I blocked out my calendar from 9-12 for a training course. In fairness, 19 miles to Malahide & back was definitely worthwhile training & I learned a lot about myself. Tricky to fit the weekend long run in now with my lads across two different age groups & playing GAA & football matches. I was aware of that feature alright @Mac - I was kinda assuming nobody in my professional circle would be looking on Strava but might be no harm to use it. Good going yourself today.
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While in Zurich a few weeks back my bosses boss got talking to me about running and then looked me up on Strava and requested to connect. I spun him some yarn about keeping my personal and work life separate across all Social Media and that I don’t make any exceptions. He said he admired this and often thought of doing the same. I had luckily done a quick cull of work colleagues the week beforehand ahead of the expected bank of marathon training.
As you say, weekends are near impossible to find time. GAA still going on while soccer has started. Mrs Mac also needs to fit her long runs in as well. Friday morning L&D courses might just be the way forward but its lonely as hell doing those runs solo. My brain was cracking up by 25-26km as it poured down.
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Yeah I was saying to Fenners last week how I’ve really enjoyed the Sunday morning club long runs this year but the schoolboy soccer league has 10am Sunday morning fixtures & it started last week. I kinda want to go to the games to help my fella settle in but the last 5/6 miles on my own today were really tough. I had 20 miles in mind but 19 was enough for me.
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Savage stuff today @tallback and @Wexford1996 
Making a mockery of the ‘fun’ element of the thread title
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Just over two weeks out from Melbourne marathon. I ran lots earlier this year but due to work commitments was not able to put the miles in in July and some of August. Terrible timing.
Have put in a few solid weeks since then. Loving the process I must say. Will be my first marathon in twelve years and my first outside of Ulster.
Best of luck to all doing Dublin. I hope to do that one in the future.
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Excellent long run earlier, Ray. You seem in great fettle - best of luck with the trip & the race.
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Best of luck. Don’t go chasing a time too much. Soak in all the atmosphere, bands etc. Keeps the mind off the sore legs!
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What do you be running through on all those straight lines?!
Angkor Wat Temples.
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Just looked it up on StreetView. Looks gorgeous
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After months training for Dublin, I had to pull up with what I thought was a stiff calf on an easy run last Saturday. Thought it wasnt much but figured I’d skip the long run on Sunday and it’d come right. It hasn’t improved.
I went to the physio today. He says I have a tear on a little muscle behind my right knee. Should take about 3 weeks to heal if I look after it. So basically have to not run on it until the Friday before the marathon. An extreme taper.
Bit of a balls as I had been training consistently well. All thoughts of beating last year’s time out the window. Will probably still give it a crack and take it handy ,try and enjoy it and see if I’ll make it around.
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Sorry to read that but I guess the positive is you’ll still be able to run on the day all going well. I know we’re all fun runners at the start of the day but we still want to get the reward of putting in a good race day performance for our level & training effort. So we can kinda put a little bit of pressure on ourselves at times…but this could free you up in a weird way. Just go out with no expectations or desire to PB & let it flow & see what happens? It might go very well.
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Yeah that was my initial thinking. No pressure, just enjoy it. If it’s starts hurting I’ve been told to pull up.
Not sure what to do training wise for the two weeks. I’m nearly institutionalized to following my plan. Can do anything bar impact. How do you best mimic a taper in a pool/gym?
Funny you should ask how to mimic a taper when unable to run @corner_back - I’ve just been putting some thoughts on that together:
Goals of the Taper (when you can’t run)
1. Maintain aerobic fitness (VO₂ max and threshold)
2. Keep neuromuscular coordination
3. Avoid fatigue or re-injury
4. Mentally stay sharp and confident
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Pool Workouts
- Deep Water Running (Aqua Jogging)
• Frequency: 2–3× per week
• Duration: 40–60 minutes
• Effort: Mimic your easy/moderate running effort (70–80% of HR max)
• Form Tip: Keep an upright posture, drive knees and elbows like you’re running. Use a flotation belt if needed.
