DreamRun Dublin coach Paul Pollock introduces us to the next two athletes in the team as race day draws near

With less than five hundred hours to go until the 2019 KBC Dublin marathon, the excitement is building. The majority of the long training runs have (hopefully) been completed. Every different brand of energy gel has been tested. All the race kit has been washed for the final time and is neatly laid out in preparation for what is to come.

Race day is just around the corner but first, taper time is coming. All those doubts, those concerns and those ‘oh it’s just a niggle’ thoughts are becoming magnified as each day passes. Don’t worry, that is normal. Everybody has them. It would be abnormal not to have them. So much effort and sacrifice has been put in, it is only right that you achieve the result that you have trained for. If only the sport of running was so predictable, but that is part of the appeal.

Two more sub three hour contenders

Those of you who have been following FastRunning over the past number of months will know that the DreamRun Dublin class of 2019 are nearing graduation. Once again, a group of ten Northern Irish runners has been training under the close guidance and coaching of Irish Olympian, Paul Pollock. Each athlete’s goal is simple: to run a marathon faster than ever before, and additionally, with a bit of luck, break through that magical sub 3 hour barrier.

Last week we met the first two members of the group – Martin and Adrian. This week the two athletes in the hot seat are Dale Murray and Elaine McGuckin. Read on below to find out more about their experience as part of the DreamRun project and their thoughts about how they might get on at the 2019 KBC Dublin marathon.

Name: Dale Murray

Age: 29

Club: Ward Park Runners

Current marathon pb: 3:09:31

How do you feel training has been going since you joined the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

I joined the team immediately after completing the Belfast marathon. I feel that the training has gone very well and has been an education in how to train. Previously, I would have considered training for a sub 3-hour marathon to have entailed a lot higher mileage per week and didn’t realise how specific the timings and pace of each run should be.

I have never followed a plan before and would have been guilty of doing a lot of training runs at a very slow pace. Parts of the training have been difficult, and some weeks have been very tiring, but I have noticed a big uplift in performance in recent months. Last weekend I completed the Belfast Half Marathon in 1:24:05 and I felt strong and comfortable approaching the finish line despite this being a massive PB.

How has your training changed since joining the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

Training is completely different now. I have elaborated on the key differences below.

● I predominantly now work in mile’s rather than kilometers; I find this easier regarding pacing / time incase you want to make a calculation during the run.
● Every run is completed at a specific pace and this is monitored very closely. I am now constantly looking at my watch when running.
● Weekly tempo runs have been beneficial; I wasn’t doing these properly before joining the team.
● Long runs are completed at a much faster pace than I was used too. Previously, I would have completed my long runs at a slow pace.
● I am doing more miles now but probably only about 10 miles more per week.
● When returning from a niggle or injury I have built up training again more gradually with progressive pace runs rather than going straight back into normal training.
● Easy runs are completed at a slightly faster pace now. Usually, these would be about 7.35-minute mile pace.

The focus is of course on getting that sub 3 hour finish time at the Dublin Marathon 2019, do you believe you can achieve this? Have things progressed the way you’d hoped?

Yes, I am confident of a sub 3-hour finish (although it might be 2:59:59). The Duffy 10K a few months ago went very badly but after the Belfast Half Marathon last weekend I can really see the progression. Furthermore, training has been going very well and I am hitting targeted times with a lot more consistency.

What has been your highlight in terms of your own personal favourite performance since joining the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

I was very happy with my 1:24:05 performance in the Belfast Half Marathon. My previous best was 1:35:00. Last week as a training run, I completed 15 miles at 6:45-minute mile pace, and this really pleased me and gave me confidence that I could complete a sub 3-hour marathon.

What has been your favourite training session since commencing training with Paul Pollock and the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

I really like the progressive training, wherein you gradually get faster every mile or so. It’s a nice feeling when you know you can steadily get faster and when the last miles of the run are the fastest. The tempo runs can be difficult, but you can feel yourself getting fitter week on week, so I like that feeling even if the session itself isn’t always enjoyable as its tough.

The atmosphere and camaraderie at the group training days and races is very clear – are you enjoying being part of the team?

