Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023 (Read 572 times)

     

    Oh... seriously? Let me check...

     

    Yeah, it was set to "Only allow members in my groups to view my log". Corrected... Thanks for letting me know.

     

    Yes I see it now! And yes I count 16.  How did you manage to run 6 of them at 2:59: xx?

    Dave

    CalBears


       

      Yes I see it now! And yes I count 16.  How did you manage to run 6 of them at 2:59: xx?

       

      Ha-ha -  that's a good question - I guess I was just in a shape where I could barely run sub 3 (or I just thought so...), so, I was aiming for 6:50 avg pace (knowing that it will be longer than just 26.2), and I think it worked out well (except 3:00:13 in 2021 at Santa Rosa Smile

      paces PRs - 5K - 5:48  /  10K - 6:05  /  HM - 6:14  /  FM - 6:26 per mile

      Mikkey


      Mmmm Bop

         

        Sorry, 2:53:00 will not do it... 

         

        2:52:59 or faster  Plus, running REVEL marathon to get the Moose Mug would be a shameful event for a decent person...

         

        Also, Mikkey, I ran 16 sub 3 marathons, not 15 !!!  You can check that in my log - I am not hiding anything from people like you do hiding your training log for some reason 

         

        Oh yeah we’re on 16 each! (I knew we had the same) I also ran a couple of 3:00 marathons, but they were Garmin Sub3s and must’ve been long courses. 

         

        Longboat - Sorry to hear about injury and hope you make a full recovery. 👍

         

        Fishy - I agree with you about trail running, I ran a trail marathon in 2020 and was just relieved to finish it without breaking my ankles!  I’ve done a few short trail runs with Tyson, but it’s more like cross training as he keeps disappearing and I have to stop and blow my whistle…then he comes sprinting back to get a treat. I’m still bribing him. 
        I think 53yo is a good age to win a Moose Mug and I think you should run the REVEL marathon! 

        5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

        Fishyone


           

          Sorry, 2:53:00 will not do it... 

           

          2:52:59 or faster  Plus, running REVEL marathon to get the Moose Mug would be a shameful event for a decent person...

           

          Also, Mikkey, I ran 16 sub 3 marathons, not 15 !!!  You can check that in my log - I am not hiding anything from people like you do hiding your training log for some reason 

           

          Damn!!  Thought I might get some slack cut from my fellow "senior" members. Oh well I guess it comes down to this yet again....

           

          JMacFishy - there's one solution to your problem: get faster  (honorary carry-over from 2022)

          5K 18:36 (2023), 10K 39:40 (2022), 1/2 1:24:37 (2023), full 2:58:36 (2015) 

          CalBears


            I think 53yo is a good age to win a Moose Mug and I think you should run the REVEL marathon! 

             

            Well... Then I have 2 Moose Mugs vs your single one. My 2:50 at Revel at age of 56 is Moose Mug applicable then? 

             

             Damn!!  Thought I might get some slack cut from my fellow "senior" members. Oh well I guess it comes down to this yet again....

             

             

            You should actually run one of the Revel marathons (or similar - I wanted to run one in Boise, Idaho when I was working for a company HQ-ed there) - it's fun, it's totally different experience. But two things, of course (maybe 3 Smile - 1) like any marathon is not easy, 2) even if it is not easy, it is still at least 10 minutes faster than a regular marathon (I ran Boston before Revel and CIM after Revel and both were more than 10 minutes slower), 3) you have to train your quads, otherwise it might not be that fast Smile, 4) some say that Revel Big Bear doesn't have elevation gain, only 3700 ft of elevation loss - bullshit, first half (actually, first 9 miles) have some hills with elevation gain definitely more than 200-250ft.

             

            And last - after you get your Moose Mug at a Revel race (or similar) - you won't feel like a worthy Moose Mugger, I promise. Mikkey will be the first one who will remind you about it - just to keep you in check Smile

             

            Longboat - damn man... I am getting concerned about this stuff lately, getting seriously injured like this is so detrimental at older age. I hope you still will be very active when injured - loss of muscle because of being inactive (at older age especially) is the biggest danger for shortening our lives. But I am pretty sure you know that. Get well and be active!

             

            JMac - I never understood your attitude towards racing. You cannot target every race as a PR race, this is BS. You build your shape based on previous results, your best races don't come from nowhere, they are coming from previous races. Having that attitude - PR or nothing - you might stop running right now - unless you have strong few cycles with marathons as your checking points, you won't be able to get to a PR shape. Sorry to hear about your situation, but I never liked JD plans - I think they are the safest way to get injured, they really make you exhausted really fast. And vulnerable. That's my opinion. You are surprised that you didn't run even 60 miles per week and still is in such a mess? Guess what - people who get heart attack, they are surprised too - they were just fine yesterday and today they had heart attack. You know why? Because the problem with coronary system doesn't come from nowhere - it starts to develop long, long, long before the event happens, 10 years before, maybe long before that. So with the training - things like that, such an abundance of issues just do not happen suddenly - they accumulate. That's why building up to the best shape takes time - because every injury throws you back and, if not handled carefully, that injury stays with you on some level. Ha-ha - sorry for saying all that, you know that already, I know, but still - every time I hear - PR or death - I wanna throw up...

