2019 3:20, And Beyond (Read 444 times)

berylrunner


Rick

    Hey all, sorry for my absence.   I did do a Grand Canyon R2R2R.  First pass was great.  Ran comfortable and a good hiking pace up the uphill.  About 100 yards from the top everything seized up.  Shuttled to the other trailhead and headed down.  Went pretty well but had to pretty much stop for every hiker.  Boy do they take up the whole trail with their poles.  Heading back up the North Kaibab after Phantom Ranch I started having trouble.  Temps were not bad, but I was having trouble with the sun exposure and my heart rate was elevated.  Kept pushing uphill and made it out.  Not too bad for pretty much no vertical and altitude training but was a smack in the face that I need to train.

     

    This week, 30 miles.  First part of the week, paralyzed with soreness.  Then a few rough runs and then by weekend i was doing an interval workout.  So i am good to go.  Started a daily 10k streak and have some big outings planned.

    12-22   Last One Standing  - dnf 37 miles

    1-23  Sun Marathon - 3:53

    3-4-23  Red Mountain 55k - 7:02

    4-15-23  Zion 100 - 27:59

     

     

      OMR - huge congrats!  I can't imagine running for 8hrs (just 2hr of easy jogging feels like a big deal to me).  Excellent time and masters placing!  Sounds like you're ready to run with that other aged, ultra-kook (max)

       

      Jim (if you're lurking) - 1:39 is superb (63yo?)

       

      my week:

      M: 7 easy + weights

      T: 6 with track intervals 4 x1200 (@~6:05)

      W: 8 easy

      Th: 8 with "bowl" hill repeats in the park + 1mi at 6:15

      F: 6 easy

      S: 5 easy + weights

      S: spin

      total =  40

      darkwave


      Mother of Cats

        OMR - huge congrats!  I can't imagine running for 8hrs (just 2hr of easy jogging feels like a big deal to me).  Excellent time and masters placing!  Sounds like you're ready to run with that other aged, ultra-kook (max)

         

        Jim (if you're lurking) - 1:39 is superb (63yo?)

         

         

        What he said on both of these.  Just wow to both.  I don't even like to sit behind a desk for 8 hours, let alone run that long.,

         

         

        Nice balanced week, Rovatti.  I assume you spun on Sunday because the city was shut down?

         

        Beryl - so you did R2R2R without training?  Crazy.  What are the big things you have planned?

         

        And....he hasn't posted here yet, but congrats to CK on a very nice half-marathon that sets him up well for sub-3.

         

        ***

         

        My week: 49 miles, 16 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming
        M: DIY yoga and 8 "miles" pool-running.
        T: 11 miles, including a track workout of 2x800, 1600, 2x800 in 2:59, 2:57, 5:58, 2:53, 2:49. Recoveries of 2:31-2:36 after 800s, 5:03 recovery after 1600. Followed with light leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
        W: DIY yoga, 8 miles very easy (8:58), drills and four hill strides. Then another mile to test race shoes (8:13)
        Th: Upperbody weights/core and 8 "miles" pool-running.
        F: 11 miles, including a 5K tempo on the track in 20:11 (6:35/6:29/6:24/0:46). Followed with 500 yards recovery swimming.
        Sa: 8 miles very easy (8:40), drills and 4 hill strides and then light upper bodyweights and core, and DIY yoga
        Su: 10.5 miles, split as first 3 easy (8:22), and last 7.5 moderate (7:00). Followed with some injury prevention work at gym and DIY yoga.

         

        Our big excitement was that a tree tried to fall on our bedroom on Friday morning (and then changed its mind at the last moment and split to each side).  We got very lucky - we're all fine, and our house is damaged but livable.  Pictures here.

         

        The next two houses over got it worse (three trees sharing the same root bed all came down - one on each of our respective houses).  Our next door neighbors got a direct hit, but fortunately on the side of the house where there are no bedrooms.  The house next to that one was just completely wrecked with a tree coming through the center of the house - but that one is a rental and fortunately not currently occupied.  

         

        Just a massive amount of damage, but amazingly no injuries to anyone.  One of the really scary things is that I had no idea this tree existed until it hit our house.  It was based in the yard of the neighbor 2 doors over (the house that was completely wrecked.)

        Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

         

        And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.


        From the Internet.

          Whoops I skipped out on updating last week - thanks for the kind words on the race/race report, folks!

           

          Congrats OMR, Jim, CK!

