Forums >Racing>2019 Sub 3 hour marathon thread
Thanks Jmac. The pace translates into a substantial 5K or 10K PR for me, but I was expecting improved results with my VaporFlys. 3hrs will be tight at Boston, but this performance indicates with good pacing/weather, I have a real shot. Go get 'em tomorrow.
5k- 18:55 (2018) 10K- 39:04 (2017) Marathon- 3:00:10 (2018)
Sling: Great job today! The win is great, but you should be even happier with the time. All things being equal (which of course when Boston is in the equation is a big leap), that translates to sub 3 for the marathon. Nice work.
2:52:16 (2018)
Congrats Sling! Good luck to those racing tomorrow. Have one of my last big Boston training LR tomorrow myself 🙂
1mile: 4:46 (12/20) | 5K: 15:57 (3/21) | 10K: 33:40 (4/20) | 15K 51:43 (4/21) | HM: 1:15:03 (12/20) | FM: 2:40:30 (1/20)
Laura
Congrats Sling on the win and solid tuneup time! i think you're in great shape for Boston, already hanging out at that sub-3 fitness and even have a little more time for some work (I say this as I'm reminding myself we still have a little time before taper). Hope you celebrated the win with a beer, or two.
Good luck to all racing today!
I've been quiet for a few weeks but just trying to get a grip on life a bit (vacation, job changes, being home now, getting house ready to get on market, lots of things) - but I have been lurking and following along as you have all been kicking ass, Training has been going well, not as heavy as I'd have hoped but I think I'm gaining fitness just the same. Sitting in hotel bed right now getting ready to run out for NYC half today - orig. goal of 1:20 more than likely out the window but thinking 1:22 a bit more realistic.
Happy St. Patricks Day! I'm back, looking forward to seeing all the race results and catching up with everyone!
Pre-Baby PR's (all from 2015): 5k: 18:46 10k: 38:37 HM: 1:24:51 FM: 2:58:13
Postpartum PR's: 5k: 18:18 (2018) HM: 1:21:14 (2019) FM: 2:57:02 (2019)
Next Up: Unsure - but most likely some solo TT's
{Strava}{IG}
Congrats to those that raced this morning! Great job to Lela who looks to have ran a 1:23 at NYC and JMac who just crushed his PR and ran 1:16:21 (bodes very well for him at Boston). Think we need to revisit his goal and maybe sign him to up pace Fin and I
I ran what is likely to be my last big LR/workout combo of more than 20 miles this AM. Pacing went pretty well all things considered, but I noticed my HR and effort was way too high during the M portion and honestly it felt like an all out effort in the last mile or so of that section. Hoping that's just the recent volume/mileage speaking more than anything? It was also pretty humid with temps in the mid 60's so that's likely part of the reason too. Was able to reset and throw down a fairly quick tempo mile on the track for mile 21 which was nice to see. Other workout of note was some 6 X1200's bridge repeats (both up and down) on Wednesday with 3 of the reps right into a humid 20 mph wind so those were about 16-20 sec slower than the downwind reps. Finally other run of note was on Monday where I got in several hundred feet of climbing on a local hill loop.
Even though we are 4 weeks out from Boston I'm going to start bringing down the mileage next week (down 10-15%) and will likely jump into 1 or 2 shorter races over the next few weeks to sharpen things up. I probably won't call it a taper until 2-3 weeks out though, but looking back at my marathon last year I ran my peak volume about 5-6 weeks out.
Weekly Summary Monday, Mar 11, 2019 thru Sunday, Mar 17, 2019
weatherboy- I think you can attribute that to humidity. Sounds like a successful workout all around.
Lela- Looks like you were right around what you expected. How did the race go? In the same boat here with prepping my house for sale... it's hard to train with all those distractions.
JMac- Damn, I guess this hasn't been such a bad cycle afterall! What a massive PR! Way to go.
Thanks for all the support for yesterday's 8k. Trying to keep all you roadrunner's honest at Boston with the pecking order.
JMAC that’s just filthy.
weather I think any kind of LR with quality in those conditions will feel that. Stellar week
Mon 8 with strides 8:20
tue 8 with strides 8:20
wed 9 with 35 minutes at 6:25
thurs 8 8:20
fri AM 9.75 with 36 min at 6:25
PM 12 with 3x17:00 at 6:07
sat 8 8:17
sun 18 as 70 minutes easy then 55 minutes at 6:20
HM: 1/17 1:18:53. FM: 12/18 2:46:04
powered by plants
Very nice race for JMac on what is NOT an ideal day in terms of wind. The runners must have dealt with a headwind over the bridge, on the FDR and up 42nd. Great result on a tough course.
