This week, we hear from Seán from AnyGivenRunday and he gives us the lowdown on the next 8 weeks on the lead up to the Dublin Marathon. Enjoy!

The Dublin Marathon is less than 8 weeks away, but that doesn’t mean my training is all about slow, long runs to build mileage in the legs. Sometimes you need to test yourself. 

But there’s also a balance: you don’t run too hard, too often, so that you don’t miss the starting line of your most important race of the year. For me, and a lot of other people, that’s the Dublin Marathon.

That’s why I like to use 5ks and 10ks as the ‘B’ races leading up to Dublin, as well as the Dublin Half Marathon later this month. Because it’s really only in a race situation where you can truly see where you are at in your progress. 

A ‘B’ race is almost like a dress rehearsal for the real thing. You hold back a little on what you can do in the race. It also helps you practice your approach and routine around the race, and it gives you an honest picture of where you are in your training. 

The numbers don’t lie.

But the mistake is testing your body too much. A “B’ race is still tough on the body. A 5k race can feel harder on the body than a 20k long run because of the intensity you are running at. Tight calves, sore quads, burning lungs, and a need to rest and chill on the couch rather than motivation to build on the race are often the characteristics of a 5k/10k race effort.

That’s why, after these shorter bursts, I want recovery to be as straightforward as possible. I’ve been using Ultrapure Ice-Cold Menthol Gel as part of that recovery. With 4% menthol crystals, plus arnica extract and rosemary, eucalyptus, and peppermint essential oils, I instantly feel that cooling sensation after a tough race.

After a race, the inclination is to just relax for the rest of the day and do nothing. I’m going to feel terrible if my body comes to a grinding halt as soon as the race concludes. That cooling sensation also reminds me to kick-start my recovery routine: get my fluids in, move lightly throughout the day, and prepare for the next session. But it’s more than just a cooling sensation.

A 2024 study on runners using a menthol solution found that runners who applied menthol to their lower legs after a race reported less post-race soreness and rated a subsequent run as 7% lower in effort than the placebo group.

For me, anything that helps me feel better and get back into recovery as quickly as possible after a race deserves a spot in the kitbag. And it’s very easy to apply after the race.

Along with Arnica, the cooling sensation of the Ultrapure Ice Cold Menthol Gel helps me feel cooler after a hard run, gets me into the recovery process, and lets me get back to training and build my fitness for my “A” races. 

Every race or hard run between now and Dublin has a purpose. It’s not just about times. A Sunday morning for the Dublin Half Marathon on September 20th lets me mimic the conditions of the Marathon in October, from how I eat in the 24-48 hours before the race, to my sleep the night before and my morning routine before the race. 

And sometimes, the shorter races are about mentally and physically testing yourself for where you are at.

Racing hard is only useful if you can recover well enough to continue training. There are a lot of twists and turns in the road as we head closer to the Dublin Marathon. And for a lot of us, the main goal is to be fit and healthy enough to make it to the starting line. The Dublin Marathon has been notorious for its turnouts over the years. Sometimes up to 20-25% of people with up to 6,000 runners missing the 2023 event.

Getting my recovery right will play a huge role in avoiding that percentage.

Ultrapure Ice-Cold Menthol Gel is now part of my race-day recovery kit. With its 4% menthol formula, targeted application, and instant cooling action, it’s a handy option when your legs have done the hard work and you want to cool down, reset, and get ready for the next session.

And with the colder weather coming in, you can also get the AGR bobble hat and the Wintergreen Heat Rub Cream in this Sprint bundle: 

https://ultrapurelabs.ie/products/ultrapure-x-any-given-runday-sprint-bundle?_pos=2&_psq=podcast&_psid=f14a780b1&_ss=e

Hope you enjoyed my blog this week. Catch up next time!

Seán.