DCM 2023 Mentored Novices Thread
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Fanbleedintastic!!!
What an incredible debut marathon J, hold your head high.
Can't wait to hear more.
Enjoy the celebrations everyone, pat yourselves on the back.
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Ahh, this is great to hear. This is what we've been telling you guys about for months. It's unreal isn't it. ☺️
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I posted my mini report in the wrong thread yesterday apparently!
I had a real tough day yesterday, 5:31:22
I hit the wall around 20k/21k. despite practising with gels on all my long runs, including the half marathons I've done, I obviously didn't get my fueling right. I've never hit the wall before so I wasn't actually sure what was happening to me, but I obviously was able to guess.
In hindsight, I probably didn't eat enough in the morning to account for drive up and nearly 2 hours of waiting/walking around for the waves. I don't typically eat in mornings before running so I thought my eggs and toast would be enough, then I had a protein bar when I arrived in Dublin and a banana are the start line.
I paced myself exactly as I hoped, was just in front of the 4:40 Pacers, they even passed me in park for a bit during the long straight. I knew I wasn't feeling as good as I have been on other runs at the 10k mark or whatever, I think I even said as much to @Sunny Dayz when we bumped into each other outside the park, but I've felt like this early in my first half too so I was hopping it was just a phase and said I'd trust the training
But when it happened it just happend. My legs just didn't want to go, I felt like I was in a dream and my eyes were going a bit blurry, text book "wall" apparently.
I didn't even have a period of slowing down, I was basically on pace til I wasn't, I guess that's my lack of experience showing, if I knew what I was experiencing up to this I would have dropped back a lot and tried to grab some food or something.
To compound matters, I really started to not feel well in the stomach after my 4th gel as well, I couldn't stomach another one after it. Even the thoughts of it was making me sick! I tried to take some food off the crowd but the first thing I got was some very chewy wine gums, and a Jamie dodger which was drier than the Sahara! Neither helped anyways unfortunately.
I should have gotten Jaffa cakes off my crowd when I saw them at 26k, but it was very emotional meeting them having now been struggling for the guts of an hour, I wasn't really thinking straight.
My kids and wife probably kept me in the race, I definitely could have dropped out at this point, it is not a nice place to be trying to calculate how much longer you need to struggle around for when it's a huge chunk of the race left. Especially when the calculation is pointing to an extra 3:30 hours
The support was fantastic, and a huge thanks to people who came out, but around half mark, I'll be honest, I was embarrassed to be struggling.
As the distance left started getting shorter, the thoughts of dropping out also left thankfully. When I could I tried to run on the downhill and didn't even attempt to run up any hills.
With 800m to go I gave it one last push so I finished relatively strong
I'm happy I finished, proud of the training I put in to get there, but I'm really disappointed with how it went. I know I had a better run in me, that is the most frustrating thing.
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Sounds like a nightmare @witnessmenow but you showed a fair amount of mental strength to get yourself around. Take solace that you have probably already done your toughest ever marathon
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@witnessmenow it was good to meet you en route. Aww no sorry to hear that things got worse for you as you went along. I know when we met we both agreed that it was feeling tougher than we had expected.
But you made it to the finish and you saw your family along the way which is a boost for both you and them. Well done B.
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Very sorry to hear you had such a tough day @witnessmenow but to push through that and finish is an unbelievable achievement the average person would have dropped out feeling like that so hold your head up high 💪🏻!!
Congrats to everyone 🎉 some great reports there already, can’t wait to read the rest when they come in.
Firstly want to thank the mentors Misterjinx, Kellygirl and skyblue here for everything over the last few months, also the advice and support from everyone else has been amazing and definitely helped me get to the start line in good shape!
I finished in 3:57:46 achieving my sub 4 goal with a little to spare. Tough enough conditions and even though we trained in a lot of rain this summer I feel it definitely made it harder in parts yesterday.
I started conservatively and slowly increased pace after hitting 10km I was on track at the half way mark for 4hrs but slightly doubting I would hold pace for another 2 hours. The crowds were unbelievable and a massive help along the way and I just kept fighting the mental urge to slow down.
I can’t believe I actually did it I’m completely buzzing and also feel like it’s a dream! sorry I couldn’t make McGrattans I hope you all enjoyed the celebrations 🎉❤️
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Awake since early morning with aches and pains. Well if that's not proof I did it!
It didn't work out exactly as I had planned which was start infront of 4:40 and work up to 4:30 after half way mark. The hillier first half really went to work on my quads and I found I couldn't really pick up the pace after half way. Mile 21 was really tough and had to dig in when the 4:40 pacers passed me at 22 and spent that next mile down Fosters catching and then passing them and realising that I was going to finish my marathon.
I know people always commend the support on the DCM route - but truly it was unreal. Had my name on my bib and it was strange hearing people call my name. The noise and the cheers, the music and the signs.
Quite happy to come in with 4:38.
Thanks so much to @MisterJinx and the other mentors, to my fellow Novices - we've graduated!! And to other Boardsies who have popped in her with nuggets of wisdom and support over the last few months.
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I decided I was going to give 3:40 as good a shot as I could so I lined up a little back from the pacers at the start.
First few km's a little quick but I was never really gaining on the pacers so was happy enough it was where I wanted to be effort wise.
Got to the half in 1:52:06 which is ~14 minutes slower than the half I ran 5 weeks ago and it felt like it took more effort. Was quite nervous in last few days leading up to the race so potentially that wasted energy and maybe I'm not fully over the virus I had 4 weeks ago but just didn't feel as sharp.
