DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread

Sorbet · 18-08-2019 11:16am

Huzzah! wrote: »

I've found a good course preview that we will be posting during the week, but how does 8.55 - 9m/m sound for racing?

I'm still in kms so I think that's about 5.35 in which case sounds good to try and worst case I ease back. Thanks for having a look, much appreciated.

Huzzah! · 18-08-2019 11:34am

Sorbet wrote: »

I'm still in kms so I think that's about 5.35 in which case sounds good to try and worst case I ease back. Thanks for having a look, much appreciated.

Yep - it's a quick enough looking start, so do your best to keep it conservative for the first few miles.

passinginterest · 18-08-2019 3:07pm

Looking forward to next week. Pretty good 16 miles yesterday.

Hoping to run somewhere close to 1.20, will see how it feels. Think there’s a few others in that sort of target area here? Could be interesting to have a bit of a meet. I was hoping there might be pacers and I could just try stick with 1.20 group. I’ll be giving it a good go but if the pace feels too hot I’ll ease off. The last mile and a half or so is tough, will need to have a bit left it the tank when it arrives.

Irishder · 18-08-2019 4:28pm

Done 14 miles today weird feeling doing it in a training run.

Went well but think I went too fast . I was glad to get back to the car

Bananaleaf · 18-08-2019 4:58pm

Chip time: 1:37:52. Absolutely delighted with myself.

I don't like racing. I never sleep well the night before and I always feel sick the morning of. This race was no different but there was a strange feeling of confidence in me beneath it all. I felt as if I was going to have a good run.

I jogged to the start line from my home, which was my warm up. All I wanted from this race was a PB. My previous best time was 1:40 from Trim 10m 2yrs ago, so the plan was to hope I still had it in me to hang on behind the 1:40 pacers and maybe pull away at the end if I could.

miles 1-3
I tucked in behind the 1:40 pacers and hoped I could stay the distance. My worry with 10min/miles was that I wasn't familiar with how fast or slow they felt. The first and second mile felt very easy. Nearly too easy. I didn't know whether to push on or not. A lot of people left the pacing group at this stage but I decided to stay put. It was too early in the race for me to make that decision. At mile 3 I took a gel.

miles 4-6
The pace still felt very manageable up until 5 miles, where I began to feel it a bit. There was a drag somewhere along here - it could have been on the way to the 2nd water station - and I started to feel a tiredness in the legs. At this point I was glad I hadn't pushed on earlier. I made a deal with myself - see how I feel at 7.5 miles and possibly leave the pacers at this point. At mile 6 I took a gel and I grabbed a quick cup of water at water station 2.

miles 7-10
I can't remember the distance exactly, but once we hit the canal (about 7.5m) I left the pacers. I run most of my LSRs on the canal so it didn't feel like the drag it did last year, it just felt familiar and doable. I passed a couple of people out along this stretch and crossed the finish line with my chip time of 1:37:52.

I am delighted with this race. Not just because I got the PB but also because of how I felt during it. I was comfortable for the first 6 miles. I feel like I may have had a better time in me if I had pulled away after mile 2 like the others, but for all I know I paced it just perfectly and pushing on sooner could have ruined me.

Today is a very good day for me - it has given me huge confidence - in both the plan and myself.

Things I learned for DCM today
Bring a spare hair tie!! At mile 6 my hair started coming loose but when I tried to take the hair tie out it got caught around my hair and ended up really difficult to remove. I tried leaving it but it was too distracting. If I had had a spare on my arm it all would have been so much easier, so might be a tip worth sharing with the long-haired among us :pac:

DBB · 18-08-2019 5:07pm

Fantastic stuff Bananaleaf, thrilled it all went so well for you, in both body and mind

Well done!

gypsylee · 18-08-2019 5:22pm

Well done on the PB Bananaleaf. Great racing. A huge confidence boost at this stage of DCM training.