As we all know, NYC courses are 1-5 minutes slower than others.
sling, congrats on the win. That 8k is definitely an improvement over your 10k PR.
Good week for me. 88 miles, most this year so far. Back on pace to run 4000 according to strava.
M, T, Th, F, Su were all easy singles or doubles. Wednesday was workout day. 11 miles running even miles hard (6:20) and odd miles easy (7:50). Very encouraging workout as I ran about 25 sec/mi faster than I did back in Oct. Yesterday I did my LR with my team which turned into the typical hammerfest midway through. Plus I threw in a fartlek at the end. 16+ at sub 7 pace.
5k: 17:52 (2014); 10k 36:59 (2014); 15k: 56:29 (2018); Half: 1:19:27* (2018); Full: 2:54:22 (2018)
*downhill AF
JMac: Big congrats for the awesome race today! If this is what you produce on a low mileage, inconsistent, injury plagued cycle it's scary to think what you're capable of on a consistent and injury free cycle. No more talk from you of not being up with Fin and Weather at Boston.
Congrats also to Jayluf, DW, and Lela for strong races today. And nice 10k race by Andres yesterday.
Weather: I think the elevated HR is understandable with the warm and humid conditions on top of cumulative fatigue from all the high mileage and tons of quality. From here on out you just need to stay healthy and do some maintenance work.
Swim: Strong week again; any target in mind for the Eugene half? What is the course like for that race?
This week was probably the best of my cycle. For Tuesday's track workout I averaged around 11:52 for the 3200m reps; I did the same workout last cycle and averaged around 12:10, so things are trending the right direction. I got a pair of Vaporflys on Friday and decided to break them in on my LR today, and they felt great. For the first 16 mi at easy pace they felt comfortable but nothing special, but for the last 6 mi at faster pace they felt great. I was hesitant to get them initially, but after my Asics DS racers (my previous marathon racing shoe) developed a crack in the back of the heel which gives me bad blisters, and I could not find any in my size anywhere to replace them (and the shoe has been discontinued) I decided to give them a try. Count me among the believers in this shoe. I guess until/unless the IAAF bans them I will feel ok to race in them. Not sure I would use them for shorter races or track work; I think I prefer my Reebok Floatrides for the track, but for the marathon I think these are the way to go.
No treadmill runs this week either, the machine is still out of commission.
RIP Milkman
Hey thanks everyone! Wind was definitely a bit rough for miles 7-11 on the course, got stuck a lot in no man’s land of having to battle the wind myself. There were certainly points where I was doubting myself in those sections and the going got real rough, but as with most races, I found a way to battle through it and realized that at mile 11 that I was going to be okay. I had an outside chance of breaking 1:16, but I dropped my anti-nausea pills at mile 5 and I knew there was no way I could pick up the pace at the end without having to vomit (I barely made it is, pulled off to the side at the end and barely held it together). But it doesn’t matter, it was a huge PR and way better than I expected!
A couple of takeaways:
- I guess this cycle hasn’t been a complete disaster? I’m only averaging about 50 miles over the last 12 weeks, but I think it’s just the cumulative mileage over the last year that has really helped me make a breakthrough.
- Related key takeaway: I know everyone on this board says this all the time, but just running a lot of easy mileage can overcome lack of workouts. I haven’t done a single 3x2 mile threshold workout this whole cycle, where I had at least 5 of them (including 4x2s) in the last cycle.
- Loved the Vaporfly. You really notice how great they are at the end of races. The problem with them is that you can really get out of the gate too hot with them. I was struggling to keep my pace correct for miles 2-4, where I was inching up towards 5:30 pace. Will have to remember that for Boston.
- I have no idea what to target at Boston. I was just going to try to hold PR pace, but I think I’m in better shape after this. I don’t think I’m quite at 2:39:59 shape though. Probably something in the 2:42 range? Or do I just go for broke and try get 2:39
Steve - if by EPO on my Strava you mean the Vaporflies, then yes, I was doped to the gills. The course itself (without the wind) was a bit tough with the bridge, but other than that, much better than last year. I have no idea how anyone ran that course with having to do the hills at the end.
Weather - huge workout today. I think going with the 4 week taper for you makes complete sense. Even just dropping 5% next week will help a bit. Your cycle has been crazy and the only thing that will hurt you is not tapering enough.
Swim - Another big week. Are you running anything before CIM this year?
