The Half Marathon support Thread

iceage · 12-07-2010 08:49PM

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

Thanks Iceman.

One piece of advice - Vaseline!! or better still - body glide.

With about 2 miles to go I started getting a slight stinging pain on my upper thighs were the elasticated inside netting of my shorts meets the top of my legs. Now I'm walking like John Wayne. Must have went through half a tub of sudocream last night. :rolleyes:

hopefully another dose of sudocream tonight will do the trick and I can get back out Tuesday night.

Under Armour shorts mate, had the same issues before with chaffing but now I swear by them. Lifestyle sell them.. thirty something Euros, but trust me they are worth every penny. Used to get terrible ire (SP) but ever since buying these I've had no problems and thats with distance upto and over ten miles.

Try them, and let us know how you get on.

Re your other post HRM's. Clever bits of kit tell you where you are heart rate wise so can be a great tool to aid your training. Lidl's one is not bad by all accounts and very reasonably priced.

iceage · 12-07-2010 08:59PM

Back running after a sneaky week off last week. Routine all over the place, busy week at home and weather didn't help much either. 5 miler with a mate on Sunday, hopefully gonna do the same again or maybe a 10K if I get the chance.

Must admit I have to admire the runners I see training in the pissing rain. Have run in rain before but just couldn't bring myself to do it this week.:o

2nd Row Donkey · 13-07-2010 11:23AM

iceage wrote: »

Under Armour shorts mate, had the same issues before with chaffing but now I swear by them. Lifestyle sell them.. thirty something Euros, but trust me they are worth every penny. Used to get terrible ire (SP) but ever since buying these I've had no problems and thats with distance upto and over ten miles.

Try them, and let us know how you get on.

Re your other post HRM's. Clever bits of kit tell you where you are heart rate wise so can be a great tool to aid your training. Lidl's one is not bad by all accounts and very reasonably priced.

Yeah, a chap in work recommended them too. I bought a pair of running shorts in lidl yesterday that are lycra and skin tight but I don't think they are quite the same as the under armour stuff (which I familiar with from playing rugby).
I wore the lidl one last night and I'm wearng them now in work to give my thighs a chance to heal but I think I'll invest in the type you mentioned going forward.

yungwan · 13-07-2010 09:00PM

4 miles - done.

It was tough enough in the flaming rain but its done anyway, :P

Wasnt motivated enough to push myself time wise to be honest so it was a slow 4 miles but i dont care!!

iceage · 14-07-2010 10:03AM

Sometimes they're the best ones. As long as you have a smile on your face after, its all good.:)

Dow99 · 14-07-2010 11:05AM

Hey folks,
I feel I need to join a running group or club. I watched "The Spirit Of the Marathon" on youtube. Great docu-movie which follows a group of people of all different abilities taking part in the Chicago Marathon.
In the movie is showed them training in running groups in sections of their ability ie 6milers in 1hr, 6 miles sub 1hr ect.

I myself would be slightly over 1hr for 6 miles so not the fastest but I'm loving running and I feel that if I have a meet up it would really help my training for the half marathon and have a bit of fun while doing it.

My impression is that alot of the running clubs in Dublin would be for people who would be advanced runners. If there are any groups that meet up in my time zone I would love to join!

RayCun · 14-07-2010 11:17AM

A lot of running clubs will have people at all standards. If you search this forum for running clubs in your area you should find some suggestions.

2nd Row Donkey · 14-07-2010 01:42PM

80 mins cross training with tallaght RFC last night. Pre-season training is mostly running - both jogging and sprinting so it fits nicely into my routine at the moment except that I have no idea how much distance I covered.

Out tonight for 4-5 mile with some short sprints in the mix I think.

peanuthead · 14-07-2010 03:25PM

yungwan wrote: »

4 miles - done.

It was tough enough in the flaming rain but its done anyway, :P

Wasnt motivated enough to push myself time wise to be honest so it was a slow 4 miles but i dont care!!