What was weird about the halfway mark was a lot of people seemed to slow and use the toilets and walk to the drinks table and I got caught up in a kind of stupor until my watch beeped to say I'd just run a 5:31 for km 22 so I had to wake myself up and remind myself that I had to run to my planned pace and not get sucked into what others are doing. I picked it up and then potentially overcompensated; next few km's were where my heart rate was highest for the race. I backed it off reminding myself that the real half-way point is at mile 20.
Had friends waiting for me in Bushy, my wife and daughter were in Milltown and my parents were at the bottom of Foster's avenue. Having people to run to definitely help a lot but generally the support was amazing; going to have to give it back next year!
So anyway, the drag up Clonskeagh; it's real and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. This was where the first thoughts of stopping to walk for a bit entered my head (I don't think there's anything wrong with walking as ultimately it's about covering the distance as fast as you can but I really wanted to run the whole thing). Just kept putting one foot in front of another. I was running by the kerb and the lift you got when someone would cheer you on using your name that they've read off your bib was so powerful.
Run down Foster's Avenue was a nice relief and I looked fresh to my parents I guess 😝 Somewhere after crossing the UCD flyover and turning down Nutley Lane the heavens opened. Definitely made it even more of a slog. The km's went by so slowly; I tried to distract myself but I couldn't get my brain out of the present moment. The urge to walk was very strong but I just kept telling myself it'll just take longer if you do and I'm very proud that I kept running.
Nothing left for a sprint but I got my arms in the air for 3:49:XX.
Gave it everything; got the sub 3:50 (I actually had no idea how close I was; stopped looking at (comprehending?) my watch with 5 or 6 km to go) and the sub 4:00.
Legs are feeling fairly tender today!
Well done to all fellow Novices who got the job done! Thanks again to all the mentors and thread contributors!
I really enjoyed my first proper races in the build-up so I think I'm going to focus on the shorter distances for awhile; have a 10 k PB that needs to be sorted!
Post edited by Seifer on27 -
3:52 for me, I was surprised how well it was going for 90% of it and passed the 4 hour pacers after going off behind them. The hill towards the end there slowed me down a lot and I trundled through the rest of it more or less. Target was sub 4 so I can't complain but it's a bloody long distance and I think I was found lacking a bit the last 5 k. There was no chance of a sprint for the finish which I had been planning on for bit of time shaving at the end. Conditions were great though, I thought the rain cooled me down a bit when I needed it. I definitely think I'll do it again, knowing what you're facing seems like it would be a big help 2nd time around. Congrats on getting the marathon done and wear yizzer medals today!
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I posted this on a reply to your post in the other thread, but just in case you didn't see it...
Sad to read this, after all you put in to the Novices thread.
We go on so much about the importance of enjoying your first go at this thing, but it is tough. I do hope you can pick out and focus on what was awesome about the day.
The reason we go on about making sure you enjoy it is so you'll get hooked, because once you're hooked you improve, and much better days await you.
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Loving the reports, keep em coming.
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Agreed! Looking forward to hearing from all of you.
I hope everybody had a great day celebrating and are recovering today and minding yourselves. Plenty epsom salts baths and really good food the next few days now and rest obviously.
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Great seeing all your reports coming in, keep them up! I'll come back later in the day when I'm on a laptop instead of the phone.
A key take away is that whether you had a great day or a tough day you are now a marathon finisher, congrats, no matter what happened you did it and have accomplished something few will ever do.
Thank you so much as well for my card and gift, you are very kind and it's much appreciated.
/p
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We did it ! Congratulations everyone who crossed the Finish Line and earned their medal (and very snazzy top!). I'm delighted with myself and will be forever thankful to the mentors, fellow novices and other boards posters, family, friends and colleagues who played no small part in getting me to the finish yesterday. And a shout out to the supporters who were EVERYWHERE along the route. Just incredible.
I don't know who put together the Boards Plan originally but it really worked for me. So a big thanks to you too, whoever you are !
I had one or two very minor wobbles during the marathon, but I never thought I wouldn't finish. My legs only started to go around mile 20, before that they felt reasonably fresh. And I never hit the dreaded wall either. I found the slow running difficult during the training but I stuck with it (for the most part 😜) because I know it works and it absolutely does pay off in those final miles. Even though pretty much everything hurt at that point I was able to keep up a pace that wasn't too far off the goal and ended up finishing just inside my 'B' finish time (4:19:41).
I was well-prepared before race day, being lucky enough to get plenty of sleep and had no nerves at all (most unlike me!). Had an extra slice of toast with my usual breakfast and brought a banana along. I got a lift into town with loads of time to spare. I did think for a moment that I would go in a faster wave (I had somehow been allocated a wave 1 number) but decided against it. I had planned to start between 4:10 and 4:20 pacers but got stuck in a Q for the loo and started maybe a minute behind the 4:20s. As it turned out it was Mile 18 or so before I caught up with them but it was very handy to have those balloons as a target.
One thing I hadn't realised, although it's obvious now looking at everyone's Strava, is that you're never going to run the race line in those crowds, so even if you're on 'race pace' you're not really hitting the actual target unless you're running slightly faster. My Garmin recorded an extra .2 of a mile overall. It took me a while to cop on to this during the marathon, I couldn't understand why the watch was consistently beeping before the actual mile signs. Also someone banged into me around mile 8 and hit the lap button on my watch and completely confused me until a realised all I had to do was hit lap again at the next mile sign. Clearly my brain is not at its sharpest during a marathon!
My first wobble came early, at Mile 3, I dropped my first gel and had just had a really slow split mainly due to congestion along the NCR but also hadn't realised that the elevation on that mile is the highest along the course. Met a couple of friends a couple of miles later who had brought a sports drink and Jaffa cakes so that cheered me up ! Then I realised I needed the loo but was afraid of losing time so early on, so I held on until around mile 9 and literally sprinted into a portaloo - the relief ! I may have over-hydrated that morning...
