DCM 2015: Mentored Novices Thread

Chops1234 wrote: »

Mrs Mc, I'm free Sat morning woo hoo. Is it ok to come down and volunteer? If so, what time do you usually meet up at? Will come down any ways so don't worry if you don't need anyone!

Great ! I am down to volunteering on Saturday think PJD is coming as well. PM me your full name and I can get FBOT to put you the roster so Saturday so you get your volunteer points. See you Saturday

In answer to the Questions Clearlier asked :

What went well with your training plan?

I followed the Dave Carrie plan from Irish Runner Magazine (modified for me a bit by FBOT), it had a mixture of interval training and strides built into the mid-weeks runs with long runs incorporating PMP miles as the long runs increased in distance. What I liked about this plan was it gave a 20 mile a 22 mile and a 20 mile for the longest runs in the plan. While I was absolutely exhausted over these three weeks I think for my confidence it helped me hugely. I know a lot didn’t see the benefit of the 22 miles but one of my big battles would be with my head so I felt this 22 miles helped deal with any of these doubting demons I had. I think the interval training and strides in my mid-week runs definitely improved my fitness and they stood to me when I had to build back up my pace after mile 20 when I lost the 4.30 pacers.

What would you do differently with your training?

I don’t think I would do anything different, the plan suited me, it did the job on the day I didn’t miss any of my long runs and maybe missed two mid weeks runs out of choice where I was injured or tired.


What went well about the race?

The training had gone so well that I went in with a positive attitude having gone to 22 miles and doing PMP miles in the training I felt strong and felt I could do it.
My fuelling worked well as it had been practised every weekend during long runs and I think simulating race day every Sunday for the past 18 weeks helped hugely in understanding what worked and didn’t.
I felt good, I felt prepared I had a plan, and also a plan B, C and D
I had the words of our mentors and DG in my head throughout the race, watch your posture, smile, say hello to your pain, I failed at throwing my arms in the air shouting in the first mile but I was allowed do that once or twice I felt !!

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?

Looking back I don’t think I would do a huge amount differently. My plan was to start behind the 4.30 pacers and avoid the congestion, running with them worked really well for me, they managed the pace and the time so I could concentrate on the job in hand.
If I was to constructively review my splits which I did with FBOT on strava on Tuesday Mile 3 which has a steep incline my pace was 10.14 here I probably should have slowed this mile down a bit and a few other inclines I should have slowed down a bit. But putting that down to inexperience of the course and the adrenalin on the day.
I might review my eating the day before, I tend to not eat a lot of bread and carbs as I just get so bloated with it. I felt really full the day before after increasing the levels of carbs. I did have cramps in my stomach towards the end of the race so this could have been a contributor so would welcome anyone else’s experience on this. Or else it may have been the 3rd gel I’m not sure as I only every had 2 gels on long runs.
But all in all nothing different.

So what Next ?
What next…. Pb for a 5 km in park run is 26.12 would love to get into the 25’s before Christmas looking forward to getting back into my running there. Maybe the Jingle Bells thats mentioned here.
Half Marathon PB is 2.07 would love to work towards breaking that 2 hours. Other than that recover well, enjoy my runs, will definitely keep the running

Mrs Mc wrote: »

In answer to the Questions Clearlier asked :

What went well with your training plan?

I followed the Dave Carrie plan from Irish Runner Magazine (modified for me a bit by FBOT), it had a mixture of interval training and strides built into the mid-weeks runs with long runs incorporating PMP miles as the long runs increased in distance. What I liked about this plan was it gave a 20 mile a 22 mile and a 20 mile for the longest runs in the plan. While I was absolutely exhausted over these three weeks I think for my confidence it helped me hugely. I know a lot didn’t see the benefit of the 22 miles but one of my big battles would be with my head so I felt this 22 miles helped deal with any of these doubting demons I had. I think the interval training and strides in my mid-week runs definitely improved my fitness and they stood to me when I had to build back up my pace after mile 20 when I lost the 4.30 pacers.

What would you do differently with your training?

I don’t think I would do anything different, the plan suited me, it did the job on the day I didn’t miss any of my long runs and maybe missed two mid weeks runs out of choice where I was injured or tired.


What went well about the race?

The training had gone so well that I went in with a positive attitude having gone to 22 miles and doing PMP miles in the training I felt strong and felt I could do it.
My fuelling worked well as it had been practised every weekend during long runs and I think simulating race day every Sunday for the past 18 weeks helped hugely in understanding what worked and didn’t.
I felt good, I felt prepared I had a plan, and also a plan B, C and D
I had the words of our mentors and DG in my head throughout the race, watch your posture, smile, say hello to your pain, I failed at throwing my arms in the air shouting in the first mile but I was allowed do that once or twice I felt !!

