DCM 2017 Mentored Novices Thread

skyblue46 wrote: »

I'll be interested to hear what the experts say. I'd be inclined to think that there is a direct correlation between pace and how long you can sustain an effort for. Believe it. You may still have to walk from time to time but probably a lot less than if you ran slower.

Fingal 10km I ran at 5:30 km pace. The half which I didn't race hard I ran at 6:10 km pace. My long runs are at 6:45 km pace. I suppose I could try and slow it down even further this weekend to 7km pace and see if I can run further. After reading the posts about dcm plan I'm going rouge ( sorry wubblewubble!) and will tackle another long run. I've no work travel and will hopefully have less on overall. So going to eat and drink clean and get early nights and give myself every chance for it to be a good one!

El Caballo wrote: »

You guys will have to slow up on the training runs. I see so many posts here about runs at marathon pace, close to MP or even faster on long runs and easy runs. A lot of you guys are getting overuse injuries, too many tbh and a lot of that stems from running too hard when you shouldn't be. Pretty much all of you guys are running more mileage than ever before and some considerably more and this does take it's toll for sure but I don't think the mileage is the major contributor here. Running as hard as a lot of you guys do when you are supposed to be running easy is the major factor imo. it doesn't give your muscles a chance to recover properly so they become tighter and overworked, add to this that running faster uses a greater range of motion when something is tight and you get the idea.

Thank you so much for posting this it is a great reminder to slow down great advice

BrownEyes79 wrote: »

Oh no, just read this..... a chaffing sports bra is probably the least of you worries hope it nothing too serious

I know least of my worries now, I am hoping it will be ok! messaged Physio so waiting to hear back from him, I am taking no chances

skyblue46 wrote: »

My advice.....burn the bra!!! :-))

:D:D:D LOL not yet!

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

Got a physio appointment tonight for 7 o clock with Aidan Woods, supposed to be really good. Will let yous know how I get on.

Good luck Damo keep us posted

Andy31 wrote: »

Unfortunately I have also been suffering with injury (medial arch) issues!  Going back to physio today - was at a podiatrist last week and he said try the long run this weekend (18m) and see how I get on.  I did and got through it but i think i have strained it slightly further, so I am thinking about resting it almost completely between now and the date of the marathon.  Does anyone know whether, at this stage, it's going to have that much of an impact overall on my fitness - I would have thought by now most of the hard work is now done.

Good luck with physio today

leesider77 I have a plan I have a stretchy sports bra from pennies ( crap for support) but will act as a base layer and prevent chaffing

ariana I am glad your feeling a little better

Baby75 wrote: »

leesider77 I have a plan I have a stretchy sports bra from pennies ( crap for support) but will act as a base layer and prevent chaffing

Ok sorry boys :P I wear 2 bras. I wear a shock absorber sports bra and over it i wear one of the little crop/bra sports tops in a really snug fit (i have a few of these Nike/Puma/Reebox all do the job). The combination is so tight that nothing moves so no chaffing

RasTa wrote: »

Just re watching my video from last year. First one is 10k in and the balloons are the 4hr pacers just to give ye a heads up on the size of the crowds

http://www.asics.com/ie/en-ie/marathon/videos?r=10843&e=DM16M&n=Simon+O+Hare&nt_f=04:02:04&ct_f=13:14:08&ct_s2=10:08:27&ct_s3=11:10:07&ct_s4=12:01:29&k=finish&l=EN&gotostream=false

There are lots of people at 10k running on footpaths and hopping down onto the road!!!!
Try to stay off the footpaths and grass. Don't jump onto or off paths if at all possible.

Cool videos, thanks for posting 🖒

ariana` wrote: »

Ok sorry boys :P I wear 2 bras. I wear a shock absorber sports bra and over it i wear one of the little crop/bra sports tops in a really snug fit (i have a few of these Nike/Puma/Reebox all do the job). The combination is so tight that nothing moves so no chaffing

Anyone see the match last night..................

skyblue46 wrote: »

Ah ladies I love ye and all the little bits of advice that you have freely offered to each other all the way through this thread. From wee breaks to raisins, bras to sweat resistant makeup options and bum bags, no topic too mundane or off limits....a veritable treasure trove of information to help make the training and the day itself easier.

Us men on the other hand come on here about progression runs, splits, PMPs, miles, paces etc. We are lacking a human side.

So as my bit towards balancing things up I have a few questions about some nuts and bolts topics.