I found all the hills tough, like I knew I would, so didn't beat myself up about slowing down for them and I think that paid off overall. My second wobble was around half way. I was soaked by this point and felt a twinge in my leg, but the whole wobble only lasted a minute and I felt fine again. The supporters were unreal. I had been worried that I wouldn't have anyone along the route from mile 5 until about mile 18 but so many randomers were shouting my name and saying nice things it made a massive difference. I recall thinking at one point, this is much easier than I thought it would be 😂. The miles seemed to fly by, more than they ever did on those long training runs.
From mile 18 I knew I was going to see family and friends regularly, so I just had to break it down into smaller chunks from that point. They didn't disappoint ! It is such a boost to see friendly faces along the route. Special mention to @Annie get your Run and the Sanctuary Runners crew for the shout out at mile 25. The best and loudest cheering squad ever.
The last mile is amazing, because you know you're going to finish, even if your leg falls off. I did have to HTFU towards the end to make sure I got in under 4:20.
The relief to be able to stop running ! I don't think I'd have managed another step. I hobbled back to Mount St Bridge to meet the family. Was too cold and wet to think about celebrating ; I just wanted to get home and into the shower. Will take it easy for the next few days anyway. Might go for a short walk tomorrow (after I sign up for DCM 2024 🤣).
Post edited by Bungy Girl on20 -
Brilliant!!! So delighted for you - raging none of us had our phones out to get a photo of that smile. You made it look easy. So well deserved 🙌.
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FYI you can see yourself cross the finish line here if you're so inclined: https://www.youtube.com/live/W5JAXlFnbWU
Just need to work out where your finish time was in relation to the main clock that started at 08:45 to find it.
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The fantastic, the bad, and the down right torture! 4:16:xx
I've heard of a game of 2 halves, this was the marathon of 2 halves.
Firstly what an unbelievable experience this was for me, cannot believe the crowds, they were just amazing, spine tingling at times, and to come out in that weather in such numbers.
Decided at the start I'd aim for 4 hours (mistake) and started off incredibly well, ticking off the miles around half way I was comfortable and on track, with the red balloons in sight all along, until M16, things just went downhill like flicking a switch, legs got so heavy, pain crept in, arms were weak, and struggled to keep going, I pushed to keep the pace (mistake) but I couldn't keep it up and after M18 I was just trying to finish, readjusted my goal to 4.10, all I wanted to do was walk but I just wouldn't let myself do it. The 4.10 pacers and group passed me with such ease around M22 for a second I was so disappointed and i just wanted it to be over and quit, but I quickly got my head back on track and said I need to keep the pace ticking over to try and not let this completely fall apart, but I was in a very bad way, struggling to lift my legs at this stage, it was horrible, horrible, from smiling and waving at the all the crowds earlier to struggle to lift my head, felt sick, couldn't take anymore gels.
I was slow but kept going, felt like the whole marathon was passing me, my wife and kids were at M24 and that was such an emotional moment for me and it really spurred me on, at that stage I knew I would finish the race.
I finished with a smile but I could hardly walk at the end and had to hold on to barrier, and fell apart emotionally for a few minutes, I was a mess, and to make it worse it took about an hour to meet up with family as roads closed to meeting place, got lost and I had no phone but we got there in the end, I was so happy to see them.
I'm still in bad shape today, find it hard to walk.
I should have taken all the advise to start easy and it would have been so much more enjoyable, but I'm going to turn this into a positive, I could have stopped, I didn't, I could have walked, I didn't, im so stubborn, but you know what, I like that I am this way, but I am really suffering for all this now. Also my breathing was fine all race, I'm very fit compared to where we started this process 18 weeks ago, my legs let me down, but I just couldn't let the chance of a sub 4 go without giving it a crack as things were going so well, but saying all that, I am now incredibly proud of my time.
At this moment I will never run a marathon again, but you never know, if I do (in Ireland) it would only be dublin, for the crowds alone.
Thanks again to everyone here for all the support along the way, I never got the chance to meet in Mcgrattans after, with trying to liaise with OH we just headed back for the car, it was a long day for the little ones hanging around.
@witnessmenow sorry to hear how it went for you, but as has been said already, you showed great character to get through and i hope you can look back now at the achievement.
Keep the reports coming in great reading, well done everyone.
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I was mainly a lurker here but since I used the boards plan for training, followed all of the sage advice posted and asked a couple of questions myself along the way, feel I should come on to thank the mentors & everyone else who made this thread a wealth of knowledge for those without much experience of this.
@witnessmenow sorry your race didn't go to plan for you. From the outside looking in, you put in great effort & dedication to stick to the plan and deserved a more enjoyable day but as others have said, fair play for sticking with it and getting to the end and medal still despite the difficulty. 👏
My own race went about as well as I could expect I think. I took on all the advice to start slow and fell in behind the 4.10 pace group even though I was hoping for sub4. Spent the first few miles there, although with the amount of runners, I didn't have much choice as there was no room anyway. Stayed there until the first water break when the group spread left and right and left a big gap through the middle and since it was so early in the race, I decided to skip that station and raced through the middle to make up some ground on 4hr pace group which at this point was still quite close to the 4.10 group. Went around Pheonix Park with the 4hr group and then when it came to the downhill part, I picked up a little speed and went ahead of them.
At halfway, I was at 1.57 which didn't leave much room for sub4 but as I'd started conservatively I was hoping I'd be able to keep the pace. The next 9-10 miles were all fairly steady around 9min mile pace to keep me a good bit ahead of the 4hr pacers. Around mile 22 or so, I started to find it harder to keep pace and also started to feel a lot of pain in my right thigh/quad. At about mile 23, I saw the 4hr pace group catch back up to me and got a huge sense of disappointment that they were now moving more freely than me and were likely to pass me.
