Dublin Marathon race report 2012

Dublin Marathon race report -29^th October

I finally cracked the magical sub 3.30 coming in at 3.27.17 and while it might appear to be a tight finish the truth be known I felt very comfortable for the duration of the race. I often read about “achieving flow” and while that might be a bit waffly for my taste I was in a very happy place from start to finish.

Met up with Don Golden in the Cliff townhouse on Stephens Green and we headed to Merrion Sq for the bag drop. This is my 3^rd Dublin Marathon but I just love the buzz and excitement of seeing 12,000 people arriving en mass in this wonderful celebration of human endeavour. The positivity of people never surprises me and I was in great form. Met up and spoke briefly with a few mallow lads a couple of whom were pushing for a sub 3. (Well done Noel and Mick.)

What did throw me was the disorganisation and crush that occurred in getting to the correct pen area. I had visions of Rome again but eventually all was sorted and at 8.55am  i was ready to go. Don was going for a sub 4 and slipped off down the back. I was keeping my eyes on the 3.30 pacers. They were probably 2 minutes in front of me but I wasn’t unduly worried. I had allowed for the usual congestion down Kildare St- O’Connell st and Phibsborough and the first few miles reflect this – 8.15, 7.57, 7.55. Neverthless what was surprising was that points of the course were crowded more so than usual, probably due to the increased numbers. One guy on a motorbike was trying to get through the crowds before we hit Phoenix Park. Some of the runners were not happy and I was worried it could get nasty. Either way he/she shouldn’t have been there but then again neither should have the slower runners who constantly slowed me down. I nearly tripped over a few guys feet going into the park and while I was hitting good times I wasn’t any closer to the pacer than I was when we started.

I also mentally couldn’t get into a proper race focus and my breathing was a bit erratic. I was feeling unsettled so I started to count backwards from 100 to 1. I know it sounds silly but by the time I got to 53 I was a lot calmer.  After mile 6 had to stop for a bathroom break  but managed to catch up with the pack by running along the pavement in the park. This was a bit of a godsend as it allowed me plenty of space to give slower  runners the slip and get closer to the pacers.  At mile 7 my watch read 55mins 40 seconds and things were slowly coming together. Mentally I was become totally tuned into the job at hand and I was taking no notice of the spectators, fellow runners or attempts at conversation by some crazy deranged Ennis woman. Heading down Chesterfield Ave my pacer guy pulled off the course to relive himself by a tree. It brought a great reaction from the crowd but I suspect John’s neck went a bit red. At mile 9 I consumed my first gel and almost got flattened at the water station for the 3^rd time. This was to prove a hazard throughout the course. Passed John Quigley of Eagle AC and cancer survivor fame at mile 10, a admirable and decent man. Came to a hill at mile 11 but managed it easily enough. At this stage I was running right beside the first 3.30 pacer  and I was feeling great. By mile 13.1 I was running alongside the other pacers passing the halfway mark in 1.43.54 and I was very relaxed. Miles 13 to 18 I ran right behind the pacers, close enough to tip them on the shoulder. I consumed gels at 13 and 17 and these were a great help. While it was cold weather wise, the temperatures were a lot warmer in the increasingly large group behind the pacers.

I nearly tripped up a few times as crowd down the back now started to push up. Annette Golden cheered me on at mile 17 and as we approached Dundrum I was beginning to wonder if this was the time to make my planned break ahead. The legs felt great and the heart rate and breathing was steady. Just was I was sizing up the options – a red haired lad from Offaly tapped me on the shoulder and introduced himself as Ultan. He complimented me on the blog and we exchanged pleasantries. Whether it was ego inflation or I was just feeling good I pressed ahead of the pacers. Thanks Ultan and well done on your time.

 I increased my pace to 7.50 a mile which wasn’t all that faster than my previous pace, the difference being I felt very comfortable. I toyed briefly with the idea of running all out but of course that would have been stupid. Spotted Paudie Birmingham at mile 19 (he was watching and taking photos, running New York next week). Again his support gave me another boost. I just couldn’t get over how relaxed I felt and I hit mile 20 after 2hrs38mins36seconds.