             

            The moose mug is easy when you’re over 55.

             

            I feel different about that. When you training for a good race, crucial part of training is motivation. It's harder and harder to keep that motivation up. Because the older you get, the better you understand that it's all a game, maybe not really healthy after all. Running is great, of course, but at what cost? And without motivation it's hard to be in a great running shape with all the requirements for higher mileage.

             

            Sacramento is not a destination marathon? Why? San Francisco is just a little bit more than hour away. Lake Tahoe / Reno - another hour in different direction and pretty good tourist destinations. Yosemite - if you want to spend one or two more days in the area. Not sure what you really meant by "not destination". Boston as a destination is boring like hell, btw... (unless you like history).

             

            Ok, if JMac is not coming to CIM, man.... - we have Mikkey coming, I think it is even more fun than JMac - and btw, Mikkey is as shy as JMac in real life - just a great person to talk to. And he is from another continent, btw - you will see JMac probably dozen of times in future, but I doubt you might have another chance to meet our glorious leader 

            paces PRs - 5K - 5:48  /  10K - 6:05  /  HM - 6:14  /  FM - 6:26 per mile

            CalBears


              Just a sharing thought as I have a similar problem with my daughter and she refuses to believe me like many of the kids refuse to believe their parents know something and really wish their kids the best. Plus, the belief is that the medical system is so powerful and healing is so strong among people, that many of them start to understand that it is a BS long time after it is overdue.... Many of the people will not understand it until the end.

               

              Anyway, there is this documentary about celebrity shrink Stutz on Netflix. It's ok stuff in all, but the most surprising thing for me was this short part:

               

              Life Force

               

              Basically the guy, shrink, says - if you want to be healed and you are sick (yes, he is talking about depression, but I know it is applicable to everything else) start with exercise (plus diet and sleep) - that will heal you 85% - that's how important it is. He is talking about other two levels, but that comes after you got your base covered.

               

              Sorry for sharing Smile

              paces PRs - 5K - 5:48  /  10K - 6:05  /  HM - 6:14  /  FM - 6:26 per mile

                The moose mug is easy when you’re over 55. Maybe we can identify as transgender and get the female qualifications (additional 20 minutes I believe) and have something else to brag about. 

                 

                after running Boston I’ve realized people who run the Boston marathon are annoying. It really isn’t anything special. Just hearing a friend tell me he read something about ‘people run Boston faster than any of the others’ sounded so annoying. Seeing jackets all over Boston was annoying. Walking around with my backpack showing the 2023 logo makes me feel obnoxiously obligated to kick my own ass.

                 

                1. Come talk to us when you’re actually 55. It’s hard just getting out of bed some days. 

                2. So don’t run Boston, no one’s making you. People who go run Boston, having been told exactly what it’s like, and then complain that it’s exactly like that, are annoying.

                Dave

                Mikkey


                Mmmm Bop

                  Cal - Your posts are always a joy to read. 👍

                  5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

                  darkwave


                  Mother of Cats

                     

                     

                    Am I missing something? Qualifying for NYC doesn’t guarantee me a spot. I just get to enter a lottery or it’s a ‘first come first served’ process so I have to be at the computer waiting for the website to crash.

                     

                     

                    If you qualify for NYC at a non-NYRR race (like most of them) then it's first come, first served.

                     

                    If you qualify for NYC at a NYRR race (like the Brooklyn Half) then you are guaranteed a spot.

                     

                    I'm already qualified; I just went up there because I preferred the inconvenience of going up to Brooklyn to check out the half over the inconvenience of having to make sure I was at a computer at some preset date/time in spring of 2024 to start frantically mashing buttons and reloading websites.

                     

                    LongBoat - I am really sorry to hear that.  Really sorry.  I hope the surgery and recovery goes smoothly and well.

                     

                    BTW, of course you and JMac should both keep posting here despite your injury travails (assuming that you feel like it, of course).

                     

                     

                     

                    Just a sharing thought as I have a similar problem with my daughter and she refuses to believe me like many of the kids refuse to believe their parents know something and really wish their kids the best. Plus, the belief is that the medical system is so powerful and healing is so strong among people, that many of them start to understand that it is a BS long time after it is overdue.... Many of the people will not understand it until the end.

                     

                     

                    I'm gonna gently disagree with this.  I don't think that medicine is BS.  It's just that it's not perfect, and we still have so much to learn about the human body.  Medicine is basically real people trying to do the best they can with what is known today.  And the amazing thing is that we actually have learned a lot over the centuries.  Insulin and penicillin, for example.