1) Beer: My normal tipple is Guinness. However since this plan began I have had strange bubbling up inside issues on long runs the morning after a few pints. Has anyone discovered a good beer for drinking the night before LSRs or pace runs?
Have you tried cider, hubby enjoyed Orchard Thieves and no problems

2) Neck balm: I have found myself (prompted by posts on here) very interested in ladies bum bags. I find myself looking at them as ladies run past in the opposite direction. This has led to some whiplash like pain from the constant head turning.
HMMMM I know a mirror you can get these fancy ones for cycling and goes on your wrist :D:D:D LOL ;)

3) Shorts: My search for race day shorts has been a painful one. I was hoping to get a pair with the built in liner. This has led to problems. Getting the waist size is ok and lengths of shorts are many and varied so no problems there. But God, the liners...either so tight that my undercarriage is trussed up like a turkey and the elastic chafes me or so loose that I'm bouncing up and down like a yoyo on a string. Does anyone know where to custom order shorts based on liner size?

Can not help at all you could always let it all hang free if you do not mind a wardrobe malfunction like that guy who ran in Berlin ( I think it was Berlin) or compression shorts ;););)


Thanks in advance

Thanks for the giggle my son is laughing at me for Laughing :D

Well done everyone on recent long runs and especially to those who are picking up more niggles/injuries; hopefully everyone still gets to the line (starting and finishing); running a marathon is an achievement enough, so just think of the sense of personal achievement and triumph when you complete it having overcome 26.2 miles and an injury.

Week 15

Mon: 4.7m @ 8.21
Tue: 3.8m @ 8.15
Wed: 6.8m @ 7.59
Thu: 3.8m @ 7.58
Fri: 4.1m @ 7.42
Sat: 'dress rehearsal' LR- 22m @ 8.12
Sun: Rest

TOTAL: 45.4

Not sure its on any plan, but I felt i needed to run something just shy of the real thing at PMP or better to prove to myself that i could do it on the day. Purely psychological rather than physical really. So i did a full dress rehearsal (though half bottle of white the night before wasn't quite what i have planned for DCM!) on Saturday morning which went great. Felt super through 13 miles, though when i went past Sutton onto footpaths my left top of foot pain niggled a bit. Turned back and did the last 9 miles on the even ground of the foot/cycle path and the Park [St Anne's]. No foot pain and after about 2 miles of misery getting used to running against a fairly strong wind, i managed to get back on track. Had enough in me to slightly up the pace for the last 3 miles, but equally, i knew i had pushed myself quite far.

It has settled most of my last remaining questions re strategy the day itself.
(1) I need the discipline of pacers for at least the first few miles; on saturday, even though there was nowhere near the adrenaline levels of the day itself, i set off like a big eejit; it took me about 4 miles to slow the fcuk down even though i had half mile audio clues telling me i was way too fast (7.40 v 8.20). Finally settled into a nice 8.1x/8.2x pace for the duration after that (with the exception of a couple of especially windy miles).
(2) 3.40 is my A target; while i could push for 3.30, its too risky. 3.35 is probably where i am really at, but whats the difference between 3.35 and 3.40 and in any case, there's no 3.35 pacer so go back to Q.1.....
(3) There is no reality to the 'go out with the x.xx pacers and see if i can push on from 13 miles if i'm feeling good' mantra (for me anyway); sounds great in theory but i just cant see myself having the energy to up the pace appreciably at that stage; for the last few miles maybe, but for 13 miles; no way. So if i manage to chip a minute or two off 3.40 from mile 20, great, but there is no way i'm risking a pace increase strategy from mile 13 onwards. Also, psychologically, i can only imagine it being very tough.
(4) Tapering is weird/anticlimactic: Im very happy to be reducing mileage, and i feel like the training has gone aswell as it could have and im in good shape, but it still feels weird to be slowing down. If anything, it feels like we should be racing next Sunday rather than 3 weeks.

Anyway, all the best to everyone through taper and with their injuries etc.

You have missed your calling in life you should be a comedian :D I have tears from laughing :D

On a separate note, we went to Kildare village yesterday as well, Hubby and I got new runners, I think my old ones was a contributing factor to my sore feet and whatever the hell is wrong with my ankle today

skyblue46 wrote: »

Orchard Thieves gets a bit sickly after 3 or 4! I'd prefer a beer

The mirror is a great plan. I've seen some weirdos cyclists with them attached to their helmets. Maybe I could adapt the design...hmm

I'm malfunctional enough without adding my wardrobe to it!