Nothing was going to stop me and all I had to do was run at a appropriate pace and keep the legs moving. The so called heartbreak hill at Roebuck road passed by without effort. Mile 22 at Stillorgan was negotiated without much effort and the next 4 miles were all downhill. The miles were flying by and after 3 hrs02 mins of running I had covered 23 miles which meant I was scheduled to get in under 3hrs28 minutes. I was getting a bit giddy at this stage at the prospect of reaching my goal and for the first time since mile 8 I became a bit tense.-

 At mile 24 I was finding things a small bit tougher but the adrenalin was pumping all over my legs. No chance of hitting the wall either. I kept the pace at 7.45- 7.50 and this was working out brilliantly. Susan O’Hanlon cheered me on at mile 25 and I got a lovely surprise spotting my buddy Aidan at Pearse St complete with camera. Rounding Trinity college and facing onto Dawson St I went a bit nuts doing a “Marco Tardelli” at mile 26. I looked around for Aoiffe at our prearranged spot but no sign of her (she was actually across the road – my mistake). Crossed the line in 3hrs27mins17seconds. A very very good day.

Post race went shopping with Aoiffe and out for a  meal. Met up with Don Golden and Annette and a few others in Keoghs for 4 or 5 pints. Happy times indeed.

Next marathon? Maybe Cork in June and Dublin or Frankfurt in October 2013. The plan will be even more ambitious- sub 3.15. Either way I don’t want to be going over 210 again, that’s for sure ;-) Sure I will take a few weeks off and take it from there.

Dublin marathon 3.27.17, 7.54 pace, No HR.

Mile splits at 10km 49.22, 13.1 miles-1hr43mins54seconds, 20miles -2hr38mins26seconds, 26.2miles-3hrs27mins16seconds

2012 Dublin marathon 3.27.17(report soon)!!!!

Pre race rambling....

23rd to 27th September –With the big day looming, my everyday thoughts are turning more often than usual to the race itself. Have decided to run with the pacers and ideally at mile 18 start tipping ahead. Weather it works out this way we will see. Bubendorfer in his blog said the 3.30 pacers run at 7.55 garmin time as the garmin measure the course around 26.4 rather than the 26.2. A useful thing to know. In terms of gels I will take 5 in the pocket and take one every 4/5 miles. The only issue for concern is what to wear. I want to wear the club singlet but don’t know if i should wear with a t-shirt underneath it or not. If I choose the former option do I risk getting overly warm or if I choose the latter do I risk chafing? Mind you the waether is supposed to be chilly so might opt for the singlet/running top combo after all complete with disposable gloves, hat and black bin liner.

Anyway will think about it later...ran 5.60 miles at 7.30 pace. First mile was 7.50, the rest around 7.20 to 7.25. Obviously way too fast in terms of intended marathon pace but glad the pace and legs felt good.HR 158. Went for another run on Thursday. Ran the first 5 miles at a slow pace with the last 3 miles at MP (around 7.49 average). At this stage it makes no difference to my training if I did 6,7 or 8 miles. Too much or too fast a workout is in fact detrimental to my chances on Monday. In terms of sleep not doing too badly either- grabbing plenty of naps in the afternoon after work – a hour here and a hour there. It’s the carb loading thing that I can never can reconcile . I over did it last year and paid the price for it a few days beforehand in the worst way possible (I’ll spare my small readership the gory details...).

 

Did the usual porridge thing for breakfast, fruit and whole grains for lunch and chicken and pasta for dinner on Thursday. The day before was similar enough with a veggie stirfry for dinner. By Friday come dinner time I couldn’t face digging into a plate of gnocchi so went down to the chipper instead for a milk shake, chips and a chicken burger. Bet you won’t  see that recommended in any running blog!!!!

