and realised this was it but I wasn’t sure I had it in me to keep pushing. My body and my mind stared doing some bargaining here – they finally settled on keeping the pace under 5.40 and the gains they had made in the first part of the race could be used to still come in under target. I settled in behind two ladies who were pacing perfectly for me while having a chat – amazing that they were so comfortable at this pace but then it takes all sorts. I was hanging on for dear life. A lot of people walking on this stretch but I was determined to keep pushing as hard as I could – in the end turns out I didn’t lose too much. 8th km 5.31/9th km 5.34

The last stretch. Made the turn for the hill that I was prepared for and used my extensive hill sprint experience from our training plan (once!) to power up the hill. After that decided to keep pushing. A man at the last roundabout looked me right in the eye “great running keep it up” and slapped me on the back. You probably all had the identical treatment but at that moment it felt like that was for me and I really needed it. Turns out I started my push a little prematurely. You might recall some ramps just at the final bend before the gantry came into sight – if only that had been the finish line. I was spent. I saw the pictures of Paul Pollock last night crossing the line while setting a new course record - smiling. Thank god there were no pictures of me crossing the line – I’d say it wasn’t pretty! 10th km 4.52

Total chip time 53.13 – achieved my goal and more than that proved to myself that I do belong here - running is for everyone, all shapes and sizes and paces and speeds – I’ll never set the course record but my first race experience was my own course record.

Watch out for the runner – no stopping me now!

Well done on your PB and nice report too!

Sorbet

Week 5 DCM Boards plan - 22.7.19 - 28.7.19Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|6m easy with 5 x 100m strides|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|15m lsr|3m rec


Mon 22nd - Recovery 3 mile
5 km at 6.48min/km HR141. Legs a bit stiff after Sunday's race but felt good overall.
Tue 23rd - Easy 4 mile
6.12km at 6.39min/km HR143. Definitely not recovered from Sunday's effort - this was honestly the toughest run I have had in a while. Went with someone from work at lunch and was sick of telling them to go on as my pace slowed and slowed. Hadn't eaten anything which was probably a factor but started to worry at this point about the 15 mile LSR coming up at the weekend! Also first run in new shoes (same as before Brooks Ricochet) but hopefully not a bad omen for these shoes
Wed 24th - 6 miles with strides
8.71km at 6.22min/km HR147. Compared to the previous day felt great today - much stronger and was enjoying run. Had a sharp pain in the left foot when I came off a pavement. Worried that strides might make it worse so aborted them for the day.
Thu 25th - 4 miles easy with strides from prior day
6.73km at 6.26min/km HR147. Felt great, no problem with foot or shoes! Strides went well, a bit more controlled this time vs the more sprint approach last time.
Sat 27th 15 miles LSR
24.73km at 7.25min/km HR134. Longest distance I've ever covered in a run so was delighted. Got out before 6am so didn't impact the rest of the day. Went out to Poolbeg lighthouse but stopped short of reaching it as had gone 12.5km before getting there - loving the discipline! Happy that average HR was low too - embracing the slow running. Only question I have niggling in the back of my mind is whether I am too slow at 7.25min per km? Don't get me wrong, enjoyed running at that pace, it felt comfortable but just wondering it was too comfortable. (10km PB is 53.13 - grateful for any comments on whether LSR at 7.25min per km is ok?) Felt very comfortable, last couple of kms tough but then when I look back I felt the same way about the half marathon distance a couple of weeks ago and this time covered the 21.1km point without any trouble so I guess the training is working. Had two aqua gels, one at about 10km and one at 18km - no negative reaction.

Next week's LSR is 16 miles and I'll be in Spain so will have to scout out a route and leave reaching the Poolbeg lighthouse for the first time for a few weeks!

ReeReeG

Well done on the 15 miles.
7.25/km is really good long run pacing, you're keeping it nice and disciplined. Good job.

Sorbet

ReeReeG wrote: »

Well done on the 15 miles.
7.25/km is really good long run pacing, you're keeping it nice and disciplined. Good job.

Brilliant thanks. Felt right but some of the calculators suggested I should be going a bit faster - good to get the confirmation I'm ok at that pace.

Sorbet

Shocking week. Slight pain in my right knee after recovery run on Monday - felt very similar to patellar tendonitis I had in that knee some months ago before I had orthotics prescribed. Guessing it's related to uptick in LSR last Saturday.