Well done

I did 4 miles too yest - in 46 mins. I'm really happy with that.

EDIT: I just realised that I didn't do 4miles. I thought 1.5k was a mile. So I only did 6k. That bothers me because if I'd known that I'd have kept going.

fungirl1 · 14-07-2010 06:37PM

peanuthead wrote: »

Well done

I did 4 miles too yest - in 46 mins. I'm really happy with that.

Well done PH:D
..got 6km in last night in 35 minutes myself...on treadmill though...was afraid of the rain! Squeezed in 30 mins of spinning today and running again tomorrow. Are you doing the HH Hm program? Which week are you on?

peanuthead · 14-07-2010 08:43PM

fungirl1 wrote: »

Well done PH:D
..got 6km in last night in 35 minutes myself...on treadmill though...was afraid of the rain! Squeezed in 30 mins of spinning today and running again tomorrow. Are you doing the HH Hm program? Which week are you on?

I am, but finding it hard to stick to it as I am so busy with work.

I don't know what week I'm on to be honest. I'm doing it about 5 weeks but I'm just about up to week 4 standard.

I run 4 times per week, 3 during week and one at the weekend, but a typical day for me during the week is:

7am get up
7.45 - 8.45 work
8.45 - 9.15 driving to another job

9.45 - 2.30 doing job 2

5.00 - 6.00 driving to another job

6.00 - 9.00 doing 3rd job

I know I have the gap between 2.30 and 5pm and I only have the 7am start twice a week, others is 8.15 am, but I have to eat among all that and I get very tired.

At the weekends I'm usually fine, but I'm currently doing another contract from home and thats taking up the next 2 sundays

I find it terribly hard to keep up and to top it all off I realised today that in fact I didn't do the 4miles I thought I did yest., I only did 6k.
I thought 1.5k = a mile

shanagarry · 14-07-2010 10:47PM

Third half marathon done and dusted at the weekend!

Went reasonably well, but it was very tough. It's a bit different to the norm anyway, being a forest marathon, with the first half usually on sandy forest roads and the rest more normal road racing then. But this year they had to move the finish, which meant they lost 3km off the home run, which was dead flat. They replaced it with another piece in the forest which they implied was similar to the usual forest stuff, which is undulating, some small hills but nothing too strenuous. However, it was anything but! The 3km they added was trail really - narrow, uneven offroad tracks and some crazy hills. The worst thing it was very windy, so you didn't really have a clue what was next or when it would end. I eventually had to walk what was, luckily, the last big hill. I've never had to walk on a half before, so it was a bit demoralising, but alsolutely everyone around me was walking too. Once I got over the initial shock though, I enjoyed it as the scenery is stunning and I loved blasting the downhills. Though a bit scary in slippy road shoes!

But having 3km of dead flat swapped for 3km of tough hills made it a much tougher run. I still took 3mins off last year's time though (my first half) and a minute off my last run, so I was pleased with that, on fairly sketchy training. I'd have knocked probably another 5 mins off I'd say on the old course, as my quads were giving me grief on the run in as I hadn't trained for hills like that.

As always it was a blast though! I spent the last few days wondering why I voluntarily do this to myself, but today the aches are gone and the buzz is back!

fungirl1 · 14-07-2010 11:08PM

peanuthead wrote: »

I am, but finding it hard to stick to it as I am so busy with work.

I don't know what week I'm on to be honest. I'm doing it about 5 weeks but I'm just about up to week 4 standard.

I run 4 times per week, 3 during week and one at the weekend, but a typical day for me during the week is:

7am get up
7.45 - 8.45 work
8.45 - 9.15 driving to another job

9.45 - 2.30 doing job 2

5.00 - 6.00 driving to another job

6.00 - 9.00 doing 3rd job

I know I have the gap between 2.30 and 5pm and I only have the 7am start twice a week, others is 8.15 am, but I have to eat among all that and I get very tired.

