Pacing Yourself

So, you are working on your training and getting those sessions ticked off. Hopefully at this stage you are starting to see some improvements in fitness and an increase in endurance too. Check out these helpful tips below to help with nailing down & controlling your race day pace!

The Long Run

The long run you complete each week as part of your training is a vital part of setting a good and realistic pace on race day. There are many theories out there on the best ways to run a long run and how to pace a long run but the best thing to do is to keep it simple. Things like heat, hydration & the course profile will all have parts to play on the big day.

If your goal is to run the marathon in under four hours, your long training runs need to reflect that. Therefore, doing every long run at a 4-hour 10-minute pace and expecting a miracle on race day is a recipe for disaster! The wheels will come off later in the day but there are things we can do to avoid this. Practice makes perfect, so if we look at a 20-mile-long run. Good practice here is to run easy for 8 miles with only vaguely looking at pace and running to feel and then for the remaining 12 miles of the long run, start dialing in that goal race pace.

Again, keep it simple – this will allow you to run to the 20-mile mark in training at the pace you are planning to run on race day. In long training runs people will often do the opposite – start too hard and be unable to finish correctly. In essence you are negatively splitting your long training runs – which means you run the second half faster than you ran the first half.

Hydration & Water Stops

I highly recommend you practice your hydration strategy in training and not to leave it until 6 miles into the marathon to start thinking about it.

On the day of the race there will be 10 Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water stops out on the course. That’s 10 opportunities to get some fluids in and personally, I would stick to water on race day perhaps some electrolytes the day before and the morning of but, the same general rule of thumb applies to hydration as it does to nutrition – nothing new on race day!

Looking at the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon route you have Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water Stops at miles 3, 5, 7, 9.5, 11, 13, 16, 19, 21 & mile 24 – so there are plenty of places to keep topped up! With that in mind I would also mirror this in your long training runs. The aim is to make the long run as specific as possible. In training you can make note of these locations & consume water at the same points during the long run.

For me I find it helpful to do loops, or drop water off at certain points before a long run, but do whatever works best for you. Consuming & sipping on water at those markers in a long run will remove any guess work on race day too in Dublin.

Heat & Course Profile

The average temperature in October for the marathon will be somewhere between 12-14 degrees Celsius, maybe plus or minus one or two but it shouldn’t deviate too much from that. However, it is Ireland so expect anything! Regardless of the race day temperature – keeping tabs on your hydration is key. Hydration for running is something to look at all the time, not just the 2/3 days before the marathon! It’s easy to under consume water if the day is a little cool or even cold.

So, sip throughout the days before hand and on the morning of & be careful not to over consume either.

Things like temperature and the course profile can have an influence on your heart rate too and the overall rate of perceived effort.

Keep the consistency in your training over the next few weeks & make that longer run specific to what things will be like on race day, and as always keep enjoying the process!

Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water Ambassador Shane Finn

Family owned, Irish water brand announced as official water sponsor for the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Series, 2018

Ireland’s largest independent water producers, Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water are delighted to announce that they will be the official water partner of The SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Series 2018. The race events run from July to October and will see the family owned Irish brand provide over 900,000 litres of spring water to its thirsty runners across water stations, dotted throughout the course.

Pictured at the launch of the new sponsorship, running expert and Celtic Pure ambassador, Catherina McKiernan met with Caitriona McCahey to bring her through a Chi Running Workshop ahead of her participation in the 2018 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Series. Hailing from Carrickmacross in Co. Monaghan, the home of Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water, McCahey will be taking part in this year’s marathon series with guidance from Irish Marathon record holder and Co. Cavan native Catherina McKiernan.

McKiernan commented; “I’m really excited to be working with Caitriona ahead of this year’s Dublin Marathon. The marathon is a big undertaking and I’m so proud of the progress Caitriona is making already.” She went on to say that; “The Chi Running Workshop will help Catriona become mindful of her position and posture to improve her running technique. With a little bit of focus and lots of relaxation she will become a much more efficient runner, with a lot less impact on her body.”.

Earlier this year, Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water launched their #PureMoments campaign which focuses on the importance of savouring the purest moments experienced by Irish families in everyday life. With this in mind, becoming the sponsor of one of Europe’s most valued Marathon Series was a natural fit for the family owned water brand. The company, based in Co. Monaghan, has invested over €15 million on expanding the company since 2012 and has become a family favourite in homes across Ireland.

CEO of Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water, Padraig McEneaney commented; “We are delighted to be part of such an important and widely attended Irish event, to support runners with their hydration during all Dublin Marathon race events”. He continued to say; “We are also proud to be working with the Dublin Marathon Series organisers, along with Dublin City Council and Thornton’s Recycling to ensure all bottles and compostable cups used during the events are collected and recycled responsibly.”

The marathon is a hugely popular event in the Irish calendar and continues to grow year on year. Marathon organisers believe that this is partly down to a cultural change that is happening in Ireland today with people of all ages valuing a healthier and fitter lifestyle. The SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Series is viewed as an entire experience; from beginning to end, you experience a journey of memories, friendships as well as pure and raw moments that you will never forget.