                     

                    I think that we sometimes expect too much from medicine, and when we encounter the limitations, we declare it useless.  But it's not useless at all.  It's just not everything we wish it was.

                     

                     

                     

                    I checked a few Moose Mug times with an age-grade calculator and it seems like the older your are, the more difficult it is.  By the time you reach my age I would have to run an age-graded 92%, i.e. an AG equivalent of 2:13:30.

                     

                    I did this once too.  IIRC, the easiest times were for women in their early and late 40s, followed by men in their 50s.

                     

                     

                     

                     

                    darkwave Do you have any races this summer? Any goals in mind for NYC?

                     

                    NYC is in 2024; this fall I'm going with the repeat double of Chicago and then Houston.  I was snagging a guaranteed entry for next year by running a qualifying time at a NYRR half-marathon this year.

                     

                    My next race is the Garry Bjorklund Half at Grandma's Marathon in mid-June - after that I'll take a little break and then start thinking about Chicago.  (the fact that I have the Garry Borklund coming up is one reason why I didn't race Brooklyn all out - I've already raced a half and two 10-milers this season, and I really feel that two more half-marathons would have been too much).

                     

                     

                    darkwave - Congrats on the NYC entry and I’m pleased that things are now looking good for you running wise!  I think some folk think it’s a difficult course and it’s probably because it’s an easy first half…but if you’ve been too aggressive then you’ll feel it in the second half. You’re smart and will nail it. 👍

                      

                    Thanks for the vote of confidence on both my improvement (though I still feel like I have a long way to go) and running the NYC course.  I value your take on these things (especially when positive )  I am curious to see how it will go.  But again, it's over a year away at this point....

                    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.

                    CalBears


                      I'm gonna gently disagree with this.  I don't think that medicine is BS.  It's just that it's not perfect, and we still have so much to learn about the human body.  Medicine is basically real people trying to do the best they can with what is known today.  And the amazing thing is that we actually have learned a lot over the centuries.  Insulin and penicillin, for example.

                       

                      I think that we sometimes expect too much from medicine, and when we encounter the limitations, we declare it useless.  But it's not useless at all.  It's just not everything we wish it was.

                       

                      Yeah, for sure, but I am gonna gently disagree with that too Smile

                       

                      Penicillin (antibiotic) is probably the discovery that worth mentioning and it was really gigantic discovery. I won't go to details about how that antibiotics wipe out your bacteria from the gut and makes you fight with other, much longer (though, more manageable) problems - it still won't hide the fact how much infections became non-issue.

                       

                      I disagree with Insulin, though... Actually, I partially agree, but insulin is not a medicine - it's a crutch... According to CDC, in 1958 the percentage of people with Diabetes was 0.93%, in 2015 - it was 7.4%. Insulin was discovered in 1921.  So, people depend on insulin 24/7 and it doesn't cure the cause. Yes, it's better than dying, but our medicine is pretty happy with the way things are. The war on cancer was declared by Nixon - since then cancer is still in the top 3 causes of deaths.

                       

                      And again, I am not saying medicine is totally useless - otherwise I would not have insurance after all. I am just saying that most of people think that if something happens, THE MEDICINE will not let them die. And as I mentioned before, for example, when a person has a heart attack (number one reason to die in the States - coronary artery disease), the disease in most of the cases started long time before heart attack happened. And I can't but struggle to understand why medicine doesn't work as hard with healthy people as with sick/dying ones? I am not saying there is a conspiracy, but that is ridiculous.

                       

                      My doctor told me he will order blood test only when I have some kind of a problem. Basically, when I will be having an issue (which could be prevented at the first place), then they will start looking into it. I understand that's how insurance works and somebody here already gave me a comparison with a car - insurance starts working when an event happens. Sounds logical, right? The problem with that analogy is that a human body is not a car. Car can be fixed, a bad part can be replaced with a good one. Not with humans - no - the replacement will not work in most of the cases - nobody will replace your arteries for example. And heart surgeries with their stent technology just move the problem for a few months. Human body is not a car!

                       

                      I found an answer on some question asked by a person from some heart.org web site - I think it totally describes how medicine currently works (not in preventative way which we definitely need):

                       

                      ...

                      Does life go back to normal after a heart attack?

                       

                      Most people survive their first heart attack and return to their normal lives to enjoy many more years of productive activity. But having a heart attack does mean you need to make some changes in your life.

                      ...

                       

                      Just sad, imho - they say you need to make changes AFTER you had a heart attack, not before!

