DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread

Casey78 wrote: »

Right this is gonna be long so sorry about that!

First and foremost I needed to finish this Marathon.
Not just for myself but for my son and for all the people that so generously donated.I'll be well over the €3000 mark by the time I have everything collected.

I saw this Marathon as not only a new start of hopefully the first of many Marathons but also as closure of putting the last 3 years behind us and all the upset and torment we went through when we found out our first born had Down Syndrome.

I had a time in my head which was 4:10. From training runs I knew I had it in me to to it and maybe even a bit quicker.
It all went out the window very early on and I was then hoping for 4:30 which went at 16miles when I got my first bad cramp. I got going again and ran as far as 17.5 and next thing it was like a bullet had hit both my calves and I was stopped in my tracks.

I won't bore ye with an account of each mile from there on but I walked/Jogged the rest of the way in the most excruciating of pain.

But through it all I knew I wasn't going to give up. I just couldn't.
I made it to 800mts from the finish and I high fived Des Bishop..he nearly broke me hand! I was nearly sprinting now and then bang...both legs gone 400mts to go.

I held on to some poor devil at a row of red and white bollards and only for him I would have been flat on my face.
Next thing I knew a steward in a yellow Dublin Marathon jacket was standing there and told me to lie on the ground and he worked my legs till the cramp went. I'll be eternally grateful to this man. I'm fairly sure I never thanked him at the time and I feel really bad about that.
As I was on my back I heard someone shouting my name. I looked up to see my brother at the barrier beside me screaming at me that the finish line was just there and I would make it.

I managed to get up and I just starting running. I dunno where I got the energy from.My brother had started running beside me but was still at the other side of the barrier and he was shouting encouragement to me and I think some of the crowd was joining in as it felt like everyone was shouting my name.

As I got to about 200mts to go I saw him. There he was with his gorgeous smiling little face and my wife running along holding him. It was my son Eoghan.
I gave them the thumbs up and made one last dash for the line and finished in 4:59.30
I had done it... I had finished the Marathon.

I leaned against the barrier before I collected my medal and I burst into tears. The enormity of the whole thing and why I was doing it just overcame me. A steward came over to me and asked me was I ok and when he saw I was crying just sort of backed away with a expression of I really don't want to be dealing with this weirdo!

I collected my medal and t shirt and went to find my family where once again I had a bit of a cry(I'm a big bloody wimp I know!)
We all went back to the Ashling Hotel where my parents were staying for the night and had a feed and a few pints. It was great as my sister and husband and my brother and his wife and kids had all made the effort to come in and cheer me on.

I'm pretty sore today and I'm a little disappointed with my time.But from reading all the other reports I can see it was very tough for most and there were a lot of poor people who didn't finish.
Would I do it all over again though???? In a fecking heartbeat.I'm already looking forward to next year!

This is me with my son Eoghan after I had finished.
It made all the pain worthwhile just to hold him at the end.

Right in the feels that one

Delighted for you. Gorgeous pic and gorgeous kid too.

Be very proud.

@Casey
I was also staying in the Ashling. I think I saw you that night. You were wearing the marathon finishers' top. I walked into the bar to get a glass of wine and you walked out against me. I wasn't sure if it was you so didn't approach.
Smashing photo by the way.

DCM 2014 Race Report

Having read all the excellent race reports here since last night decided to write up a proper one myself! Did a quick one yesterday, but having had time to reflect think its good to get it all down on paper while it is still fresh in my mind. Sorry its so long and rambling, just wanted to get it all down on paper!!

Race Preparation

I am relatively new to running. Last year I did the Couch to 5k and was up to about 10k but hadn't been doing a huge amount of miles & hadn't done any races. I had been in the gym since last Sept and was doing interval running on the treadmill 2/3 times a week between then and May. In late May signed up for the race series and got out on the road, and started building up my mileage and doing the lsrs at the weekend. I was trying to do interval and hill sprints, was a bit all over the place to be honest. I was steadily building up the lsr distance each weekend. I also continued in the gym throughout, which got less and less in the last two months as running too over! I was blessed to have found this thread in August and followed HH1 from then on in following excellent advice from Ososlo! My weekly mileage was not massive, 30-35 miles per week plus 3 strength gym sessions.