eabha19 · 18-08-2019 5:46pm

Kilcock 10 mile run report

I followed the adjusted plan this week (thank you Mr Guappa) so should have been fairly well rested this week. Yesterday however was a bit mental as I had to drop my boys to airport at 5 a.m. and then spent 9 hours traipsing around Tayto Park with 8 little girls for my daughter's birthday party. Not ideal but after a big takeaway curry I did get to bed by 10:30 and slept well.
We got to the run nice and early, no problem parking and plenty of toilets available. I was with my club mates and we ran about a mile together warming up - I don't always do a warm up at longer races (unless I'm literally cold in winter races) but it was great to warm up my ankle as my first mile is always where it hurts me the most.
I was saying my race goal was sub 90 mins but really I wanted to beat my PB of 1hr28 or at least match it (don't we all always want to beat ourselves!). My strategy was to stick with the 90 min pacers and then in second half try to run ahead of them. The pacers were 3 very friendly, cheery girls and I enjoyed running with them. I felt very comfortable running with them and enjoyed the very flat route, gentle drizzle and the company of the pacing pack. I took on a small bit of water at 3 miles but, even though I know they're much more environmentally friendly, I can't manage those cups well and had to catch up with the pack after struggling to throw a few sips in my mouth. At 5 miles I thought about running on but decided to stick with the pacers til we reached 7 miles. At 6 miles I managed to throw the cup of water in my eye instead of my mouth - definitely getting into running with my own bottles for future long races.

At about 7 miles stage myself and another girl moved out a little and ran together for the next three miles, most of which were along the canal. Realistically we didn't get much further than the pacers as this stretch was the toughest - I found that I was definitely no longer comfortable at this stretch and whilst I'd up the pace for a bit, I'd find I couldn't keep it consistently and not sufficiently faster to make any real difference to finish time. The canal stretch felt so long and tough! I picked it up as much as I could for the last kilometre but my breathing was very laboured and I fell over that finish line at 29 mins 17 secs! A sub 90 mins but not a pb. Not sure if I could have reached the pb if I had just run at my average pace for the pb 10 mile or if I had tried to break away from the group a little earlier but having said that I did enjoy the company of the pacers too - just felt like the route and the conditions were perfect for a pb. However, I was really glad to see that my legs can still run under 10 minute miles after all my slower running over the last few weeks.
Mile breakdowns as follows - first 7 were set by the pacers, last three was where I tried to move forward (it looks like I slowed down but I think the pacers dropped pace a little as they had banked a few seconds along the way)
1 - 8:46 min/mi
2- 9:10
3- 8:53
4- 8:57
5- 8:51
6 - 8:56
7- 9:01
8- 9:06
9 - 8:58
10 - 8:35

We ended the race with a trip to the pub for a glass of wine and a packet of crisps and then I went straight to bed when I came home. In the pjs now and the dog is looking at me expectantly for a walk - I love her but not sure if I love her that much!!
I didn't get to see any of our gang - not very surprising as I don't really know what anyone looks like!!
Best of luck to all running FD 10 next week - I'll be catching up on the 16 miles ye did this weekend.

eabha19 · 18-08-2019 5:50pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Chip time: 1:37:52. Absolutely delighted with myself.

I don't like racing. I never sleep well the night before and I always feel sick the morning of. This race was no different but there was a strange feeling of confidence in me beneath it all. I felt as if I was going to have a good run.

I jogged to the start line from my home, which was my warm up. All I wanted from this race was a PB. My previous best time was 1:40 from Trim 10m 2yrs ago, so the plan was to hope I still had it in me to hang on behind the 1:40 pacers and maybe pull away at the end if I could.

miles 1-3
I tucked in behind the 1:40 pacers and hoped I could stay the distance. My worry with 10min/miles was that I wasn't familiar with how fast or slow they felt. The first and second mile felt very easy. Nearly too easy. I didn't know whether to push on or not. A lot of people left the pacing group at this stage but I decided to stay put. It was too early in the race for me to make that decision. At mile 3 I took a gel.

miles 4-6
The pace still felt very manageable up until 5 miles, where I began to feel it a bit. There was a drag somewhere along here - it could have been on the way to the 2nd water station - and I started to feel a tiredness in the legs. At this point I was glad I hadn't pushed on earlier. I made a deal with myself - see how I feel at 7.5 miles and possibly leave the pacers at this point. At mile 6 I took a gel and I grabbed a quick cup of water at water station 2.

miles 7-10
I can't remember the distance exactly, but once we hit the canal (about 7.5m) I left the pacers. I run most of my LSRs on the canal so it didn't feel like the drag it did last year, it just felt familiar and doable. I passed a couple of people out along this stretch and crossed the finish line with my chip time of 1:37:52.