Weekly SummaryMonday, Mar 11, 2019 thru Sunday, Mar 17, 2019
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
JMac: Big congrats for the awesome race today! If this is what you produce on a low mileage, inconsistent, injury plagued cycle it's scary to think what you're capable of on a consistent and injury free cycle. No more talk from you of not being up with Fin and Weather at Boston. Congrats also to Jayluf, DW, and Lela for strong races today. And nice 10k race by Andres yesterday. Weather: I think the elevated HR is understandable with the warm and humid conditions on top of cumulative fatigue from all the high mileage and tons of quality. From here on out you just need to stay healthy and do some maintenance work. Swim: Strong week again; any target in mind for the Eugene half? What is the course like for that race? This week was probably the best of my cycle. For Tuesday's track workout I averaged around 11:52 for the 3200m reps; I did the same workout last cycle and averaged around 12:10, so things are trending the right direction. I got a pair of Vaporflys on Friday and decided to break them in on my LR today, and they felt great. For the first 16 mi at easy pace they felt comfortable but nothing special, but for the last 6 mi at faster pace they felt great. I was hesitant to get them initially, but after my Asics DS racers (my previous marathon racing shoe) developed a crack in the back of the heel which gives me bad blisters, and I could not find any in my size anywhere to replace them (and the shoe has been discontinued) I decided to give them a try. Count me among the believers in this shoe. I guess until/unless the IAAF bans them I will feel ok to race in them. Not sure I would use them for shorter races or track work; I think I prefer my Reebok Floatrides for the track, but for the marathon I think these are the way to go. No treadmill runs this week either, the machine is still out of commission. Day Miles Pace Description Egain Link Tue 3.2 7:49 Warm up 0 strava Tue 9.7 6:17 4 x 3200m (11:53,:50,:53,:52), 800m recovery 0 strava Tue 1.4 7:32 Cool down 0 strava Wed 8.1 8:37 Afternoon Run 421 strava Thu 12.2 8:04 Afternoon Run 662 strava Fri 10.0 7:55 Afternoon Run 496 strava Sat 6.2 8:58 Morning Run 630 strava Sun 22.0 7:06 Long run w/ last 6 @ 6:17 avg 763 strava
Great week.
I haven’t looked at the course profile and I don’t have a goal either.
Mother of Cats
Jmac - huge congrats! You too Jayluf (too bad we couldn't meet up - I didn't think to reach out), and Lela.
In a rush, since I don't have much time, but a quick update:
+++
1:24:45. I'm pretty frustrated, because I think I had a much better race in me today. But I had major GI issues that popped up at mile 5, and ultimately required me to step off the course at mile 9 to unload. Even after that, I still had cramping the last miles. I don't think anyone wants to read the details, so we'll just say it was ugly.
I'm massively gluten- and lactose-intolerant, and the symptoms I had this morning (I first noted them pre-race just after breakfast) are very consistent with accidentally ingesting one or the other, but I can't figure out how. I bring my race breakfast with me when I travel to avoid exactly this situation, and I checked labels again after the race - everything was fine.
[and yes, this was an echo of the issues I had a few weeks ago, but worse. I'm thinking I need to get back into the GI Doctor, though I'm not sure what he'll do except tell me to be more careful. I was last scoped out about 18 months ago, so it probably doesn't make sense to do it again, and I'd really rather not go through that unless necessary.]
Splits were: Mile 1:6:44Mile 2: 6:34Mile 3: 6:32Mile 4: 6:29Mile 5: 6:25Mile 6: 6:01 (mile marker short)Mile 7: 6:56 (longer mile to balance out)Mile 8: 6:16Mile 9: 6:49 (bio break)Mile 10: 6:09 (short)Mile 11: 6:27 (long) Mile 12: 6:25 (cramps)Mile 13: 6:20 (cramps)last bit: 38 seconds
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.
DW: Considering all the problems you had that is still a solid performance. Very impressive to get a bio break in and still split a 6:49 for that mile! Minus all the GI issues and the stop, you would have been sub 1:23 for sure.
Swim - I must have missed Eugene. Sorry about that.
DW - that is rough. As someone whose limiting factor in races is always my stomach, I can sympathize, although what you’re going through is obviously a much bigger deal. If you accidentally eat something wrong, does it generally impact you worse in races? Anyway, good job on the half, that’s a great time for having issues.
Congrats to the racers this weekend! J-Mac, nice to have a big PR. Boston, especially the first half, is such a fast course (if you get good conditions) that I think you could go out in 1:20 for the first half without much issue. I wouldn't go out faster than that and at Boston that can be a challenge.
My taper starts today! I finished off a 102 mile week including a VO2 max workout (6x1200m) and a 21 mile long run. I slowed my goal pace slightly for the 1200s since the last time I tried that workout I wasn't able to hold my pace for all 6. This week is down to 80 miles with a 5x800m VO2max workout and a 5k race next weekend.