I completed the 5 Mile, 10 Mile & HM and really enjoyed then, and they were my first ever races. Had a very minor problem with my knee in August but took a weeks rest and it was fine again. Was very lucky injury wise. I had signed up to do Tough Mudder months ago for charity and did this at the start of Oct which I know was a risky strategy but came out fine and thankfully didn't pick up any injuries.

The following week I got an awful dose of flu and didn't run for a week which was very worrying, but was glad to have gotten over it and back on track.

I felt that I did taper down well (which drove me mad!) and my diet was very good, and felt that the I carb loaded and was well hydrated going into yesterday.

I did stick to the plan and completed the vast majority of the runs. I missed one lsr in total. My last lsr was a week early because of Tough Muddier which was a bit of a worry, but I think for your first marathon you just worry about everything anyhow!! My three longest runs were 18.5, 20 & 21.2

I was incredibly nervous all of last week, it is something very hard to describe. I am not a very emotional person, but I cried a few times on Sat and Sun, and I was very on edge. I really should give my medal to my other half as he has been brilliant this week (and throughout this whole thing tub), dealing with an ever increasing irrational lady!!! I went to the expose on Saturday to collect my race number and found this very nerve racking, I think it suddenly hit me that I was doing a marathon! Found it very overwhelming if I am honest, I really wanted to enjoy it but I think it all got on top of me.

Based on my HM time of 2:09 and the pace of my lsrs I decided on a target time of 4:40 which I felt was achievable.

Marathon Morning

I actually got a decent sleep the night before the race. Early on in the week I hadn't been sleeping well, but the three nights before hand I slept well. Had porridge for brekkie as normal and my sister dropped me into town in plenty of time. My OH walked up with me, and again there were tears! I dropped in my bag at 7.50 and made my way down. I found it a warm morning so didn't bother with trackie bottoms just an old hoodie. The first batch of portaloos were really busy so queued at the second lot for about 20 mins. Got down to Wave 3 at 8.30 so had 50 minutes to wait. Found this nervy but was feeling good & just wanted to get started at that stage. The paces arrived at about 8.50 so I tucked in behind the 4:40's. We moved up along and finally we were off! Felt really emotional going over the start line, kept saying to myself “you are actually doing a marathon!”.

First Half

I was just behind the 4:40 pacers and found the first few miles really amazing, was feeling really good and the crowds and cheers were brilliant. Felt really exhilarated and was such a cool experience having everyone cheering you on! I am not hugely familiar with Dublin but I did recognise all the start of the race, on to quays and it was cool to be running through the streets of the city. I do remember thinking passing Guiness that it was pretty warm. The first point I saw my family was at the gate of the Phoenix Park and that was brilliant, really gave me a boost (and a little tear again!). Into the Phoenix Park I found it pretty windy and it was a bit tough going up into the park, but was still feeling good. Looking back I think I should have recognised that the pace was just a little too quick for me to maintain for the entire race, but was feeling so good and enjoying it I didn't really think about it it. Out of the park into Castleknock was really class, the crowds were amazing. Was tipping along, the 4:40 pacers were really nice guys and kept everyone going, fair play to them. My family were going to be at Mile 11 so I was looking forward to seeing them again and that kept me occupied. Spotted them on the left hand side and gave them a high 5, and then spotted my friend a little bit up the road so that was great. Hit the half way point at 2:18:46 so I was right on target and feeling great!

