2024 DCM Mentored Novices Thread

It depends on which wave you're in. Read the instructions in the email and it should be clear once you know your wave.

E: In fact, they just emailed out the information again 10 minutes ago!

Just have it 30-60 minutes before you leave. It won’t make any difference. Most of the people are in the same boat.

On times go off nice and easy is the advice everyone will give you. If a goal is 4:30 and b goal is 4:45. If you go off at 4:45 you’ll be thankful later as you’ll have taken it easy until castleknock which is the highest point of the course. You’ll hit 4:30 on the downhill in that 11km to get down onto the Liffey and run into the park so you could be 4:40 pace at 7 miles and you’re in great place.

If I could give one piece of advice about the pace if would be err on the side on caution.

I've had races where after I've felt like I left a bit in the tank and I've had races that haven't gone well, and I much prefer the I had more in the tank feeling!

I don't want to harp on my day last year but I would like to help people avoid how I felt about it after. I still don't think my planned pace was wrong last year, but I knew early on it wasn't feeling right on the day and I didn't re-adjust and had a miserable second half of the marathon. My memory's of my first marathon are not good, and this Sunday will be my first opportunity to put it right. It's a lot of time and work to get a second crack at it!

It's your first Marathon, it's a PB no matter what you do, so how think about it afterwards will be largely dictated by how you strong you felt during it. If you push early and up walking chunks of it, you will not have a good memory of it.

Even to give a more recent example of my two 20 mile training runs. First one I ran at 6:30/km average pace, and I felt really strong at the end of it, I could have done 10k more that day if I had to. The second I ran with someone else and did a 6:15/km average pace, a far superior performance in isolation but I was much more tired at the end of it, I'd be less sure I could have done another 10k. Thats my overriding feeling from that run, not that I kept a faster pace for 32K, but that it would have been a struggle to finish the last 10k.

You can always empty the tank if your feeling strong towards the end, you'll be passing plenty of people if you do!

Very few don't get around the course on the day.

Once you run sensible you’ll all get around. People who don’t get around are people who are either fast people who feel it’s not their day so pull the plug or fail to prepare and go out to hard. You’re all well prepared and you know how best to run it. So you’ll be al finishing

On shakeout runs and what day it comes down to personal choice but good to go either Friday or Saturday to settle yourself more than anything. I prefer the Friday myself. This year I’m Friday also but Saturday is busy with kids gaa matches. Thankfully only a long easy run for me this year. So zone 2 for me this year

I had a good final week of training getting all my runs in with good pacing.

How are you feeling?

Mixed feelings and I guess similar to others in that I'm feeling every niggle and then overthinking whether I'm injured. My calf is alot better and after my 16k run Saturday I felt great. I had been to the physio on Friday and had a rub down and dry needling so I thought I'd be sore but I wasn't. I'm going again on Thursday but just for a rub down to loosen the muscles and hopefully it helps on the day.

How are you set for race day?

I'm nervous but also excited. I have the race kit set aside and sticking with what I have worn previously. I think I'll take the decathlon belt with me and use it for my gels. I might also carry a water and then use the bottles on the route. I've used the belt in every training run since TheRef suggested it. Anyone any experience on accessibility of water stations? I know the bottles are only at certain stations so I would have to grab one to keep hydrated. Regarding pacing, I think I'll go out conservative and if feeling good push on but not until 30k or so if possible.

Have you any questions, concerns, musings?

What marathon are we all doing next? 😊

Feeling ok. Nervous, but I have the training done so not much more I can do! A run today and Thursday and then i'll knock it on the head!

My main decision is how to run. I'd like to attempt the 4 hour, but i'm not sure whether to join the pacing group or not. It worked out well for me (in 3/4 marathon) recently to run slowly for 10m and then to run negative splits. I'm in two minds whether to try that - or run consistently with the 4 hour pacers.

Just wondering what is recommended for the days after the marathon? I usually find walking good the day after my long runs. At what point do people start to run again? And what distance?

Have a read through this report from @Lazare when he ran his first marathon in 2017. He was targetting 3:58 so pretty similar to what you are thinking. An excellently executed race.

You can google "reverse taper" - a good plan should tell you exactly what to do in the following weeks, but the upshot is just do a mirror image of your taper. But if you have any niggles dont be afraid to take it handy.