Forums >Racing>2018 3:20 (and beyond)
pie man
Hanging in Chico by the swimming hole. Nice spot.
ive done a few forest runs, nothing fast. Yesterday I covered 20 miles but was almost too much walking to call it a run. Should bring clothes down with me one day and run down here (in the “heat&rdquo.
Job is going well, we found a historic site last week (older than 50 years). Complete with vintage spam and Clorox in a glass bottle. Plus a ton of cans, the only one I’ve figured out is Wieland’s extra pale, which was made in San Jose from the end of prohibition until the 50’s. Looks like they sold the brewery to Falstaff in the 50’s. Coincidentally found a Falstaff can the day before.
11:11 3,000 (recent)
Duke Of Bad Judgment
I approached this Squamish 50/50 like it is a 100 mile race with a nap in the middle. I thought I'd give you a free experience of what it's like to crew someone in a 100 mile race, without all the travel and waiting around. And stink. Just for context, it's pretty common to have low moments during races like this, and sometimes they last a while. So...
This race SUCKS. Worst decision I ever made to sign up. It's all really technical mountain bike trails - who wants to run those. All forest, no views. Really stupid. I felt great for the first 8 miles and ok to mile 20 even after having to deploy my airbag after tripping in an area where no one trips. Mostly not a bad fall but my hips weren't too happy after that and one leg isn't working so well tonight. Anyway, I had a low moment starting at mile 20 and it lasted for about 9 hours until I was 1/2 mile from today's finish. I was supposed to have a LONG nap between races but I was so slow that now it will be a short nap. My plan is to walk most/all of the course tomorrow - because I don't care - and hope I make the 10 1/2 hour cutoff. For a friggin 50k. That sucks. Worst decision of my life. I will probably have another low moment when I wake up and remember what I'm supposed to do. It might last the full 10 1/2 hours. Missing a cutoff would be a mercy killing.
And you lot are useless. You aren't even here to massage my legs and tell me how good I look. You probably forgot to book your travel here. Well, you still have a chance at redemption if you show up at the Quest aid station. I hope to get there - mile 15 - in wait for it... less than 5 hours.
Ok, well enough lollygagging here with crew. TIme to go to bed so I can get up, suffer, and finish this stupid thing. Hopefully my leg will hold up for 31 more crappy hellish miles.
Add some stink and a lot of waiting, especially when your runner is struggling, and that might be what it's like to stand there and "support" your runner. Oh, right, the stink too. That's special.
Problem Child
All forest, no views. Really stupid.
Says the guy who complained about MOAB being all desert and no views.
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
Mother of Cats
I thought the crew's job was to tell the runner when he was deluded and needed to drop.
I've been reading the Ashley Horner thread on Slowtwitch - fascinating thread. Basically a "instagram fitness star" (with all the competence and expertise implied by that) announced that she was going to complete 50 ironman distance triathlons in 50 days in 50 different locations. Big surprise - she failed. Spectacularly. But fascinating to follow both for the physiology of just why she failed, and for observation of the crazy instagram culture. I know that people buy followers, and I'm wondering if it's possible to buy bots that will post affirmations of "OMG you are such an inspiration" - that's the only explanation I can find for that culture.
Anyways....Ashley Horner is relevant here because one of the things I've read is that ultra long distance swimmers apparently have someone on their crew deputized to make decisions on when to pull the plug - the swimmer doesn't get to make that decision; this person does.
***
My week was 46 miles of running and 24 "miles" of pool-running.
M: 8.5 "miles" pool-running and yogaT: 12.5 miles, including 3x(1200, 800, 400) in 4:46, 3:05, 88; 4:39, 3:01, 88; 4:32, 2:58, 85. Also injury prevention work and recovery swimming.W: 8 miles very easy (9:14), yoga, and then 4 miles very easy (9:02)
Th: 7.5 "miles" pool-running and upper body strengthwork/core.F: 11 miles, including 3200, 2x800, 2x200 in 12:34 (6:21/6:13); 2:55, 2:52, 40, and 39.Sa: 10.5 miles very easy (9:13) and DIY yogaSu: 8 "miles" pool-running and upper body strengthwork/core.
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.
I'm never running again. Running leads to poor choices. But I did get two finish line hugs from '"that" Gary Robbins, plus this 50/50 trucker's hat on my head, for figuring out how the person resting gets to the transition point before the racer.
Interesting about how pulling the plug is delegated to a crew member. Usually the athlete is quite good at figuring that out, early and often. I've rarely had crew - seems like a lot to ask of people given the nature of what is going on.