I also threw myself on the scales today for the first time since training began in June. back then I weighed 190 pounds or 13st 10 pounds. These days I am 184 pounds which works out as 13st 4 pounds which prior to the taper was probably nearer 13st. It all helps... This was first time i actually paid a more conscious effort regarding my food intake. No tea, coffee, only 4 beers since August, very little choc and way more veg and fruit. I also cut out drinking cranberry juice. I estimate the stuff is nearly 40% sugar and I was drinking nearly 4 cartons  a week. All that on top of running a average of 50 miles a week with a race nearly every week since August has defintely paid off. (Chips on Friday excepted.... ;-) )

Saturday morning. The slight pain in the left shin is still there so cancelled the two mile light jog. Feeling happy and rested otherwise. Will be glugging the water as per usual today and breakfast and lunch will consist of porridge (with honey and grains), 3 to 4 pieces of fruit, a couple of bagels for lunch and for dinner a salad and Aoiffe’s humdinger steak sandwich. We’re heading to Dublin via the train on Sunday staying in the usual (expensive!!!) spot in Stephens Green. Routine usually is the same, that usually means heading straight to the RDS and then to Dundrum shopping centre. Aoiffe does a bit of shopping and I plan to  sit down in  a local pub trying to catch the Everton V Liverpool match. Hope to meet up with Don Golden, Don Ryan and a few Mallow AC lads on Monday morning of the race.

Destiny awaits and the time for bullshitting is over....................... (old photo from 2 years ago but the feeling never changes)

Mileage for the week 14 miles. 6 miles with 5.6 at 7.35 pace with 0.4 mile cooldown. 8 miles with 3 miles at MP pace.

Taper week 2

17^th October

Ran 7 miles at 7.24 pace. HR 160.51mins28seconds. Last big tempo workout of this training cycle.

18^th October

Jogged 7 miles at 8.51 pace. Was content to take it easy coming only 14 hours after my previous workout. HR 141.

19^th October

Rest

20^th October

Did my little bit with Mallow AC helping out on their open day. It was good to chat to various club members not having attending a training session in a while. To be honest it will be a while after the marathon before I get back into the sprint and speed sessions that are a excellent part of their training sessions. I will need to get plenty of work in there if i want to get under 70 minutes for the Dungarvan 10 in January 2013. Mind you I did miss the visit of David Rudisha later that evening. Some of the club members got photographs with the great man himself. They even got to hold his medal!!!!! An opportunity missed

 My immediate focus is only 9 days away. Did 5 miles and 5 X100 strides at 7.39 pace if only to keep my mind off what is looming ahead. Hr 142.

5 miles with 5 X0.1 strides. 7.39 pace. 42mins.04secs

21^st October

Did my Sunday morning run with Mallow AC. This was the last the long run before Dublin. This is a busy 3 weeks for marathon runners – Frankfurt (best of luck to Aidan and Pa), Dublin (to many to mention but best of luck to Elaine, Caroline, Jim, Tony, Colie, Dermot, Noel, Barry and anyone else I have left out) and Paudie in New York. It was a fabulous morning- really beautiful. Did 10.60 miles ,was happy to leave it at that with last 3.6 miles at pace- 7.50,7.33,7.10 and 7.06. Hr 148. Didn’t see the point running another 2.4 miles and besides I was enjoying the post run chat with some of the lads.

Total mileage for taper week 2 - 30 miles.

Wednesday 7 miles, Thursday 7 miles, Saturday 5.5 miles, Sunday 10.60 miles

Taper week 1

8^th October

Bailed out on my usual 4 mile recovery jog. Time for a bit of rest and reflection.It must be taper time as the motivation slips a bit.

9^th October

Ran with Mallow Ac but avoided the speed session. Did 6/7 miles with Patrick Buckley and did 3 more myself to give me 10 miles at a easy pace. No Hr information.