However, that also coincided with some downhills and then the increase in support again so knew I had to just try ignore the pain and put whatever I had left into for the last few miles. I 100% would not have been able to pick back up the pace if it wasn't for the crowds cheering on and the sense of doom when I saw the pacers catching me but managed to finish strong and get over the line in 3.57. It was an unbelievable feeling and an unreal experience overall. Running through crowds like that make you feel like you're an elite athlete competing at the top of the sport.
@Clarecarrick given the similarity in finish times we probably crossed the line together!
I can barely walk still, stairs are a nightmare, getting up & down from a sitting position is horrible but it all feels worth it for the sense of achievement after 4 long months of training with one aim in mind. I'll 100% be back next year.
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Well done to everyone who finished, and a massive well done to the people who had a tough time and hit the wall and just kept going anyway and got it done - that’s the attitude that completes a marathon!
I was a bit over my 4:40 target at 4:43, but honestly don’t care as so delighted to complete it! Found the first half pretty nice, though hilly. (As someone else said mile three was one of my longer ones). Then had a nice run through phoenix park, and castle knock. The second part of phoenix park was a lovely downhill two miles, and I remember thinking the leaves on the trees were beautiful!
Hit the loo at 9 miles, just to get it out of the way, then a nice run on to the half. Then the heavens opened and I got soaked and mile 14-18 were very tough. Just somehow lost all my energy, and got really worried that I was gone then, as I had so much left to run - mile 17 took me the longest to run in the whole race (11:50 😳), as I really couldn’t lift my legs - but I knew my mum was stationed at mile 18 and that kept me going for that stretch. She had lucozade sport and a gel which was great!
Somehow meeting my mum combined with the rain going away and a nice downhill at Dartry made things much easier. I knew I was on the home stretch after 18, and I was in my area too, (as I grew up in Clonskeagh). I had family at the bottom of Roebuck, and one of my school friends surprised me with a sign and everything, which was lovely! Meeting them and my family put my head in the right place, and I sailed home slowly but steadily after that, (Though I must say the last 2 miles went on forever 😅). Funny how distance running is such a mental thing isn’t it?
Gotta say again, the support was just incredible all the way - people are really fantastic, and some of the signs were hilarious! I wished I had a camera along the way to take photos of them.
Post edited by blondie83 on22 -
The last month has been a rollercoaster in preparation of the marathon. After some disappointing long runs I felt going sub 5hrs was unrealistic so I moved to 5hr 20 as a target. Then about two weeks before DCM I got a sharp pain in my right knee while running, and immediately stopped. I cut down on my runs and added some strength and mobility exercises into my week. Then my left knee was acting up too. For the last week I did nothing so as to try give myself the maximum chance of recovery. Having trained for the marathon for 6 months, and with telling friends and family that I was doing it (I had kept it quiet just case I got injured early on) and collecting donations for charity, there was no way I was not lining up and I would crawl to the end if I had to.
Lining up yesterday was so surreal. My plan to was keep it super easy, keep an eye on my HR and see how I was feeling at 10k, halfway etc before deciding if to change anything. After 1K at super easy I looked at my HR and it was way too high given my small effort. For any uphills I walked to help keep it easy and maybe reduce the HR a bit. I was losing confidence with the HR reading as the effort was so little but the watch reading was still high so from then on I just tried to trust my feeling and breathing. My wife and kids were in Phoenix Park and gave me a huge boost. Tear to my eye with their support, it was amazing. Part way through the park I could feel the right knee acting up. The pain spread to behind the knee and calf. Then the left knee did the same. I kept the pace real easy and hoped the pain would ease as I warmed up. Hips started to hurt early on also and I was thinking I really should have done yoga the last year and I'm going to start going once I recover from today 🙂. The pain didn't get any worse and came and went from the different joints for the next while. Family met me again at South Circular, and again they were amazing. At halfway I was feeling good other than the pains, had plenty of energy and was breathing easy.
Met the family again in Terenure. They must have ran to get there and it was a total surprise. Really blew me away seeing them. After that I was seeing where mile 20 was as I had it in my head that things would start getting extra tough then. And it was probably before then that I started to get cramp in my calves. That really hindered me. I had to tweak my stride to avoid it cramping up and had to stop maybe 10 times to stretch them. Lost the guts of 5 mins with these stoppages. I hadn't had cramp in any of my training so was not expecting it. I had drank plenty all along and had loads of gels so I suppose the muscles were just tired.
I was delighted to see UCD as knew my way well from there as its part of my work commute. At this point I was passing out loads who were walking all the time which was a good feeling. Family made it to the purple mile and gave me that last boost needed to keep the running going. Legs were real heavy, muscles tight, cramping up and joints super sore. I wanted to up the pace as I felt like I had the energy but the cramping limited how much I could bend my legs so I went as fast as I could while keeping the calves from cramping. Got over the line at 5hr 26min, which is as good as I could of hoped for and I am thrilled to have finished it given all my pre race issues. Once I stopped running and got to bag drop and then struggling to meet the family as pathways were blocked for them and me that by the time I got to Baggot the legs were seizing up big time and I really just wanted to see the family after the 16KM they walked around Dublin supporting me.
The crowd (not just my family) were great. Given the showers and that I was completing it almost 6 and half hours after the race started, they were still giving it loads. Loved when people read the bib and said my name, it was such a boost. And those who put out massive speakers blaring out dance hits, those giving out jellies, mars, jaffa cakes, drinks, fair play to them all. It was a great feeling to be a part of it.