Travelling to Spain so was unable to book a physio before I left. Decided to rest it for a few days.

All good yesterday and planned my LSR of 16 miles today to see how it fared. Random unrelated twist of left ankle in swimming pool yesterday so sitting out today.

Hoping to have a go at LSR tomorrow instead but will listen to the body.

Gutted as had hit every run on the plan so far. Hope I can get back in the saddle next week. I suppose it was unrealistic to think I'd get through training block without any issues but frustrating all the same. If the knee issue comes back will have to see physio for a plan.

Sorbet

Delighted to say I managed to set Saturdays long run in on Monday and a 4 mile easy tonight all with no I'll effects/repeat injuries.

That said the 16 miles on Monday was seriously tough - the last few miles were like nothing I had done before. I'd say I looked like a zombie shuffling along . The run was early to avoid the heat (I'm in the Costa del Sol for a couple of weeks). Didn't know where to run and spotted a safe route while out for a drive - didn't really appreciate the elevation. My Garmin says I did 1,375 metres elevation in the 3 hour 25 minute run (Strava says a more modest 506 metre so I'll ignore that ). Ran up and down a route to Benahavis town a few times and then incorporated a nice 5k trail route. Trail was tough in parts so not ideal for road running training but thought did occur to me that if I get through DCM I may look into some trail ruining in the future. Anyway I'm explaining the suffering by the elevation - really took all I had to keep forcing myself on, particularly as I was on a back and forth to the car where I had water stashed. The mantra that got me through the last 5k was "the first 20k were only done to give me the chance to run these hard 5k". Not very poetic but it got me through.

What I really wanted to record here in my log for me to look back on was how happy I was to get back on plan and conversely how gutted I had been to have injury concerns that in my mind made me worry about making the start line. I've been loosely aiming for a sub 4.30 marathon, this week has reminded me my dream starting this journey was to run a marathon , not a particular timed marathon - to do that I have to stay healthy and injury free. Less focus on time goals and more on stretching/strength training etc.

Perhaps more importantly I've scouted out a flat run by the sea for this weekend's LSR:pac:

Sorbet

Week 7 5th August - 11th August
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|1m w/u + 5m pace + 1m c/d|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|14m lsr|3m rec


Got back to it this week after the injury impacted week 6. Got week 6's LSR in on the Monday of this week as per post above. As a result runs were a day behind plan.

Wed 7th - 4 miles easy
6km at 7.29km HR 145. 29 degrees which explains the nearer recovery pace and HR.
Thu 8th -5 miles at PMP with warm up and cool down
10km at 6.41km HR 152. Aiming for 6.30 on PMP and hit it really well - enjoyed it.
Sat 10th - 3 miles easy
4.7km at 7.38km HR 142. Ran more like a recovery pace as was an evening run and had an LSR following morning. Trying to fit all runs in on holiday required a bit of flexing the plan. In general the runs in heat were a lot tougher so was going easy on myself.
Sun 11th 14 mile LSR
22.18km at 7.10km HR148. Had scouted out a flat run by the sea for this one after the mountain climbing of the previous Monday and it made a difference. Felt a lot more comfortable than the 16 miler. I'm not sure if it is a placebo effect but I am finding that I am having real ups and downs on the LSRs - started and it was tough - so I had an early gel which seemed to sort me out. Last few kms were tough as the sun had come out by then but got it done.

Overall happy with the fact that I managed to get back to plan after week 6 challenges. Not placing too much focus on paces etc. as running in the heat is a different beast.

Week 8 12th August -18th August
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|1m w/u +6m pace + 1m c/d|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|16m lsr|2m rec

Tue 13th 4 miles easy
6.5km at 7:07km HR 133. Back in Dublin - easier temperatures. Enjoyed this run.
6 miles PMP with w/u and c/d
12.82km at 6:31km HR146. Good run. Left it late in the evening as I'm off work at the moment and routine a bit up in the air. As a result didn't fancy it but once I got out it clicked and really enjoyed it. Was comfortable at the pace.
Thu 15th 4 miles easy
7.14km at 6:48km HR 133. Another enjoyable run, nice steady pace.
Sat 17th 16 mile LSR
Was happy to have this one done early. Overall went well but had a wobble with about 5/6k to go. Had already taken two gels and just felt so tired and hungry - used my emergency €2 to stop at a shop and buy a mars bar which was the best money I ever spent!! Sorted me out and got me home fine. The last three LSRs have had a bit of a thread of having great periods and some tough ones and seem to be related to my fuelling. As the distance is increasing I think heading out on an empty stomach in the future for LSRs (which is what I do currently) is not clever and is going to need to change.