10 miles in 1hr.28mins (8.48 pace)

10^th October

Ran up in Mayfield,Cork City for this effort. Every mile and every step was a tedious affair. Didn’t enjoy it one bit. First week of the taper is always a pain but won’t be doing much speedwork this week. The idea is to keep the volume up at a decent level. No doubt about it the taper is a pain. The mind is telling me to rest up and stop running- all the training is done but too severe a cut back could be foolhardy yet not cutting back enough means my body doesn’t get a rest. At the moment the bones feel tired.

11 miles, 8.35 pace, HR 138, 1hr 34mins 35 seconds

 

11^th October

Ran up in Charleville for this one. First mile saw the heavy legs feeling ease somewhat and lo and behold by mile 2 I was feeling more like myself. Having done 11 miles yesterday I didn’t need to do more than 9 miles today but it was important to make it count. Mile 1/2/3 passed in 8.19,7.45,7.47. I was enjoying it too. Miles 4/5/6 passed in 7.43/7.32/7.22. There was no doubt that the legs were very strong too and the speed was increasing yet the effort felt very easy – that floating feeling. Mile 7 passed in 7.23 and by mile 8 I was sprinting all out yet feeling relaxed. That mile passed in a savage 7.04. The last mile finished in 7.17. The whole workout was completed in 1hr08min15seconds for a average pace of 7.35. HR was 152. Again very satisfying.

12^th October/13^th October

Hectic old day on Friday. Suffice to say I was happy to sit on my rear that evening my discomfort worsened by the 6-1 trashing the national soccer received at the hands of Germany. The following morning had planned to do a easy paced 15 mile run but when I had woken up my resting heart rate was very high, nearly 60 beats a minute. Normally it’s under 50 beats these days. I was still feeling very tired and to be honest mentally couldn’t face heading out the door. I was grateful to see the heavy showers too, it meant no painting the back fence either. Cancelled the planned run and was happier for doing so. Won’t be able to do it Sunday either meeting some friends in Cork for a few beers Saturday night. Nothing major just 2 or 3. The last time i had a beer was on the first Friday in September and that was only one!!! Will do the run (hopefully) on Monday. Wisdom has taught me at this stage not to force the body during taperingbut at the same time to try to keep the legs fresh. Neverthless I don’t want to be feeling this lethargic all the time.

I had planned at the end of taper week 1 to do around 45 to 50 miles. Instead I have managed 3 days,running a total of 30 miles. I do need to do that slow run of 17 miles on Monday marking as it does 2 weeks exactly to the Dublin marathon

Weekly mileage 30 miles

Monday 15^th October

I knew I had to do a long run this evening. It was 2 weeks to the Dublin marathon and I knew the legs would start getting sluggish if i didn’t get the last long slow run completed. Unfortunately it had to be done after work up in Cork city which meant I wouldn’t get home to Charleville until 9pm. Anyway the rain was bucketing down when I started and rather than face a last uphill mile I did a few laps of the estate to get the first mile up on my legs. Anyway whatever it was I couldn’t get the legs to go much faster than 9 minute pace. Maybe because I was mentally tuned into a long slow run or maybe it was late in the evening or my legs were just lazy but i was a bit worried. I ran from Mayfield-Mallow rd-Commons rd-Blackpool-Sundays Well-Mardyke-Lee fields and back home up through Montenotte. The whole thing came to 17 and a bit miles and took around 2.33.35. Very slow. Legs felt fine throughout and the average HR was 141.

Total miles 17 miles – 2hr33mins35mins -9.09 pace -141 HR.

Progress Report

Anyway here's my progress report on my training since June. Taper information is not included.

17 weeks training. Total mileage 849.66 (not including taper.)

Average weekly mileage 49.98 miles.

Highest mileage month.-September 235 miles.

Highest weekly mileage: 62.5 miles, 60 miles

Longest runs 21 mile, 21 mile, 22 mile, 20 mile.

Longest run at marathon pace 20 miles with 15 miles at MP.

 Number of other marathon pace training runs 13 miles with 7 miles at MP, 15.5 miles with 8 at MP,21 miles at 12 MP.

