Run for your life!!!!

skyblue46 wrote: »

Has the half helped you to set a PMP? I know you've been wavering a bit. What's the number at the moment?

I'll see how I get on tomorrow morning. There seems to be such a fine line between running comfortably and over-cooking it that I'm still finding my comfort zone when it comes to a PMP. Yes, last Saturday certainly went a long way towards me knowing what that might be but at the moment I'm thinking if I manage to maintain a solid enough pace of between 8:30/8:50 a mile, I'll be in with a shout of a 3:40(ish) finish. I think going for a 3:30 will be putting myself under a bit too much pressure but with over 6 weeks still to go, who knows?
Then again, I was quite easily able to hold a 7:30 pace through the half marathon, that's got to count for something, right?

Rossi7 wrote: »

I'm ratting to S ;)

Haha, probably no need. He can sense it.

skyblue46 wrote: »

Ah now I have a compassionate side too...4 mitigating factors get you off the hook. 1. Good behaviour to date. 2. Its net downhill from Lucan to the city. 3. Strong breeze from the west today. 4. You were late.

Haha, thanks for that! :pac:
All joking aside, I'm really annoyed with myself as it was the one run I was looking forward to most. Should have just taken the bus and run home from work or just left it till this evening. Was a beautiful morning too, hard to resist!

Thursday 13th September - 3 mile recovery run

3 mile recovery run. What can I say? :P


Saturday 15th September - 16 mile LSR

Had a busy day ahead planned with a lot of driving involved so it was important to get this one out of the way early.
Had brekkie and was out the door at 6:15-ish. Was surprised at how mild it felt at that early hour.
Decided for this run to be a little more relaxed with the pacing as it felt like the last few LSR's were a little too rigid with too much focus on getting the pace absolutely perfect. I felt for this run, anything between 9:15 and 9:40 would be sufficient.
This route, which I've run once before, is a real mixed bag and has a few nice hills thrown in which are the parts I look forward to most.
Noticed from the first few miles that there weren't as many runners out and about as I'm used to seeing. I do enjoy passing other runners or running groups out on their sessions and giving the obligatory nod in their direction. If nothing else, it gives me a sense of belonging to this community of disturbed individuals who run stupidly long distances for the sheer hell of it.
I don't know if it was just me becoming used to this slightly more relaxed pace but for stretches of the run, I caught myself running about 15/20 seconds slower than I had planned or than I thought I was. Not sure how as it didn't really feel like I was slowing up. Perhaps the Garmin was playing catch up along certain parts of the route.
Around the 10/11 mile mark, I started to see a lot more runners out and about. Perhaps, unlike me, they decided to wait until the sun actually came UP!

Finished the run with reasonably functioning legs after 2 hours, 31 minutes at an average pace of 9:23. A tad slower than my previous 16 mile LSR.

Mooju chocolate milk, plenty of water followed by a heap of scrambled eggs and toast were the order of the day on my return to the house.

Another one ticked off the list.


Sunday 16th September - 3 mile easy run
Another busy day today with two kids birthday parties to get to (one of which was my son's 8th birthday party) so I knew there's be no running during daylight hours.
After a day of excitement, managed to head out at about 10:50pm. Hardly a sinner around and for no particular reason, decided at the last minute to treat myself to an extra mile.


Overall, despite the badly managed midweek pacerun, am happy enough with this week's efforts. Had lots of great conversations with friends and other folk about running in general over the weekend. Most of them being people who don't actually run but who are intrigued to find out why I love running so much. Unfortunately, I wasn't very good at verbalising my reasons for this obsession. Maybe even I don't know.
Will carry on regardless.

Tuesday 18th September - 4 mile easy run
Chose a slightly different route for this lunchtime run as it involved what I hoped would be less hanging around waiting for traffic lights to change and less pedestrians to avoid bumping into.
Thankfully it worked out perfectly and the route took in the majesty of Croke Park, a behemoth amongst the backdrop of ordinary Dublin street life.
Ended up getting this run confused with this week's 4 mile PMP session with strides so just had to swap them around with each other.