So priorities for the next couple of weeks;
Get to a physio and get a strengthening routine in place - don't want to have the same injury fears from week 6 again.
Sort out a breakfast option before LSRs and see how I am for the 19 miler coming up in a couple of weeks. If anyone is reading this who has any suggestions, would love to hear them. I have to admit that nutrition is not my strong point.

FD 10 miler next week - really looking forward to it. Never ran in the Phoenix park so should be good. Thinking of pacing for sub 1:35 at the moment.

Treviso

For your LSRs, are you eating/drinking enough the day/evening before it? I have a big bowl of pasta the evening before my long run and in the morning I force myself to eat toast with jam. Eat a banana on the way as well. Does the trick for me.

Sorbet

Trying to stay hydrated but foolishly not really concentrating on what I eat the day ahead or morning of LSR. Will plan that next time and see how I go. Thanks.

Kellygirl

I always have breakfast before my lsrs - last week I’d one of those porridge pots you add boiling water to and 2 medjool dates ( 1 date apparently gives you the same amount of energy as a 35g gel). This morning I had overnight oats and two dates as well. I tend to get up, go eat breakfast and coffee and then go get dressed and organize myself and then I drive to where I’m running so my breakfast ends up being an hour before my run. Works well for me. I also make sure to drink loads of water with maybe a zero tablet for longer runs, the few days before the lsr and have carbs included in dinner the night before though normal enough portions.

Sorbet

Kellygirl wrote: »

I always have breakfast before my lsrs - last week I’d one of those porridge pots you add boiling water to and 2 medjool dates ( 1 date apparently gives you the same amount of energy as a 35g gel). This morning I had overnight oats and two dates as well. I tend to get up, go eat breakfast and coffee and then go get dressed and organize myself and then I drive to where I’m running so my breakfast ends up being an hour before my run. Works well for me. I also make sure to drink loads of water with maybe a zero tablet for longer runs, the few days before the lsr and have carbs included in dinner the night before though normal enough portions.

Thanks - that's really helpful.

Sorbet

Week 9 19th August to 25th August
Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
Boards|rest/cross/3M rec|4M with 5 x strides|5M easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|2m easy|FD10|2m rec


Mon 19th - 3 miles recovery
4.83km at 6.58km HR140. Ran with my 11 year old son - delighted that the kids are starting to take an interest in what I'm at and hopefully first steps to passing on an interest in running.
Tue 20th - 4 miles with 5 strides
6.9km at 6.39km HR140. All good - nothing to report.
Wed 21st - 5 miles easy
8.00km at 6.56km HR137. Struggled to get out the door and left this to the evening but enjoyed it once I was out.
Skipped the 2 miles easy as life got in the way. I'm not proud but with the FD race the following day decided a warm up morning of the race would do.
Sat 24th - Frank Duffy 10 mile - Phoenix Park
Race report for the FD 10 mile from the DCM Novice thread below.
Sun 25th - 2 mile recovery
Good to stretch the legs - felt ok but a bit stiff in quads.

Sorbet wrote: »

A bit late with the race report but still wanted to get my recollections down.

Arrived about 9am, parked the car and followed the stream of runners to the start area – great buzz about the place. As I’m doing my marathon training alone I love these events, really feel you’re part of a community.

Placed myself in the middle of wave 2 for the plus 90 minute targets. I myself had looked at the calculators and although the South Dublin 10k time I had suggested I could target just sub 1h30m, I knew myself that I wouldn’t manage that without a really serious effort and decided ahead of time not to push too hard for that. Sub 1h35m was the more realistic goal.

Huzzah! Had given me some great advice on the forum last week re pacing the first half conservatively – I’m so glad I asked as I think this was the making of me really enjoying the run. That said I had set out to do 5.35km if I could and then ease back from there if I needed to.

First km I knew would be a little slow due to the weaving. As a racing novice I’m still a bit hesitant to move to the front end of a wave even if the time is right for me – lost about 25 seconds in the first km but no drama. 2nd and 3rd kms the road opened out a bit and I paced them identically at 5.32 – even though this had a reasonable decline and a number of people were passing me on the downhills I decided to stick with Huzzah!’s plan and keep it consistent and conservative. When I came to the first uphill I stayed consistent and started passing back a lot of people – 4th Km 5.36.

