Hello all, you're all very welcome to the 2024 DCM Mentored Novices Thread!
This is the 14th year that Boards has offered support and advice to DCM (Dublin City Marathon) Novices. In 2009, -amadeus-- composed the opening symphony. Rainbow kirby took over in 2010, Raycun in 2011, followed by Younganne in 2012. career_move kept the show on the road in 2013, succeeded by Ososlo for the 2014 stanza. Dubgal72 with her expert coaching managed to get her crew through in 2015, while the 2016 edition was hosted by the notorious (not really!) nop98, in 2017 Wubble Wubble did a sterling job to bring Wubble's Wonders to the start line, in 2018 ariana' took over and expertly guided her troops through to October, 2019 saw the calm & collected Mr. Guappa get his crew to the start line. Unfortunately, due to Covid DCM 2020 & DCM 2021 didn't happen but thankfully Laineyfrecks took over the reins and lead the group out of isolation and into the land of races again with her expert guidance for 2022 . MisterJinx followed up with a very successful thread in 2023 bringing his fledgelings to the starting line – myself included!
So we’ve flown the nest and here we are, back to present you with the 2024 edition...
About the Novices thread
This thread is aimed at anyone considering doing the Dublin City Marathon for the first time this year, on Sunday October 27th. It isn't limited to those who haven't run a marathon before, maybe you’ve ran one but it's a few years ago and you're getting back into it or maybe you ran it but it didn't go well and now you're looking for a different approach...We have two possible training plans for you to follow and we are here to guide you along the way in your training.
This forum encourages discussion about all aspects of your training both with your fellow novices and with the community of experienced runners on the boards A/R forum to help so don’t be afraid to put your hand up and ask any questions you have, don’t be shy, we all started somewhere, and I can guarantee that it will have been asked and answered before! There’s no such thing as a stupid question.
The Training
Training for any marathon is tough, we’re not going to lie, it involves adapting your body to the rigours and demands of 26.2 miles of running. It does help if you can spare a lot of time to devote to it, it can involve a fair amount of running at stupid o'clock as your runs get longer. Having your better half or family on board with you is really crucial, as they will be the ones supporting you throughout your training and then your biggest cheerleaders on the day of your Marathon!
Our training plans commence on Monday, June 24th, which is 3 weeks from today. We would recommend that you have been running quite regularly for at least a year. Come June 24th, you want to be running comfortably 3-4 times a week, every week, covering at least 20 miles (32km) per week. If you want some advice on how to safely build your mileage up to 20 miles per week over the next couple weeks, then we're here for that too.
Have a look at the two training plans on offer and see if you can find a way to fit one of them into your life for 18 weeks. Can you fit this in your daily routine, your work schedule, your holiday plans, your family life? If you're unsure, just try it out for a couple of weeks and see how you get on. The mileage in the programs will go up, so be realistic in your self-assessment. If you have doubts, post here and we'll give an honest assessment if we think you're ready, and which plan will suit. Commitment & Consistency are really important things when you make the big decision to run your first marathon, they are what got myself & many, many other novices to the start line and the completion of our very first Marathons. If you can commit to the plan and stay consistent with your training – that's half the battle.
Training Plans
The Hal Higdon Novices Plan is a widely used novice marathon plan, I’ve used his plans for other races myself and like that they are not too overwhelming. His marathon novice plan is a simple, and straightforward plan, which slowly increases the weekly mileage to eventually include a 20 mile training run, and has step-back weeks built in to help the body adapt and recover. It uses 3 mid-week runs, which will slowly increase in length, and a longer weekend run. Ideally, you would mix in one day of cross-training, too.
The Boards Plan for 2024 is for slightly more experienced runners. It includes more variety in paces (either "easy" pace, or PMP ("planned marathon pace")), it includes strides on some of the easy runs, and generally covers more miles - e.g. 2 x 20 milers.
Both plans include all the Dublin Race Series build-up races (the Fingal 10k in Swords on July 14th, the Frank Duffy 10 Mile on August 17th in the Phoenix Park, and the Dublin Half Marathon on September 22nd in the Phoenix Park). You don't have to run these races, we appreciate that many people don’t live near Dublin but it is recommended to try one or more of them or an alternative race of similar distance during the program to give yourself a feel for running at race pace, to get some practice in preparing yourself for a race and to see how much you've progressed. You may find after a bit of research that there are races of similar distances taking place around the country which loosely tie in with the DCM training cycle. If the dates of your chosen races don't tie in exactly with the plan then don't worry - we can advise you on how to restructure the plan as we go on. Getting a few races in can really build your confidence & give you a feel for what it's like at an event, the nerves, the planning, the atmosphere all add to the race experience.
There are many more plans out there of course, but we recommend that you choose one of the above and trust the plan you choose! Both of these plans have got countless runners across the line over the past 14 years and they can get you across the line in 2024! Don’t look too far ahead in the plan and panic at the sight of 20 miles – take each week or two as it comes and go with it.
General Guidelines
Stick to the Plan - The longest runs are the most important. You can of course switch runs around within a week if you need to. If you have to skip a run, try make it one of the short runs. When it's gone, it's gone. Do not go chasing lost mileage in subsequent weeks.
