DCM 2015: Mentored Novices Thread

Dubgal72 wrote: »

KETTLE TIME...AND A BICCIE

Ok, it's time, Novices....let's do some target talk. Most of you here understand the concept of having an A, B and C goal for the 26th, however the B and C targets for many are 'fall-back, on-the-day, if things go wrong' targets.

Let's start from scratch and try to establish two or three targets for the day. I am going to recommend that you don't choose until the morning of the race. This is because your race will depend on two aspects: Things You Can Control....and Things You Can't......

THE PIECES OF THE MARATHON JIGSAW PUZZLE

Completing a marathon is like a jigsaw puzzle. To get the complete picture, every single piece needs to slot in. Have a look at the questions below before you decide to nail down a range.

So you could have the:
1) 'Best case, full jigsaw puzzle completed' target: based on 'Things You Can Control'
Or
2) 'I'm happy with my training overall but there are a couple of things I let slip for whatever reason so I'm sensibly going to scale back a little from an aggressive novice-marathon time' target...

And
3) 'Something has entered the equation' target ex weather/sickness/niggle etc: based on 'Things You Can't Control'
And
4) 'I'm just happy to be running and am going to enjoy my first marathon, aggressive target be damned ' target

In many ways your first marathon is a dress rehearsal for your second (like your lsrs have been a dress rehearsal for the 26th). So I'm going to recommend that you take the pressure off yourselves. You don't have to 'get it right' first time because you don't know what to expect.

You can however minimise the 'get it wrong' approach. If you can answer positively to everything on the following list, you can consider targeting your A goal. Note I said 'consider', not 'go for'


For a novice marathoner:

THE CONTROLLABLES

- you will have followed a tried and tested, structured and progressive plan and completed at least 90% of it, preferably 95%

- you will have run one 20 mile lsr, (or time on your feet equivalent, usually 3 hours) preferably two

- you will have trained at the appropriate pace for your target (i.e., not too fast) see below*** for reminder on 'why easy pace'

- are you a slow twitch runner or a fast twitch runner? How do your shorter distance Pbs stack up against your longer distance PBs?

You can use your recent HM time as a guide but bear in mind that HM times are not usually reliable as a predictor, especially for a novice. See here for proof!
(Aggressive target would be 2*recent HM + 15 mins,
Realistic target would be 2*recent HM + 20 mins)

- How did you manage the pace runs (if part of your programme?)

- you will have maintained consistent mileage (no highs and lows ex 20 on e week, 40 the next). See McMillan article here for more on this

- you will have recovered and rested well i.e., you will not have over-trained (too many lsrs of 18+ can leave you stale) and/or over raced. You will also have a healthy sleep credit

- you will have been running four days per week minimum, preferably five for 3-4 months

- you will have followed a regular and appropriate strength and conditioning and mobility programme to support your running. And an injury rehab plan where necessary.

HEALTH AND SICKNESS

- you will be in good health with a normal resting heart rate (i.e., not elevated more than seven bpm over your usual RHR)

- Are you currently niggle free?

- Have you had any recent running-related injuries?

- Other non running-related injuries?

- Have you been ill? Are you fully recovered?

Your focus should be to enjoy the experience. So having reviewed the above points, you should be able to decide what you are ready for on the 26th....But wait, there are other factors which will affect your experience, things you can't control :eek:

UNCONTROLLABLES

- Weather, what kind of weather do you run best in?

Humid? :eek:

Windy?

Hot?

Cold? :cool:

Rain?

Snow? :eek:

See here for Yaboya's post on weather from last year. 2014 is now known as The Year of The Carnage. It might happen again, it might not, but you need to be prepared to consider all options and outcomes.


"It's already been said, but it was a tough day out there yesterday. Something I've learned from yesterday, Berlin and last year's Dublin HM is that Irish/English people don't seem to take the conditions on the day into account when devising their race strategy. I'm including myself in that category so please don't take that as a personal criticism.
In Berlin I wondered why I was struggling at 16 miles having run 18 at the same pace in training (heat/humidity? Probably). In last year's Dublin HM, I saw 5 people being medically attended to (one of those died as we all know ) on my way around. And that was only what was ahead of me. I'd imagine there were many more behind. Another unseasonably warm/humid day where most people tried to run their original target time regardless. Yesterday I passed many, many runners who were walking in the second half. I made up 281 places in the final 13.1 miles, despite running a positive split by almost 6 minutes. Africans, Americans, Continental Europeans and basically everyone else who's not Irish or English seem to take the weather into account. I've seen Gebrselassie interviewed and he'd be talking about having a different race strategy based on a difference of 1 or 2 degrees in the temperature. He's an Ethiopian who was raised not a million miles from the equator at high altitude. So maybe if elites like him see the weather as that much of a factor, people way down the field like us should be taking even more note and adjusting accordingly. We seem to believe: I've trained for this time, I'm running this time, no matter what the conditions. It generally doesn't end well as we've seen from the events I've mentioned and lots of others.
Anyway, I think that's why you and everyone else struggled so badly. As I was more of a spectator yesterday I can see this now and realise the same thing probably happened me in Berlin. I plan to take the weather conditions much more seriously in future."


So get a range of pace bands at the expo. I wish I had pulled back 10 minutes on the morning last year. 10 small minutes could have made an infinity of positive difference.

And to finish off, here's some external reading:

BE REALISTIC!

