Dream big, work hard, achieve your goals - My DCM '19 Journey

Thanks a mill everyone, one more sleep😁 I'm super excited, like a kid all over again at Christmas 🤣

DCM 2022 - Chip time 3:24:07 - a 5min PB exactly!

Not really sure how this will go but I'm sure it will be long...

DCM was my target race for the year & after a lot of thinking & a good training block my target was decided at 3:20 which I knew 100% would only be achieved if all things lined up on the day.

A few things had made the weeks leading up to the marathon a bit more stressful than I would have liked, after C informed us of his positive Covid test I started to feel unwell myself on the Tuesday (thankfully not covid) I decided not to mention it as C had been feeling so guilty & I didn't want to add to his stress (obviously I told him even if I had gotten it that it was NOT his fault). I had the sweats & a sore throat which actually resulted in me coming home early from work on the Thursday & went straight to bed skipping the only run of the whole plan, I really couldn't manage it! With me flying out the next day for a very short notice trip I did another covid test & it was negative again but thankfully I woke up feeling a fair bit better, I do just think it all added a bit of doubt & stress that I really didn't need.

With feeling so much better the following week it was game on for Dublin. I had seen C had posted about Luas times, so I messaged him to ask him something & he very kindly offered to pick me up, we travelled in together & chatted which really helped with the nerves. We stopped off at a small cafe & used the toilets then went on our way. We made our way to the baggage area & I decided to leave my throw away hoody in my bag as I was feeling quite warm, a huge difference to 2019 when I had a throw away hoody, hat & gloves then arm sleeves on me too. Got a lovely best of luck from a couple of the volunteers (who did an amazing job both at the expo & the day itself, I made sure to thank as many as possible). Made our way then to Wave 1 & soaked up the atmosphere, it was magic! Once the gun went & the cheers & claps from everyone made me feel so emotional & grateful that I was here today. This was it, off we went.

Miles 1 - 10

The start was very congested, way more than I had remembered in 2019 but I knew not to stress too much about paces etc just to enjoy the buzz of running another marathon. Both myself & C both agreed we would run our own races even though are targets were pretty similar, for now we just naturally ran beside each other. Heading past Christchurch I knew there was a steep enough hill coming up so I was careful enough not to lose control coming down it. Turned onto the Quays & it was amazing to just see this sea of runners going across the James Joyce Bridge. This was then the start of the drag, was happy to reach the 1st water station as I had planned on taking a gel soon enough & would need the water to wash it down. Myself & C were still going along together, he told me not to mention him taking a bottle of water at the 1st station, but he ratted himself out on his own log😉

It was just past the zoo that I think I 1st mentioned how hot I was feeling & that I was sweating, we pulled back the pace a little here heading onto Chesterfield Avenue, the support from the crowds was amazing! Next water station came & I took a water but this time to stick an electrolyte in it & I was able to stick it into my belt when I didn't need it which was great. Out of Castleknock gate & passed over the 10k mat pretty much spot on for my conservative start, I was feeling good thankfully. The support around Castleknock was amazing really lifts you when the crowds are shouting your name. Continued on back through the park & the bit of downhill on the Upper Glen Road was welcomed, not feeling bad at all but knew the steepest hill wasn't too far away! Myself & C separated sometime after mile 9 & I decided it was more sensible for me to stay at the pace I was going rather than trying to catch him. Again the support at Chapelizod was amazing. I got a high five from C from around here & it lifted my spirits to see someone I knew (although according to him it was "barely one", you'd never think I was trying to run a marathon or something🙄

Miles 11 - 20

We were now heading towards the Hill before heading into Ballyfermot, I had decided I was going to be quite cautious on this, once up it & onto Ballyfermot I got a nice rhythm going again. The next few miles went by pretty well, the crowd again at Dolphins Barn was brilliant. I could feel the wind now on me as we headed up the Crumlin road past my old school Loreto College, went past the halfway pretty much near my target, the plan now was to try for a negative split. After the Gate Bar pub(my very 1st job) I felt a familiar twinge in my right hip, it had been giving me a bit of trouble on some of my training runs but the physio didn't seem too worried about it & neither did I, my only fear now was that it might turn into something more & with still halfway to go I really didn't want to be running that in pain. I couldn't really find a group to tuck into & it was feeling like this road was going on forever! I knew my gang were at Walkinstown just before the Kestral pub so as soon as I started approaching there I was instantly lifted. I could see my daughters & my grandson who who was waiting there with a bottle of Lucozade for me, his little face was priceless he was so delighted with giving me the bottle, thankfully they recorded it & it's honestly the sweetest thing ever!! Got a shoutout then from my OH & some friends & all of a sudden I was feeling amazing again! The rest of the miles seemed to go by relatively well here but I just never felt I could pick up the pace to move my average splits towards what I needed, I knew my 3:20 goal was gone but that was Ok with me, I still felt like I was running a solid marathon. I do remember thinking along here that marathon running is tougher than we give it credit for or in my case tougher than I remember, it's kinda like childbirth, once you see the baby you forget all the pain!!

Miles 21 - 26.2

Miles 21 & 22 were my slowest of the day, not sure what really happened other than thinking maybe the heat & humidity had zapped my energy more than I thought. I took my time going up heartbreak hill, remember noticing a lot of people walking, cramping, veering to the sides of the roads just suffering in general. Once I got onto Foster's Avenue I felt really good again & strted injecting a bit of pace. As I was heading onto the Stillorgan Dual carriageway an older man(same as in Rathoath, I must just have that kinda face😂) told me to tuck in beside him, he kept telling me I was running a brilliant marathon & to stay with him until Nutley Lane, so I did, this was his second marathon in a few weeks & well his support to me, a complete stranger was just so heart-warming, we got to Nutley Lane & I thanked him & off I went passing P at some stage here with a lovely cheer from him which really helped(although apparently I blanked him earlier on🙄) I was feeling as good as I could expect now, I knew I needed to see this out as strongly as I could, so what If I wasn't set for my goal time, I was on for a decent PB so with that thought on my mind I pushed on. The last mile where S was & yes as I seemed to be setting a trend today I also apparently ignored him too🙄.

