2022 DCM Novice Thread

l3m0n5

Week 13 update

Mon 5,0 km 31:45 6:21/km

Tue 10,0 km 1:03:35 6:21/km

Thu 15,5 km 1:34:02 6:05/km

Sun 26,3 km 2:52:06 6:33/km

Managed to only get 4 runs in this week. Marathon pace run end earlier than the plan ran out of time and was struggling towards the end.

Long run went well. Did a 14 km loop and dropped off a long sleeve top, gloves and high vis only to find them gone from behind the rock. Must have been the shine high vis they saw. Hope who ever finds them enjoys the sweat and 5 yr old Nike top that has a lot of mileage done.

This weeks long run is going to be difficult to fit in as she is away Saturday & Sunday at the moment it's looking like Friday evening.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119669579#Comment_119669579

Fair play for listening to advice. That's the priceless value of this thread and community. My first marathon would have been a mess had I not joined this thread. As it turned out it was absolutely perfect. It was perfect because I listened to and adapted to advice.

Pacers can be used in DCM but you need to be clever how you use them. You don't run with them.

In fact, you had it the wrong way around. If you're hunting a sub4 you don't go out with the 3:50 pacers (you certainly don't try to 'bank' time). You don't even go out with the 4 hour pacers. You let them go. You let the 4:10 pacers go.

I targeted 3:58 in my novice marathon (2017). After about a mile the 4:10 pacers went by me. I had a plan, a pacing strategy. I was running those first few miles over 6 min km pace for the most part. I did doubt it at times, but thankfully I trusted it.

I didn't catch the 4:10 pacers until halfway up Chesterfield Ave, 9km in.

I didn't catch the 4 hour pacers until Milltown, 20 miles in. I used both sets of pacers the whole way through though. I finished in 3:58:08.

I knew if I was with the 4 hour pace group in those opening miles my race was finished. The course profile demands that you let them get away from you until the last 10k. That's how you use them effectively at DCM.

Lambay island

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119671185#Comment_119671185

Nothing like a real life example! Should give some food for thought for many- thanks

masterK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119671185#Comment_119671185

Great advice, I guess there is a huge psychological boost to catching the pacers and gives you a target to aim at.

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119672083#Comment_119672083

Absolutely.

A 3:59 marathon that you've sped up to is so so much sweeter than a 3:59 that you've slowed down to.

Kellygirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119672083#Comment_119672083

I ran a similar style to Lazare that year … it was drilled into us so I think the majority of our novices group did. I started with the 4:40 pacers and finished at 4:20. I spent the entire marathon passing people out - sweetest feeling ever.

Los Cafeteros

Raced Charleville HM last week after being away on holidays the week before that.

Managed to stick to the plan when away on holidays- 57k total with a reduced PMP session due to the heat inc some nice trail runs around a lava field/volcano.

Last week: 54k total

Tues: 7.5k @ 5:35

Wed 10k @5:30

Sat 10k @5:45. Staying in Limerick pre- Charleville. Ran out along the canal to the parkrun at UL but was unfortunately cancelled due to a course issue.

Sun- Day of Charleville HM- 3k WU, 21k, 2.5k CD

Travelled down from Limerick the morning of the race after a day of being a tourist on the Saturday. Hoping for a better day out than Frank Duffy where I mistakenly took off with the 70 min pacers thinking they would be matching my 4:30min/km target pace. Knew something was horribly wrong when we covered the opening 5k in 4:18/km average- surely they werent banking that much time I thought as one of their baloons whacked me in the face! Blew up as we hit the headwind at acres and hobbled home to a painful positive split of 1:13(4:31/km). Not far off my target but a painful lesson.

With this in mind was determined to execute better pacing at Charleville- 1'35 would mean holding my 10mile pace over the longer distance. Conditions were perfect- around 9C and little wind at the start line. Course was as advertised- straight and flat. Decided I'd try hold 4:30-35/km for first half, see how I was feeling and hopefully have a kick in the last 5k. Some mental gremlins about being able to hit this pace after running 5:30-6mins/km for all my runs in the last few weeks. First km was fast- 4:18/km and the 1:35 gang were already 50-100m further down the road to me- I let them go and decided to do my own thing. Took a maurten gel on the startline and SIS gels at 8k and 16k with no issues. Managed the water stations well and was careful when putting water over myself to make sure it was down my back rather than front after some unfortunate chaffing at warriors run in Sligo earlier in the summer! Ran alot of the midrace with a guy wearing a "wibbly wobbly wonders running club" t-shirt. I dont think he liked the company as he kept surging to the opposite side of the road! Wasnt able to up my pace in the last 2-3 km but kept my splits even to finish in 1'35'34(4:31/km) which is a 2 min PB from my other HM in Paris in March 22.