I am delighted with this race. Not just because I got the PB but also because of how I felt during it. I was comfortable for the first 6 miles. I feel like I may have had a better time in me if I had pulled away after mile 2 like the others, but for all I know I paced it just perfectly and pushing on sooner could have ruined me.

Today is a very good day for me - it has given me huge confidence - in both the plan and myself.

Things I learned for DCM today
Bring a spare hair tie!! At mile 6 my hair started coming loose but when I tried to take the hair tie out it got caught around my hair and ended up really difficult to remove. I tried leaving it but it was too distracting. If I had had a spare on my arm it all would have been so much easier, so might be a tip worth sharing with the long-haired among us :pac:

Well done Bananaleaf - sorry I didn't get to meet you. Great race and congrats on that pb!

Bananaleaf · 18-08-2019 5:58pm

eabha19 wrote: »

Well done Bananaleaf - sorry I didn't get to meet you. Great race and congrats on that pb!

Thank you and well done to you too. It sounds like we had very similar race strategies too!

eabha19 · 18-08-2019 6:06pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Thank you and well done to you too. It sounds like we had very similar race strategies too!

True but it seemed to have worked better for you than for me!!

Lombardo123 · 18-08-2019 6:32pm

Glad to get out and get a, mentally tough 16m in this morning. 1 half run

Lombardo123 · 18-08-2019 6:36pm

Glad to get out and get a mentally tough 16m in this morning. 1 half run done this week due to some inflammation around left knee. Trip to physio for a massage indicated nothing serious just a bit of rest and stretching/rolling needed.

Took a few days off and had to sacrifice PMP run and an easy run so I'd be ready for long run.

Out the door first thing and ran around Phoenix Park for a change so it wouldn't be so unfamiliar next week.

I'm quite similar to other comments where I tend to cause myself issues when I push it too fast, so I'm weary about next week's race. I'll do it either way and can see how hard to push it on the day. My first ever race was trim this year and I got in just under 1.18 but despite the extra miles in my legs it feels like that is out of reach.. Maybe I'm just tired after the run today!!

Great to read everyone's race reports. Everybody seems to just be knuckling down and getting it done!

Huzzah! · 18-08-2019 8:29pm

The boss man is at the cricket or something, so I’m standing in to provide the week nine preview.

Ten weeks to go and we're approaching the halfway mark in the plans. There’s been a noticeable lull in motivation this week and last, which is completely understandable. The hardest part of running a marathon is getting the training in and 18 weeks is a long time to stay committed to one goal. Take comfort in the miles you are running and the excellent training you are putting in; the victory lap on 27 October will make all the sacrifices well worth it.

Hopefully, the upcoming (appreciate some have raced this morning, too) opportunity to race will rekindle that motivation for you. The Frank Duffy 10 mile will be a significant milestone for many of you on your DCM journey that it will give you an opportunity to practice race strategy and preparation.

As it’s race week, sleeping, eating and drinking are going to be vital. Keep an eye on your hydration habits. Try to get the ZZZs in and make healthy food choices.

The advice from Wubble Wubble in 2017 regarding FD is great; as there’s no point in reinventing the wheel, I will quote it here:

“relax, be confident, and keep it nice and controlled at the start, especially as this race has a little kick in it towards the finish that will catch you out big time if you haven't managed it properly.”

Schedules for next week as follows:

For those not racing, week nine will look like this:

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|3m easy|6m easy|4m easy|rest|14m lsr|rest
Boards|rest,cross or 3m rec|4m easy|7m easy|4m easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|17m lsr|2m rec

For those racing, Week nine is as follows :

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|rest|3m easy|6m easy|rest|rest|FD10|rest
Boards|rest/cross/3M rec|4M with 5 x strides|5M easy|rest,cross or 3m rec|2m easy|FD10|2m rec

Frank Duffy 10 Mile 2019 Course Guide

With thanks to Wubble Wubble, below is a course guide for Saturday’s race. I don’t think there’s any change from the 2017 route. 2018 took a lovely detour to Swords but this year, Frank is back in the Phoenix Park. Keep the start conservative and don’t weave if you get caught up in crowds. You will be able to hit your stride soon enough.