I know I was late to the party of Boards Novices group but I really enjoyed being part of it and getting tips from experienced runners. Thanks so much to all the contributors and of course the mentors.
I was disappointed that the youtube video of the finish was cut off at just over 5hrs. Most of Wave 4 would not have been in it 😮. Small complaint though as the event is fantastic and I'm sure I will sign up for next year and if I can sort out my knees and hips I might be able to make a better go of it.
Post edited by bazwaldo on25 -
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Fabulous reports folks 👌 😊
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Well done everyone. Unsurprising to see so many finishers from the boards novices group. A round of applause for your mentors this year too 👏
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Morning all,
Hope the bodies are somewhat recovering, and the heads too for anyone who celebrated with a glass in hand! Well done to you all.
Firstly, thanks to everyone here esp. the mentors on their guidance and support over the past few months, a great decision to go with the Boards plan.
First marathon done, great to be able to say it. I stayed a little behind the 4hr pacers (plan was to use them, not run with them and see how it went), was happy enough with my pacing for the first 13 miles I stayed disciplined ( I think) and when I felt I might be pushing a little too hard I held back. When I got to mile 14 I could feel myself slowing a little, still running at a similar pace to first half of race, once I hit mile 19/20 my quads cramped at the same time without prior warning and I had to stop to stretch them out. The weather was turning for the worst at that stage and it was a battle that I said I must tackle head on or let it break me. Kept running when I could, walked a few steps, ran, walked a few steps and so on until I hit the last mile and let the crowd bring me home. Support was amazing and everything that has been mentioned already especially hills etc.
Target (ambitious) was sub 4, finished 4:13 odd and probably a fair reflection as to where I'm at right now. When the going got tough I abandoned sub 4 as I knew it was not realistic and no amount of digging deep would claw it back, it was all about staying going and hitting the Plan B target of under 4:15. It was a very tough race at times but glad I got over the line and will definitely learn a lot. Not sure yet where I can pinpoint what went wrong, felt the fuelling was ok and used same gels as training, water intake was good too. Maybe it was inexperience and the body not having a good day.
Overall I'm happy with the race looking back at it now, proud to have run a marathon and stay at it when the going got tough.
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Hello All,
Just to quickly say thanks for all the advice and encouragement I really enjoyed the training and Marathon even if it was a bumpy run for me.
The morning off and pre ample went really well I stayed nearby and woke up a little early but feeling good. On route I met one of the fellow novices I recognised from Strava. We lined up about 200 metres back from the 4:30 in wave 4 and ran close to a perfect split of 6:20 for the first half which was what I planned on considering my Half Marathon was under 5:40 I believed it was conservative enough.
In the end it was too much for me and I had leave TBird go ahead as I drifted back I really struggled from then on and took a few longer walk breaks in the second half my soleus and my foot were very sore I have a dark bruise on my foot from where my metatarsal was previously broken. Thats a new one to me and not something that happened in previous runs it would tend to ache but not bruise.
I managed to hold it together enough to get in just under 5 hours with 4:59 finish, although it was far behind my predicted time I really enjoyed the run and as all have said the support was unreal. I will sign up for next year again.
Im not 100% sure but I think I eased off too a lot on the speed work once I finished the HM and that imoacted my predicted time ultimatelly I dont regret this though as I feel I was on the edge of injury then and if I had get up running harder 5ks and 10ks I wouldnt have made the start line.
Post edited by Legits on19 -
Race Report
Well, well. Where does one start? One starts by saying it took almost two days to recover from the trauma of DCM! Ah no, not really. I'm just still a bit tired. Only managed to have a hot salt bath last evening - it was delightful!
I went to the Expo on Saturday, skipped my last 3km run (just due to time constraints that day), had a bowl of plain pasta for dinner, and hit the sack early. I had a wonderful night's sleep - although nervous, I think ongoing cumulative fatigue ensured a night of deep sleep. Woke up feeling good. Had a bowl of porridge (mainly made with water, and bit of salt) and had 2 glasses of beetroot stuff that husband had me drinking. Brought two bananas with me but didn't feel I needed to eat them pre race.
The morning was chaotic getting the kids up and out, everyone was crabby and giving out. Got dropped to Luas and waved family goodbye, was glad that bit of pressure was gone. 10 mins for Luas to arrive and a 45min journey in. Nerves kicked in then. Hopped off at Abbey Street and walked up to where my friend and his wife were staying (friend was also doing dcm). The brisk walk from Luas plus nerves meant I urgently needed the loo, which couldn't have been better timed really. Another pressure offloaded - literally (although I did have in the back of my mind that another stop of that nature might be required on a 4.5 to 5 hr run).
Although it was 45 mins to our wave starting (Wave 4), my friend seemed anxious to get going (start point was 10 min walk away). We got walking. However, friend bumped into a friend of his, also doing dcm, and there was a good bit of chat. Long story short I was slowed getting up to my correct place and this was my first major mistake/ lesson learned. I should have said my good byes and good lucks there and then and walked on. I wasn't running with my friend and he wears headphones anyway so we should have parted ways at that point. I didn't realise how far up the crowd the 4.30 balloons would be. Between them chatting, and pee stops and lace checking and weaving through people, I soon realised that the balloon I was encroaching on was in fact 4.50 and not 4.30! Head melted. Got a bit ahead of them and the gun went. They quickly overtook me based on my going out slow per plan and them doing even pacing. Even though I knew this I was dishearted. I knew I'd catch and pass them after 10km (which I did) but I didn't even get sight of the 4.30 balloon, so psychologically that goal was gone. Of course, I could still attempt a 4.30 marathon but knowing that when things got spicey I'd lose focus on the watch and the pace band, I kind of felt 4.30 was done for as I'd no balloon marker to rely on. In hindsight I know that's a bit illogical, but that's how I felt.
