My taper has started a bit earlier than most but I am going to try to do my remaining longer runs at Marathon Pace - today I got 13 Km in 5:31Km pace -well inside the 4:00Marathon pace. I have a 20Km at the weekend and I will try the same again
Gonna go for a 20-22m on sat after work and that's it for me, lots of short snappy marathon paced efforts and some short sessions like 4-8x400s over the next 3 wks, I find it helps sharpen you up after the endurance work is done. Hopefully marathon pace will feel easy on the day then. Planning on 2.49.59 weather permitting. Way to many lined up over the next 12 months to try again as I wanna get to my 100th now. So for me it's gonna be a do or die situation. Soooooo looking forward to a guiness after and I know the best burger house in Europe and its in Dublin
The burger place? I can't remember the name but I know where it is, just the other side of Grafton st from the finish. By looking at the map I think it's on Dame St, mind u it was 2006 I last did Dublin. 02, 04, 06 I did and its been to long.
Hello all... new to the forums for my first Dublin Marathon and glad when this weekend is over so can finally start the taaaaaaaaper!
For the residents of Dublin or those who know it well, any recommendations for a good Italian restaurant for a slap up pasta meal on Sunday night? and I presume we'll have to book as a few thousand others will be thining the same!
I'd like a bit more local info too. How many are likely to be in the field? Is the expo in the city centre? Any hints and tips from the Dublin veterans for us newbies?
That info is on the event website. Says there have been 14,300 entries, so proabably expect circa 10,000 to 11,000 runners.
Expo is at R.D.S in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Can see where it is on google maps, doesn't look too far out of town.
Just thinking about nutrition. Not a fan of High 5 gels so will be carrying my own SIS ones, but looks like the sports drinks they'll be handing out on the course are Spar own brand... hmmmm...
Italian food - pasta etc is overrated as is carbo loading, just have what you noally have with a few treats eg, I like nuts and soreen etc salty crisps it only takes 3000 cals not 10 so don't go mad coz u will feel like mr blobby. Snack all day the day before and have small meals often and u will fly a big nosh up at 7-8pm will bloat u out.
That info is on the event website. Says there have been 14,300 entries, so proabably expect circa 10,000 to 11,000 runners.
Expo is at R.D.S in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Can see where it is on google maps, doesn't look too far out of town.
Just thinking about nutrition. Not a fan of High 5 gels so will be carrying my own SIS ones, but looks like the sports drinks they'll be handing out on the course are Spar own brand... hmmmm... only a mile frt
It is only a mile from the stat of the race- Lenster RUFC play the Ospreys there at 6:30 on the Saturday night of the Expo
Anyway it's getting towards the end of the most gruelling week of training for most.How is everyone feeling? I'm just back from a 10 miler tonight, so thats 20 miles this week so far, 2 gym sessions iin addtion to that and just the 20 miler left to come on Saturday. Still feeling pretty good and life left in the legs although they will thank me greatly for tomorrows rest day. I've remained injury free throught this whole training block and if I can come out of Saturdays 20 miler injury free there's no excuse for me not to get the 3h30 target,
Will, i hope you have got through your 20 miler with no injuries. I am doing my 20 mile long run tomorrow, weekly total of 57 miles, and hope to be in the same postition as yourself....injury-free on the start line aiming for a 3hr 30 time.
I am in two minds how to treat my 20 miler tomorrow....take it slow and easy and get the miles in the legs, or start at marathon pace and see how long i can sustain it for!!! I did a 10 mile run today at marathon pace and managed that in 1hr16, so i am tempted just to take it easy so i can avoid injury??
Can't wait for the taper to start...!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I would take it easy Dave, if you want to introduce a little speed in the workout maybe try marathon pace for the last 3 or 4 miles but otherwise i wouldnt want to push my luck at this stage.
Injury free here also so just a couple of moody weeks ahead (have warned friends and family i suffer badly from taper blues) and then we can have a proper crack at the marathon. Hoping for a 3.10 maybe 3.15 but whatever happens it should be a big improvement on my pb of 4.45ish.
Did a hilly 22 yesterday nice and easy, took me longer than I plan to do the marathon. You don't wanna knacker your self out now. It's just a final top up! Time to wind it right down now, recover and sharpen up a bit. Lots of short quicker stuff, reps at 5-10k pace etc
Sorry - Wrong Information its Leinster v Cardiff Blues at 6:30 on the 27th in the RDS.