Mile 1

The start is on Chesterfield Avenue. Don't be distracted by the usual hares, and take your time until you find your rhythm and correct pace. There's a slight rise at the very beginning, but a little dip before we swing left onto Ordnance Survey Road. There's usually a slight breeze to contend with here, but it's quite flat and shouldn't cause you any difficulty.

Mile 2

We go straight through the crossroads after passing the Ordnance Survey. The road swings to the left and then the fun starts with a downhill mile that gets steeper as we descend towards the Chapelizod Gate. So many race efforts will basically be banjaxed in this section, so resist the temptation to go too fast. Remember, there's still another 8 miles to go after you reach the bottom, including running this road in reverse on the way back!

Mile 3

For many of you, this will be your first test of the day, as we swing away from Chapelizod Gate. The initial section is the hardest, but then the climb is much less severe as we turn right and head for the S-bends and Military Hill. You may have to give yourself a little push or two towards the top of the S-bends, but at this stage you should still be in good shape, with another fast downhill to follow immediately after you reach the top. You'll see the Magazine Fort on your left as you descend the Military Hill; you'll remember having to go up it in the 5 Mile. Again, easy on the quads, as the steepest part of this descent is at the bottom, just before Islandbridge Gate.

Mile 4

We go straight through the crossroads here; the Khyber will be on your left, but we're heading for Wellington Road, and a short but sharp ascent to kick things off. From there it's fairly draggy as we pass the Wellington Monument before a brief turn left onto Chesterfield Avenue. Very soon, we're turning again, right this time, onto another slight rise along Lord's Walk, which takes us round the back of the azoo.

Mile 5

This is a harder one than it looks. There's a little dip before we leave the zoo and turn left onto the North Road. It may look like nothing if you're driving, but especially if you're starting to feel a bit of discomfort, it can feel really tough. It's slow and draggy, and not very exciting, but try and keep your rhythm and your form and you should still be looking good at halfway (roughly around Cabra Gate).

Mile 6

Another slow drag I'm afraid. I never like racing in this part of the Park, as we always have to go left at the start of the triangle beside the Hole In The Wall Pub. There's a water station here as well. Mind the 45 degree turn as you head back towards the North Road. You'll pass Ashtown Castle Visitor Centre just before the next mile marker.

Mile 7

Some welcome respite as we pass Ashtown Gate and head downhill towards the small roundabout near the Castleknock Gate. However, when we ran the loop on Saturday, this is where the wind was at its strongest in very open territory. Back left onto Chesterfield Avenue and downhill this time, as we pass through where we started just before the 7 mile marker.

Mile 8

We continue downhill, straight through the Phoenix (Eagle) roundabout. Hopefully you will still have plenty of power in the legs and can use it to your advantage here. Just as you can see the actual Áras An Uachtarán on your left, we take a sharp right and head towards the Papal Cross, swinging left onto yet more downhill on the Acres Road. Again, it's very exposed and can be very windy.

Mile 9

Towards the bottom of Acres Road, as we pass the entrance to St Mary's Hospital, is where the descent is at its steepest. There's a tricky little chicane to negotiate before we go around the back of the Cheshire Home. Remember, this time we turn right along the path we cover in the 5 mile; we DO NOT go right down to Chapelizod Gate. The start of the Glen Road may seem daunting at first, but it's not actually that steep, and if you've got your pacing right, you'll be passing people for fun now. Believe me, it'll feel good!