At the weekends I'm usually fine, but I'm currently doing another contract from home and thats taking up the next 2 sundays

I find it terribly hard to keep up and to top it all off I realised today that in fact I didn't do the 4miles I thought I did yest., I only did 6k.
I thought 1.5k = a mile

Gosh! I am getting tired just reading your schedule!! :eek: I am only running during the week twice and a long run at the weekend...on the cross / run day midweek I am trying to squeeze in other exercise as a change from the running..have tried walking, spinning, regular cycling..am thinking of x trainer or swimming too...I think (and i struggle with this) that the best approach is to see the run as something you want to do rather than something you have to do..
I always feel that way AFTER..but struggle with it before:)...dont be fed up about the 6km 4m thing...from ur post you said that if you had known you would have kept going...that means you had it in your legs and could have done it...that's good!!

Dow99 · 15-07-2010 09:04AM

Did 10km last night in about 1:07mins. Very warm night and I was pumping sweat!!!! Found it very tough,,,,, going to try another 10km on Friday and see if there is any improvement as a felt I should have done better if it wasnt so warm.

yungwan · 15-07-2010 12:16PM

shanagarry wrote: »

Third half marathon done and dusted at the weekend!

Wow well done you!!

I am so jealous, I feel like I will never get to 13 miles!!
I have still six weeks until mine though so hopefuly I get there in the end!! Up to about 6 miles now so fingers crossed.

Any advice to keep going mid run when you feel like giving up!!?
Do you do much running during the week?
As fungirl said above I pretty much do two short runs a week (at 4 miles at present) and one long at weekend (6 miles at this point), with cross if I can fit it in of cycling or swimming. Hope this is enuf.

Have you done a full yet?

elvis jones · 15-07-2010 12:38PM

Dow99 wrote: »

Did 10km last night in about 1:07mins. Very warm night and I was pumping sweat!!!! Found it very tough,,,,, going to try another 10km on Friday and see if there is any improvement as a felt I should have done better if it wasnt so warm.

Not a bad time when building !

My 1st time was 1:04 and i am actually doing my 1st 10Km sunday week and hoping for about 55min so the time will drop

2nd Row Donkey · 15-07-2010 04:56PM

Went out to do 5mile last night and had to stop after 2 miles and take a shortcut home. My legs were in bits - mostly shins and calfs.

Thats the 1st time i've ever had any pains/injury from running (other than chaffing). I was a little bemused reading all the treads on here recently about ice packs, knee supports, gait analysis, ice baths, rest routnies but who's laughing now - not me

Each time my foot hit the pavement, I got shooting pains from ankle to knee.

Rest tonight and tomorrow night so hopefully I'll be okay for saturdays 5miler in the park.

RayCun · 15-07-2010 05:29PM

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

Rest tonight and tomorrow night so hopefully I'll be okay for saturdays 5miler in the park.

You don't have a number

shanagarry · 15-07-2010 08:12PM

yungwan wrote: »

Wow well done you!!

I am so jealous, I feel like I will never get to 13 miles!!
I have still six weeks until mine though so hopefuly I get there in the end!! Up to about 6 miles now so fingers crossed.

Any advice to keep going mid run when you feel like giving up!!?
Do you do much running during the week?
As fungirl said above I pretty much do two short runs a week (at 4 miles at present) and one long at weekend (6 miles at this point), with cross if I can fit it in of cycling or swimming. Hope this is enuf.

Have you done a full yet?

Thanks!
Of course you will get to 13 miles if you keep plugging away! I was in the exact same position as you just over a year ago. I'd only done won 10k ever, that was the extent of my running career, and the thought of running the distance I drive to work every day was ridiculous. But I kept plugging away and I got there.

I actually struggle at the start of the run. It takes me ages to get into my stride. I think I was nearly 10kms in on Saturday before I got into my stride. But the way I look at each is that each LSR is probably only a km or 2 more than the previous one, so if I'm struggling, I keep telling myself I could do it last week so just get on with it, and then by the time I get to my previous distance, the sense of achievement at going a bit longer gets me to the end.