Satisfied with the result and was a great trial run for DCM in terms of gear, fuelling, pre-race routine. Would love some advice on where this leaves me target time wise for DCM- other race this summer was Docklands 5k in July in 19'46. Thinking 3'30(4'58) might be slightly out of reach/a risk for a first marathon. Would like to aim for a negative split and enjoy the experience. Maybe a 3'35(5'05) is more sensible?

sledge144

Ran a local half marathon this weekend as a test and the plan was to try to run 5:30/km.

Felt pretty good at the end and managed my splits pretty spot on I felt.

### Splits

| Kilometer | Time |

|------|------|

| 1 | 5:30

| 2 | 5:17

| 3 | 5:22

| 4 | 5:27

| 5 | 5:18

| 6 | 5:06

| 7 | 5:30

| 8 | 5:25

| 9 | 5:35

| 10 | 5:32

| 11 | 5:31

| 12 | 5:29

| 13 | 5:29

| 14 | 5:37

| 15 | 5:14

| 16 | 5:25

| 17 | 5:27

| 18 | 5:27

| 19 | 5:27

| 20 | 5:17

| 21 | 5:21

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119673006#Comment_119673006

I would consider you borderline for 3:30 at the minute especially as you have yet to feel and experience what running a marathon is like. I would advise starting behind the 3:40 pacers & easing yourself into it. You ran a great race the weekend but the marathon is a different kettle of fish and it's a very rare occurrence to run a strong marathon relative to half and below first time out. You've gained a ton of fitness throughout training as your goal times suggest but my general advice to novices would be that a conservative time is best for your first time as it is usually more realistic as well. What you have to understand here is that the first 20 miles of a marathon are not a race scenario. The trick in the marathon is managing all the urges that are telling you "This is too slow". Dublin is a tough course, especially the first half which will excessively dig into your fuel reserves if you are not careful and chasing a time which may be out of reach. This is the marathons greatest trick, it lulls you into a false sense of security over the early miles. A mispaced marathon can be a harrowing experience so my advice would be to go out conservatively(lot's of great info in some of the above posts) and see what you can do come 20 miles. The marathon rewards discipline more than anything else.

AntrimGlens

Week 15 & 16

So it looks like I'll not be running DCM22. Which is great news as it means unless something goes completely tits up in the next 4 days I'll have achieved my goal for the year and be toeing the line in London on Sunday morning.

Week 15

Monday 4 mile easy @ 9.26 min mile

Wednesday - 1m w/u 4 mile @ pmp 8.30 min mile, 1m c/d

Friday - 5 mile easy in the forest @ 9.53 min mile

Sunday - 10 mile run. Was meant to be my last LSR and it turned into a disaster run. Started out too quick on the hill in the first mile and never got my HR or rhythm to settle after that and both my hamstring and achilles flared up. Had also twisted my back working during the week and it was causing me pain down into my glutes. Felt pretty sh1t after it and was quite down, but convinced myself that I hadn't had a bad run all training block and this was the one I was due.

Week 16

Monday - skipped the easy run to allow things to settle plus work is busy this week

Today Wednesday - Last run on home soil. 1 mile w/u 3mile @ pmp, 1m c/d. Much better, everything has settled down except the hamstring is still a little grizzly and may well rear it's head come mile 20/21 on the day.

Fly over Thursday evening

Had toyed with the idea of going to parkrun on Saturday morning out in Hackney Marshes or somewhere and jogging around it, but I think I'll do a slow 5k through St James or Hyde Park on Friday morning on the way to the Expo to pick up my bib number and that will be it.

Won't be spending long at the expo as we're taking the kids to Harry Potter Studios and then back for grub and a quiet Friday night. Italians are booked for Friday and Saturday night and plans arranged for pints on Sunday.

My start time is 9.44 on Sunday morning, so I need to be away out of the hotel before 8 and of course they only start breakfast at 8 on the weekends. I've asked them for breakfast before I leave and they've agreed to give me it, plus I got a room with a bath to soak in for an hour when I eventually make it back on Sunday afternoon.

The only thing I haven't decided yet is my race strategy. It's not like it's important or anything!

I'm undecided if I'm going to follow a 3.45 pacer or just go out on my own and try and stick as accurately as possible to 8.25 min miles which will bring me home in 3.40.40. There are no 3.40 pacers, which is a bit of a bummer as ideally I'd love to be home n hosed in 3.39.59. I'll meet the pacers on Friday morning at the expo and see what their splits are and make my decision following that. I just don't think I'd have the gear change in me at mile 16 to drop the pacers and go from a 8.35 min mile to a 8.19 min mile for the last ten miles, knowing the sufferfest that it's likely to be from 22 onwards. I think sticking to steady 8.25s until mile 25 and then trying to push to 7.45 for the last mile with adrenaline and crowd support might be my plan.

