21st August 2014
Well here we are! The last few days of preparations for the Donegal half and full marathons! Can you believe it! These few days are about preparing your mind to run the distance. Training wise, take it easy and if you run then go for a short lazy run. It’s all about conserving energy now, getting plenty of rest and eating well to build up the reserves in the body for the big day. Eating well and sensibly such as reducing or staying off the alcohol until after the race, eating iron containing meat and vegetables and later in week pasta and white meat. Getting to bed early and having a good night’s sleep. Mentally, I’ll take some time to think about the course, visualise myself finishing it successfully and preparing myself to enjoy the experience of the day. I really mean that... enjoy every minute... we have trained all summer long so it’s a day of celebration. The celebrations look good for the Aura with the family day so they’ll be plenty of noise and support as you finish your race. Volunteers are in place and its all go. Get registered early Saturday (between 12noon and 6pm) and chat about the race to friends and colleagues. Finally, don’t chance wearing anything new for the race – stick with what works and even if your socks have gone grey in the wash (like mine have) stay with them. It’s not about looking good to everyone else but about feeling good in what you wear so don’t change an item of clothing that you have worn for your longer runs. Thanks for checking in each time the blog was updated and thanks to the Donegal Marathon Committee for asking me to contribute of the last few months. Well done to you all for bringing the ultimate race back to the North West. Best wishes to all and good luck!!
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Well here we are! The last week of preparations for the Donegal half and full marathons! Can you believe it! I write this week as I’ll be preparing myself as best I can all week next week, both physically and mentally. Training run wise, I’ll be finishing the Sunday long runs with a 10 to 12k jog and intend to run two 5 ml runs during next week. More importantly, it’s a week to take care and prepare well for the 24th. Eating well and sensibly such as reducing or staying off the alcohol for the week, eating iron containing meat and vegetables and later in week pasta and white meat. Getting to bed early and having a good night’s sleep. Mentally, I’ll take some time to think about the course, visualise myself finishing it successfully and preparing myself to enjoy the experience of the day. I really mean that... enjoy every minute... we have trained all summer long so it’s a day of celebration. The celebrations look good for the Aura with the family day so they’ll be plenty of noise and support as you finish your race. Finally, don’t chance wearing anything new for the race – stick with what works and even if your socks have gone grey in the wash (like mine have) stay with them. It’s not about looking good to everyone else but about feeling good in what you wear so stay with what you have done your long runs in. Thanks for tuning in each time the blog was updated and thanks to the Donegal Marathon Committee for asking me to contribute of the last few months. Well done to you all for bringing the ultimate race back to the North West. Best wishes to all and good luck!! 11th August 2014 – 13 days to go!!!
Whoa! 13 days to go. I was on hols for a few weeks but still managed to train. It’s great to be well on the wind down now and looking about keeping yourself free from injury and resting with plenty of sleep. Having said that i nearly broke my arm today as i slipped getting into the car!! So for me while it’s about keeping the running ticking over, it’s also about building up the positive mental approach needed for such a long run. I need to work on this and the Motivation Mondays on our Face book page are brilliant and witty for this. I will try to get some quiet time over the next 2 weeks to sit and relax, visualise the route and remind myself that I have done enough training and I will run it all So good luck to you as you look after yourself. If it’s your first half or full marathon, don’t panic if you think you haven’t done enough. You have so believe in what you have done over the summer months. August 24th will be a great day for us all and our families will be supportive and happy for us. Take care and eat well 17th July 2014 - 37 days to go
Just when you’re doing great and feeling great, you get hit with a weekend summer sniffle! That affected the long run on Sunday last so like life you adjust and adapt. The summer cold came upon me after a great week’s training which included 9K, 8x 300m strides and a 14k runs. Delighted with that but on Friday night the runny nose started and while treated with carrageen and elderflower tea I was unable to run the 35 as planned. The long run was postponed until Wed 16th so 7am in Letterkenny saw me run 30k in rain and heat. I was delighted with that but sore left calf muscle and right knee – time for ice Plan until end of July is two 35k runs – going to be tough!!! For August it’ll be the DMcD 15k on Bank Holiday weekend and two 10k along with three mid week runs each week. Good luck with your training this week and the 5k’s! Getting there!!! 7th July 2014 – 49 days to go!!