PB’s – Cork/Cobh 15 mile race (1.55.35) Charleville half marathon (1.35.50), Donoughmore  7 mile (49.51) 10K Liscarroll (41.42), Ballycotton 5 mile (34.15), Dromcollogher 4 mile race (27.36).

Other races. Clonmel half marathon (1.45.16), Blarney half marathon (1.37.46), Ovens 5k (22.xx).

Injuries. Sore right foot. Slight groin strain (all ok now). 2 more taper weeks left. Will do more specific marathon running this week but I won't be doing a huge amount of mileage

Last full week of training and Cork/Cobh race

3^rd October

Didn’t think I’d even get to run this one. Very tired all morning. As usual my head was doing – Will I run? Won’t I run? Will I do ten miles? Will I do 7 miles? Anyway got up to my mums in Mayfield for this one. Seeing my little niece Charlotte put me in good form and on went the trainers, shorts, garmin and strap. The route in Cork is a mixture of ups and down with a fair old pull from Leitrem st to Montenotte and from Iona Green to Boherboy road. Anyway I licked this one good and proper. Decided to run at a marathon pace and had plenty left when I finished. Miles 7, 8 and 9 were very satisfying. Mile 1-7.54, Mile 2- 7.57, Mile 3 -8.01, Mile 4-7.59, Mile 5 -7.37, Mile 6-7.35, Mile 7-7.51, Mile 8 -7.52, Mile 9 -7.48, Mile 10-7.16. Mile10.2 -1.40.50.

10.2 miles -1.19.35, 7.48 pace, 147 HR

 

 

4^th October

Surprised at how fresh I felt for this one when I got up at 6.30 am. Did 2 miles warm in 16.53 and then settled down for a 8 mile tempo run at a planned 7.15 pace. As it still going to be dark till 7.20 am, I wore the reflective top and decided what route to take. Did 3 laps of the town park, always good for pace, up and down the railway road, a couple of miles out the Cork rd and back home via Newline. In all I covered 8.25 miles in 60 minutes which was great. Felt very fresh and was happy to see the heart rate drop from 155 bpm to 120 in less than  a minute. A excellent workout with the temp portion matching my efforts in the Charleville half marathon over the first hour. I could have covered another couple of miles but felt it was wiser not to. Anyway getting into work on time would have been tricky.

The splits for the 8.25 mile temp were as follows. 7.22,7.19,7.10,7.15,7.22,7.26,7.02,7.13, (58.12) and 0.25 in 1.50.

The average pace works out as 7.17 so I am not quite at the pace I had hoped. Nevertheless I am delighted. Up to a few months ago I could have never ran 8 miles in less than 59 minutes now i feel confident I can do it when needed. I attempted the same workout last month and was 8 seconds quicker this time. Hr is down by 2 beats as well. Pfitzinger calls for 11 miles with 7 tempo. I am happy to say I have improved on it.

5^th October –rest day Friday

6^th October – Had a days painting ahead of me so managed to a easy 5 mile recovery run. Have the Cork/Cobh 15 mile race to-morrow. Don’t intend to race this one but hope to do 5 mile warm up neforehand and run the 15 miles at MP pace. After that it’s taper city...