           

          Whew beryl I'm tired just reading about R2R2R without training, lol

           

          32 miles the week after my race, 61.5 last week:

           

          M - 10.23 miles easy. Legs FINALLY felt like settling down again.

           

          Tu - 7.34 miles easy, met with coach to discuss racing plans (mile and 3K indoors for December/January).

           

          W - 11 miles with some hills, was feeling good and last 2 flat miles were moderate effort (in the 7:40s).

           

          Th - 7.1 miles easy

           

          F - 7.4 miles easy with some drills (skips and stuff - lol I'm not at all coordinated so these are a work in progress) and strides at the end

           

          Sa - 12 miles with club friends, ~8:00ish average

           

          Su - 6.4 miles easy

           

          Planning on something tempo-y but not too wild today. First indoor club workout of the season on Wednesday - that'll be light and just to get used to the turns on the 200m track again. Considering jumping into a 5K this weekend just to get a feel for how far away sub-20 is.

          Running Problem


          Problem Child

            omr congratulations. Hope work is going better than it was about 6 months ago. Mine's improved.

             

            beryl man that sounds like a long time. I think some of those elite cowboys from Arizona were running there this weekend.

             

            keen nice race.

             

            ace Saw you were looking at B2B. I'd personally say if you're going to run in California run CIM. 2 marathons, in one month, on opposite ends of the country. MAN that is expensive. At least with CIM you can spread out the finances and/or vacation requests. I've never run big sur. I've heard it is a hard course. I understand it to be "scenic" because the ocean is to your left the entire time. If you hit Monterey you can see a lot of areas John Steinbeck wrote about. If you hit CIM you can (maybe) see some of your imaginary friends. The Big Sur medal looks pretty fragile. Almost as if it would break if you dropped it or didn't pack it nicely for the flight home. I still can't think of how hard the second marathon would be.

             

            Wife was out of town all week. Thanks to her pre-cooking two meals, and my mother in law cooking the other I was able to keep up training. I skipped my TRX this week because I used that time to do other stuff like try to keep the place clean, or make lunches and coffee prep for the next day. Probably bring it back this week.

             

            my week (no fancy/funny/creative titles because RWOL is down):

            M: 8.51 easy

            T: 10 with 3x2 mile at 6:40-6:43/mi  pace. Jog recovery of a half mile at about 10:00 pace.

            W: 6.5 plus chipotle

            Th: 13 with 9 at Goal Marathon Pace. Full race day prep with shoes and gels. low 50s actually felt colder than the 40s for Tuesday. Shoe came untied during mile 2 of marathon pace. Sped up a little bit for a mile then kind of had problems slowing myself down. Everything seemed to feel good. Took a gel at the start of the run then at 45:00 (mile 6.25ish) of the run to see how they'd digest for marathon pace.

            F: 8.31 with about 20 minutes stopped to talk to a friend.

            S: 15 easy  (8:15-8:39) pace. Picked up the last few miles because I was trying to get to swim lessons. 7:40 on flat loops after 13 miles felt so easy I thought my GPS was off.

            S: 7.60 easy.

            total =  70.60

             

            My long run is only 20% of total mileage. I'm wondering if I need to bump this up to 25 or 30% and hit 18-20 miles. I really only have 3 weeks of long runs left (SHEEET is CIM that soon?!?!).Thanksgiving 10K will be the last workout before taper.  Part of me wants to because my thinking says "if your long run isn't AT LEAST 25% of your weekly mileage you'll fail and your legs won't get that hard training stimulation from long runs". Part of me says to stick with the 70 miles I've been doing for about a month (missed a week due to sickness) and 16 miles is acceptable when it's with the weekly miles I've been keeping while also hitting my training paces. Nothing has been hurting this training cycle and my original goal was to hit 60 per week. 70 has come with what feel like little extra effort and I can't say I'm feeling sore or tired from anything. I feel like I'm nailing workouts and marathon paced runs at speeds I didn't think I'd be doing when training started, or even 9 months ago when I thought I'd get a Boston Qualifier in Las Vegas. September mileage was 55-60. I missed a long run and had 4 days of sickness. October weekly mileage was 70.12, 42.4 (stomach sickness I found the cause of) 70.34, 69.84, 70.6. Should I go for the 17-20 mile long run, or stick with 70 miles a week and 16 mile runs? It's another 15-30 minutes and I'm unsure if it adds so much it's worth shortening other runs for.

             

            I think part of it is the Chipotle being built with a half mile of my office and taking orders through their mobile app.

            Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

            VDOT 53.37 

            5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

            CommanderKeen


            Cobra Commander Keen

              Thanks, all!


              OMR - Nice job on the 50 miler. That's a really respectable time.


              Beryl - Nice! R2R2R is something that's on my bucket list. Sounds like a tough outing (especially without specific training), but glad you're feeling up to getting back at it already. Also curious about your planned big outings.


              DWave - Nice week again, and that's a crazy close call! Good thing no one was injured.


              Brew - Nice job hitting 70 again. What you're doing seems to be working for you, but I don't think there's anything wrong with tacking on another few miles to your LRs, and doubt you'd need to shorten an existing run to accommodate it.


              SO excited about how my half went (1:24:16)! My legs didn't feel great most of last week (somewhat odd considering lack of mileage) but felt fine on race day. I guess I need to start working on a RR.
              I finished October with almost 353.9 miles - my most ever, even with cutting out 20 miles or so for the mini-taper and race last week. That puts this August, September, and October as three of my four highest mileage months ever.

              Just time to put together another ~month of solid training before Dallas.

              5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

               

              Upcoming Races:

               

               

              Running Problem


              Problem Child

                keen good job on the race. I forgot it was a new month. Also to have my son brush his teeth on days other than "Monday" but whatever. He got his vitamins. and A bath.

                 

                dwave glad you're okay. Saw the photos.

                 

                283.9 mi for October. I probably don't even have to look to say that is the most miles I've run in a month. 9-9.5 hours a week to get there. Put into perspective I have a lot of free time and if I would spend it cooking and cleaning my wife would love me more.

                Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                VDOT 53.37 

                5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                AceHarris


                  dwave; whew! I’d say that was close to being very bad. Glad no one was injured. Hopefully repairs go well.

                   

                  keen: as I said on strava, very solid pacing and it appeared you had gas left in the tank. The upcoming 26.2 is looking good.

                   

                  beryl: nice accomplishment on the R2R2R! I too want to know the upcoming fun you have planned.

                  brew: I think you have a good point there. I’d still love to run Big Sur at some point and CIM. Nice mileage this month. Cannery Row by Steinbeck is one of my favorite books!

                  omr: well done!!

                   

                  50 miles this week for me

                  M: 7 easy and strides

                  T: 7 progression, worked from 7:52 down to 6:25

                  W: 4 easy

                  T: 7 miles working the hills

                  F: 7 easy and strides

                  S: 13 easy and 1 pickup at 6:45

                  S: 4 easy and strides

                   

                  headed to Cleveland this weekend for the Browns game. Just a fun guys trip. We’ll see how my long run goes on Saturday up there. Trying to find some people to run with up there.

                   

                  just got numbed up for some dental work, ugh.

                  Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)

                  Running Problem


                  Problem Child

                     

                     

                    just got numbed up for some dental work, ugh.

                     

                    Did they numb the legs, or just the mouth? I got a flu shot and when coworkers were talking about it (shirts untucked) I asked "I wasn't the only one asked to pull down my pants, right?"

                    Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                    VDOT 53.37 

                    5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                    CommanderKeen


                    Cobra Commander Keen

                      Dallas Running Club Half Race Report


                      Despite having been running what has been my highest volume and intensity training block, I was somewhat unsure of what I could do going in to this race. I had a recent 5000m TT and assurances of some step-up-from-imaginary friends saying that 1:25 was within reach, but was intimidated by the time being so far from what I've ran in the past.


                      The early part of my week (Monday/Tuesday) was essentially business as usual from a workout and mileage standpoint, but I then started a mini-taper ahead of the weekend, aiming for ~50 miles before race day and ended up with just over that.


                      There was a nice tailwind on my way from OKC to Dallas and the drive was uneventful. Packet pickup was at a triathlon shop that knew nothing about the race other than that they were hosting packet pickup and getting extra foot traffic for some clearance sales. I took advantage of this myself and snagged a pair of Escalante 1.5's for just $60!
                      I checked in my Airbnb, scouted the route to race parking, then headed out to the best-rated Italian place nearby to get my standard pre-race spaghetti with meatballs or Italian sausage (boring, yes, but works well for me).


                      I had planned on using the change back to standard time to net myself a free "extra" hour of sleep, but I woke up exactly one hour before my alarm was set to go off. I took my sweet time getting ready and had my standard stroopwafel breakfast before heading to the race site, aiming to get there about an hour before the start. Just before parking I saw a guy warming up in a jacket from one of my local LRSs, but couldn't find him afterwards to chat. There was a bit of frost on the grass and it felt quite cold (~36-38*) before my warm-up, but as soon as I started moving the tempt felt great. Fortunately the wind was practically non-existent. After making sure I was down to racing weight I worked my way towards the front of the start.