I just got back from the finish line. A few people who ran their first 50k ever finished 10-20 minutes after the cutoff. I wonder if the official DNF will bug them, or the Gary Robbins hug will do it. The crew for someone at the start today had a big sign "Goal: Get a hug from Gary". If wonder if that person beat the cutoff, or learned a lesson about setting goals carefully. Yesterday at the start during the prerace briefing, Gary said "I've missed cutoffs - it sucks" and everyone laughed knowingly.
Well I started running a little, so I'll start posting my weeklies:
M: 1h easy XT
T: 4mi easy (~9:00)
W:1h easy XT
Th: 5mi easy
F: spin class
S: 5mi easy
S: 1h easy XT
total = 14 mi
Hopefully my calf problem will just scar down. My ankle feels slightly spastic, but zero pain. My PT's strategy: daily exercises of calf/ankle/foot, a mild support insert in one shoe, a little soft tissue massage, and running every other day.
I'm optimistic!
Pace Prophet
"Instagram fitness celebrity"
dwave I heard of this 50 triathelons and wondered if there was zero time cutoff, or overall what the point was, so I didn't really care. Interesting about the swimmers having someone appointed. I guess it's in THEIR best interest as someone could push through points and end up in a worse situation, however I always question those big swims when they have people 15 feet from them etc. Safe travels back home.
max I heard of that race a while ago when Jam Jam did it. Too bad for the people who missed the cutoff. They should really work harder. I still find it interesting he gives everyone a hug at that specific race when he puts on his own...in Canada...where he is from. #syrupdrinker Have you done Waldo?
pj looks like you're getting in a few mountain runs. Hope you have time to enjoy some of the area up there. It should be closer to your liking in about 3 months. Probably not cold enough though but not 90+F.
rlk nice week of running. Also cool photo floating during the Sunday Funday run.
ilana I thought your race was last weekend so I was looking for a time.
My Week
It went okay. Most number of miles to day (excluding moving a workout when I was in Boise) which might explain the self-diagnosed metatarsalgia I'm icing. Cut one workout short for time/effort and enjoyed not getting out of bed at 4:00am a few days this week. It helped in the beginning to get the miles in but Thursday and Friday were hard to get out of bed. NeRP woke us up around 11 or 12am today so the morning run was canceled when I got back to sleep arond 1:30 or 2. Saturday was fun. I planned on doing a simple run with NeRP. DW told me to run longer so he would nap (we had a bbq to attend) as usual. I slowed down and he decided to wake up arond the 30 minute mark. Apparently there is a speed range he prefers for a morning nap. I might be able to coax DW out on her bike for one of these runs. 18 miles in 2.5 hours requires a LONG running path. I almost went for the full 20 but convinced myself "coach" said 2.5 hours and Hanson's explains why you don't need a 3-4 hour long run for a marathon.
Weekly SummaryMonday, Aug 13, 2018 thru Sunday, Aug 19, 2018
My race is next weekend, but I'm 90% certain I'm not doing it. As you all know I've been fighting groin pain. Friday's mtb ride put me in a lot of pain - last Monday was a shorter ride so maybe that's why it didn't hurt, but this whole thing actually started while riding so much in Telluride, so I think the biking is somehow what caused it. I tried to go out for a LR on Saturday and it was like knives in my crotch, headed home after two blocks. Sunday we went for a 6 mile hike instead and things were okay but every so often something pulled wrong and it hurt a lot.
I had been hoping that lower volume for two weeks would make it all go away, but the last few days ramped it up so much that I don't think it will matter even if I take off until Saturday. I'd been weighing this in my mind for a while but I am leaning toward being smart for a change. I'm super depressed about missing another race, but at least it's a little local one and not something big.
To counter all that Ashley Horner stuff (which just makes me want to barf) how about a real impressive sports celebrity? Not only did Dakota Jones (local boy) win the Pike's Peak marathon, he bicycled from Silverton to Colorado Springs (250 miles over 4 days) to get to the start.
Cobra Commander Keen
Max - When did you change your title? I'm a fan. Good job on getting the hug. By "never running again" are you saying you're thinking of tackling the Self-Transcendence or Infinitus 888k?
DWave - Nice week. I may have to go find that thread. I can definitely see the sense in not letting a long-distance swimmer make decisions on continuing or not.
Rovatti - Hooray for running again!
Ilana - I whole-heartedly second the eye roll. I'm sorry to hear about the groin pain coming up like this again. It sounds like you've got a good perspective on this, though. Quite an impressive series of efforts for Dakota.
Brew - Awesome week! Interesting that NeRP woke you up early today. DD3 actually slept in this morning (until 7:20!) for the first time in a long time.
Took a slight step back in mileage last week compared to where I've been - I'll likely try getting into the low 80's this week, then drop down a bit again for the week(s) after. Absolutely wonderful weather this morning, the best I've seen in several months. I tacked on an extra 2 miles at M pace on to the end of my planned workout. Possibly not the greatest idea, but I couldn't help myself with how good I was feeling in the cooler weather. Odd but awesome thing, my avg HR for the M pace miles was within my easy run HR threshold.