Run slow - Once you think you run slow enough, run even slower. You will not be able to complete all the training miles if you don't run the majority of them slow (slower than you will run on the day itself and possibly slower than you have ever run). If you can have a conversation with someone else or with yourself that’s a good sign that you are going slow.
Once the program is about to start, we can talk then about how to determine your training paces.
Be realistic - A marathon is no mean feat – it’s a physical or mental challenge - hopefully, you will have raced at some of the shorter distances already. Don't set your heart on hitting a particular time. If you do want to set a target time, be conservative and know you can adjust it as you work through your training plan. The marathon, especially your first one, is completely unknown territory, it has so many variables that can impact on your time. However, don't fear the marathon - this can lead you to make poor decisions and to try to progress too far, too fast, too soon. Your goal is to arrive at race day healthy, energised and ready to go - so respect the distance, but recognise it is achievable.
Listen to your body - If something doesn't feel right, stop your run. If it continues, seek professional guidance. As per general Boards guidelines, we cannot offer medical advice. Know your body, what feels right for you, listen to it.
Be sensible - Things like nutrition, alcohol, water, and sleep. Paying attention to these things will reap benefits in the long run. Everything in moderation (except for the sleep part!). You are fuelling your body to train for and take part in a marathon – make sure you are running on good fuel.
And Here Is Your Host...
I’d been watching the DCM Novices thread for a few years, silently observing in the background, in awe of the training and commitment that others were putting in. My husband ran DCM in 2019 so I seen first hand the work and support it takes. During 2020 with the bit of spare time I actually trained on the QT and did the virtual Dublin marathon. I wanted to see if I could actually do a marathon and its training before putting my hat into the ring for a real marathon event. Himself did DCM again in 2022 and while spectating along the route I said to myself “I want that to be me next year”.
In 2023 I joined a fantastic group of fellow novices and gained a lot of knowledge from the more experienced runners here too. I enjoyed checking in every week, getting my thoughts from the previous week down on paper (or screen in this case) and seeing how my fellow novices were getting on. The support and encouragement is amazing, and it’s good to know that there are others in the same boat as you. It is especially helpful if you are doing the training on your own as sometimes it can be hard to know if you are doing it right, it’s a good place to have a rant and a moan and a place to celebrate the small wins that your family or friends just might not understand. The group helped me to get to the start line feeling fit and ready to tackle the challenge! The buzz on DCM was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, even though I’ve spectated a couple of times. You really feel like you are part of something much greater than yourself, the support along the route is unbelievable – I still get goosebumps when I think of the crowds at Myos corner in Chapelizod, coming up at Clonskeagh before turning onto Fosters Avenue and from Ballsbridge onwards into the finish. I completed it in 4:38 – which I was fairly happy with. It wasn’t plain sailing – I'm not sure any marathon is – but overall I was quite happy with how it went for me and that I was prepared as I could be lining up at the start.
Being perfectly honest here – I actually didn’t follow either the Boards or HH plans. I’m in an athletics club and the club provided its members with a plan which I followed as it tied in with the club training sessions and it meant I had company for my long runs at the weekend. That’s what worked for me personally. But no matter which plan you choose you have to try fit it in around a busy life just like everyone else these days. I’m at the life stage where childcare is no longer a factor so this helped. But life was busy nonetheless. The young pup (my one and only) had just done his Leaving Cert so Aug & Sept were busy with getting organised for a big move away for college and the worry of my baby flying the nest. Sept and Oct are busy times for me in work with tax deadlines. But you somehow find a way to fit it all in. We’d been there before (twice) with my husband so we were already a bit prepared for it from a family and household point of view.
Thankfully I will not be taking on this mean feat of running the Novice thread by myself, I will have two mentors to assist me which I will update on shortly. Alongside that, the whole Boards Athletics and Running community is behind you, and no doubt they will drop in with some great advice and support where needed.
However you got here, whether you stumbled into this thread by chance, were directed here, or like myself have lurked for years before finally taking the plunge, you will not regret making us part of your DCM 2024 journey!
Joining in the Fun😁
Wanna be part of this amazing journey? I hope you still do and I haven’t scared you off! You’ve done well to have read this far! Feel free to introduce yourself if you want to participate. All are welcome. To finish, I'd really appreciate if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, and answer the following questions:
- Have you raced before? If so what are your PBs? (Date and distance please!)
- Do you still need to take walk breaks in your training? (No problem if you do)
- How much training do you currently do? Distances, how many days a week, cross training, etc - whatever you think is relevant to your current fitness level.
- What do you want to achieve? Dream finishing time and realistic finishing time? Or just complete it in no specified time?
- How many days a week can you train? And what plan do you intend to follow?
- What is your biggest worry/fear/doubt (if you have any!) in signing up?
- The most important question - Why are you running this marathon?
Thanks for reading. Once again, welcome to the thread. I have a feeling this is going to be a very special DCM and 14th edition of the Mentored Novices thread, so why not jump on board & be part of this journey, you won't regret it 😉
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