"Salty running" http://www.saltyrunning.com/2012/08/30/choosing-a-marathon-goal/
"Don’t become a marathon statistic. Avoid the bonk and set a realistic goal based on your training.
As a pacer who has seen many people set their goals too aggressively I cannot express enough how important it is to be realistic, while still aiming high. Do the training and achieve your times at shorter distances to really get after your marathon goal. But if race day comes and you aren’t quite ready, save that goal for the next race and run a smarter marathon by setting your goal realistically for the day and the conditions. The best marathon experiences usually aren’t the ones where you fell off pace and suffered mightily on the back half; they are the ones that you paced perfectly for a tough but doable finish!"

PACING IT: REMEMBER THE NAKED RUNNING WE ASKED YOU TO TRY?

http://www.runnersworld.com/racing/how-to-set-your-goal-marathon-pace
"When in doubt, listen to your body and gauge your perceived effort on race day. If it's too high too early, back off and save the hardest running for the end."

"The best marathons are those run at an even pace or with a negative split, and those results usually come from nailing your prediction for your appropriate marathon goal."

Our own Raycun on pacing it
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=97294950&postcount=12

Jeff Galloway on run walk strategy
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/q

http://www.runners world.com/race-training/26-tips-for-your-best-marathon
"Start slow. Run the first two to three miles 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than goal pace. This preserves precious glycogen stores for later in the race so you can finish strong. When Catherine Ndereba set a world record at the 2001 Chicago Marathon, she eased into things by running the first 5-K at just over 5:40-per-mile pace, and went on to average just under 5:20 per mile for the race.

Relax. "Because the pace feels so easy, I get antsy in the early miles," says Heather Hanscom, a 2:31 marathoner who was sixth at this year's Olympic Marathon Trials. "But I make myself stick to my game plan and don't get carried away. I know that to run well later, I need to feel really relaxed the first third." Hanscom checks her early splits to make sure, no matter how good she feels, that she's starting conservatively. "In the first 10 miles, I look around at the surroundings, the fans along the way, and enjoy the changing scenery," adds Wells."


"DONT BE TOO ATTACHED TO THE OUTCOME" (I know, for many of you, this will be the hardest part...after, of course, running for 26.2 miles!)

http://runnersfeed.com/when-how-to-choose-your-target-race-pace/
"I am a big fan of Running Times magazine. In the February/March 2012 issue, the Editor’s Note applies Warren Buffet’s wife’s five secrets to success to running. The fifth point was: don’t be too attached to the outcome. I had had my best training cycle ever leading up to the 2011 Chicago Marathon. I wouldn’t run 115 – 120 miles per week if I didn’t enjoy it, and I had a training log that I was very satisfied with. That particular race day was unseasonably hot, and I recall running by a thermometer around mile 21 that read 26 degrees Celsius. From the first mile I had settled into a pace that was a few seconds per mile slower than my initial goal pace in order to account for the heat; stubbornly setting out in the sub 5:30 miles I had originally intended would have been too risky. So in the end my time wasn’t quite what I was initially hoping for, but it was the best I had in me on the day. I learned a lot both on race day, and in the months leading up, and am motivated by the prospect of my hard work being reflected on future results pages."

FINALLY FINALLY

So, feel free to fire away any questions. We'd love to hear from previous marathon novices' personal experiences. I remember too well myself though, it's like childbirth, you have to go through it yourself to 'get it'.
Have a look at novice race reports from previous years. Stick the kettle on again :pac:
2014 from this page on http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057204941&page=389
2013 from around this page http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056913937&page=231
2012 from around here on http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056619234&page=396
2011 reports from here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056248197&page=180
2010 from around here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055902744&page=228
2009 and here for the earliest reports

REMEMBER, your primary goal on the 26th should be TO ENJOY

***************************

***Myles Splitz on 'why easy runs'
"Getting used to running at race pace is not always adaptation.

Conditioning the body to find a pace easy and adapting to be working at the right levels at that pace are completely different.

In terms of the easy long runs there are a number of reasons for it that have benefits which correlate to a faster marathon.

- Recovery - If your at race effort for 20 miles at a weekend you will take alot longer to recover. While it is more specific to the race the more recovery means you miss chances to stress the body mid week also

- Builds capillaries which improves blood supply to the muscles - more oxygenated blood being pumped in the increase ability to work aerobically

- Mitochondrial development - energy generators within the muscles to, increase here means increased efficiency and using less energy for same output

- Fueling - Easy intensity will work on utilizing fat as a fuel source as well as developing glycogen storage efficiency.

While common sense would usual back up the idea of practice making perfect each type of run has there own pro's and cons and have to be weighed up in terms of benefits, risks, recovery time needed and how they compliment each other."

ratracer wrote: »

Over the last six weeks, at the longer LSR's, my average pace is between 6.15 -6.30/km. As I mentioned, these were all run on my own, and from previous experience (not marathon distance) I have found that running with lots of others and great crowds is worth a few seconds per km!! I think my goal is going to be somewhere between 4.15 and 4.30, but that is split over wave 2 and wave 3 at the start. It's the unknown that is putting me off moreso than the controllables/uncontrollables.

Singer wrote: »

Did you do any races recently? If so the times might be useful in figuring out a comfortable pace. A quick search can't find anything...

Deleted User wrote: »

My friend is doing a triathlon "the week before the marathon"

She said this evening about her Tri next week and I was like, huh? Next week? Then it hit me :eek:

I went to the Gerry Duffy talk this morning, thank you Stevo


My goal is of course, McGrattans

Leecheryl wrote: »

Hi there, I've just officially joined this group although I have been running with some of you already as I'm PJD's running partner so he's been keeping me updated on all your advice which has been most useful (especially the advice on underwear!). I look forward to meeting you again for a few pints at the finish!!!!