5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22
Upcoming Races:
OKC Memorial 5k - April 27
Bun Run 5k - May 4
Max: I still can't wrap my head around whatever you reluctantly completed this weekend. Hugs are generally a good thing, though. My daughter only lets me giver her finger hugs when I'm "too sweaty" after a run.
Ilana: Sorry the pain is lingering, that's frustrating. Knives in the crotch sounds horrendous.
Brew: Very nice week! How's the fatigue level?
Keen: Training seems to be going well. Have you set a goal for the upcoming 26.2?
My Week: Good week overall. Tuesday's workout that I cut short due to calf pain looks more like a tweak from the trail race than an injury. The rest of the week went well. Did plenty of ice and foam rolling too. 19 of the 20 miles on Saturday went as planned. It rained for the first 10 miles so shoes were pretty heavy. Just bonked a little on the last mile. Was supposed to be 4 miles at GMP.
Mon Aug 13
6.11
7:54
Morning Run
Tue Aug 14
2.08
8:16
Warmup
4.11
6:34
2x2 mile. Supposed to be 3 sets. Cut short due to left calf issue. Hopefully nothing major
2.01
8:37
Thu Aug 16
8.12
8:04
Feelin’ hot hot hot
Fri Aug 17
5.41
8:12
Sat Aug 18
20.03
7:36
16 E, 3 GMP, 1 semi-bonk (6:53, 6:49, 6:58...7:36)
0.42
9:26
Some kind of cool down
Sun Aug 19
4.02
8:06
A little shakeout
52.30
7:49
Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)
Ace - Good week, and I'm glad the calf seems to be just a tweak instead of an injury. Also, finger hugs sound both awesome and hilarious.
Training has been going really well - something for which I'm certainly thankful. I don't have any concrete time goals yet (to be decided closer to time), but in general terms I'm thinking 1) Massive PR (it'll be 19 months and MANY miles since my last marathon), and 2) get in to Botswana 2020 - which will require hitting goal #1, even though I'll age up and be able to use the 3:10 standard.
Does anyone concentrate on or otherwise consciously control your breathing while running? If so, what benefits have you noticed compared to "just breathing"?I've been trying that out for the last week (following Daniels' suggestions) and I'm not sure that it's really made a difference one way or the other yet. Comparing this with my "usual" breathing is difficult since I almost always fall into a pattern once I start counting steps along with my breathing. I will say that trying to do a 2-2 breathing pattern during my R work last Monday didn't go well at all - I had serious difficulty syncing my breathing and steps. My tempo run last week was better but certainly not great, but I think I did a pretty good job today.
Ilana sucks you're pulling out but I get the "sharp pains" not being the most comforting. Getting old sucks from what I'm told.
ace The fatigue kinda set in for the first mile today. I wasn't feeling very fast even though most of my easy runs have been faster than 8:30 pace which still surprises me since it seemed to be slower from what I remember last marathon cycle, and every single run in between but maybe it's in my head.
I do the 2 in 2 out breathing. In and out when the right foot hits the ground, or the left foot. I think it works and I think it's keeping my heart rate slower for easy runs however I can't say for sure if it's keeping my heart rate slower, or more controlled, for longer runs. I mostly do it because I read in a book it is how elites train to race and it's the most efficient way to breathe. It felt stupid for a really long time. Trying to "hock a looch" throws the breathing off and on the harder stuff it ends up being the 1-2 breath pattern so it's like every 3rd step I'm breathing. Start with your E runs. Then try to do an E run with friends and chat while keeping the 2-2 breathing pattern. After that do an E run again and see how much easier it seems to be to do 2-2 solo. After a few runs you'll end up nailing it...if you want to do that kind of breathing.
TL; DR: Marathon training sucks.
Well I started running a little, so I'll start posting my weeklies: M: 1h easy XT T: 4mi easy (~9:00) W:1h easy XT Th: 5mi easy F: spin class S: 5mi easy S: 1h easy XT total = 14 mi Hopefully my calf problem will just scar down. My ankle feels slightly spastic, but zero pain. My PT's strategy: daily exercises of calf/ankle/foot, a mild support insert in one shoe, a little soft tissue massage, and running every other day. I'm optimistic!
Nice week!
Ace: No, I’m not going to quote myself after posting this! ;-)
Had one of those workouts this morning where I felt I finally got over another training hump.
3 x 2 mile with 3:00 rest, progressing pace each rep. According to my garmin, times were. These were done on a track. Really felt pretty smooth and controlled.
6:25/6:17
6:13/6:00
5:59/5:50