Mile 10

The last climb gradually levels off as we go through the twisty section in the middle and head back towards the crossroads we went through at Mile 1. This time, we go right onto the Furze Road, the home straight. If we're lucky, we may have a bit of a breeze behind us. According to the graphic, the finish will be about 700 metres from the crossroads, but from my own experience this isn't always 100% accurate. Regardless, you will have a good look at the finish line several hundred metres before you reach it. You've done all the hard work, and there's only a bit left, so if you have it in the legs, bring it home! Well done! If you actually read through all of this, the race itself will be no problem to you. Fingers crossed for PBs galore on Saturday!

Homework

How was week eight for you?
- Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?
- Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?

RentDayBlues · 18-08-2019 8:39pm

I’m not training for the marathon, just the half, but your description of the 10 mile just gave me the shivers - thank you so much!

Doc76 · 18-08-2019 9:06pm

Huzzah! wrote: »

The boss man is at the cricket or something, so I’m standing in to provide the week nine preview.

How was week eight for you?
- Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?
- Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?

Congrats on the cricket win, Mr G!

I completed all the runs this week. The LSR was tough due to weather conditions on Friday (had to do it a day early as was away for the weekend) but was happy afterwards to have gotten out there and over with. I took 2 gels ... one at 60 minutes and other an hour later. They didn’t give me much of a boost. I didn’t eat enough before heading out and felt under-fueled. Lesson learned

I think my paces for all the runs were ok.

Looking forward to the FD 10 miler this weekend. Phoenix Park isn’t my favourite place to run (sorry is that heresy to say here?!) but it’s a really well organized event. I haven’t done it in a few years but enjoyed the experience last time. Not sure what my strategy will be? I’m hoping to finish around 1:45 is that too ambitious considering it isn’t the flattest course? Was thinking of running the first 10k about 10:30 and then kicking it up a notch for the last 4 miles if I’m feeling up for it?

Hope you all have a good week and congrats to those who raced this weekend!

DBB · 18-08-2019 9:16pm

Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?
Yes, all done. Added a mile on here and there. Not the, easiest week of training I ever had esp on Wednesday and, the lsr yesterday (see below)...

Tuesday 4 miles, 11:41mins/mile, avg bpm 140
Wednesday 7 miles, 13:09mins/mile, avg bpm 141
Thursday 3 miles, 11:42mins/mile, avg bpm 138. Also 5 x 110m strides.
Saturday 16 miles, 12:45mins/mile, avg bpm 143. Longest run ever, and psychologically a great boost to get within 10(.2) miles of the finish line

Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?
Things slowed down a bit for me this week, I wasn't feeling 100% in myself. I don't feel this was running-related, maybe a low-lying tummy bug or something as I felt a bit ick.
I also found myself running up a lot of long drags, and facing into strong winds, particularly on the 7 mile midweek run, and the lsr... Jeez, the wind really shunts the HR up

I spent some of today watching videos of the DCM route. I came across this inspirational video. Maybe it's been posted before, but I felt I must share with you all

https://youtu.be/3ItnxJLAOeY

py · 18-08-2019 9:26pm

Huzzah! wrote: »

How was week eight for you?

Away but managed to get the runs in. Little concerned about perhaps having a few extra holiday pounds to drag around the FD10 next week but c'est la vie. Legs felt really fresh this week given I was off the bike and only focused on running. May cut down on the cycling during my taper in October to ensure maximum freshness for the main event.

Huzzah! wrote: »

Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?

All runs done.

Huzzah! wrote: »

Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?

All runs were bang on appropriate pace.

Midweek runs
1 - 5Km, 6:25/Km, 137avg HR
2 - 10Km, 6:56/Km, 139avg HR
3 - 5.5Km, 6:35/Km, 134avg HR
LSR
22.5Km, 7:01/Km, 135avg HR

kemcloughlin · 18-08-2019 9:55pm

Feeling vaguely more positive this week.

I got all the runs in, probably a little too fast?
3 mile easy 11.35/mile
6 mile easy 11.35/mile
3 mile easy 11.29/mile
14 mile LSR 12.04/mile
Cross training - a few pool lengths

Two questions:

Does anyone experience severe cramps in legs / glutes immediately after they finish a long run?

The first time it happened to me was at the Roscommon 10 mile. The pain was horrendous and lasted about 30 mins. I blamed sitting on a cold wall straight after I passed the finish line.