The start was great. Was a bit panicked becuase the rain whilst in the pit meant I was quite cold starting, but I soon warmed up. The hand made sleeves worked a treat to mitigate for this, however they then got wet and held the rain a bit (cotton). It stopped raining and sun came out and soon I discarded the sleeves in a bin (stoneybatter area).
Meanwhile, husband had dropped the kids off to my mams and his plan was to see me 4 times, 1st stop entering Phoenix Park. He told me to stay wide on the left which I did, so I saw him well before he saw me. @Kellygirl was with him. It was a great boost! I know everybody talks about fresh legs after taper but I was already feeling it. No pain or anything but I was working, it wasn't a walk in the park even then! The Chesterfield part was lovely and Castleknock support was superb, I saw husband again then in Chapelizod. Needed a pee then and had to wait for a loo but I got going asap and was very much "in the zone", according to himself, proven by the fact that I didn't even lock the loo door and it was opened about 4 times whilst I was squatting down!
I can honestly say it was a blur after that, and not a good one. My brain got fuzzy from Inchicore on. At one point I asked a spectator where we were, even though (a) I knew roughly where I was, and (b) what did it matter anyway! I knew then that my mind was in panic mode. There was another big crowd just turning onto Dolphin's Barn and they were belting out spice girls on the speaker. I put my hands up and started singing, I think that's where a photographer got my pic. I felt good. It was the pickmeup I needed. However I found Crumlin Road to be long and boring with spectators sparse (it was lashing again so I'd say some people had had enough spectating by then). There was no wind and I didnt feel the drag, even the rain didn't bother me, my challenges were all mental at this point. The weirdest and most off putting thing now was that almost every single person was walking. Solo, in groups, off to the side - all walking. And for a crazy moment, and this shows the power of the mind and brain, I actually thought I should be walking too. This must be a walking part. This must be impossible to run. I really had to snap myself out of that mindset (I didn't walk btw) and shout out loud "you are strong" over and over. I said internally, these people haven't trained like you. They've not done the work, that's why they're walking.They can't do it, but you can. Hit the halfway point and couldn't really wrap my head around doing it all over again, which was probably a good thing to be honest.
Drimnagh was fine, Walkinstown ok, but saw husband again at roundabout and told him I was bÒlloxèd 😄. I then saw a mate running that I wasn't expecting to see and whilst we hugged and exchanged our mutual horror of the situation, I had no capacity to chat, so ran on ahead immediately. I knew that my mind was closing in on me a bit.
I must have started worrying about toileting just before Terenure. I passed some wind and convinced myself I needed the loo. I stopped, waited for loo went in, didn't need to go. Very annoying. This happened again at next loo stop (Orwell). Probably lost about 1.5 mins at each stop. But I have to look at the positive, there was no need to go and there were no accidents, couldn't have asked for better, really.
Honestly, as the race went on from here things got even more fuzzy. I had long since stopped looking at my watch and pace band. I was looking at the ground a lot. Everything around me felt like white noise. I passed by a friend who came to see me and didn't look up. I didn't hear her calling my name. Didn't know she was there until she told me later. She said I looked in pain. Also, my tolerance level hit rock bottom. I cursed not having the option of music at this point. Walkers were annoying me with their conversations about having xx miles to go, and I'm very embarrased to say so were spectators. I caught myself scowling at a lovely woman handing out half bananas in the rain (can you imagine!) - I knew I was in real trouble mentally. I really, really had to snap myself out of this dark hellscape I'd all of a sudden fallen into. I managed to do so with a good bit of tough but positive self talk, and got my head back in the game. Not giving a toss about 4.30 anymore, I focussed on finishing. I started high fiving kids and responding to my name calls like I knew the people shouting - ah how are you, I'd shout warmly, on more than one occasion, as if I just passed my cousin!
I'm not sure at what point my quads started to ache but my god they were screaming now, as were the ligament/muscles/tendons around my pelvis. My calves felt absolutely fine and my aerobic capacity was great - no panting, nothing. But my quads were in a house of pain. I started to panic about heartbreak hill, but didn't realise I was up and over it before I heard someone shout thank god that's Roebuck done. Quads now on fire I had to stop 3 or 4 times for about 20 seconds at a time. The 4th time was for up to a minute and someone even approached to check on me as I was squatting to relieve the quad pain. I felt drunk. I tried walking but couldn't effectively. The only options were running or stopping. And I was not stopping anymore.
Never once did I think about pulling out, ever, but I was begging for it to end. I felt a bit of vomit in my mouth and quickly swallowed it back. I had 6 Maurtens in me by then, a number of salt chews and tons of water - to be expected I suppose. Saw husband again near RTE and said, right, head down now. Hit the 40km mark and then gave any extra I could for the last two and a bit kms, which wasn't much, but I did it nonetheless.
The last mile was amazing. The crowd - I can't even put it into words. The sound of the plastic clappers was beautiful and deafening. The fist pumps. The screaming. I felt like Kipchogue. Painful, Emotional. Horrifying. Trippy. Sensational. Ethereal. Elation. All the feels!! 4.46 on my watch. The icing on the cake was a friend putting my medal around my neck (race director of Corkagh Parkrun) Then, I grabbed onto the rails for fear my legs would buckle, and I swore to myself, never, ever, EVER again.
