Dublin 2012

Thanks again, indeed solid advice.  In those terms my bronze goal is to get round, my silver is sub 4 and gold sub 3:50. 

Dublin will be my first marathon and I'm targetting sub 4hrs as my 'happy-enough' time and 3:45 as my "deliriously happy" time. In reality I'll probably come in between the two.

I know the 4 hr pacer well, so have serious motivation to stay ahead of him.

Did a 10 miler today in 80 mins with my dog. I'm worried that I can't remember when 10 miles became a short, easy run.

 

Will...i have been doing some speedwork this week, which i never did for the last marathon. I am hoping that it pays off in a couple of weeks!!  Been doing shorter runs (4-5 miles) but at quite a good pace for me (approx 7:00 mins/mile). Also did 8x800 laps at running track this morning and averaged at 3mins 20sec at a good but easy pace, so by the yasso perspective i am heading for 3hr 20 marathon .

JLB3...Good luck with your bronze,silver and gold goals. As i said before enjoy it and dont worry about time. The only reason for you to be unhappy on the day is if you have to pull-out half way round and can't complete it, as you have been training to complete a marathon and haven't managed to do that.

Redjeep....i was saying the same thing about long runs becoming short runs to someone just the other day. When i started running last august (2011) i did a SIX mile route that took me well over an hour and i thought it was a MASSIVE run....but now this same route is my SHORT,FAST run and i am annoyed if it takes me longer than 45 minutes...amazing how things change!!????

Out for my last long run tomorrow morning and then starting the taper. I'm planning between 21 and 23 miles in the morning and then spending the afternoon at a charity party in my village bragging to the local yummy mummies.

Hope it doesn't all go horribly wrong.

dave b  - you're doing really well if you only started running last August. Good luck on the day.

16Km for me tomorrow - Marathon Guru training plan has me at 3:52 but as my best was last year in 4:28 I would be delighted with 3:59:59 but any improvement is a new PB. I did 20Km training run last week in 1:49:50 so I was happy with that as I could have gone quicker though I was a bit tired at the end of it. Still doing 6 sessions a week but two are speed sessions and the recovery runs are down to 6 km. I still got over 35Mile in this week and 33 Miles last week but that follows a number of +50 mile weeks so I feel a lot better prepared than last yeat. Could be 3rd Dublin marathon lucky!!!

I was a naughty boy today. My plan had me down for 12 miles and tapering. However I had a nagging feeling about last weeks 20 miler and how the last few miles went. Therefore I set out with the intention of doing 12 miles and at then seeing how I felt from there. In the end I completed 19 miles at a solid even pace on what was quite an undulating course. I would have done the 20 but my route brought me back to my flat and at that stage I had run the last 3 miles in torrential rain and was soaked!

It probably wasn't wise to digress from my training plan but mentally and physically I think it will benefit me greatly. Also I know a lot of you like RedJeep are still getting a 20 miler in today so it's not as if I am doing it just a week before. I wasn't dying at the end and if at any stage I had been struggling seriously I would have called it quits knowing I had my 12 mile target in the bag. It was also beneficial to get some miles into my new trainers, which I was forced to buy due a hole in my other ones. Went for the same model but still takes miles to break them in.

I well and truly am going to enjoy the taper now. 8 miles is my longest scheduled run and that will be bliss. Lots of healthy eating, plenty of sleep and visualising crossing the line in 3:29:59! Just 7 more training runs left to go.

How's everyone elses training gone? Everyone over their ailments, colds etc?

Well done on the 19 miler WIll Walsh, I was tempted to do the same but was strict with myself as I have a chest cold at the mo. Still. managed a half marathon today  in just under 1:45 and in my new shoes so pretty pleased with that as they felt perfectly fine and should be nicely broken in for Dublin. I can't wait now, it's getting very close

Will, tut tut tut!! Hope that wasn't your Dublin marathon race done today? As long as it was mega slow you should recover fine, anything we do within 21 days prior to a marathon will hinder rather help you in race day! No benifit in fitness gain at all! It's all in our heads! As long as you keep it short and sweet, rest when you feel like it eat healthy and keep weight off it will be fine, you loose no fitness at all! Everyone thinks and worries they will loose all there training but you won't!! Been there done it blown it many times!

Went out with a easy 10-12in my head but wasn't feeling it today so came home after 6, if the body says no it's best to listen at this stage. Dublin will be marathon 78 if I get around and I'm still learning, we're all different and find what's best for us as individuals tho I suppose. Desperate for a PB in Dublin so I need to listen to my own advice for a change staying off the wine before and black stuff once I get there is going to be my biggest goal!

I know Muzza I know! I did run at a steady pace of around 45 secs per mile slower than target paceand thats a full 1min30 secs per mile slower than I run my half marathons. I listened to my body today and it told me that 19 miles was a good idea.  Online there is a lot of debate between 2 and 3 week tapers but I'm certainly not going to argue with someone with 78 marathons behind their belt though! This will be number 2 for me.