Wednesday 19th September - 8 mile easy run
Used this as an opportunity to run home from work which is not something I always have the chance to do.
The strong winds and storm conditions earlier in the week had already prevented me from my usual cycle-commute and today was no different. Only thing was, it meant that I had to run home with a bag on my back. Not ideal but if I packed it right and made sure it wasn't holding too much weight, it would be ok.
There was a pretty strong head wind and with a predominantly uphill route ahead of me so I knew this would be no walk in the park but isn't that what this is all about?
With the strong wind against me, running at an easy pace wasn't going to be too much of a challenge but what I was conscious of was that it would make me push that bit harder, ending up with me running at a quicker pace that I should be so I still had to hold back a little bit. Also had to hold my cap in place at times................did I mention how windy it was?
The bag on my back was a little off-putting, not something I'd like to try again any time soon. Overall, enjoyed the session.

Thursday 20th September - 4 mile PMP, 5 x 100m strides
Up early for this one and as expected, the dark mornings are making getting out of bed a bit of a struggle. After an obligatory 'ugh' and 'argh', I trudged downstairs for some pre-run fuelling (I now no longer run on empty, regardless of distance) and was out the door at 6:20. Am lucky to have a nice run-friendly park right on the doorstep, plenty of grass running when necessary too. Had fun doing the strides and used them to picture myself crossing the finish line at DCM (all depending on my mental and physical state on the day of course).
Bought my new running shoes today and some nice new running socks. Also bought a sachet of the infamous Tailwind to try out on this week's lsr. Stocked up on Zero tabs and Cliff Bloks too. Now is definitely the time to be getting the balance right for October 28th.

Saturday 22nd September - 18 mile lsr
Another early start and decided to take in the Phoenix Park as part of my route to soak up some of the Dublin half pre-race atmosphere.
Took my Tailwind with me and a couple of Cliff Bloks for fuelling during the run.
Left the house in darkness with the first signs of daylight appearing, just when it's about possible to make out the outline of the clouds overhead.
Felt pretty good for the most part, the Tailwind seemed to be doing what it's meant to and thankfully didn't feel any adverse effects from it either.
Got to the Phoenix Park about 90 minutes from the start and I could see the first of the runners arriving as they made they way up Chesterfield Ave. Wished some of them luck as I begun to make my way out of the park and back in the direction of home.
About 11 or 12 miles into the run, I gave my arms and legs a good ol' shake as I am used to doing but this time my arms felt very stiff. Not sure if it was from gripping my water bottle too tight? After about 13 miles in, I began to tire a little and struggled with an uphill section that normally wouldn't cause any bother.
Also felt a little niggle in my right ankle a couple of times. Very odd sensation but was fine to carry on.
Got through the 18 miles unscathed but was a little concerned with the way I struggled during those last few miles.


Sunday 23rd September - 3 mile easy run
Junior Parkrun this morning and my son was his usual eager self. Finished in a respectable 9:35.
Noticed when I got up this morning that the heel of my right foot hurt a little as soon as I started walking. I only felt it momentarily but again, alarm bells started ringing in my head. Will keep an eye on that.
Took my new trainers out for a test drive for a 3 mile easy run. They felt really good and have excellent cushioning compared to what I'd been wearing. No problems to report with aforementioned niggles with feet.
Packed week/weekend ahead so am desperately trying to figure out when I'll have the chance to do my 20 mile lsr. The biggie!

Wednesday 26th September - 8 mile easy run

Another run home from work with baggage in tow but this time made sure that the bag straps were tightened enough to reduce any unnecessary swaying.

Felt a lot better on this one compared to the previous run home. No strong gusts of wind to contend with so felt way more relaxed. To be honest, I don't remember an awful lot about about this run. If I don't write it down on the day, then forget about it.