7^th October

Was up at the ungodly hour at 6.20 am to get ready for the Cork/Cobh race. Collected Tony Murphy at the roundabout in mallow and got the car parked at 7.45 am. I reckon Tony reckoned I must have lost the plot getting there so early for a race that started at 9.30 am and the start line only a 8 minute jog away. Headed up to the Montenotte hotel bumped into a number of fellow mallow runners (Coleman,Pa and Denis). Met my mate Don Golden at 8.30 and off we went for a 5 mile warm up at 10 minute pace. Race started at 9.30 and off we went. I didn’t want to race this one. Rather I wanted to treat this a mini-marathon run in terms of running at marathon pace, taking gels, wearing my marathon gear etc etc. As for the run itself very little to say really. Felt really comfortable all the way with the last two miles very strong. (Ok I raced those!!!) and finished in 1.55.35 which I think is 2 or 3 minutes faster than last year yet with a lot less effort. I ran most of the course with Tony and Neil Holland before pushing ahead a bit at mile 9 or ten. Tony will be running his first marathon in Dublin and I am sure will do very well. One guy at mile 6 called my name. I think his name was James. I didn’t know him but he said he was a follower of the blog which is nice to hear. Was briefly chatting to a lad running on behalf of the Mayfield suicide awareness project. Well done there to all concerned. At mile 12 some girl wearing earphones gave out to me for “running on top of her and giving her a fright”. I explained that she shouldn’t be wearing earphones which lead to her saying something else which I didn’t quite catch. Anyway from mile 7.5 mile onwards only one runner overtook me. When I crossed the line I was very happy with what was essentially a marathon pace training run. Had I raced it I don’t think a 1.50 wasn’t beyond me but recovery might have proved problematic. I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Tony was a minute or so behind me and Neil a minute after that. Don ran a comfortable 2.09, again at marathon pace. A lot of the lads from mallow ran cracking times – Barry, Paudie, Denis, Aidan, Dermot, Noel. They are all going to do great times in their respective races. As for my race I am hopeful.

Splits were as follows. 8.29,7.50,7.46,7.50,7.38,7.47,7.40,7.45,7.38,7.41,7.35,7.42,7.22,7.28,7.19. Total garmin time 1.55.55. Hr 153.

Mileage for the week – 60 miles

Monday 4.16, Tuesday 10.5 miles,Wednesday 10.2 miles, Thursday 10.25 miles, Saturday 5 miles, Sunday 5 mile warm up with 15 mile race. 60 miles

 

The most influential man in my life.....

1^st October

Into October, only a week of training left. No going back now. It’s all about one more good week keeping it nice and steady and pushing my body into a more comfortable place. The 3 week taper is all about the mind, the body won’t be able to improve any further. Did 4 miles at 10 minute pace. HR was 129 which is a record low for this training cycle. A couple of people I have chatting to have noted or read the blog. One of the Mallow guys said since I have my goal out there I have no choice or alternative but to get under 3.30. I never thought of it that way to be honest. The blog is intended as a motivation tool and a ongoing progess report. It certainly wasn’t designed as a ego trip.  I guess my balls are on the chopping block now.... it has to be a sub 3.29.

 By the way congrats to fellow clubmate Ray Kelly on getting 3.28.01 in Berlin. Great going....

2^nd October

Had to forego the club training session this evening. My domestic and work arrangements would have meant too busy a evening when I got in from work. That household stuff – making dinners, changing bins, emptying dishwashers, making lunches etc etc really eats into my time getting home after a 75 minute car journey. My wife is on a busy schedule at the moment so it’s down to me. Don’t know how I would manage marathon training with rearing young kids.

  I also realised the most influential man in my life is the guy who turns the stop/go sign in Rathduff. Catch him at the wrong time and he could add a extra half hour onto your day getting home. Anyway onto the workout.... left the house at 6.50 am. Decided to do a 10.5 mile run. While the heart rate was low the legs still felt heavy so had to take it easy for the first mile. That said I got a shock when it timed the first  mile at 9.32. I certainly felt faster. Thankfully the splits improved but I didn’t want to force it too much either. Was looking to have each mile faster than the previous which was how it turned out. The last few miles were around 7.57 and 7.55. I suppose I could call the workout a progression run but It wasn’t entirely planned that way, it was just the way it turned out. I certainly could have ran for another 4 miles.

On the way to work from Charleville to Cork City I counted at least 15 people out running. It’s definitely a sign of  a running boom and I suspect a sign of the recession. People have a lot of time to kill these days. I have nothing but admiration for the ordinary joggers out there. After all I’m one of them.

10.5 miles – 1.27.16-8.20 pace. Low heart rate 139.