It didn't happen to me last week with the 12 mile. I credited that with not sitting on any walls and have Nuum tablets before I left and during the run.

This week, when I finished mile 14, I sat on a stone wall by salthill prom for a few mins - when I got the cramps started again - worse than childbirth. They were so so bad. Lasted 30 mins. I could hardly walk. I had Nuum before I left but not during the run. Is it possible the sitting too soon / the cold wall could be causing that or am I raving?

I am doing Tullamore half Saturday week so should my LSR this week be 15 miles instead of 14 as I wont be doing 15 next week?

kemcloughlin · 18-08-2019 10:02pm

I spent some of today watching videos of the DCM route. I came across this inspirational video. Maybe it's been posted before, but I felt I must share with you all

https://youtu.be/3ItnxJLAOeY[/QUOTE]

Super video! That's been me on the last 2 Saturdays

Irishder · 19-08-2019 8:15am

Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?
Yes, all done

Tuesday 3 miles, 10:40mins/mile, avg bpm 144
Wednesday 6 miles, 10:54 mins/mile, avg bpm 147
Thursday 3 miles, 10:42mins/mile, avg bpm 150
Sunday 1 miles, 11:00 mins/mile, avg bpm 157. Longest run ever.

Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?

Could not get the long run right for pace or heart rate. Had a really bad head cold (Man Flu) which may of effected me. However glad to get it done and longest run ever ran. took 2 gels and carried water so definitely better hydrated then last week.

passinginterest · 19-08-2019 8:30am

- Did you complete all the runs on your plan - if not, then why not?
Yep. With a slight adjustment, forgot gear on Wednesday so pushed the PMP back a day to Thursday. Long run went pretty well. Didn’t take any gels but was still strong enough towards the end. Didn’t get as dehydrated as previous efforts either. Also managed to wear the Hoka’s and not get terrible blisters, loosening the laces completely had made a huge difference. They’re so much easier on the legs so hopefully I can keep using them for the long runs now.

- Did you complete all the runs at an appropriate pace?
Pacing was about right I think. I’ll ease back a bit this week to prep for the 10 mile race.

On the weight front I seem to be hovering between 176 and 179 pounds. Back at 179 this week, after what I thought was a reasonably good week eating wise. I’m going to have to start calorie counting I think if I want to get down to the 160’s.

Wombled · 19-08-2019 8:42am

Congrats to all who completed kilcock, well done.

All runs completed this week
6 miles 11.27/ mile
3 mile 11.53/ mile
14 mile 12.02/ mile( longest run to date, 4 half marathon prior to this)
3 mile 11.37/ mile

Felt great this week, my LSr was a flat route, will definitely incorporate more hills into my long run. FD this week and looking forward to it, I think !!

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 8:54am

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Chip time: 1:37:52. Absolutely delighted with myself.

I don't like racing. I never sleep well the night before and I always feel sick the morning of. This race was no different but there was a strange feeling of confidence in me beneath it all. I felt as if I was going to have a good run.

I jogged to the start line from my home, which was my warm up. All I wanted from this race was a PB. My previous best time was 1:40 from Trim 10m 2yrs ago, so the plan was to hope I still had it in me to hang on behind the 1:40 pacers and maybe pull away at the end if I could.

miles 1-3
I tucked in behind the 1:40 pacers and hoped I could stay the distance. My worry with 10min/miles was that I wasn't familiar with how fast or slow they felt. The first and second mile felt very easy. Nearly too easy. I didn't know whether to push on or not. A lot of people left the pacing group at this stage but I decided to stay put. It was too early in the race for me to make that decision. At mile 3 I took a gel.

miles 4-6
The pace still felt very manageable up until 5 miles, where I began to feel it a bit. There was a drag somewhere along here - it could have been on the way to the 2nd water station - and I started to feel a tiredness in the legs. At this point I was glad I hadn't pushed on earlier. I made a deal with myself - see how I feel at 7.5 miles and possibly leave the pacers at this point. At mile 6 I took a gel and I grabbed a quick cup of water at water station 2.

miles 7-10
I can't remember the distance exactly, but once we hit the canal (about 7.5m) I left the pacers. I run most of my LSRs on the canal so it didn't feel like the drag it did last year, it just felt familiar and doable. I passed a couple of people out along this stretch and crossed the finish line with my chip time of 1:37:52.