Saturday 29th September - 5 mile easy run (two days overdue)
Crazy busy this week and as a result was fretting and stressing about how to fit in my runs amid all the madness that was on the horizon. Thursday came and went with no opportunity to do this run. Wednesday's 8 mile run by this stage had become a distant memory which made me more agitated and as I was in Limerick for the whole day on Friday, I almost resigned myself to the fact that this particular run would have to be sacrificed. I had even toyed with the possibility of doing my lsr in Limerick. Crazy.
Didn't return from Limerick until 3am on Saturday morning so had the rare luxury of a lie-in before setting out on the 5 miler.
Most of this run was done on grass.


Sunday 30th September - 20 mile lsr
I know there was no way I could squeeze in a run of 3 hours + knowing that my son's Junior Parkrun was starting at 9:30am. Would have been in big trouble had I not returned home in time as he was being presented with his Junior Parkrun 'half marathon' wristband this morning. He was chuffed to bits (as was I)
Back home by 10am and was out the door before 11am for 'the big one'.
It struck me as I set out that I was not even remotely daunted by what was ahead of me. All I knew was that I had a start point and an end point and that I would enjoy this more than any other run up till now. This is a world away from the version of me that first set my eyes on the Boards training plan back in April when my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the prospect of getting through such monster runs.
For fuelling (a subject which has caused me an unhealthy amount of anxiety), I decided to stock my brand new flip belt with 2 x gels and 2 x clif bloks. Carried a 250 ml bottle with high5 zero tabs too. Earlier in the week, I had bought a bottle belt that came with two 150ml bottles as it was in my head that I would be relying on Tailwind for fueling. After some consideration, I felt that this option seemed more hassle than it was worth and decided to keep things simple.
Stuck to a tried and tested route for this one and with the of the extra
mileage, it gave me the luxury of spending more time in the Phoenix Park.
I would have loved to have tried out as much of the DCM route as I could have but it just wasn't possible today so I settled for St. Laurence's Road/Sarsfield Rd and Chesterfield Avenue but not the order in which they appear for race day.
The former is very similar to an incline that I am well used to running along in Lucan from my previous lsr's so I felt I was well prepared for it. Once I arrived in the Phoenix Park, it was time to tackle the 'cruel mistress' as I like to call it. Some days, it just seems to go on forever with no end in sight. There was a brief spell of heavy rain which passed as quickly as it had arrived. Just a nice little sun shower. Turned on to the North Rd before coming back around onto Chesterfield Ave, along Military Rd and out of the park at the Chapelizod entrance before heading back towards home. All throughout this run, the legs felt pretty good and maintained a steady enough pace with an average pace of 9:20.
Took the gels on 1 and 2 hour mark and the clif bloks at 2:30 and 3:00 (for whatever that one was worth)
What I loved most about this run was that it really brought me as close to DCM as I would ever get during the training and I used it as much as was possible to gauge what the experience might be like on the day.
Having being reliably informed on more than one occasion that the real hard work does not begin until mile 20, I tried my best to imagine what it might be like on the day, having already covered 20 miles with another 6 still to run. Probably a futile exercise as my pacing will be completely different on the day but it certainly helped to pass the time.
Speaking of passing the time, that was another aspect of the training that worried me.......running solo. Have done every single one of my runs solo and it hasn't once been an issue. I have been constantly amazed throughout these last 14 weeks when it comes to perception v reality. Most - if not all - of the runs that would have caused me some concern, have turned out to be far and away more manageable than my brain allowed me to believe.

There is no more fear. Just excitement (perhaps some little nerves) and a seemingly unstoppable drive to get the job done.

Come. On.

ReeReeG wrote: »

Nice work on the 20 miles! You have so much enthusiasm and are so dedicated to the training plan, well done. Excited to see the results in DCM for you!

Hey thanks ReeRee! I just hope it all pays off on the day!!!

Wednesday 17th October - 4 mile easy run

Today's easy run was quite possibly the most ill-advised run I've done to date.