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?

Looking back I don’t think I would do a huge amount differently. My plan was to start behind the 4.30 pacers and avoid the congestion, running with them worked really well for me, they managed the pace and the time so I could concentrate on the job in hand.
If I was to constructively review my splits which I did with FBOT on strava on Tuesday Mile 3 which has a steep incline my pace was 10.14 here I probably should have slowed this mile down a bit and a few other inclines I should have slowed down a bit. But putting that down to inexperience of the course and the adrenalin on the day.
I might review my eating the day before, I tend to not eat a lot of bread and carbs as I just get so bloated with it. I felt really full the day before after increasing the levels of carbs. I did have cramps in my stomach towards the end of the race so this could have been a contributor so would welcome anyone else’s experience on this. Or else it may have been the 3rd gel I’m not sure as I only every had 2 gels on long runs.
But all in all nothing different.

So what Next ?
What next…. Pb for a 5 km in park run is 26.12 would love to get into the 25’s before Christmas looking forward to getting back into my running there. Maybe the Jingle Bells thats mentioned here.
Half Marathon PB is 2.07 would love to work towards breaking that 2 hours. Other than that recover well, enjoy my runs, will definitely keep the running

And to think you only had one leg slightly over the fence in January,imagine
You had jumped straight over, no bother to u😀

What went well with your training plan?
Wasnt on a plan until August I think, from then to end Sept I did well in all aspects

What would you do differently with your training?
Would commit to a real plan, not just the 'JMSE knows best plan with a bit of this and a bit of that and a long run at the weekend'

What went well about the race?
Er.....miles 1-10

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?
Get right in behind the 4.30 pacers and stick to them like glue, hopefully not having to walk by doing so

So what Next ?
Getting an xray on my knee tomorrow, if thats all clear, I want to spend the winter building core strength and leg/glute muscle, I need to join a gym for the 1st time

What went well with your training plan?
I stuck with the plan which was a longer plan than most, 30 weeks. It was designed to build up the mileage gradually, we didn't do speedwork. It took me from running about 10 miles a week to running 30+ miles a week. I increased my distance from a longest run of 5 miles to 18. The S&C went very well and contributed a lot to my ability to get in such long runs. Pilates FTW!

What would you do differently with your training?
Nothing really. At the start I didn't feel confident enough to take on a more ambitious or strenuous plan. The goal was to get me across the finish line and the plan accomplished that.

What went well about the race?
A lot of things! The first half was brilliant and I felt comfortable at the pace I was setting. It helped to have friends supporting me at various points along the way.

What would you do differently if you could start the race again?
I'm not sure. I'd like to think I would have pushed harder to keep running instead of stopping to walk, but then would I have made it to the finish? I don't know. I do feel I could have done better though, just not sure how. I also would be more strict with my fuel and water. I don't think I took on enough fuel and I definitely took on too much water!

So what Next ?
Next up I'm working on my shorter races and trying to get my times down. The Jingle Bells 5k will set the benchmark for my training paces. As for another marathon, it's definitely in my future. I know I could have done better and so next time, I will!

Edit to add: Feeling much better today. I woke up and stood up without wincing and thought 'it's a miracle, I can walk!'. Hip flexors are still twingy but so much better than they were yesterday. I'm finding it hard to walk up stairs but other than that I'm pretty pain free. And my appetite is back. Yay!

In answer to the Questions Clearlier asked :


What went well with your training plan?

I followed the 2015 boards.ie novices plan. I was able to complete every session up until M-3 when I start to miss a few sessions with the knee niggle I picked up. Generally worked out that I dropped a midweek run to avoid running consecutive days and moved the Sunday recovery run to the bike instead. However before that time I felt I was able to manage the plan well and run 5 times a week for the first time in my life. I was glad to be able to complete some races during the time as well as starting off I thought I might not be able to do any really as I was missing the Race Series through a combination of living the far end of the country and things clashing with them.


What would you do differently with your training?

I would like maybe to have ran some of the sessions at a faster pace, it was suggested to me that maybe all the easy pace running contributed to the knee issue in that a change in running form meant I was spending too long with my feet on the ground. Since starting physio earlier this month I now try get my knees up higher and a small bit more pep into my step. The plan did suit me and was able to adjust it easily enough for races. I did miss the first 20 mile LSR as I was doing a half marathon race that day and I missed the 18m LSR towards the end of the plan with the knee issue. Initially I had a problem with the strides work in that I felt I was doing them too fast as well. Would have incorporated a personalised strength training program also. I will be doing some work on this front in the coming weeks.