I run 3-4 times per week, 2-3 short runs during the week, about 5km, and then a long run on Sunday. So you should be fine with what you are doing. The one thing I would say is that if there are hills on the race course, don't fool yourself by training on routes that are too easy, you need to prepare as best you can for race conditions.

I haven't done a full yet, but one day! I want to be able to give it a good shot when I do though, and with work I can't commit to the amount of training needed yet.

Tipsygypsy · 15-07-2010 08:37PM

I havent had a chance to come online properly in about a week and its taken me aggggeeees to catch up on here....
Glad to see I wasnt the only one who struggled to fit everything in the last week, I missed my LSR because I was out of town visiting my new nephew and took the opportunity to go on the piss (both weekend nights - bad gypsy... but did live up to my name!) I also missed my optional 2 miler on Wednesday (sick tummy) and have done nothing that even remotely resembles cross training. So, this week 2 x 4 milers, both in just under 45 minutes - tomorrow will be very gentle yoga before the 5 miler in the pheonix park. Planning to be back on track next week, but its so hard to fit everything in at the moment.

fungirl1 · 15-07-2010 10:49PM

Hi all - anyone know if there is parking in the park on Saturday?

fungirl1 · 15-07-2010 10:53PM

6km this evening but in 39 minutes (down from 35 on Tuesday)..but had dodgy tummy all pm so all in all happy enough...thats me done until 5 miles on Saturday..

the drifter · 15-07-2010 11:18PM

Great to see everyone pushing on well done all ...im onto my 6 miler this sunday looking forward to it allready... cant wait for the 10 miler in august now

2nd Row Donkey · 16-07-2010 09:46AM

RayCun wrote: »

You don't have a number

Better call the addidas race police, there's a bad man in town!;)

2nd Row Donkey · 16-07-2010 09:49AM

fungirl1 wrote: »

Hi all - anyone know if there is parking in the park on Saturday?

No, there is no parking in Castleknock college this year (unlike previous years) and very limited parking in the park itself. i read somewhere else that there is parking in hueston station nearby. After that you could try chapelizod vilage, castleknock village, Navan road area, Parkgate st area, NCR area etc - but I'd imagine everyone will be trying the same spots

RayCun · 16-07-2010 09:49AM

Well I obviously didn't realise how critically important it was that you run this race. Not important enough for you to register on time like the other 5000 people, but they're just not as special as you.

2nd Row Donkey · 16-07-2010 09:54AM

Strange how this particular sub forum doesn't have anything about 'back seating modding' when most other sections do.

7. Back-seat Modding - There is to be no back-seat modding. If you see a post that you feel may break the forum charter, report it.

RayCun · 16-07-2010 09:59AM

It isn't against the forum charter to run a race under someone else's number, or without a number.

It is against the race rules.

But obviously the volunteers who run the 5 mile on Saturday only make up these rules because they have nothing better to be doing with their time.

hunnymonster · 16-07-2010 10:01AM

2nd row donkey, if you have a problem with a post, report it. end of.

Hard Worker · 16-07-2010 10:20AM

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

Strange how this particular sub forum doesn't have anything about 'back seating modding' when most other sections do.

7. Back-seat Modding - There is to be no back-seat modding. If you see a post that you feel may break the forum charter, report it.

I just thought that I'd let you know that it's against the rules to run with no number. All the facilities of the event have to be paid for. Every single volunteer for the event are just that, volunteers. If you are too mean to pay an entry fee, then don't bother turning up. Anyone running without a number will be removed from the finish area and will not be allowed to avail of the facilities available to those who forked out their hard earned money.
Just remember too that if you had an accident on the course, we would be there pronto to assist you ( number or no number ). Who do you think pays for the medical back up on the course? Not you obviously.
Your best bet is to go for a run in the Park by yourself tomorrow and let those who are legally registered to take part have the pleasure of the event without bandits.

The Half Marathon support Thread

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