Last night, I had the grand total of zero hours sleep. Had no choice but to pull an all-nighter to get a commissioned drawing finished for a client who needed it today so did not even make it to bed. :eek:

Had a funeral to attend this morning (fell asleep twice) and then made it in to work. Changed into my running gear and off I went. I felt ok throughout the run but I expect I may feel the effects of it later today.

I am posting this mostly as a reminder to myself to NEVER do that again. Big slap on the wrist for me.

On the plus side, felt no more niggles in my left leg but will still attend physio session on Friday.

As this is my first marathon, I've tried to provide as detailed and honest an account as my memory will allow. It's more for my benefit than anything (how selfish) but if you can take any encouragement or positives from reading it, all the better! Apologies if it goes on a bit.


So here were were, the day that all of the months of hard were leading up to. The feelings of extreme nerves during the previous couple of weeks had gradually turned to excitement in the days before the marathon and I was eventually in full 'race mode', feeling very focused.
The day before the main event, I had everything prepared, race clothes, change of clothes, fuelling, the works. I was starting to feel really good about this.

Pre-race
On the morning of the race (after a fitful night's sleep), I got a lift in with some lads from Waterstown RC. I'd never actually met any of them before, they were friends with a girl that I work with and they kindly offered me a lift in when they'd heard I was stuck for transport. It was cold enough, as predicted, but I could already tell that it was the beginning of a perfect weather day for running.

Had a nice relaxing journey in with a few laughs along the way and as most of them were experienced marathoners, they gave me a few last minute pointers to send me on my way.

Arrived in town about 8am and made my way up to Stephen's Green to meet my fellow Boardsies for a brief meet up before we made our way back down to the bag drop off. The buzz around the city was something to behold and it was really only then that I fully understood the sheer enormity of the event. Around Merrion Square. there were runners literally everywhere I looked. Controlled mayhem is an accurate description I think. Removed a few outer layers and made sure I had everything I needed before dropping off my bag. A much needed trip to the portaloo was had, then like a lost sheep, headed up towards the Green start line.

Apart from a few last minute stretches, I honestly didn't know what to do to pass the time. Thankfully, before I knew it, the crowd started moving along up to Fitzwilliam St. and I followed the 3:40 pacers to the start line. In typical 'me' fashion, it was at that moment that I started to doubt my plan of achieving a 3:40 time. Common sense would have to be the order of the day, I thought. Even if I eventually found myself running with the 3:50 pacers, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad day at the office.

My heart was thumping as 9:15am approached and all of a sudden, off we went.

The race
Miles 1-6
Naturally, as expected, things were slow to get moving but I still enjoyed the atmosphere around me, trying to soak it all in. The first mile came and went in a flash, couldn't believe how quickly it had passed. Up past Patrick's cathedral and towards Christchurch, I was feeling great, helped in no small part by the perfect running conditions. At this point, I was more than happy for the 3:40 pacers to be ahead of me, as long as I kept them within my sights.
The first lag of the day - Blackhall Place/Stoneybatter - brought the first little mis-hap. I took a bottle from the water station and after removing the lid to drop the half a zero tab in, I dropped the lid and somehow managed to pick it up quickly enough not to impede any other runners. Way too close for comfort. Had to make sure the next one went more smoothly.
There was great support along NCR and as soon as we got into the park, I had to prepare myself for Chesterfield Ave. I was trying my best to match my pace band against my watch and although I was 10-15 seconds faster for miles 3, 4 and 5, I still thought I was running at a moderate enough pace. Picked out my first bit of support along Chesterfield Ave which gave me a great boost. The stretch along this part of the route was not as much of a drag as I was anticipating and as we hit the 10k mark, I couldn't believe how quickly the miles were passing by. Still, checking my pace and was still averaging 8:15-8:20m/mile. Took a gel during mile 6.