                      I was quite surprised to see that there was a guy right by the start who was holding a sign indicating he was a pacer for a 1:25 finish, since the race website didn't mention there being one for this time. I figured I could hang with the two pacers and let them do the work of deciding the pace so I could just run.


                      Miles 1-3 (6:29, :25, :28, 5k in 20:06)
                      Right off the bat my idea of sticking with the pacers went out the window as they went out a solid 10 sec/mi or so ahead of pace. A pack of 6 went with them, with one other woman and myself hanging back a bit. This was a scenario I had gone over in my head prior to the race - do I run by myself and do all the pacing alone, or do I run a bit faster than I want in order to stick with a group? I considered bridging the gap but decided that they were going too fast for me to comfortably make it.
                      The opening miles (to ~3.5) were pretty flat overall and went right around White Rock Lake. One guy decided to drop off the back of the pack by ~mile 2, while the woman who had started just in front of me made the decision I didn't - she caught up with the pace group at about the same time the other guy fell back.
                      There are quite a few twists along the entire course and I try my best to use the pacing group ahead of me to help pick out the tangents. This certainly isn't the simple circle that takes you around the Lake Hefner path in OKC. Just before the hill hits I try to grab a water cup and somehow botch it and decide it's cool enough that I don't have a definite physiological need for it so I don't try grabbing another.
                      Throughout here and the rest of the race I try saying something along the lines of "thanks" or "good morning" to volunteers, police who are blocking intersections, or spectators whenever I can. My thinking being that if I can get out even a positive word or two while running then I must be doing ok - just a bit of a positive boost.

                      Miles 4-6 (6:34, :31, 19, 10k in 40:17)
                      Just after mile 3 the race turns away from the lake and goes through a nice residential area, and hills start at ~mile 3.5. Going up the hill I take my first gel. I wouldn't normally take more than one during a half, but I'm partially testing nutrition for the Dallas marathon next month. I try holding an even effort on the uphills and multiple times during this stretch pass and am passed by the guy who dropped off the pack. At mile 4.5 the woman who caught up the pack began dropping back, and the other guy and I pass her about 1/4 mi later, and the other guy moves ahead as well. Around the 10k mark I manage to grab a water cup for a quick drink.


                      Miles 7-9 (6:36, :30, :27 - no 15k split)
                      We're getting back to the lake at this point and things mostly flatten out, though at the halfway point there's a bit of a weird sharp downhill followed by a turning uphill to the left and you end up on a footbridge that crosses over the halfway point. The trail is nice and flat here and I pass the guy I've gone back-and-forth with at ~mile 7.5, then though there's a nice uphill to end mile 8 during which I passed two guys who have fallen off the pack. The pack is maybe 5-600m ahead of me and there's a guy another 100-200 meters ahead of them - I'm liking that I can at least keep an eye on them. I know I've lost a bit of time on the hills and look to pick things up a bit as the terrain flattens back out around the lake.
                      Back-and-forth guy stays right off my hip until a water stop at mile 8 in which he slows to a walk to grab a drink before going on.


                      Miles 10-13.1 (6:26, :24, :22, :07, .11 in 32 sec - 4:50 pace)
                      During the 10th mile I start to hear footsteps again as back-and-forth guy closes in on me after I pulled away while he grabbed some water. I blow past this water stop and he again slows down to get a drink. At this point I realize my goal is well within reach and that I'm also feeling a bit too good. During previous HMs I was seriously struggling to hold on by this point, so I decide to try dropping a really solid final 5k to make sure back-and-forth guy never caught up to me and to see who I can catch as the "1:25" pace pack starts to fall apart.