I did 20Km at sub-marathon pace yesterday - 1:49:50 - That's 3:51 marathon pace but I was feeling it for the lasat 2 or 3 Km - Hopefully the taper will let me store a bit of energy up and the Gels may help
Good Luck with the 20 miler today Dave, your probably out on the streets as I type.
Mines didn't go quite as well as planned, my pace really slowed the last 3 or 4 miles and I really felt tired. In retrospect I should have gone out today and given an extra days rest after the 10 miler as the legs really felt tired from an early stage. It's done though and I won't be too negative about it as I feel like I've done everything right in my training plan. I was going to have another rest today but it's a great day so am having a recovery 4 mile run.
3h30 is still the target for me although yesterday was a welcome reminder that is going to be a big ask. The taper should get the freshness back in the legs and I've even given up alcohol( 2weeks and counting) to make sure I am at peak come race day.
Good luck to everyone running out there today, stay safe and injury free.
1st Dublin marathon for me, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm Powewalking it, and am hoping for a finish around 6hrs. So most of you will be long gone, by the time I cross the line. Did the Bristol Half last weekend, and have the Oxford half next weekend. Looking forward to soaking up the Dublin atmosphere, and hopefully, it will be a lot drier than last year. Very pleased to hear that Cardiff Blues are playing, need to try and get tickets for that.
Will...i wish i had read your reply before i went out today.
After a great 10 miles on saturday, every mile done at less than planned marathon pace (7mins 50), todays 20 miler was a disaster. I felt tired and out-of-sorts from the first mile and the last few miles were really a struggle.....but.....now i am back in and analysed my pace/times i can see it wasn't as bad as i felt it was.
As everyone is saying, i hope that the taper will let the legs feel fresh and ready on 29th...and Will i will be chasing you all the way round if you are feeling confident about your 3hr 30 time...
Good work Dave. If you completed the 20 mile run then it definitely was not a disaster. The most important thing about the long run is getting used to spending that length of time running. Your 10 miler is a better indicator of reaching your 3h30 goal. I would say at this stage that I would rather be chasing you around to get the target! I think at this stage my plan is going to be to sit with the pacers for the first half of the race at least and then hopefully hang on in there.
The 3 week taper does seem a long time so I will be doing plenty of sub 8min mile running and a few speed sessions to keep me sharp. Last year I had a 2 week taper and because of IT band problems and general lethargy I did very little running of any quality of substance in that period. Think I paid for that on race day.
Feel like it's my last chance tonight to do the 20 miler I've been procrastinating about. Just haven't been feeling tip top this past while, but I feel like I need it in the bank. I was very confident about Dublin a couple of weeks ago, getting nervous now. I don't want my first Marathon to be a disaster!
Ok...now I know why I struggled with run yesterday-off work today with a bug... hope it is just the 24 hr type!!
One plus point is that has hit me now and not a couple of days before marathon.
Going to take it easy for a couple of days and then ease myself back in.
Good luck JLB3 if you get your 20 miler done, and also I think it is quite common that as you get nearer to an event you start to think whether you've done enough training and then the panic sets in...don't let it!!!
Will, its definatly bang on wot you say about the 20 ans 10 miler, 20m runs hurt more than the marathon. As it 21 days out ive just done the Yasso 800's I hope his theory is right as they all felt comfortable. key is now to stay sharp and injury free! roll on Dublin!!
JLB3, dont beat yourself up about it, your better off to be undertrained than over trained so as long as yor sensible at the start im sure you will be just fine. its your 1st one so dont put pressure on yourself for a time its all about picking up that medal!
Thanks guys, just need to remember my goal when I entered was just to run it with no time goal, started getting carried away with sub 3:45 as training was going really well. Life got in the way of run last night and paranoid about sniffles...
Chill out and enjoy the occasion/weekend and you may suprise yourself, start easy and increase the pace if your feeling ok, take it mile by mile and you will breeze it.
JLB3 - i can only repeat the above...enjoy the experience and take it easy.
But i also found it useful to have THREE times that, once you have honestly looked at your training and times, you are happy with. I called them my Gold, Silver and Bronze times.