Miles 7-14
Exiting the Castleknock gates was a completely different kettle of fish. The support was immense and the band on stage really carried us along. There was a real carnival atmosphere and I was astounded at the lengths some people had gone to with their posters, banners and shouts of encouragement towards their own families and friends. Lots of high-fives were the order of the day and added to the feel-good factor before we made our descent back into the Phoenix Park. Looking back, it was this moment that may have been a turning point for me. I was more than aware that I needed to take it easy but as I checked my pace for mile 8 as we entered the Phoenix Park once more, alarm bells rang when I saw 7:57. There was a marginal improvement for the next mile as we headed towards Chapelizod gates but was back into 7 minute territory on the next downhill stretch of the Upper Glen Rd.
St. Laurence Rd was manageable enough and by this point I was just looking forward to running through Kilmainham where my wife and two kids would hopefully be waiting. Heard my name being shouted out as we ran down Sarsfield Rd and saw it was another familiar face.
The anticipation of seeing my family was almost too much to bear and found myself having to fight back some tears of emotion at the thought of seeing them. As we approached South Circular Road, I was frantically scanning the crowd for a sign of them and there they were, just outside the gates of the Royal Hospital. Simply put, I lost the plot as I jumped for joy and let out shouts of delight that were almost out of my control. A sight that no doubt will be etched into the memory of my kids for some years to come. My plans of high-fiving them were not to be as one of the stewards had asked my wife to move slightly away from the road just before I appeared and the photo opp she had been waiting ages for came and went. I was so disappointed for her and was almost tempted to turn back but knew that would be crazy. Still, I was so happy to see them.
My actual pace and my pace band were still not that far apart as we entered Rialto. Fantastic support again from the locals who were armed with tubs of jellies, oranges, apples bananas, jaffa cakes, the works. It was as this point that I felt that something was not quite right. Running along the Crumlin Rd, I experienced the first sign of tiredness in the legs and as we approached the half way point in 1h:50m, I begun to wonder how on earth I was going to cope if I was feeling like this now and felt like I was now left with a serious uphill battle if I wanted to achieve a negative split. The pacers were now further away than ever and could just about make out the white balloons in the distance. Took a gel at mile 11, followed by water with Zero tab.


Miles 15-20
I knew my parents would be waiting for me on the Cromwellsfort Rd so perhaps that would give me another much needed boost. As we neared the Walkinstown roundabout, the support was phenomenal and I found myself dipping in to some of the jellies on offer. Not something I had planned to do at any stage of the race and saw it as an ominous sign of what was to come.
I spotted my parents outside the Submarine Bar, just where they said they would be and once again, excitement took over, so much so that I decided not to take the banana that my dad was patiently holding out for me. I wondered if I would eventually regret that.
The thrill I felt very quickly vanished and I was back to where I was before, feeling tired in the legs and a general feeling of discomfort. At this point, I had begun to lose a little bit of focus and was no longer aware of where we were on the route. The 3:40 pacers had begun to pull out of sight completely. Not a good sign.
What followed after Templeogue/Terenure is all a bit hazy. I became quite disoriented and the tiredness in the legs very quickly progressed into an actual ache. My pace was gradually becoming slower and it felt like everything was going wrong very quickly. Panic begun to set in. I thought as long as I maintained this slightly slower pace, I would still perhaps manage a 3:45 finish or thereabouts. I became less and less aware of the crowds of supporters around me and before long their cheers and clapping were doing absolutely nothing for me whatsoever. I noticed some runners around me had begun to walk and for the first time I wondered if that would eventually be my fate. After Terenure, my sense of location grew less and less and even the prospect of facing the infamous wall barely registered with me. I noticed that as my pace lessened, more and more runners with much fresher legs than mine were passing me by. This was not the plan and as much as I tried, I just couldn't push any harder. Then, somewhere around the Milltown area - I can't be sure of this - the legs went. Cramp - something I've never experienced before - had well and truly set in and I could feel (and see) the muscles in my legs tighten. I pulled up with severe pain in the back of my legs and had no choice but to stop running. I was devastated. As I limped on, with other runners offering words of encouragement, I kept looking behind for the 3:50 pacers. Still nothing. I stretched for a minute at the side of the road and started to run again at a much slower pace. Again, the legs went and the pain was becoming worse.
Took another gel at mile 20.