I’ve been on two weeks hols but the running has continued. The focus these weeks to the end of July is training during the week to ensure that the long runs at the weekend are doable!! The past fortnight has seen 2 x 30mins runs and a 5ml and 10ml runs with long runs of 26K and 30k. Delighted with this as I felt I could keep going after the longer runs. The mind is now turning to diet over the next 6 weeks – looking at green veggies, liver and red meat and then pasta and chicken. Also looking at avoiding injury so even watching how I get in and out of the car. Sounds silly but the recovery from the longer runs takes longer now so have to watch how I go in between training. The plan now is two 35k runs and a 30k run before the Danny McDaid 15k race on 3rd August which is placed well in the wind down from training Hope you are doing well with your training so enjoy the journey and the 5 & 10k races this week The past week has been good for running. The warm weather is welcome so a few training runs have taken place around mid day as the marathon and half marathon will start at 10.15am so it’s important to run in the heat as you would expect the end of August to be warm! I managed to run 7ml, 6x300m strides and 4ml over the past while with the last two Sundays seeing the long runs rising to 13ml and 15ml each week. Still feel good but, as I always do each year well before a marathon, had a appointment with my doctor to check bloods and general health. Unfortunately, he can do nothing for sore muscles and general wear and tear on the body!!
I hope your training is going well. With only 10 weeks to go the longer runs at the weekend take time so it earlier starts which are not so easy with the world cup on so late! However I hope all is going to plan but don’t be afraid to adjust and sometimes you can only do what you can. Enjoy this week and the local 5k’s around the county Training Update – 12 weeks to go
The past week has been great in terms of getting out on the road. I managed to run 3 days last week and a long run yesterday morning, (Bank Holiday so had a wee sleep on Sunday!). So it ended up with 4ml, 5ml and 5k (this was a race on Friday night so it was faster than the usual run). During the 4ml run I used the telegraph poles for strides and decided to do 10 along the route, interspersed with jogging. That felt good. I have added the press-ups and squats to the end of the shorter runs now and I feel it helps with the longer runs. Delighted yesterday morning to do 21k in Ramelton with my running partner. We now feel back on course with our training. The real building work begins now with longer weekend runs and over the months of June and July I hope to be moving steadily upwards in mileage – 13ml, 15ml to 18mls by end of June and 22ml max x 2 in July sandwiched by 18ml and 15 ml runs. While there might be some 5 and 10k races midweek, the longer runs at weekend are a must at this stage. Also hopefully an extra track session of 8 x 300m strides to increase upper body strength and ability to increase pace if needed without being exhausted later in the marathon. That all sound s exhausting already so I need to break it down into the weekly run and take one at a time If you did Derry/Londonderry, Cork or the Women’s Mini-Marathon, congratulations and well done and be proud of your achievement. Hopefully you fulfilled a personal goal. Get yourself rested and look at the Donegal Marathon/ Half marathons in 3 months time. Enjoy the training this week – Good luck 15th May – 15 weeks to go
The past week didn't go as planned so only got out 3 times with no real long run. Ended up with a 5k, a 10k and the ‘Darkness into Light’ event. Tough one but great idea and well supported. However, I feel we are far enough out to have an odd week when things don’t go to plan but then again life’s like that and it’s how you deal with it will determine how you do. Thankfully I decided to let it go as they say in Frozen! What I have also added to the shorter runs are press-ups and squats, usually 20 of each after a post run stretch. Its helps with breathing and strengthening the upper body for longer runs. So hopefully back on plan for the next week Enjoy your running this week! Hi all
If you did the NW10K hopefully all went well for you. I was delighted with the 46.42 time and it’s good now and again to run a longish race instead of a longer no pressure run. I took the race as my long run this week having only got out twice during the week with a 5k and an 8k. It was good to rest. Training going steady with yoga once a week helping with core work and stretching after the long run. The NW10 is usually the time to knuckle down to training. While it is planned out for the next few months, I need to begin to work on the mental side of things so as to prepare well for as we all know the summer months can interrupt training a lot. However enjoy your training this week and chat next week again Hi all
17 weeks to marathon and training going ok. Tough to run in this heat at the moment but it's good preparation for the real deal in August when you'd expect it to be hot. Got to run twice last week early in the week with a 5k and 12k and the long run on Sunday was another 16k. This time the liquid situation was spot on - diluted orange juice and salt which kept me going through the run. I had hoped to run with a mate but a confusing text message between us meant I ran alone. NW 10 this weekend so good luck if you're doing it Chat next week |
AuthorExperienced marathon runner from Donegal. Archives
September 2022
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