Example workout:
• 10 min warm-up (easy aqua jog)
• 3 × 8 min “steady effort” (tempo-like), 2 min easy between
• 10 min cool-down easy jog
This closely mimics running mechanics and HR response, making it the best running substitute.
⸻
- Pool Intervals (Anaerobic Maintenance)
Once or twice a week, do short, controlled efforts to keep speed coordination.
Example:
• 10 min warm-up
• 8 × 1 min strong effort (like 5K pace) + 1 min easy jog
• 10 min cool-down
⸻
Gym & Cross-Training Options
- Stationary Bike (Low-Impact Aerobic)
• Frequency: 2× per week
• Duration: 45–60 min
• Effort: Include 10–15 min steady zone 3 (marathon tempo HR) within
• Cadence: 90+ RPM to mimic running turnover
Example:
• 10 min warm-up easy spin
• 3 × 10 min at moderate effort (marathon HR) + 3 min easy
• 10 min cool-down
⸻
- Elliptical or Arc Trainer
• Mimics running stride with less impact.
• Great substitute for steady-state runs.
Duration: 45–60 minutes
Effort: Easy-to-moderate; avoid all-out efforts.
⸻
- Strength & Mobility (2× per week)
Use this time to improve areas that might reduce injury risk and improve race-day performance:
• Focus on: glutes, hips, hamstrings, calves, and core
• Examples: bridges, single-leg deadlifts, planks, band walks, calf raises
• Duration: 30–40 minutes
Avoid anything that aggravates the injury or causes DOMS (you don’t want sore legs before race day).
⸻
Recovery & Sharpening
• Foam roll and stretch daily (especially around the injury)
• Sleep: 7.5–9 hours — recovery is key
• Visualization: Mentally rehearse the race; keep motivation up
• Nutrition: Maintain normal fueling; don’t cut carbs drastically
⸻
Sample Weekly Outline
Week 1 (current week)
• Mon: Aqua jog (60 min)
• Tue: Strength + core (light)
• Wed: Bike intervals (45 min total)
• Thu: Aqua jog (tempo session)
• Fri: Rest / mobility
• Sat: Elliptical (steady 45–50 min)
• Sun: Rest
Week 2
• Mon: Aqua jog (60 min)
• Tue: Bike (moderate 45 min)
• Wed: Pool intervals
• Thu: Strength + mobility
• Fri: Rest
• Sat: Aqua jog (40 min easy)
• Sun: Rest
Race Week (final week)
• Mon: Aqua jog 30 min easy
• Tue: Light elliptical (20–30 min)
• Wed: Rest
• Thu: Aqua jog 20 min with 2–3 short surges
• Fri: Rest
• Sat: Rest or shake-out (if cleared)
• Sun: Race day 
⸻
Important Notes
• If your injury is muscular, keep the injured area warm and avoid explosive movements.
• If it’s joint/tendon-related, limit resistance and focus on water work.
• Always check with your physio if pain persists or worsens — it’s better to arrive 1% undertrained than 1% injured.
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My wife summed it up well when i said i was nervous before one of my races: “Cop on, nobody else cares”
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I hear you. Nobody in the real world cares. That’s the gap a fun running thread on a (relatively) anonymous niche forum forum fills
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But the chances are a totally random fella from somewhere odd like Serbia or Carlow that started following you on Strava will be tracing your most recent half marathon result to your marathon performance & concluding on whether you did yourself justice. You need to give your all to impress these people.
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I’ve turned to bike/ski/row since my injury and it’s great. Perhaps get up on a bike for the taper weeks but actually you need your calves for cycling, scratch that.
Very sage advice. It’s like the complete opposite of GAA that I presume you would’ve spent the last 20+ years playing at adult level. Any underperformance or defeat will be poured over by auld lads in the pub and a kick up the arse is never too far away. In running, you have randomers out cheering you on for just taking part. It must be harder to sustain that motivation.
To be fair when I ran the half-marathon abroad I was still a slight bit nervous that I didn’t want to be ousted by my two pals times. But for the most part you’re just a number in a list of thousands.
A friend of mine got kudos from a fella in Brazil recently. He was puzzled as to where their paths would’ve crossed. I suggested Dicey’s.