In my case for my first marathon in Fort william this year:-
My gold time was anything under 4 hours (ie the run has gone as well or slightly better than expected)
My silver time was between 4hrs and 4:30 (ie. i've done well but maybe not coped well with the latter stages after 20 miles)
My bronze time was anything over 4:30 (ie. something has gone wrong eg,cramp and i have had to walk more often than not)
Worked well for me and i got time of 3:49:45, so now i have my revised gold,silver and bronze times for dublin
Good advice for JLB there Dave. Dublin was my first marathon last year and 3h45 was my aim. My IT band flared up at 8 miles an I ended up coming in at 3:59. Was I at all dissapointed? Not in the least. Marathon 1 is all about getting round, soaking it up and enjoying what you've achieved. Of course you need a target but don't get too hung up on it.
I decided to do some speedwork round a football pitch tonight. Jees it was hard work! Was running roughly 350metre "sprints" which were about 5min mile pace andit was very tough. I'm sure it will serve some benefit. I was out of breath which is something that doesnt obviously happen at 8min mile pace. Been a while since I pushed the pace like that.
Comments
My taper has started a bit earlier than most but I am going to try to do my remaining longer runs at Marathon Pace - today I got 13 Km in 5:31Km pace -well inside the 4:00Marathon pace. I have a 20Km at the weekend and I will try the same again
What's it called Muzza?
Hello all... new to the forums for my first Dublin Marathon and glad when this weekend is over so can finally start the taaaaaaaaper!
For the residents of Dublin or those who know it well, any recommendations for a good Italian restaurant for a slap up pasta meal on Sunday night? and I presume we'll have to book as a few thousand others will be thining the same!
I'd like a bit more local info too. How many are likely to be in the field? Is the expo in the city centre? Any hints and tips from the Dublin veterans for us newbies?
That info is on the event website. Says there have been 14,300 entries, so proabably expect circa 10,000 to 11,000 runners.
Expo is at R.D.S in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Can see where it is on google maps, doesn't look too far out of town.
Just thinking about nutrition. Not a fan of High 5 gels so will be carrying my own SIS ones, but looks like the sports drinks they'll be handing out on the course are Spar own brand... hmmmm...
It is only a mile from the stat of the race- Lenster RUFC play the
Ospreys there at 6:30 on the Saturday night of the Expo
Will, i hope you have got through your 20 miler with no injuries. I am doing my 20 mile long run tomorrow, weekly total of 57 miles, and hope to be in the same postition as yourself....injury-free on the start line aiming for a 3hr 30 time.
I am in two minds how to treat my 20 miler tomorrow....take it slow and easy and get the miles in the legs, or start at marathon pace and see how long i can sustain it for!!! I did a 10 mile run today at marathon pace and managed that in 1hr16, so i am tempted just to take it easy so i can avoid injury??
Can't wait for the taper to start...!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Take it easy. 20 miles at marathon pace will take some recovering from.
I would take it easy Dave, if you want to introduce a little speed in the workout maybe try marathon pace for the last 3 or 4 miles but otherwise i wouldnt want to push my luck at this stage.
Injury free here also so just a couple of moody weeks ahead (have warned friends and family i suffer badly from taper blues) and then we can have a proper crack at the marathon. Hoping for a 3.10 maybe 3.15 but whatever happens it should be a big improvement on my pb of 4.45ish.
Sorry - Wrong Information its Leinster v Cardiff Blues at 6:30 on the 27th in the RDS.
I did 20Km at sub-marathon pace yesterday - 1:49:50 - That's 3:51 marathon pace but I was feeling it for the lasat 2 or 3 Km - Hopefully the taper will let me store a bit of energy up and the Gels may help
Good Luck with the 20 miler today Dave, your probably out on the streets as I type.
Mines didn't go quite as well as planned, my pace really slowed the last 3 or 4 miles and I really felt tired. In retrospect I should have gone out today and given an extra days rest after the 10 miler as the legs really felt tired from an early stage. It's done though and I won't be too negative about it as I feel like I've done everything right in my training plan. I was going to have another rest today but it's a great day so am having a recovery 4 mile run.
3h30 is still the target for me although yesterday was a welcome reminder that is going to be a big ask. The taper should get the freshness back in the legs and I've even given up alcohol( 2weeks and counting) to make sure I am at peak come race day.