And as Rabbie Burns said, "the best laid plans o mice an men, gang aft aglay, and lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, for promised joy".

Anyway before I head on I must say a massive THANK YOU to Laineyfrecks, Lambay Island & Murph_D. You're contribution to my personal training block has been invaluable and has kept me motivated and enthused for the whole 16 weeks. Your knowledge, experience and the time you have given up to individually mentor me and the others is not a small matter, so to you all I say many thanks and I hope to do justice to your input come race day. I feel much more prepared for this run than my previous effort and that is solely down to SLOWING IT DOWN!!!! Thanks.

I'll report back all being well!

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119676704#Comment_119676704

Aw you nearly have me crying here(although anyone who knows me understands why I'm sometimes called tiny tears😉). It has been a pleasure to be part of your journey & I wish you the very best of luck on Sunday. You have put in a really good block of training so believe in yourself, If/when the doubts start creeping in remember to trust the process & know that you have worked really hard to be there & you will achieve your goal! I am really happy to read that we kept you motivated & enthused for your training block, sure isn't that half the battle! On another note I am super jealous of the fact you only have a few more days before you race your marathon but I am also super excited for you & it will be really special & emotional having your family there with you, after all they are your biggest supporters☺️

Wishing you all the best & I can't wait to read the race report!

Charliebull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119676704#Comment_119676704

good luck with it

dont forget the spurs jersey

Murph_D

Best of luck @AntrimGlens - especially with those last-minute back and hamstring scares, now is the time to be realistic. London is not an easy course and has a fast start, so be careful about not getting carried away. Your second strategy sounds way better to me. Keep a lid on it for 20 miles at least. All the best!

Lazare

For those thinking about wearing a pace band, this site is fantastic.

I used it in 2017 and it was incredibly helpful.

There are so many different parameters you can select to create your pacing strategy, how much of a negative split you want to aim for, how you want to play the hills etc. The DCM course profile is factored into it.

You can then print out various different versions of a pace band. It even gives instructions on how to create the wearable band out of your A4 printer paper.

A small fee, but well worth it. I got in touch with the creator after my marathon to thank him and he was real sound.

https://mymarathonpace.com/

Lazare

Ha, I've just read through his testimonials and he has my email there 😀

Kellygirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119682070#Comment_119682070

I just bought this last night again. For some reason the link in the download wouldn’t work and I emailed him and he fixed it straight away. He is a nice guy. Brilliant tool too. Looking forward to play with it myself this evening!

Lazare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119682150#Comment_119682150

You were the one that put me onto it back then. 😊

Downloading it myself tonight too to have a play around.

py

For those with a relatively new Garmin, you should check out the PacePro feature. Input the route and then you can plan out your pace using a variety of variables.

68 lost souls

Havent updated in a while, life has been very busy lately but getting (most) of the sessions in. I havent updated I think since before the half so Ill start there.

Goal was to hold 5 minute KMs which would leave me circa 1:46 for the race and on cource for 3:40 (I believe) So I lined up between the 1:40 and 1:50 pacers and tried to find some people to help pace off. Very happy with how the race went and was feeling strong. Ended up running a 1:43:35 which I was delighted with as it was a 10 minute PB. I also set a 10 mile PB enroute which validated my thought on the FD race being due to illness.

2 miles easy the day after to shake it out at 6:03/km

Tuesday 20th - 10km easy at 6:20 pace

Wednesday 21st - Didnt get to leave until 8PM - 2km warmup 14.5km at 5:12km and a cool down km. Felt tough and that was including stopping middway to pick up some items from my sister

Thursday 22nd Planned 5km easy but missed it as I was prepping the house to be painted and didnt stop until after midnight, also packing as I was flying the next day for a weekend away with my son.

Friday 23rd - Travel day and delayed flights. Nothing on the plan but tiring all the same

Saturday 24th - 5km easy around the village, legs felt heavy and stiff after travelling

Sunday 25th - Long run around the rivers of the Loire Valley and through the orchards. Stopped a few times for photos and to take it in 26km at a moving pace of 6:12/km

Monday 26th - Plannet 6.5km but a travel day home and flights delayed again so didnt get in until late so missed it. Had done plenty of walking and sight seeing over the wekeend so didnt sweat it

Tuesday 27th - Rest day but took a chance to reccy a walk I was planning for work

Wednesday 28th - 13km easy at 5:46km

Thursday 29th - Lunchtime took our company on a walk for world heart day. THen evening was 8km easy at 5:45

Friday today was a rest day ad enjoying pizza and a single beer as a rewad for a tough few weeks in work and with house work

Tomorrow I will do 5km and Sunday Im doing a 32km run taking in the race route from Kevin Street to Terenure. Will park the car in Terenure and run through rathmines to Kevin street. Plan on doing the rest of the route over the following runs.