First half splits: 1) 10:52, 2) 10:10, 3) 10:18, 4) 10:43, 5) 10:27, 6) 10:22, 7) 10:27, 8) 10:04, 9)10:11 10) 10:14, 11) 10:26, 12) 10:26, 13)10:40

Second Half

I was feeling good but I could feel myself starting to tired slightly. I kept on going until Mile 16, and then I really started to feel like I was slipping. I was starting to cramp, my legs were really starting to hurt, and I started getting really worried that it was too early in the day for this to be happening. I started to say to myself “oh my god I still have 10 miles to go”, and I guess I started to struggle a bit. I decided to stop for a quick stretch so I lost the pacer group at this stage. I started off again and my legs felt better after the stretch. I could see the pacers ahead of me, but for the next 3 miles or so I could see the distance getting between me and then getting longer and longer. At this stage I knew I wasn't going to get the target time, and just started thinking about finishing. After Mile 18 I was really struggling, hurting, everything was telling me just to walk, things were not good! I also noticed that I was incredibly thirsty, for the first half of the race had been talking on water bit by bit, but not at every water station I took two bottles and felt like I was inhaling them. I was also spraying water over my head to try to cool myself down. I felt really hot, and like my heart was racing.

Then around Mile 19 a girl fell in beside me and started chatting, she was so nice and friendly and just chatted about bits and pieces and honestly she saved me! It took my mind of everything, just tipped away and next thing I knew we were at the bottom of Roebuck Hill and we just kept going and next thing we were at the top, and spotted Ray Darcy. At that stage I was feeling great, I had been dreading that hill and it was done! I kept going with her until Mile 23, I took my last gel which I really didn't want to as I was starting to feel a bit sick, and got an awful stitch after it so had to stop again for a quick stretch. I was sorry to have to stop as that chat has gotten me 4 miles that I was wondering would I get through at all! I took off again and I knew that my pace was really slow. I checked my watch and knew I still had another 35-40 minutes of running to go and it was almost too much to take, god my legs were killing me! Just kept tipping away, very very slowly!! At Mile 25 my legs were really killing me so took a walk break for about 300 metres, I was looking at my watch and saying to myself when I get to x distance I will start again. Someone in the crowd shouted my name and KEEP GOING, and it just gave me a lift and I started running again. To be honest a lot of the second half of the race is a blur, it was through areas that I don't really know anyhow, but the only bit I can really remember clearly is Roebuck Hill and getting to the RDS, maybe I am blocking it out! At the RDS the crowd was shouting “nearly there” so just tried to keep going. Finally the Mile 26 sign and actually wanted to climb up and hug that sign. Coming around the corner into the home straight was absolutely surreal, the crowds were just amazing, I actually felt class! Everything was hurting but the crowd just kept you going. I could see the finish line at the end of the road so just kept going. Saw the 400m sign and got a burst of something and kept on going, got onto the “blue” road and knew I was going to finish, and over that finish line was just the most amazing feeling!!!

Finish Time: 4:52:53

Second half splits: 14) 11:26, 15) 10:50, 16) 10:41, 17) 11:24, 18) 10:51, 19) 12:39, 20) 11:51, 21) 11:22, 22) 11:25, 23) 10:50, 24) 11:39, 25) 15:17, 26) 11:54

Verdict

Firstly it was honestly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have read so much about the crowds, but god they really are super, it really really keeps you going, even when things are really tough. It was def one of the hardest things I have every done, and the second half was really hard, and in parts pretty rough. I found that it was really really warm and that really got to me, and sections were also pretty windy. I personally found that there were a lot of uphills and downhills, I think too much of my training has been on very flat roads which didn't help me.

I had a target of 4:40 but I really couldn't gives a fiddlers that I didn't meet it, doesn't make one bit of difference to me, just to finish was one of the best feelings ever! I am still on such a high after it, and really want to do another one (just not right now!)!!

I learned so much from it, including:

• My weekly mileage really was too low, and if I do another marathon I really need to increase my weekly mileage.
  
• I also need to add intervals and hill training which I think would really help.
  
• I think in general I don't have a huge running base, and didn't really have enough race experience in general. I would like too add more 10ks and HM's in the next year which I think will be a big help.
  
