The season is changing, my weekday runs are predawn and the air is cool and fresh, just enough for a light jacket, but I'm wearing shorts till the first snow! I'm getting back to a routine after a rough patch with two week cough and I'm loving this time of year. Race plans need to be revamped...
How about you? I'm getting excited for Happy's marathon this Sunday...
MTA: goofy iPad corrections
Recalculating...
Me too, Ayola
Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done.
Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
Good luck Happy. Looking forward to hearing all about it
“Attitude is the Difference Between an Ordeal and an Adventure”
Goals 2016
Do stuff
Come on Happy....spill the beans. Spotted some activity in your log. How did it go?
Hi Puke, I'm late getting ready for work, so no time now. Will write tonight and tell you all about it, I promise.
Imminent Catastrophe
Did the CT/RI double. Hartford on Saturday and Newport on Sunday. Weather was absolutely perfect for both. Hartford was well-organized and I talked to a lot of 50-Staters because this is a very popular and easy "double". Newport was really, really pretty, we ran along Ocean Drive with the ocean on the right and all these huge Great Gatsby-type mansions on the left. Who lives in those places? They were massive, beautiful, immaculate, and sterile. By that I mean there were no signs of life whatsoever. Many of them had 10-foot walls around them, keeping the riff-raff (runners) out. Beautiful, yes, but I would hate to live there. Ick.
I ran Hartford at a conservative-but-not-sandbagging pace, ended up with a 3:55, quickly made my way back to the hotel, showered and drove the 2 hours to Newport. DW and I were really tired, knowing we had to run again the next day (DW ran the 5k on Saturday and the HM on Sunday). Fortunately our room had a Jacuzzi, and that made a huge difference.
I was really not in a mood to run another marathon on Sunday but did it anyway. The first few miles were dicey--I had significant pain in my right foot and knee--thought I might not finish. I knew I could bail out at the halfway point, since this is a figure-8 course and my hotel was at the middle. So I took it really easy and did the first half in 2:02, and the knee and foot felt better so I continued on. I kept going at an easy pace but when I hit 20 miles I realized I would finish and had an outside chance at sub-4 so poured it on. Ended up with a 3:59!
I have decided that the double marathon is harder, mentally, than a 50-miler, and probably will avoid doubles in the future. I really wanted to sleep in on Sunday!
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
Impressive running/racing as usual, Russ. Hats off to you!
My marathon wasn't as impressive. Here's the deets, Puke.
Goal #1: run first two miles at 11 mpm.............ran 10:47
Goal #2: overall pace no slower than 10:30.....ran 10:27
Goal #3: finish upright..........................................done
Goal #4: finish in 4:30 or better...........................ran 4:33
Goal #5: run mile 3 on to the end at 10 mpm..... well I managed to get close for some of the miles.
The elevation chart looks pretty benign, continuous up and down, but no big elevation gains/losses. I thought it would be a piece of cake. However, for a variety of reasons, I arrived at the start line in a state of low energy. The molehills felt like mountains right from the start. Every uphill drained my legs so much I struggled to regain goal pace on the flats and downhills. The race went by pretty quickly for me, probably because I was trying so hard the whole time. I never had a moment when I felt like stopping or even walking. I had plenty of energy to keep going, just not to go faster. Then 8 miles from the end I got hit by bad pain in both quads. I've never had that happen. I didn't know if continuing to try and run my goal pace would morph it into something that could sideline me. Other than slowing down, I didn't know what to do about it. So I slowed down and let go of my finish time goal. The last half mile was flat and I churned it up to 10 mpm and was pleased to finish with that. Victoria is a very pretty, scenic course, with nearly continuous spectator support and organized cheering squads of teenager at least every mile, and 7 music stations set up for passing entertainment. The marshalls and volunteers were all so kind and encouraging as I went by. Tons of folks with encouraging and funny signs. It had a very festive atmosphere. I'm probably forgetting something, but it's past my bedtime. So that's all for now.
Congrats Happy! Sounds great, and you did great for a first marathon, just missed your goal by less than 7 sec/mile. Well done!
Congrats marathoners!
Where'd Puke go?? Hey buddy, whassup? We're a tiny group...can't afford to have someone go missing.
Thanks! At first I was feeling I could have done better, but as the subsequent days unfolded and my quads took their time recovering, I knew I'd run as well as I could in the race. And really only 6 miles were outside my goal pace, so that's pretty good for my first one I think, even though they were the last six. I ran 4 miles yesterday and 5 today without any difficulty, just leg fatigue; so I feel I'm recovering well.
Hey Happy, yep still around, DW has been hogging the PC :-)That sounds like you had an awesome run and quite an impressive time for a first timer. As for the quad pain, quite common for me. Goal is to just run through it, which it sounds like you did.
Another awesome run by Russ. Found another run for you to do in NZ. https://www.facebook.com/events/205734806265041/
Very scenic, just hoping the approval from the council goes ahead.
Hey A how is it
As for me, been mostly biking, still suffering a bit from fatigue after last ultra, legs been a bit sore too so just taking it easy. Although about time to pull finger and get some miles back on the shoes.
Starting with this weekend where I have a 25 km kiltathon (fat ass trail run wearing a kilt) to complete. DW has organised some tartan fabric and a friend to make me a skirt. Promise to get some photos, been told I look good in a dress ;-)
Running to a natural hot water beach on Lake Tarawera. Should be a blast.
Happy running all
Definitely want photos of you in a kilt, Puke! I've never heard of a "hot water beach." Assume there must be an underground hot spring that discharges into the ocean there? How hot does the water get? Post some scenery pics if you can.
No one took any "finish photo" of me in Victoria and the running pics are dead boring. Here's one DH took while waiting for the start.
Just clicking through some light mileage and getting yoga and weight training incorporated into the work schedule... Perfect weather here 5-10*C, finished up in the garden - still have kale and arugula. Time to rake leaves and maybe compost them. Wish there were some local November/ December races.
A
Happy - I can't see the photo.
Just clicking through some light mileage and getting yoga and weight training incorporated into the work schedule... Perfect weather here 5-10*C, finished up in the garden - still have kale and arugula. Time to rake leaves and maybe compost them. Wish there were some local November/ December races. A Happy - I can't see the photo.
So I re-posted the photo, this time from Shutterfly. Can you see it now?
Love arugula in salads! We don't have any good leaves, more evergreen trees on our property than anything else. BUT we took a load of yard waste (weeds!) to a local site and came back with a truckload of HUGE maple leaves for the compost pile that someone else had unloaded there - win-win!!!!!
I've looked around and come up with a Turkey Trot 5K on 11/16 not far from here which I'm going to do as a "fitness test." Then there's going to be a Reindeer Run 10K here on 12/14 which is supposed to be on a particular race route I've done before - so I can try for a faster course time. I plan to officially train for that.
More exciting news: I "graduated" from Physical Therapy today! I was told he "can't find anything wrong anymore" and "everything is strong." WHOOOO HOOOO! Of course, I have to stick with the exercises....like forever...and progress them if I can....but that's a small price to pay for stronger, longer runs and freedom from back pain.