I'm really struggling with deciding on what to do re targets and race day plans. I am looking at Vdot which has been pretty accurate and it predicts 3:35 from my half marathon but its that it further Perhaps stick with my 3:40 goal and the pacer or start with the 3:50 pacer and speed up in the second half if I feel it but maybe get 3:45-3:50 Ill be kicking myself that I didnt push for 3:40. Will see how the next few weeks go

E.coli

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686802#Comment_119686802

Just in terms of helping you make the decision worth bearing in mind the actual nature of the course. The course lends itself to picking up the pace after a conservative start

My advice would to start conservative and pick up if you feel better it's easier to negative split from going out too easy than it is to hold pace after going out too hard

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119682070#Comment_119682070

I have to say that I don’t agree. For a first time marathon, this level of nuance is unnecessary in my opinion. Keep it simple. Back off alright over those opening miles but have your target in mind.

Laineyfrecks

I found this in the 2019 Novice thread which I thought might be helpful. https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/111510852/#Comment_111510852

DBB

As a fellow 2019 graduate, I think it would be remiss for any mentored novices' thread, ever, to not feature this epic post by bananaleaf in the lead up to DCM 19, confined as she was to her sick bed in the middle of our training block 🤒

Enjoy the read!😁

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/111269071#Comment_111269071

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119691251#Comment_119691251

Cheers for this, what an epic post it was indeed 😊

Laineyfrecks

WEEK 15 😊

So this is it, the last week before taper madness takes over 😎 Are you looking forward to the taper?

A lot of big runs appeared on Strava this weekend - it's fantastic to see and well done to you all, you are doing amazing work. But two things I'd like to say, firstly, I don't want anyone to panic if they haven't run 20 miles yet , people came into this process from different backgrounds, and it doesn't mean that the miles you are running and the plan you've been following won't get you around! Always trust the plan you are doing. And secondly please everyone make sure you are allowing adequate recovery after these runs. Recovery is so important- refuel as quickly as possible, get your rest/sleep AND keep prescribed recovery runs at recovery pace!! Those are all essential parts of recovery, the optional extras are the espom salt baths, ice baths, foam rolling etc.

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday

HHN1|rest|5m easy|10m easy|5m easy|rest|20m LSR|cross

Boards|rest, cross or 3m rec|5m easy|1m w/u, 5m pace, 1m c/d|3m rec|rest, cross or 3m rec|18m LSR|3m rec

This is a really big & exciting week for those of you following the HHN1 Plan! Remember when 10 miles was an LSR - now it's a midweek run! Don't overlook that one - prepare well, pace appropriately and recover well. The 20 miler will be no bother to you and completing it will give a huge psychological boost, Just make sure you keep easy easy and have confidence in yourself . We've been building to it for the past 14 weeks - you've got this!

So this is it, the last big week, the final push, 7 more days which will bring you within arms length of your marathon dream, keeping the hard work going, you've all come so far, this is the final stretch!

Best of luck with this weeks training. The end is now in sight😉 - One more big effort and it's Taper Time😁

I would also like to say a huge Best of Luck to fellow mentor @Murph_D who is running the Chicago Marathon next Sunday the 9th Oct. He has put in some outstanding training, consistency & hard work are 2nd nature to him. I for one am super excited for him(I may have mentioned it already😉) I really hope you nail your target & enjoy the experience!

MisterJinx

Very best of luck @Murph_D you'll smash it and thanks for all you've contributed here while also keeping your own training going

memaul

Thanks @Laineyfrecks and best of luck next weekend @Murph_D

Lazare

Any word on Antrimglens?

Murph_D

Looks like he nailed it. We should leave the details to him though. Hopefully he will report back!

Gazzler82

Week 5/9

Monday 8k easy @5:07

Tuesday

Lunch 7k @5:17 forgot about second run and took on the hills of the north side!

evening 4*2400m w 800 rec 10:15 tgt 13/13/16/13 act. More consistently paced than last week total 16k

wednesday 8k @5:14

thursday

no lunch run as in Dublin for 3 years worth of leaving drinks. Slipped out at 4:30 to do planned 14k at MP. Staying in the Mespil so simple plan was to run to Northumberland road and run 9k south following the route and then back same way. On the way back missed the turn off onto roebuck rd/ave so missed that nasty little hill (is this the so called heartbreak hill??) so ended up doing 19k total. A bit quicker pace wise for the MP section at 4:20 v tgt 4:22. Course thoughts. Not flat!

Friday. 8k before picking up the kids as bean an tí working the evening. @5:18

Saturday Rest

Sunday. Had to read the book three times to confirm long run was at easy pace in advanced plan. Added the 4K I was short so 20k @5:11

total 87k