• In hindsight if I had gone out with the 4:50 pacers I might have fared a bit better, the pace of the 4:40s were was a little too fast, but I guess that comes with experience. For me following the pacers too all the calculations out of it, and I didn't have to constantly check my pace so I found it helpful. But with more experience I think I would fare better pacing myself, so I could slow on up hill sections etc, and with more experience I would have identified early that the pacer was too quick.
  
• I think I would really like to joining a running club or group, just for a bit of guidance and some company when training, even if I just trained with them a night a week and did my other running on my own.
  
• On the day the temperature did knock me a bit, but nothing to be done about that one!

Overall a really amazing experience, that I thoroughly enjoyed, am dead chuffed with myself for completing the training and getting through yesterday. Have had so many well wisher texts and fb messages, its really lovely, and seeing my family and OH on the course yesterday was really special.

Sorry about the long rambling post!

Finally thank you thank you THANK YOU everyone this thread, your advice and guidance has been incredible, and really wouldn't have gotten through yesterday with out, and to Ososlo, the mentor with the mostest, cant thank you enough for everything :-)

Finally I am walking like a penguin, when will this go away??!

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Just said I would put up this. I have been reading back through the reports and it is funny hearing some of the accounts. I don't know if people would like to add to this post but here are the few things I saw along the way that were funny, mad, strange, inspiring, etc. The ones about the animals being out of the zoo and the immersion one had me in stitches. Edit if you wish.

Coming up Chesterfield Avenue and the guy in front of me with a picture of his father on the back of his t-shirt with "In memory of Dad" on the back, I think.

Some French supporter who was shouting half French half English in encouragement "Guu on".

Some lad passed me with a farmer's peak cap on him and he lathered in sweat, around halfway.

Some guy who seemed to appear a couple of times on the course. He seemed to have a bicycle at the side of the road and shouted 'that's a great steady pace now'.

The old woman ringing a bell outside her house.

That young fireman guy.... I didn't pass him til about the 3/4 pace. Was he doing that pace with 40kg on his back??

I got stuck beside some spanner dressed as Mrs Browne complete with handbag. Worse though was the novelty bike / air horn he kept on setting off. Ended up putting in a fast quarter mile ile to get away from the tool.

Finisherpix are up!

Ososlo wrote: »

Everyone go to Boards Xmas beers this year:)
Then you'll meet other "novices" and a lot of other boardsies. And btw, you're not a novice anymore;) and I'm not a mentor:)

Officially, you are still the mentor

Sometimes, when someone is really good at something, they get to do it again for another term.

Ososlo wrote: »

watch what you're saying there martyboy or you might find yourself with a new little role for the winter;) you might remember we discussed it last night. A lot of the night might be a blur but I haven't forgotten that:)

I'll keep shtumm so but remember what I said :P

MaggotBrain wrote: »

Mrs Brown made me dig deep to get away,
The Halloween costume street party,
"It's a Long Way to Tipperary",
"I know a shortcut" guy,
The wall of noise in Castleknock
The BBQ out on the pavement, smelled so good I could have stopped but there wasn't a beer in sight.
The "Well done Tony Mangan, World Jog" house
The oul Dub on his bike, panting up the hill beside me roaring "Jaaaaaysus I lost her!"

There were so many loopers out there it was class.

I could hear the shouts of Mrs Brown behind me but didn't have the energy to turn my head to look!

There was an old lady just inside the park at Knockmaroon (i think), by herself, looked really, really frail clapping with a big smile on her face... we thanked her going past, what a hero!

I loved the guy with the guitar singing ballads in Inchicore... no idea what he was singing but it didn't matter.

that bbq is there every year. they are sadistic. I mean who bbq's at that hour of the morning? It smells so nice. I'm just glad they don't live in Clonskeagh!

my funny one was my girlfriend's recounting of seeing a trainer on the crumlin road on a bicycle offering advice to his charges such as "come on now lads. you're doing great. keep it simple". Then she asks me what the alternative is and does a mock complicated run around the living room!

keep it simple - classic.

Did anyone else see the fella running in fancy flip flops (can't remember their proper name) and the man running barefoot near the front of Wave 2 ie near the 3:50 pacers? How did they get on - did they finish?