I am delighted with this race. Not just because I got the PB but also because of how I felt during it. I was comfortable for the first 6 miles. I feel like I may have had a better time in me if I had pulled away after mile 2 like the others, but for all I know I paced it just perfectly and pushing on sooner could have ruined me.

Today is a very good day for me - it has given me huge confidence - in both the plan and myself.

Things I learned for DCM today
Bring a spare hair tie!! At mile 6 my hair started coming loose but when I tried to take the hair tie out it got caught around my hair and ended up really difficult to remove. I tried leaving it but it was too distracting. If I had had a spare on my arm it all would have been so much easier, so might be a tip worth sharing with the long-haired among us :pac:

Delighted for you. Well done. It sounds like you paced it perfectly!

Ever thought about a french plait for racing? I've never put one in myself for racing but they look the business.

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 8:57am

eabha19 wrote: »

Kilcock 10 mile run report

I followed the adjusted plan this week (thank you Mr Guappa) so should have been fairly well rested this week. Yesterday however was a bit mental as I had to drop my boys to airport at 5 a.m. and then spent 9 hours traipsing around Tayto Park with 8 little girls for my daughter's birthday party. Not ideal but after a big takeaway curry I did get to bed by 10:30 and slept well.
We got to the run nice and early, no problem parking and plenty of toilets available. I was with my club mates and we ran about a mile together warming up - I don't always do a warm up at longer races (unless I'm literally cold in winter races) but it was great to warm up my ankle as my first mile is always where it hurts me the most.
I was saying my race goal was sub 90 mins but really I wanted to beat my PB of 1hr28 or at least match it (don't we all always want to beat ourselves!). My strategy was to stick with the 90 min pacers and then in second half try to run ahead of them. The pacers were 3 very friendly, cheery girls and I enjoyed running with them. I felt very comfortable running with them and enjoyed the very flat route, gentle drizzle and the company of the pacing pack. I took on a small bit of water at 3 miles but, even though I know they're much more environmentally friendly, I can't manage those cups well and had to catch up with the pack after struggling to throw a few sips in my mouth. At 5 miles I thought about running on but decided to stick with the pacers til we reached 7 miles. At 6 miles I managed to throw the cup of water in my eye instead of my mouth - definitely getting into running with my own bottles for future long races.

At about 7 miles stage myself and another girl moved out a little and ran together for the next three miles, most of which were along the canal. Realistically we didn't get much further than the pacers as this stretch was the toughest - I found that I was definitely no longer comfortable at this stretch and whilst I'd up the pace for a bit, I'd find I couldn't keep it consistently and not sufficiently faster to make any real difference to finish time. The canal stretch felt so long and tough! I picked it up as much as I could for the last kilometre but my breathing was very laboured and I fell over that finish line at 29 mins 17 secs! A sub 90 mins but not a pb. Not sure if I could have reached the pb if I had just run at my average pace for the pb 10 mile or if I had tried to break away from the group a little earlier but having said that I did enjoy the company of the pacers too - just felt like the route and the conditions were perfect for a pb. However, I was really glad to see that my legs can still run under 10 minute miles after all my slower running over the last few weeks.
Mile breakdowns as follows - first 7 were set by the pacers, last three was where I tried to move forward (it looks like I slowed down but I think the pacers dropped pace a little as they had banked a few seconds along the way)
1 - 8:46 min/mi
2- 9:10
3- 8:53
4- 8:57
5- 8:51
6 - 8:56
7- 9:01
8- 9:06
9 - 8:58
10 - 8:35

We ended the race with a trip to the pub for a glass of wine and a packet of crisps and then I went straight to bed when I came home. In the pjs now and the dog is looking at me expectantly for a walk - I love her but not sure if I love her that much!!
I didn't get to see any of our gang - not very surprising as I don't really know what anyone looks like!!
Best of luck to all running FD 10 next week - I'll be catching up on the 16 miles ye did this weekend.