Miles 21-26
I just kept walking, and I was in good company too as the number of walkers grew. I hoped that after a few minutes of walking, the pain in my legs would pass. After a few more stretches, I tried running again but this time the pain was at its worst and the legs turned into a jelly-like state and I stopped once more. I didn't know where to turn, what to do or what to think. I was in pain, I could barely walk and worst of all, sub 4 now felt like an impossible task. I felt like crying but I wouldn't allow it. I took another glance over my shoulder and there they were in the distance, the 3:50 pacers. My heart sank and as I limped up towards Roebuck Rd, I let out a very loud "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" in complete frustration. The pace on my watch read 12:29 and at that moment, I honestly felt like packing it in there and then but knew that wasn't really an option. The pacers glided past and all I could do was watch. I managed another half mile or so of light running and in desperation, I asked an onlooker if I could take a drink of her coke, thinking that it would help somehow. She saw I was in trouble and very kindly obliged. Couldn't possible say whether it had a positive or adverse effect. Took two clif bloks.
Like with the previous few miles, I really had no idea where I was and as the crowds grew in size, all I wanted was for them to disappear. I saw another familiar face but didn't even have the energy to call their name out. By now, the 3:50 pacers were nowhere to be seen.
As we turned onto Stillorgan Rd, I somehow managed to start running again at a reasonably moderate pace and thought that maybe, if I pushed enough, I could catch up with the 3:50 pacers but I clearly knew this was too big an ask. Just before Nutley lane, the legs went again but not quite as bad as before so I walked again for another minute while checking the time on my watch and saw that just over 3 and a half hours had elapsed. I did the maths in my head and knew that it would take all my strength to make sub 4 at this point. I started off running once more and prepared myself for the final stretch.
I was able to pick up the pace with the pain in my legs just about manageable and begun to overtake a good few other runners as we approached Ballsbridge. I now knew that if I were to stop again between here and the finish line, it was all over so I dug deep and ran through pain like I've never known. The last half a mile seemed to go on forever and all the previous romantic notions I'd had before today of approaching the finish line completely went out the window. I was utterly spent by now and the noise from the crowds, which had almost trebled in size, became almost overwhelming to me and as crazy as it sounds, I tried as hard as I could to block it all out. I kept telling myself that I had to stop but something - I don't know what - made me plough on. I could see the official time ahead was 03:56.xx so pushed hard once again for the final 200 metres and crossed the finish line in a complete daze. Official time was 03:57:01

Once I had crossed the finish line, all I wanted to do was to sit down on the ground but there was enough common sense coming from the race stewards to tell me that it was not the most sensible idea in the world. I could barely walk, I couldn't speak and as the medal was placed over my head, it barely registered with me. After receiving my race t-shirt and goodie bag (how disappointing was THAT by the way?), I made my way slowly up to collect my bag.
No-post race selfies, no tears, no smiles, no hugs from family and a whopping 17 minutes outside my target time. At that moment, I felt like a fraud and most of all embarrassed for aiming my sights so high, telling the world how I was gunning for a 3:40 finish. It was the exact opposite to how I imagined this moment to be. I couldn't have felt any more low.
I rang my wife and it turned out they couldn't get anywhere near the finish line to see me so I got changed (very slowly) amongst the hoardes of fellow finishers and went off to meet them before saying a very brief farewell to the other Boards crew who had gathered in McGrattans. Would have loved to have stayed but it wasn't to be.

Later that evening, while sitting at home on the couch watching tv and thinking about the whole day, I burst into tears. Just like that. Better later than never I suppose.

Looking back, I think there were many factors which contributed to my horror show (pacing/fuelling/competitive streak/inexperience) but I have gradually gotten over my disappointment and know deep down that I should be proud of what I achieved, especially in the last few miles.
I will definitely be back next year, stronger, wiser and hopefully this time with a realistic goal and new PB.


Thanks to everyone who shared the experience with me. We did good! (Didn't we?)