Good luck to everyone running out there today, stay safe and injury free.
1st Dublin marathon for me, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm Powewalking it, and am hoping for a finish around 6hrs. So most of you will be long gone, by the time I cross the line. Did the Bristol Half last weekend, and have the Oxford half next weekend. Looking forward to soaking up the Dublin atmosphere, and hopefully, it will be a lot drier than last year. Very pleased to hear that Cardiff Blues are playing, need to try and get tickets for that.
Will...i wish i had read your reply before i went out today.
After a great 10 miles on saturday, every mile done at less than planned marathon pace (7mins 50), todays 20 miler was a disaster. I felt tired and out-of-sorts from the first mile and the last few miles were really a struggle.....but.....now i am back in and analysed my pace/times i can see it wasn't as bad as i felt it was.
As everyone is saying, i hope that the taper will let the legs feel fresh and ready on 29th...and Will i will be chasing you all the way round if you are feeling confident about your 3hr 30 time...
Good work Dave. If you completed the 20 mile run then it definitely was not a disaster. The most important thing about the long run is getting used to spending that length of time running. Your 10 miler is a better indicator of reaching your 3h30 goal. I would say at this stage that I would rather be chasing you around to get the target! I think at this stage my plan is going to be to sit with the pacers for the first half of the race at least and then hopefully hang on in there.
The 3 week taper does seem a long time so I will be doing plenty of sub 8min mile running and a few speed sessions to keep me sharp. Last year I had a 2 week taper and because of IT band problems and general lethargy I did very little running of any quality of substance in that period. Think I paid for that on race day.
Feel like it's my last chance tonight to do the 20 miler I've been procrastinating about. Just haven't been feeling tip top this past while, but I feel like I need it in the bank. I was very confident about Dublin a couple of weeks ago, getting nervous now. I don't want my first Marathon to be a disaster!
One plus point is that has hit me now and not a couple of days before marathon.
Going to take it easy for a couple of days and then ease myself back in.
Good luck JLB3 if you get your 20 miler done, and also I think it is quite common that as you get nearer to an event you start to think whether you've done enough training and then the panic sets in...don't let it!!!
Will, its definatly bang on wot you say about the 20 ans 10 miler, 20m runs hurt more than the marathon. As it 21 days out ive just done the Yasso 800's I hope his theory is right as they all felt comfortable. key is now to stay sharp and injury free! roll on Dublin!!
JLB3, dont beat yourself up about it, your better off to be undertrained than over trained so as long as yor sensible at the start im sure you will be just fine. its your 1st one so dont put pressure on yourself for a time its all about picking up that medal!
Thanks Jim, already secured them.
Thanks guys, just need to remember my goal when I entered was just to run it with no time goal, started getting carried away with sub 3:45 as training was going really well. Life got in the way of run last night and paranoid about sniffles...
Chill out and enjoy the occasion/weekend and you may suprise yourself, start easy and increase the pace if your feeling ok, take it mile by mile and you will breeze it.
JLB3 - i can only repeat the above...enjoy the experience and take it easy.
But i also found it useful to have THREE times that, once you have honestly looked at your training and times, you are happy with. I called them my Gold, Silver and Bronze times.
In my case for my first marathon in Fort william this year:-
My gold time was anything under 4 hours (ie the run has gone as well or slightly better than expected)
My silver time was between 4hrs and 4:30 (ie. i've done well but maybe not coped well with the latter stages after 20 miles)
My bronze time was anything over 4:30 (ie. something has gone wrong eg,cramp and i have had to walk more often than not)
Worked well for me and i got time of 3:49:45, so now i have my revised gold,silver and bronze times for dublin
Good advice for JLB there Dave. Dublin was my first marathon last year and 3h45 was my aim. My IT band flared up at 8 miles an I ended up coming in at 3:59. Was I at all dissapointed? Not in the least. Marathon 1 is all about getting round, soaking it up and enjoying what you've achieved. Of course you need a target but don't get too hung up on it.
I decided to do some speedwork round a football pitch tonight. Jees it was hard work! Was running roughly 350metre "sprints" which were about 5min mile pace and it was very tough. I'm sure it will serve some benefit. I was out of breath which is something that doesnt obviously happen at 8min mile pace. Been a while since I pushed the pace like that.
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.