I like the fact you ditched the run 6 miles in, obviously a man who knows when and when not to push things. What would your advice be running wise for the last two weeks? I feel as if last year I got lazy and didn't do enough but then I did have IT band issues and was in retrospect already over the top by that stage.

What is your current pb out of interest?

Sounds ok mate, nice easy pace means u will recover fine I'm sure. Like I said its each to there own, some people like it 2 wks before but I wouldn't recommend it unless you were 100% niggle/injury free.

Personally in the last 2-3 wks I find 4-6 m is enough, maybe one 8m but during that I may run 2-4x 800 at 10k pace with 400 jog recovery, it's all about staying sharp but fresh. I like to do a 10k the wk before if I can find one, stretches the body out, clears the lungs and makes marathon pace feel easier....ish. Next sun I've planned a 7m race, warm up well and down and should recover fine for race day.

Although I am a hipacrit a lot! I've done loads of back to back and gone quicker 6-7 days after the 1st, funny how it works sometimes. My PB was London this year, stinking cold, 100m bike ride 3 days before as i was training for Outlaw triathon and a 2.52 at Taunton 3 wks before that, i went there and did 2.50.38, dont get it so see told u I was a hipacrit. But I think the more marathons you do is a valuable tool knowing how your body feels and knowing to react fast by listening to it.

Another tip that's helped me, all this carbo load rubbish eating for 3-4 days or week leading up is bad! All you do is get to race day feeling like Mr Blobby, eat normal right up till the day before and snack more often during that day, it's only a marathon and will only burn 3-4000 calls max so we don't need to consume 10-15000 extra during race week. Snack what you enjoy and a treat the night before, I love bread rolls, and look forward to a bag if mixed salted nuts night before, that's half the race call's right there in the nuts.

As always each to there own, but that's me.

Finaly got some running done over the weekend, a fast 5 miles on Friday, and easy broken up 10 miles on Saturday, and an eay 4 miles last night.  Had a last treat last night and it's blown up in my face.  Food poisoning, up all night, feel like death, but have had to come into work.  Yuk!

Hi All, This will be my first marathon and am getting extremely nervous now. Training has gone pretty well (I think - although my feet felt the 22 mile run last week for days) I don't know how long it will actually take me to finish but i would love to complete under 4.10, I hope I am being realistic.

Aimed to do my last LSR yesterday of 20miles.  Knocked flying by an over exuberant Spaniel that (lovingly)! flew at me from a farm yard so only managed to get to 16, bruised, grazed & nearly having a 'major meltdown'! Have managed 18miles a couple of weeks ago - hoping that atmosphere, adrenaline & sheer b....y mindedness will get me through.  Would love to do it in 4.30, but anything less than 4.55 is a pb.

Really impressed by all you super speedy runners - must take so much dedication to put in all those miles & hours!

Happy tapering!

 

Some good advice on here about tapering and carb loading etc. Thanks everyone.

My last long run went well. I actually did 24 miles at a slowish pace which is the furthest I've ever ran. I'm pleased that I did it, as I really didn't feel like going out at all and had to drag myself around (and it was raining for most of it). Anyway, that's my last long run and I'm planning to take it fairly easy from today onwards with just a couple of 6 -10 milers with the club this week and next and maybe something around 10km to half marathon this w/e, but I'll see what the coach says.

I'm hoping his advice will be to take it easy !

I'm growing paranoid about catching a cold at the moment, so am taking plenty of vitamin C to try and prevent it.

So after my exertions over the weekend, I went running with the club tonight. A nice easy 6 mile run around the village was prescribed by the coach. Easy. Or so I thought until half way around, I fell off a kerb in the dark and have done something serious to my right ankle.  I went down fairly hard, twisting my right ankle, hitting the ground with my left knee and both my hands.

I'm now lying on my bed, unable to move. Dosed up with ibuprofen (the runner's friend) and applying ice to my ankle. I can't even stand up at the moment. I hope it gets better soon or my DCM hopes are over.

Boll0x....

Redjeep... That is so unlucky...hopefully with rest and ice it clears up quickly!!!

2 x 2 Km in 9:31 each and 1Km in 4:41 with a 2 minute walk between each one today

I have a 11Km tomorrow/6Km Thursday/5Km Race pace Friday/6Km Sat/, 13Km Sunday, my program still has me on 6 sessions a week but lighter sessions - They do give me the Sunday off before the marathon

I've decided to enter Dublin 2013 as my first marathon. Good luck with your training everyone!

dave b 74 wrote (see)

Redjeep... That is so unlucky...hopefully with rest and ice it clears up quickly!!!

Thanks Dave, It's just so frustrating now that all of the hard training is over. I was looking forward to both running the marathon and some gentle 'social' running again leading up to it.

Anyway, I went to the physio and he doesn't seem to think that anything is broken, so with a bit of luck and plenty of rest, ibuprofen and ice, I may still get to run it. Fingers crossed.

Time will tell.

 

Best of luck Redjeep! fingers crossed you will recover in time.