Compression shorts....Jesus, Mary and Joseph... I was in the Asics shop in Kildare Village yesterday and tried a pair of 2 in 1 shorts where the compression shorts were inside normal shorts. My bits now know what clothes that are packed in vacuum bags and have all the air sucked out feel like! :eek:

Hilarious:D:D

Anyone worried about gaining weight during the taper or in my case complete running ban?

I haven't lost or gained a single lb from this training cycle. And to be honest that is fine, i could possibly lose 6-7lbs without looking gaunt, I'm not skinny by any stretch but i don't have a lot extra either if that makes sense. Anyhow, it just dawned on me at lunch (as I munched a bag of Hunky Dorys) that i probably should cut back (at least on the tasty snack stuff junk) a little in these 3 weeks or i could easily gain half a stone :eek:

ariana` wrote: »

Oh sweet lord i'm sorry for your bits but thanks for the laugh i needed it :pac::pac::pac::pac:

drkpower that was some run you did. Well done i'm sure it was a great confidence boost.

I am still giggling!!!

Yea I am losing slowly during this training, I think I will watch portion size and avoid junk I prefer to lose a few pounds then gain before DCM

D3PO wrote: »

Taper time baby !!!

Last long run done on Saturday.

20 miles @ 9 min 29 sec mile pace.


Counted my gels wrong and left myself one short and felt a mini bonk in last 2 miles to about 9 min 40 mile pace, but the first 18 were steady splits so no gradual slowdown in pace.

Knee felt pretty good, could feel it yesterday a little but no pain at all during the run. Given the amount of training I had missed I was seriously doubting if sub 4 hr marathon was still even a prospect but I think after Saturday id rate my chances at 50/50

If I can do it great if I miss it I wont beat myself up over it. Psychotically that run gave me a massive boost from the perspective of how my knee would hold up so I'm chuffed.

Delighted for you. I think if I was you I'd get that psychotic thing treated :P

D3PO wrote: »

LOL :eek: meant to say psychologically

I hoped that was the case!

drkpower wrote: »

Sat: 'dress rehearsal' LR- 22m @ 8.12

(2) 3.40 is my A target; while i could push for 3.30, its too risky. 3.35 is probably where i am really at, but whats the difference between 3.35 and 3.40 and in any case, there's no 3.35 pacer so go back to Q.1.....

(

That seems like a great 22M run. I done 20M @ just below 8.30 at the weekend...it wasn't easy but was not impossible either. I am trying to work out my pacing for the big day and unsure whether to push for 3.30 or have a lower aim of 3.40-3.45.
You numbers would seem to indicate 3.30 is definately possible - did you race a HM recently? Would just be interested to see how it compares.

Good week from my POV - very happy with the way things are going. Still carrying a small niggle which is probably a bit of tendinitis in my gluteus medius but it's more of a problem after running than while running so I'm (and the physio) are happy enough with that. I'm hoping that on the day it will serve me well to distract me from all the other pain that I'm sure is headed my direction! (This strategy worked well at Ballycotton when I injured my knee early on and so was actually looking forward to running up hills, and the pain in the rest of my legs paled in comparison to the cheese grater like pain behind my left patella. NOT to be recommended btw!) Hoping that the taper will see the few injuries we're picking up get a chance to settle and allow us all to get to the start line - the A goal!

Started the week feeling quite tired, so was really happy to get some good runs in. I promise I will be slowing down from now and limit myself to just 1 tempo or pace run per week.

Mon 5m tempo @8:17
Tues 10m pace @8:50
Wed Pilates followed by 5m easy @9:12
Thurs rest
Fri LSR 20m @9:15 - ran as a progression run. Of course started faster than intended, but still managed to up the pace in the second half and finish with a couple of 8:50 miles. So hoping the negative split strategy will work for me on race day, and if it doesn't hoping the slower start will protect me from blowing up too soon/at all.
Was hoping to get a recovery run in Saturday but went sailing instead, so now my upper body hurts too

More importantly. Regarding bra-gate. Have you ladies (Edit: or gents) with chaffing issues tried not using body glide under your bra? Might it be that it's causing movement and therefore chaffing where really there should be none if it's well fitting. Having tried several brands, I've always gone back to penny's best (not the very stretch light support one) and it's never moved or chaffed on me.
Can't believe I'm discussing bras with complete strangers on the internet. There's probably a name for that.