P.S. I've just signed up for 2024.😅
Shout out to the amazing mentors who have literally changed my life in helping me achieve this goal: @MisterJinx, @Kellygirl and @skyblue46 and of course my darling @Lazare. Your wisdom, encouragement and support from week 1 thhrough to week 18 and race day was utterly phenomenal. Also to all the Boardsies who came on the thread to offer advice, wish good luck, it all meant so, so much. Legends.🥰
MM
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I'm a little late writing this but what a day it was. I wasn't feeling very prepared with the baby arriving on Wednesday and it made me feel a not uneasy. I didn't get the sleep the night before and I was start I g to have a few doubts. My partner reassured me on the morning and I just said I'd go for it.
I tried my best to start slow and build into the race but it was difficult not to get swept up in the occasion and with the crowds getting the adrenaline pumping. I had to check my pace a few times going through the crowds. The support was simply amazing. It really is more than just a race! Someone here recommended printing your name on your T-shirt and I regret not doing that. A couple of times supporters were able to read my name off my number and the personalized encouragement really meant a lot! I will be getting my name on my T-shirt for the next one.
The race really went well for me until about 38km. I then got cramps in both of my hamstrings just above my knees. I never felt anything like it. I could feel huge knotes in my muscles. I had to stop and a lovely lady gave me water and made sure I was OK. I didn't think I would get going again, I just could bend my knees. After a couple of minutes I waddled off and managed to get moving. Eventually my hamstrings loosed out to the point I could start running again. The home straight is such a long road, the longest 2m of my life. The heavens open at that stage too. I still felt OK in my head at this point and only my hamstrings and groins where letting me down. I managed to cross the line for a 3:36:28. I am absolutely over the moon. If I hadn't got the cramps I think I could have broke 3:30. That will be my aim for the next one.
I just signed up for DCM 2024! We'll do it all again.
Thank you again to all the mentor, I really couldn't have done it without everyone on this thread.
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Firstly I would like to thank the help and support received here from MisterJinx and co. Your advice and guidance really made the difference for me.
This is probably going to be a long post as I am going to try to write for the two forums that I follow, which are Healthunlocked (under the name of Freecloud. I got guidance and support from them when I was doing my CT5K 2 years ago) and this one. I have written quite a few reports now on my previous races on H.U and go into a bit of detail on those ones.
I think I left Sligo at about 8am on Saturday for the RDS which was more or less straight down the N4 M4 into Dublin. Well that was all going swimmily until I got confused with Google maps at the very last millisecond and mistook the M50 turn off for the N4 one. NNNNoooooo!!! I thought to myself as I inadvertently drove onto the carpark aka the M50 towards the airport. Google very kindly rerouted me and gave new directions. I can’t remember the route, all I can say is that it was just a constant line of stop start traffic. Also, to top it off, I was getting quite desperate for a pee. This wouldn’t be so bad in the countryside where I could just pull the car over and get it over and done with. But being stuck in a traffic jam in Dublin was a different story altogether. I began to panic like crazy trying to find a side street off the road I was on or hoped I would see a pub or something but nothing was around. I began to make all sorts of funny shapes in the car to hold it off and thought someone would think I was going mad or something. I eventually saw a side road that wasn’t a dead end and found some pay and display spaces. I quickly got out of the car and rushed over to the machine. Unfortunately I got there the same time as someone else and I stupidly said he could go first but HE WAS THERE FOREVER!! Anyway he eventually left and it was my turn. I was paying by card and wasn’t really concentrating on time or money. I pressed the + button twice and paid with my card only to see that I only had 10 minutes. I ran over to the car threw the ticket in closed the door and hastily walked to find a shop or something. All I could see were tiny coffee shops with only a few chairs inside and no toilets. I did eventually find a small hotel, so I rushed in there and found the toilets just in time. I then had the mad panic of trying to remember where I parked the car before it got clamped. I eventually found the car in time and set off to the RDS and parked in Clyde Street.
The RDS was full of buzz, I had a quick look around and went to get my pack. The lady scanned the code on my phone and asked for photo ID. Problem was that my names didn’t match up. My parents named me Michael Anthony, they call me Anthony because my father is Michael and I go by the name of Tony to confuse things even more… I was asked if I was collecting for someone and I had to explain it all to the lady. Why do parents do things like this? Anyway, I eventually get my number and pack take another look around and buy a pair a beany hat and a pair of shorts because they have gel pockets and a decent zip pocket at the back.
I then found my way to the hotel I was staying in near Swords, got some food, did my final run, went to the pool did 10 easy length of the pool, went to the steam room, went back to the room, watched the Rugby match (meh), turned the tv off and tried to sleep.
I left the hotel at about 5 the next morning to make sure I could find a space somewhere near the start. I then had a bit of a rest before I got ready. I couldn’t make my mind up if I was going to use the bag drop off or not. I decided not to and got myself ready making sure I had everything I needed and set off. It then started to rain and I thought I didn’t want to be standing around in wet clothes at the end so went back to the car put on my tracksuit bottoms and a top, packed my bag with dry clothes and set off again. Then thought I left my bank card on the dashboard so had to go back again.
That’s when Legits saw me and asked if I was from Boards. We got chatting and decided to run together as we were both aiming for about the 4hr 30 mark. We dropped off our bags and went to the loos. I remember seeing one of the pacers in the queue and was wondering how he would manage to get in with his balloon. He simply let it float on the string outside whilst he was inside. A lot of people found it funny and were taking selfies standing outside the loo with the balloon outside.
I think the plan was to start in front of the 4:30 pacers but there was just too many people around so we started a few meters back from them. We weren’t really too fussed and we had plenty of time during the run to get passed. We both had similar strategies where we were going to hang around the pacers until 30k and then go a bit faster if we able. We had both also planned to take our gels every 30 minutes and walk at the drink stations to take our drinks instead of soaking and sipping.