I have really enjoyed the group training days; I have been able to attend all these sessions and have found them useful in terms of gauging personal progression against a shared goal of achieving a sub 3-hour marathon. I have also met up with members of the team for training runs and this has been helpful and made the sessions more enjoyable. Everyone in the group is very friendly and supportive and it has been good to meet new people with the same interest in running.

Any other comments?

It’s been excellent so far and I am looking forward to the next few weeks and hopefully achieving the goal of a sub 3-hour finish. If it doesn’t happen, I have learnt a lot about training and will be applying this to my marathon training going forward and know that a sub 3-hour finish will happen at some point.

What the coach thinks:

Dale is one of those rare examples of athletes that I have come across whilst coaching. It may sound quite simple, but ask Dale to run a certain distance or at a certain pace and he will do it. Rarely will he run faster, rarely will he run slower. His tempo runs have become a thing of near metronomic beauty. To run six miles back to back with a range of about two seconds between all the miles is a very hard thing to perfect. However, nearly every week, Dale has achieved this goal.

After a surprisingly disappointing below par run over 10k in July, Dale bounced back and excelled at a recent half marathon. Running a strong personal best, well under three hour marathon pace, his confidence should be high leading into the marathon. If he runs to form, he should be taking a large chunk off his marathon personal best time, and if I was a betting man, I would put a decent sum of money on him to break through that sub 3 hour barrier too.

Name: Elaine McGuckin

Age: 37

Club: Non-affiliated

Current marathon: Pb: 3.09

How do you feel training has been going since you joined the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

I am thoroughly enjoying my training with the #DreamRunDublin19 team and feel that I am getting stronger and fitter ahead of the Dublin Marathon.

How has your training changed since joining the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

My training has changed significantly since joining the #DreamRunDublin19 team as previously I used to just go out and run. I have now a much more structured schedule of training with speed work, tempo and long runs etc. which have been set by Paul. He has eventually managed to tame the human yo-yo in me and my running has become more consistent and evenly paced.

The focus is of course on getting that sub 3 hour finish time at the Dublin Marathon 2019, do you believe you can achieve this? Have things progressed the way you’d hoped?

I am hopeful that I can achieve a sub 3 hour finish but unfortunately I suffered a serious knee injury ruling me out of training for 6 weeks. Thankfully I am now back on track and fingers crossed will see the start line injury free.

What has been your highlight in terms of your own personal favourite performance since joining the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

My own personal favourite performance has been the Belfast City Half Marathon where I achieved a personal best of 1:24. I also completed my first ever Park Run finishing the fastest female in Ireland that day.

What has been your favourite training session since commencing training with Paul Pollock and the #DreamRunDublin19 team?

My favourite training session was 20x1Km set- alternating fast and slow. With no recovery in between each kilometre, I found this mentally very challenging but so satisfying to get through such a tough set.

The atmosphere and camaraderie at the group training days and races is very clear – are you enjoying being part of the team?

I love being part of the team, they are a great group of guys who are all very dedicated and supportive but can enjoy the craic as well!

Any other comments?

I really appreciate getting the opportunity to be part of the #DreamRunProject2019 and have learnt so much under the guidance of Paul and value his feedback.

What the coach thinks:

Elaine is a remarkable athlete. Regardless of what happens on raceday, the fact that she has managed to get herself to the startline in the shape that she currently is, is a testament to both her natural ability and willingness to work incredibly hard.

At the start of July, a torn meniscus was revealed as the source of her having extreme discomfort. Even simple jogging was virtually impossible. We had both all but resigned ourselves to the fact that Elaine would be the first marathon DNS of the DreamRunDublin19 group. With a prolonged time out of running, her recovery has been little short of unbelievable. There is no other word for it.

There are many ways of training for a marathon, and Elaine has definitely not taken the conventional route. However, with a recent half marathon personal best filling her with confidence, she has gone from a probable non-starter to a very realistic possibility of breaking three hours in the marathon. Having lost so much time through injury, we cannot afford the luxury of having a proper taper phase.

Elaine’s journey to the marathon startline deserves a time that she can be proud of. Having seen what she has gone through in the past few months, I firmly believe that, come the sharp end of the marathon, Elaine’s mental strength will carry her through to the finish line in a sub 3 hour time. And after all the recent injury problems that she has faced, that would be a wonderful achievement.

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