What went well about the race?

Even with the knee issue I started the race confident that I would be able to achieve my goal to run it all. Never once in the race did I think or feel that I could not do that. I had been concerned about hitting the wall fuel wise but that did not happen. In almost every instance anyone who I had prearranged to meet me at spots along the way, two people with supplies and I was able to spot them no problem. I felt mentally very strong during the race that I was able to dig deep when it got tough, even if it meant talking to myself out loud once or twice….I have a tendency to literally tell my legs to keep going. I was also able to use some visualisation techniques picturing the finishing area and the last half mile. This was aided by having ran the last 6 miles of the route twice so had some good bearings on distance even without checking my watch. I also used visualisation like picturing the 3 mile loop I run at home as well in the last few miles as sort of mental checkpoints.


What would you do differently if you could start the race again?

Possibly might have used the 4:10 pacers instead of starting in front of them and doing my own thing really. Maybe running with them that I could have run the first half those 3 mins slower and possibly had something more in the second half of the race (2:02:02 first half, 2:10:52 second half). Also I was carrying too much….during the race I was carrying 6 gels (3 on a belt and 3 in my pockets and had 2 left at the end of the race), two packets of clif shot bloks in my pockets (didn’t even get through a full pack), two high five tabs and a spare pair of laces. If I’d included my Swiss army knife I could have been going camping.


So what Next ?

I have two weeks off running for the moment as per physio instructions, once that is done I can get back running a few times a week but I will be completing a 6 week physio lead strengthening programme to prevent the knee niggle reoccurring.
Race wise, first proper race on the cards is the Raheny 5 Miler at the end of January. A 10 mile race in Tralee on Valentine’s weekend. Probably pick a half in March/April if all is going well. I am considering DCM 2016 but no need to rush that. I think I’d like to do shorter distances (up to half marathon….for some reason I consider that short now) in the first half of next year. Would like to get back into doing the parkruns in Tralee as well, stopped those with the marathon training in June. Run for the rest of my days!!

It's like during the taper, people go crazy because they are running less than usual. All the training habits they've built up are telling them to go out and run some more.
But during the taper, you need to rest so your body can recover and be in the best possible shape for race day. More training is counter-productive.
And after the marathon you need to rest so your body can recover and be in the best possible shape for the start of the next training block. Rushing back to training is counter-productive.

RayCun wrote: »

It's like during the taper, people go crazy because they are running less than usual. All the training habits they've built up are telling them to go out and run some more.
But during the taper, you need to rest so your body can recover and be in the best possible shape for race day. More training is counter-productive.
And after the marathon you need to rest so your body can recover and be in the best possible shape for the start of the next training block. Rushing back to training is counter-productive.

It's very hard to get a handle on...knowing when less is more. When resting/recovery is way more productive than training. Christ knows I've made that mistake over and over and it took a bad injury to make me realise it.

So kids, listen when people who know what's what tell you when you need to take a break.

davedanon wrote: »

3 miles a few days after a marathon isn't a problem necessarily. The important thing is not to take on any serious sessions for a couple of weeks at least. People are probably familiar with the 'a day's rest per mile raced' saying. It doesn't mean no running at all.

No serious sessions here just slow recovery miles this week and next week

Morning Everyone
Miserable day in Cork.... but today is the first day back doing a teeenchy weeenchy bit of training (on the bike... indoors)

I have stuffed myself so full of cakes and biscuits in the last few days I need to de-tox!!!
Cinema tonight with the suffering Mrs J.... I want to see Bond, she wants to see Brooklyn .... I think she deserves her way!!!

JacEim wrote: »

Morning Everyone
Miserable day in Cork.... but today is the first day back doing a teeenchy weeenchy bit of training (on the bike... indoors)

I have stuffed myself so full of cakes and biscuits in the last few days I need to de-tox!!!
Cinema tonight with the suffering Mrs J.... I want to see Bond, she wants to see Brooklyn .... I think she deserves her way!!!

Ha I went to see Bond with FBOT and kids on Tuesday !:)

JacEim wrote: »

Cinema tonight with the suffering Mrs J.... I want to see Bond, she wants to see Brooklyn .... I think she deserves her way!!!

Saw The Martian last night - maybe compromise on that?

frash wrote: »

Saw The Martian last night - maybe compromise on that?

Saw that before the race... spending too much time in cinema and not enough in the pub. No it's become a habit:eek:

Good movie..