It seemed to me that kms 5 through 10 were a bit of an uphill drag and I started to feel the pinch – I decided then that keeping at the 5.35 was going to be too hard so I decided on the sub 1h35m target as the target for the day. By km 10 though my pace had slipped to 6.09km and I had stared to worry that I wasn’t going to make my goal. 5th 5.47, 6th 5.44, 7th 5.57, 8th 5.52, 9th 6.05, 10th 6.09.

Somewhere past the zoo I had an aqua gel – not sure if it was a placebo or had a real impact or if it was just levelling out of the course but I started to feel much much better and the goal felt a lot more attainable. Met a work colleague who had started out too fast and was going backwards – was passing a lot of people here who were walking. More than once I silently thanked Huzzah! for the pacing advice which I really felt was the key to success on this course. Pace started to slowly improve. 11th 5.52, 12th 5.41, 13th 5.37, 14th 5.34. On this stretch really enjoyed the experience with the crowds, high fiving kids on the side of the road etc.

Like most people I struggled with taking on water with the cups so by the third water stop I decided to take a different approach – seemed to be mainly staffed by kids on this one who were shouting “does anyone want to be splashed” I got three lads to drench me – good fun and really cooled me down!

I knew there was an uphill toward the finish but my spirits were so high at this stage I probably attacked it a little too hard and suffered a bit here – did pass a lot of people but pace dropped off. 15th 6.01, 16th 5.41. With about 850m to go was humbled as I caught the young man in the race wheelchair (?) who was being pushed by his family – there was I struggling in the heat and the hill with just me to think about and they were pushing another up the hill – amazing. The man pushing was great encouraging everyone – lied that there was only 500 metres to go and told me to push to the finish – how could I refuse! Put in an effort at a sprint towards the finish but can’t say that it was stellar – crossed the line at 1.34.08. A PB as it was my first race at the distance but was really happy to have made my more conservative goal of 1h35m.

In truth I didn’t put the same effort into the 10 mile as I had the 10k but I’m conscious of “keeping the main thing the main thing” and that I have a 19 mile LSR coming up. My last two LSRs, while completed, haven’t been easy so a bit daunted by the longer distance.

Really enjoyed the race and as we reach half way in the training plan I have to pinch myself – to think I could run a 10 mile race in the Phoenix Park, hold my own, run the whole way and most importantly enjoy the experience. It is not an understatement to say that I would not have had this experience to date without the input of the mentors and all the encouragement from everyone in the group. Thanks so much to all – I’m already beginning to worry what I’ll do when the novice group is no more!!

On a final note – enjoying everyone else’s successes on Strava, whether it be great times or getting it done when going through real struggles – well done all. For the nerds among you I only spotted the fly by functionality today on Strava when you are on the desktop version – doesn’t serve any great purpose but was great to plot your progress against some other members from the group in the race – a bit like Relive, just a gimmick but thought I’d mention it. I'll get my coat

Happy running all.

ReeReeG

Well done on FD10! From what I saw on Strava a lot of people really struggled on Saturday in the park, so the conservative start was exactly what was needed by the sounds of it. Delighted you had an enjoyable race, such a good confidence boost for you too. And congrats on the PB

Oh, and I love that Flyby feature!

skyblue46

Well done on a really well run race. It's great that you took on board the advice dispensed by Huzzah re pacing as that will be hugely important in the half but particularly in DCM.

As for life without your novices group...it'll never happen! You'll move onto a shiny new Graduates thread shortly after the 28th of October ;-)

Sorbet

In case they drop by, a quick thanks to Treviso and Kellygirl for the advice on eating day before and morning of the LSR. Did my 19 mile longest run this morning and while it wasn't easy it was certainly the easiest of my +10 mile runs. I believe largely down to eating pasta the night before (as well as a separate dinner) and a good breakfast. I'm definitely going to keep that up going forward for long runs.

I did have a curious wobble at km 14 of 30 where I just craved food - aqua gel didn't sort it and happily I was running in a park doing 5/6k loops and had brought some "emergency" jellies in the car. They sorted me right out and didn't look back. Is that a thing - where you need the sensation of eating something?!!

Anyway thanks again - just another example of the great advice you get on here. Be lost without it.

Kellygirl

Glad that helped and well done. That’s brilliant.