                      During mile 11 I pick off one or two people who fell off the pace pack, but don't seem to make much headway against the pack itself.
                      Mile 12 my breathing is becoming much more labored but I manage to pick off another runner or two. The pace group is getting a bit closer and we're all gaining on the guy who has been just a bit out front since at least mile 7 or 8 (Red Shorts Guy). Just after crossing the 20k mark I catch up to and pass the pacer pair and the two guys still with them. I'm not far out in front when I hear one of the pacers talking but all I distinctly here is "I'll hit the brakes - he'll fly right by". I completely missed the first part of whatever he said but I briefly wonder how a Top Gun quote was suddenly relevant. I also briefly curse the pacer for being able to speak at such a pace so late in the race.
                      Mile 13 comes and there's an immediate 90* turn to the right, then a less-than-90-degrees turn to the left halfway to the finish. Red Shorts Guy is within 25 meters and running right down the middle of the road - very much not the tangent. The thought crosses my mind that I may not be able to run faster than he is but I can definitely run a shorter distance to help make up for it so I hit what I'm quite certain is top gear and run the tangent aiming for the curb that marks the apex of the turn.
                      I close most of the distance just before the turn but immediately before we get there a spectator starts excitedly yelling to Red Shorts Guy in Spanish and pointing back my way. By now I'm having difficulty even thinking in English, so translating from Spanish certainly isn't going to happen. The spectator's warning clearly had its desired effect as the man in front of me speeds up. Seeing this I yell in my head to the spectator "no, No, NO don't make him do that!!!" Just as the other guy speeds up I find out that I do, in fact, have one higher gear and give it all I've got. I'm barely aware of passing him just before the line (race photos support this), but the race results have him finishing one second ahead of me.
                      Chip time 1:24:16 (with Garmin/Strava PRs from 10k on, for what it's worth) and I'm absolutely thrilled! Seriously, I was on a high the rest of the day and that nagging little voice in the back of my head saying "That's probably too fast for you to run across that distance" has disappeared.


                      Post-race my quads are a bit sore, but nothing bad. I'm not sure if this is attributable to my increased mileage lately preparing me for it or if it's the oft-heard of effect of wearing VFs. One thing I can definitely attribute to the shoes is the blood blister that was formerly the tip of my second toe on my left foot. I'll absolutely use more Trail Toes before Dallas, but if I get another pair of VFs in the future I'll be sure to go up a half size from what I usually wear.
                      Back to easy runs for most of the week to recover and help absorb the benefits of the race, and perhaps a light-ish workout Thursday or Friday when my legs feel up to it, then to ramp things back up for another few weeks before starting the taper for the Dallas Marathon (in which I'll circle this lake the other direction).

                      5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                       

                      Upcoming Races:

                       

                       

                      kcam


                        Nice Half, Keen!  I think the lack of soreness is from all that fitness and leg strength you've built up.

                          Keen - that's a hell of a 1/2M.  You're in good position for sub3 in Dallas... just avoid injury and run smart.  Keep it up!

                          OMR


                            Thanks, everyone.  I've had a couple of big projects come to a head in the past few weeks, so doing things like posting on a running forum hasn't been possible.  I am hopeful that things will tame down a bit...eventually.

                             

                            Brew:  I'm glad to hear your work situation has improved.  For me, work life has...umm...changed.  The administrator who was causing me problems is on a leave of absence this semester.  Why?  His spouse...who was a colleague of mine...was diagnosed with an inoperable (and apparently aggressive) brain tumor late spring/early summer.  He planned to take the fall semester off to care for her; however, she passed away in August.  So, he is on a leave of absence for the fall semester, to grieve.  As a result, my professional life has been much less stressful, but there probably is some residual guilt for even thinking that it is OK to feel that way.  He will return to his duties in January.  Summary:  life is complicated.  And running extremely long distances helps (me) process the bullshit.  Oh...and your reply to Ace about being numbed up made me chuckle.  And nice monthly mileage...I'm jealous.

                             

                            Jim: As others have said, if you're lurking, that/you is/are impressive.  You make us "slightly less old farts" jealous!

                             

                            Keen:  I think you are set up well for a sub-3.

                             

                            Dwave:  Yikes on the tree splitting, glad nobody was injured.

                            berylrunner


                            Rick

                              Keen - great race.  Enjoyed the report

                               

                              OMR - impressive 50 mile time

                               

                              Brewing - nice month

                               

                              Darkwave - that's crazy.   Glad everyone is ok.

                               

                              My plan this week is a Zion Traverse.   A full traverse is not possible because of a trail closure.   We will be able to do the West side for about 37 miles.   Logistics are a little tricky.   I wish I was better at organizing things.  The other guys expect me to guide.

                              12-22   Last One Standing  - dnf 37 miles

                              1-23  Sun Marathon - 3:53

                              3-4-23  Red Mountain 55k - 7:02

                              4-15-23  Zion 100 - 27:59

                               

                               

                              rlk_117


                              Resident Millennial

                                fyi the CIM expo is temporarily relocating because the downtown convention center is under construction

                                _________________________________________________
                                mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58