Speaking at the launch; SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Series Race Director Jim Aughney said; “We are thrilled to be working with Celtic Pure Irish Spring Water for this year’s Dublin Marathon Race Series. The marathon has always been a time when family and friends come together to support each other and cheer each other on and as a family brand Celtic Pure is a perfect fit for this year’s race series. Furthermore, as the race series continues its success over the last few years, we continue to commit a duty of care to our runners and the environment, enhanced by our new partnership with Celtic Pure.”

The Dublin Marathon was founded in 1980 when 2,100 runners took part and since then over 306,000 people have participated in the race. The marathon is now the largest marathon in Ireland and the fifth largest in Europe. There has been a record number of entries each year and over 20,000 people are registered to take part in the full marathon race this year on Sunday 28^th October, a sold-out event.

Celtic Pure is available to purchase nationwide.

Visit website www.celticpure.ie and follow @CelticPure on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Although the popularity of training for the SSE Airtricity Dublin marathon increasing, completing it in a fairly quick time is still quite a challenge. Statistics show that only 5% of female runners and 18% of male runners finish in under 3.5 hours. However, a lot can be done in the approach to the race to enable your best performance ever. Alongside your training regimen, you’ll need to take a hard look at your diet to ensure you’re at your best. By following a few simple food tips you can tap into a faster gear on the day with improved endurance, for your best marathon achievement.

Food choices approaching the special day

About a month prior to the marathon event you should probably be lowering your carbohydrate intake, especially if you’re still carrying a little too much weight despite your training programme.  This will help you achieve a lean running build provided you are eating enough protein, especially following a training session and within the anabolic window.  This will help support your muscles.  

Protein sources to feed muscles

Best quality lean protein e.g. chicken is an excellent source but there are plenty of other vegetarian/vegan choices that are also beneficial choices. For example, sprouting vegetables contain an exceptionally high protein level along with an amazing nutritional profile which includes many beneficial elements on top of protein. Broccoli sprouts contain vitamins A, B, C E and K along with some especially powerful antioxidants to provide protection from illness.  In addition, they contain the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.  When you consider what you’re asking of your body to run a marathon, it makes sense to feed it the highest concentration of nutrition in the approach to this exertion.  Whilst general advice is to exclude protein the day before a marathon, it is a good idea to include a small amount of a good vegan source e.g. sprouting seeds.  This is because they are far more easily digested than meat protein.  On the race morning, you do not want your body to be struggling to digest heavy proteins from the previous day.

Increase carbs two days before

Best advice is to increase your carbs slightly in the last two days before the event to give you that energy boost.  However, do not seriously overdo this as it can make you sluggish and heavy for the day.  So moderation is the key here.  If you’ve been on a carb restricted diet to promote a lean physique, then even a small increase in carb intake will give you that boost in energy you need.  Ensure you have a small high energy breakfast on the morning before the event, e.g. an energy bar or similar.

Enjoy your day

After all the hard training and careful diet plan leading to the event, make sure you enjoy your day.  Feeling relaxed and happy in the knowledge that you’ve prepared properly can really help you have a great day.  Your time will be one of your very best.

Although the popularity of training for the SSE Airtricity Dublin marathon increasing, completing it in a fairly quick time is still quite a challenge. Statistics show that only 5% of female runners and 18% of male runners finish in under 3.5 hours. However, a lot can be done in the approach to the race to enable your best performance ever. Alongside your training regimen, you’ll need to take a hard look at your diet to ensure you’re at your best. By following a few simple food tips you can tap into a faster gear on the day with improved endurance, for your best marathon achievement.

Food choices approaching the special day

About a month prior to the marathon event you should probably be lowering your carbohydrate intake, especially if you’re still carrying a little too much weight despite your training programme.  This will help you achieve a lean running build provided you are eating enough protein, especially following a training session and within the anabolic window.  This will help support your muscles.

Protein sources to feed muscles

Best quality lean protein e.g. chicken is an excellent source but there are plenty of other vegetarian/vegan choices that are also beneficial choices. For example, sprouting vegetables contain an exceptionally high protein level along with an amazing nutritional profile which includes many beneficial elements on top of protein. Broccoli sprouts contain vitamins A, B, C E and K along with some especially powerful antioxidants to provide protection from illness.  In addition, they contain the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.  When you consider what you’re asking of your body to run a marathon, it makes sense to feed it the highest concentration of nutrition in the approach to this exertion.  Whilst general advice is to exclude protein the day before a marathon, it is a good idea to include a small amount of a good vegan source e.g. sprouting seeds.  This is because they are far more easily digested than meat protein.  On the race morning, you do not want your body to be struggling to digest heavy proteins from the previous day.

Increase carbs two days before

Best advice is to increase your carbs slightly in the last two days before the event to give you that energy boost.  However, do not seriously overdo this as it can make you sluggish and heavy for the day.  So moderation is the key here.  If you’ve been on a carb restricted diet to promote a lean physique, then even a small increase in carb intake will give you that boost in energy you need.  Ensure you have a small high energy breakfast on the morning before the event, e.g. an energy bar or similar.

Enjoy your day

After all the hard training and careful diet plan leading to the event, make sure you enjoy your day.  Feeling relaxed and happy in the knowledge that you’ve prepared properly can really help you have a great day.  Your time will be one of your very best.

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