                       

                      And again, you might say, it's not a fault of medicine - it's a responsibility of people. And you would be right. And that is actually what I was trying to say all this time. And that's what that video clip was about.

                      paces PRs - 5K - 5:48  /  10K - 6:05  /  HM - 6:14  /  FM - 6:26 per mile

                      Marky_Mark_17


                        I disagree with Insulin, though... Actually, I partially agree, but insulin is not a medicine - it's a crutch... According to CDC, in 1958 the percentage of people with Diabetes was 0.93%, in 2015 - it was 7.4%. Insulin was discovered in 1921.  So, people depend on insulin 24/7 and it doesn't cure the cause. Yes, it's better than dying, but our medicine is pretty happy with the way things are. The war on cancer was declared by Nixon - since then cancer is still in the top 3 causes of deaths.

                         

                         

                        You'd expect that diabetes % to have increased over the past 50-60 years though, because:

                        1. That's the % of people diagnosed with diabetes.  Not the same thing as the number of people that actually have diabetes.  Assuming access to medical care has improved, then you'd expect that % to be higher now simply because more people are being diagnosed.

                        2. More processed sugar in diets now (which is obviously a problem in its own way).

                        The type 1 vs. type 2 distinction is pretty important too.  Type 1 is pretty much incurable.  Type 2 can't be totally cured but it can be managed to a point where insulin might not be required by treating the underlying causes (basically eating healthy and getting to a healthy weight).

                        3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)  

                        10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)

                        * Net downhill course

                        Last race: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                        Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                        "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                        Mikkey


                        Mmmm Bop

                          Cal - I’ll be staying in San Francisco before and after CIM, but I read an article last month that said it’s become a failed city and a lot of areas aren’t safe.

                           

                          Should I hire a Russian bodyguard during my stay?

                          5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

                            *offtopic mode on*

                             

                            Cal - I love Stutz. Insurance and the Medical field.... I am highly cynical; knowing how hospitals budget and doctors are driven to push operations. Insurance companies usually will look at the cost-benefit relation between preventive care for millions vs. paying for the treatment of the few that actually get ill (and don't die quickly). From a health insurers perspective, it is more cost efficient to have its insureds die of a heart attack, rather than to pay many of its insureds for "inefficient" screenings.

                             

                            And politics are of course, surprise surprise,  on the side of the health insurance industry - as one Texan federal judge just ruled the American Care Act mandated free screenings uninforceable.

                             

                            *offtopic mode off*

                             

                            In short - stay fit, healthy and motivated! Watch Stutz.

                            HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)

                             

                            2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!

                            flavio80


                            Intl. correspondent

                              Calbears - Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
                              I agree 100% with what you're saying to Jmac.
                              And also about using exercise as a way to keep your mind sane.
                              You have an interesting take re: Medicine.
                              I must say I at least partially agree.
                              The issues are that humans fail, and fail often, and that the system of financial incentives is not always optimally set up.

                              There are a lot of diseases that are not well known by modern medicine. Take for instance high blood pressure, which is a symptom of many diseases. Does medicine know which diseases are there that cause high blood pressure? No. Does medicine know what exactly it is that causes high blood pressure? No. They only provide a pill that will artificially lower your blood pressure, but never fix the actual root cause.

                              What if there was a pill that solved the root cause once and for all? I'm fairly sure if there was such a pill, the pharma conglomerates would kill thousands to ensure it never reached the market and threatened their profits.


                              Regardless of that, I try to create the best possible outcome for myself and my loved ones.
                              As such I do one blood check per year which I note down all the results in a spreadsheet, so that I know the baseline for every thing.
                              I also do the tread mill test every few years and also collect the results.
                              And I read my blood pressure every couple of months and note it down as well.
                              You try to optimize your diet according to your personal tastes, a good balance between just eating the things you like but are unhealthy versus eating "animal food", i.e. food that is good for you but tastes horribly.
                              And you also try to optimize exercise, so that you can do enough of it to keep your body healthy, but not way too much so that you can have life long damage.

                               

                              Calbears/Mikkey - If I remember correctly you both have the *marathon moose mug*.

                              But do you have the Half marathon moose mug? It's 1 hour + half your age.

                              I intend to collect my half marathon moose mug by running 1:21:29 or faster in October in Riga/Latvia, at the tender age of 43.

                              PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

                              Up next: no idea

                              Tool to generate Strava weekly

                              Mikkey


                              Mmmm Bop

                                 

                                 

                                Calbears/Mikkey - If I remember correctly you both have the *marathon moose mug*.

                                But do you have the Half marathon moose mug? It's 1 hour + half your age.

                                I intend to collect my half marathon moose mug by running 1:21:29 or faster in October in Riga/Latvia, at the tender age of 43.

                                 

                                Multiple times my friend, MULTIPLE TIMES!!!

                                My 1:21 half PR was at 45yo and the 1:23 just prior to my marathon PR I was 53yo.

                                 

                                I’m not sure about Cal as his half marathon pace is always very similar to marathon pace. 

                                5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)