We stopped at the first or second water station, got out bottle of water and quickly used the loo and set off running again. I then had a quick drink from my bottle and started to laugh. I thought I left my bottle of water down when I was in the loo and picked it up when I left. But I actually put my bottle under my armpit, forgot it was there and mistook the other bottle for my one and started to drink from that instead.
The crowds were great and were calling out our names. I could only hear mine and told legits that I was famous. I also thought that I saw witnessmenow running in front of us as he had a blue singlet, baseball hat and tight shorts on him. We eventually caught up and both ran either side of him had a look at his face and pulled behind again where I said I didn’t think it was him. I then got out my phone to see if I could find the picture witnessmenow posted of his race gear. But I was wrongly looking on the forum and not on Strava. I then said the name a couple of times to see if I got a reaction. I knew it wasn’t him when I saw the face (as I’d seen him when we were running in Kilkee and the fella in front was a tad older looking) but was just messing to pass the time. The only result in all that was that we had started to run too fast and had to slow down.
Everything more or less went to plan, we had a few chats and got to the halfway point in what seemed like no time at all. It then started to get a bit quiet. I was thinking about what happened to me in Longford and compared it to how I was feeling during this run. I had a little niggle at the top of my left thigh but generally felt great. I was very pleased with the way my training had gone and had been going to bed before 10 for 3 weeks (even if I didn’t sleep all of the time). I asked legits how he was feeling and he said that an old injury was starting to show and I could go off ahead if I wanted to. I said it was ok to see if it got any better. He then started to slow down quite a bit at the 25k mark and suggested that I should go on ahead again as there was no way he would be able to achieve 4hrs 30. We then wished eachother good luck and I set off like a dog being let off a lead.
I felt fresh and picked up my speed a bit and went off in pursuit of the pacers, which were nowhere to be seen (I’d say that they were so far in front that we were probably in danger of being passed by next lot of pacers). I was passing the other runners as if we were in two different races. I was aware of this and I saw that my watch had crept up to Zone 4 (orange), so I slowed down a bit until it got back down to zone 3.
I eventually caught up to the pacers at 31k, they were all singing and jaunting and keeping their runners in high spirits. My head wasn’t ready for the banter so I continued running passed them before I slowed down.
I then got to a bit of a hill and thought that was Heartbreak hill until I saw the other hill. I took on both hills and was feeling it by the time I got to the top of the second hill. There was a DJ at the top of that hill, he said “Look who’s here, lets give a big hello to the 4hr 30 pacers” I though Nooo it cant beee!!! and picked up speed again. I was definitely feeling it by then but was able to pick up a bit of speed as I was then going downhill.
I felt absolutely wrecked physically but very good mentally. I also thought I was running too slow and my heart rate was too high but my watch was showing I was in the high 6 mins and in the green zone. I tried to slow down but It’s kind of had to tell your body to slow when you think you cant go any slower. I continued on like that for a few more kms still passing other runners.
One of the pacers caught up to me again and I heard him telling someone that there was only a quarter of a mile to go after that bridge. I couldn’t see a bridge but thought not far now. We then got to the big screen and I heard the PA say smile your near then end. I did exactly that and had a fixed grin on my stupid face until the very end, because I frigging did it. Yeah it was the 3rd one of the year for me. I was a Zombie due to a very bad period of insomnia for Belfast and fell apart at the halfway point in Longford. But I knew that I had conquered it with the DCM and felt proud as punch.
I finished in 4hrs 27. I also managed negative splits of 2:16 in first half and 2:12 in second – thanks to my 10k pace between 25k and 32k.
I did go to the pub and walked around 3 times but it was just mad in there.
Anyways, that’s my story. It’s a race I will look back on and be proud of.
I just want to end this by saying that my wife got talking to one of her uncles recently and was talking to him about my running because he used to be a runner. She told him that I was doing Dublin. He said that he did ten of them and started when he was 55 and stopped when he thought he was getting too old (he is now in his 80s). I have just done my first Dublin Marathon at 55 and have just signed up for next year, so who knows….
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Great job! Delighted for you after your dissapointment in Longford. I feel I've a similar journey to go on, so appreciate you sharing it!
From your description of what the person was wearing It sounds like me, but I didn't notice anyone calling Brian or witnessmenow around me so sorry if it was and I missed you! We'll hopefully cross paths again!
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Thanks very much. This fella had a good bit of a stubble and he had murphy's written in a black border near the bottom. I did try to look out for you when we were in Kilkee and saw you when you were about 1 or 2 k from the turning point. You were running towards it and I was running back. I would have probably said hi Brian if I knew your name back then because witnessmenow is a bit of a mouthful when your not sure 🤣.
Btw, I felt just like you in Longford and I haven't gone even near writing about that one yet (and probably wont). I think I have probably run at about 40 or so events since I started last year. Id say that 80% of them were great and 20% crap where I just fell apart. But a marathon is a different beast all together. I needed to do it 3 times before I got to say I conquered it.
Just don't let your experience get you down and put it down to your head playing mind games. You have done fantastic work in your training and your always one of the first for people trying to encourage them when they are down here. It would be great if we crossed paths and ran together at a running event in the future.
P.S. I just remembered. find DCM here and you will see your video crossing the finish line
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I would describe my facial hair on Sunday as a beard rather than stuble and my singlet was plain green/turquoise no writing, so this was an imposter!
14 year old me has a lot to answer for with this stupid name alright!
Yeah seems like it's going to be that way alright! I have much less races under my belt in general too, I'll have to rectify that too.
DCM24 ticket bought, so I'll hopefully get my revenge next year! I'm also considering doing a spring marathon to get a chance of getting back on the horse sooner.
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