I could see the finish line & pumped my little legs & arms as fast as I could, it was amazing having that fight in me at the end & passing people on the carpet was amazing, it was a good strong finish & I was SO proud of myself😁

I had to hold onto a barrier for a few secs but thankfully didn't need medical assistance just gulped the rest of my lucozade! I was thrilled with a 5 min PB, thrilled I never really gave up, thrilled I had finished so strong💛

Once I got my medal & thanked all the volunteers I setoff to get my phone & spoke to all my family. The phone was hoping with so many nice messages, so humbling to see how many people were interested in my day. Once sorted I headed off to McGrattons & met S on route. Was a brilliant day after that & so lovely to meet so many boardsies, I just love meeting people & chatting 😁

I had the most amazing sleep last night & feel actually quite better than I was expecting. So the question is, do I have any regrets going for 3:20? And the answer is no, I had always decided that if things weren't going perfectly then I was just going to readjust my goal on route, it's running, these things happen all the time. I did a really good block of training that I am so proud of, it takes dedication, commitment & determination to complete a good block of training all of which I have. I would like to say a huge thanks to S for providing me with this training block, one I have really enjoyed & also for having belief in me, it goes a long way.

I'd also really like to thank this running community; myself & C were only saying how valuable it is when it's the only real running support you have & you run most of your runs alone. Also thanks so much to C for collecting me & giving me that bit of moral support on a day when I needed it.

My stats don't look too shabby either...

49th place out of 1,068 - F 40yrs

173rd place out of 4,800 - Gender

1,933rd place out of 14,772 - Overall

I will prob start running again easy for a couple of weeks starting from Thursday. My next big target, who knows? All I know is that I love this running lark & am enjoying the improvements I am making year after year, long may that continue!

I will never give up going for new targets...

"A winner is a dreamer who never gives up" Nelson Mandela

Aw thanks a mill A, I enjoyed being mentor, but I agree it's no easy task whilst training yourself, delighted they all did so well😊

Was lovely to catch up with you again & have the chats!

Thanks a mill😊 I think I will go away for my marathon next year but unfortunately a spring marathon doesn't work for me.

Thanks a mill😊 Yeah, thankfully the hip pain went & I haven't felt it since. Will mention it to the physio again as I'm sure it could be an indication of a weakness on that side because it was happening on & off in training too, hopefully it's just something to build up more strength wise.

Thanks so much C😊 Yes, I remember you saying that it really did fly by & thanks for all your help that morning collecting me too, very much appreciated. I hope you are enjoying the buzz too☺️

Thanks a mill A😊 Yes, looking at it now I tend to agree & I am very proud of it.

Cheers D😊

Haha True... or invest in a telly for the bedroom🤣🤣

Cheers😊 Yes, I agree whole heartedly, A PB is always a great day!

It was an absolute pleasure to meet you properly too. Haha no worries at all, you were so friendly I honestly didn't even notice & I can assure you I wasn't feeling fresh😆 Thanks so much for the congratulations, very happy with it.

Thanks so much for the very kind comments, I really appreciate them. I am thrilled with my PB & as you said the fact that I continue to improve, I do not for one min take this for granted! I hope to see improvements however small year after year but most importantly to enjoy what I am doing🤗

So, this week has consisted mainly of sleeping & eating a lot!! I was so stiff on Monday, my shoulders more than my legs so I was really happy I had booked a rub down in the physio for the Friday on my last visit to him!

Thurs 3rd Nov - Few easy miles

I did this run on my lunch break in work, nothing really much to note here, the legs felt good but still a little leggy as the run went on.

Fri 4th - Physio

Thankfully he went quite gentle on my legs & it was actually quite enjoyable; he was thrilled for me when I told him my time. He then moved to my lower back & said he'd rub the shoulders out after I said how stiff they had been. He couldn't believe how tense they were, asked if I stress much! He ended up using the cups on them after trying to massage the knots out for ages, so I was left with two lovely round marks on my shoulders but thankfully it did the trick😊

Sun 6th Nov - Easy miles

I had arranged to meet S as part of his long run in the park, thankfully it was a beautiful morning. I joined S as he approached. A few minutes into the run I wondered what that slapping noise was, not a subtle slapping noise but a very loud one - it was S's brand-new magic speed runners!! Let's just say there was no fear of anyone getting a fright from us approaching them quietly😉

The run was going fairly drama free until we were running on the path towards the Castleknock gates, S on my right as we approached a tree just in from the path - suddenly we both heard a loud noise & I quickly realised the huge branch was coming away from the tree, so I knew S was in grave danger, I instinctively pushed S out of harm's way without a second thought for my own safety😲 Thankfully we were both safe as the huge branch lay on the ground! We continued our run with S thanking me every few mins, there really was no need, I was just amazed at myself finding the courage & inner strength to selflessly save a fellow runner... What an eventful day & all a week after running a marathon...

Edit - Some of these events may have been exaggerated for dramatization purposes😉

What may have actually happened is that yes, we were running along the path when we both heard a loud noise in the distance as a very big rotten branch had fallen from the tree endangering no one... but I think my version is better... see what very little running does to me🤣