Different pacing strategies suit different people. Some people like even pacing, some people like to negative split. I think you did really well and got lots of valuable practice in running with a pace group in.

I feel like if you'd a different Saturday, you might just have got your PB as well but life has to go on too and we all have important commitments outside of running.

Well done.

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 8:59am

Lombardo123 wrote: »

Glad to get out and get a mentally tough 16m in this morning. 1 half run done this week due to some inflammation around left knee. Trip to physio for a massage indicated nothing serious just a bit of rest and stretching/rolling needed.

Took a few days off and had to sacrifice PMP run and an easy run so I'd be ready for long run.

Out the door first thing and ran around Phoenix Park for a change so it wouldn't be so unfamiliar next week.

I'm quite similar to other comments where I tend to cause myself issues when I push it too fast, so I'm weary about next week's race. I'll do it either way and can see how hard to push it on the day. My first ever race was trim this year and I got in just under 1.18 but despite the extra miles in my legs it feels like that is out of reach.. Maybe I'm just tired after the run today!!

Great to read everyone's race reports. Everybody seems to just be knuckling down and getting it done!

Keep an eye on that niggle before committing to racing next week. Well done on the long run.

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 9:03am

Doc76 wrote: »

Congrats on the cricket win, Mr G!

I completed all the runs this week. The LSR was tough due to weather conditions on Friday (had to do it a day early as was away for the weekend) but was happy afterwards to have gotten out there and over with. I took 2 gels ... one at 60 minutes and other an hour later. They didn’t give me much of a boost. I didn’t eat enough before heading out and felt under-fueled. Lesson learned

I think my paces for all the runs were ok.

Looking forward to the FD 10 miler this weekend. Phoenix Park isn’t my favourite place to run (sorry is that heresy to say here?!) but it’s a really well organized event. I haven’t done it in a few years but enjoyed the experience last time. Not sure what my strategy will be? I’m hoping to finish around 1:45 is that too ambitious considering it isn’t the flattest course? Was thinking of running the first 10k about 10:30 and then kicking it up a notch for the last 4 miles if I’m feeling up for it?

Hope you all have a good week and congrats to those who raced this weekend!

Phoenix Park is great for a run but it's definitely a tough place to race, so you're allowed stay

Is the 10k time of 1:07 your most recent race time? Was that an all-out effort?

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 9:11am

kemcloughlin wrote: »

Feeling vaguely more positive this week.

I got all the runs in, probably a little too fast?
3 mile easy 11.35/mile
6 mile easy 11.35/mile
3 mile easy 11.29/mile
14 mile LSR 12.04/mile
Cross training - a few pool lengths

Two questions:

Does anyone experience severe cramps in legs / glutes immediately after they finish a long run?

The first time it happened to me was at the Roscommon 10 mile. The pain was horrendous and lasted about 30 mins. I blamed sitting on a cold wall straight after I passed the finish line.

It didn't happen to me last week with the 12 mile. I credited that with not sitting on any walls and have Nuum tablets before I left and during the run.

This week, when I finished mile 14, I sat on a stone wall by salthill prom for a few mins - when I got the cramps started again - worse than childbirth. They were so so bad. Lasted 30 mins. I could hardly walk. I had Nuum before I left but not during the run. Is it possible the sitting too soon / the cold wall could be causing that or am I raving?

I am doing Tullamore half Saturday week so should my LSR this week be 15 miles instead of 14 as I wont be doing 15 next week?

I only get cramps when racing and haven't got them in a while. I'll never forget how bad they were after my first half. I think the cause of cramps is somewhat unknown. The first thing is to make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard on your long runs. Second, make sure you're well hydrated all week not just the day of long runs.

For your long run this week, I think stick with the 14 miles.

Huzzah! · 19-08-2019 9:11am

RentDayBlues wrote: »

I’m not training for the marathon, just the half, but your description of the 10 mile just gave me the shivers - thank you so much!

Oh, it's not mine but you're welcome. Good luck in the half

Dante · 19-08-2019 9:40am

I'm sure its been asked a dozen times already but can anyone recommend any decent energy gels? Theres only so many haribo sweets I can eat in a week.

DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread

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