Forums >Racing>2019 Sub 3 hour marathon thread
DW: I wouldn't get too worried about the half; some days are just off with no clear reason why. I had a similar half in 2017; just felt dead from the start even though I thought I could go for a PR that day and nothing obvious was wrong training-wise. Count it as a good hard workout and move on.
Swim: Glad to hear things are healing up.
MMC: Nice job with another 80 mile week. That's great speed for your 20 min tempo or threshold or whatever you call it. Your potential in the marathon is downright scary.
I only got 5 days in this week due to travelling to MI for a couple of family reunions this weekend. Happy to get in a decent LR today. The weather here in MI has been near perfect this weekend. I was able to easily go 22 miles with no water. I saw Weather was enjoying the cooler weather up north this weekend as well!
Weekly SummaryMonday, Jun 17, 2019 thru Sunday, Jun 23, 2019
2:52:16 (2018)
DW - Very strong effort there even though wasn't result you were hoping for. Wouldn't think twice about it.
MMC - Solid week
JTReeves - Glad you got to enjoy some nice weather in Michigan!
Had a strong week getting back over 60 for first time since end of March. Legs felt surprisingly strong today after yesterday's LR!
Weekly Summary Monday, Jun 17, 2019 thru Sunday, Jun 23, 2019
ET = Easy Tempo basically a steady run, I ran too fast though.
JT - Traveling and running don't mix. Almost 70 miles in 5 runs is no joke... that's basically 100 in 7!
3K: 8:29.12 (2017) 5K: 14:56.59 (2016) 8K: 25:27 (2016) 15K: 53:46 (2022) HM: 75:41 (2022) FM: 2:43:17 (2022)
JTReeves - nice mileage still and great that you were able to take advantage of the cooler weather for the 22. I would like to do London as well but it sounds impossible to get in. I've tried twice. Also Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague, can't remember what else
So Darkwave - no I've never done Berlin. I don't repeat marathons - not interested as I prefer using them as an excuse to travel, see the world and new experiences. And as others have said, 1:25 is still solid.
Jayluf: I'm happy to see you posting! Do you put a plan together or follow one or just wing it week to week? I'll be following! Umm...post-race beer?? Of course! For some reason I was under the assumption Octoberfest was actually in September so I didn't think it was an option. Thanks! I'll look into that.
M: 7.4 mi in AM (9:24) // 4.8 mi in PM (8:19) T: 7.1 mi w/5 x 1km (3:45) w/400m rec *95F W: 15 mi (7:58) T: 50 min (8:43) F: 9 mi (8:09) S: off S: Squires long run 2 hr 10 min / 17 mi (7:38) with middle hour of 6 x (6 min on (6:16) / 4 min off) *87F 66 mi
JTReeves - nice mileage still and great that you were able to take advantage of the cooler weather for the 22. I would like to do London as well but it sounds impossible to get in. I've tried twice. Also Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Prague, can't remember what else So Darkwave - no I've never done Berlin. I don't repeat marathons - not interested as I prefer using them as an excuse to travel, see the world and new experiences. And as others have said, 1:25 is still solid. Jayluf: I'm happy to see you posting! Do you put a plan together or follow one or just wing it week to week? I'll be following! Umm...post-race beer?? Of course! For some reason I was under the assumption Oktoberfest was actually in September so I didn't think it was an option. Thanks! I'll look into that. M: 7.4 mi in AM (9:24) // 4.8 mi in PM (8:19) T: 7.1 mi w/5 x 1km (3:45) w/400m rec *95F W: 15 mi (7:58) T: 50 min (8:43) F: 9 mi (8:09) S: off S: Squires long run 2 hr 10 min / 17 mi (7:38) with middle hour of 6 x (6 min on (6:16) / 4 min off) *87F 66 mi
Jayluf: I'm happy to see you posting! Do you put a plan together or follow one or just wing it week to week? I'll be following! Umm...post-race beer?? Of course! For some reason I was under the assumption Oktoberfest was actually in September so I didn't think it was an option. Thanks! I'll look into that.
Sorry. Can't do shit on my phone. All I wanted to do was to correct my spelling of Oktoberfest.
RIP Milkman
MMC - how you feeling with this buildup? Crazy you're already doing quality.
DW - good race report as always. NPR on long drives? That would put me right to sleep! They have such soothing voices, almost saying "you are getting very sleepy..."
JT - your training has been great! I miss that kind of weather where you could go 22 with no water (see below). It's probably my only thing I truly like about winter training, not getting absolutely crushed in long runs.
Jay/Swim - good weeks.
Cinnamon - I also thought Oktoberfest was in September. I guess it's both months? Confusing.
Me - Last week of only easy running (will have gone 18 straight runs of only Easy pace, kill me.) My long run this weekend was a complete disaster. I had to walk for the first time in a long time, and it was only after about 11 miles. I think the heat just sapped me as I was out there at 5 PM and decided to push how long I would go without water (big mistake). I was so demoralized, but eventually just struggled my way home. Took in 60 oz of liquid when I got back and still couldn't pee, so my dehydration was through the roof. Anyway, I have my first 5K this weekend. TDP will be around 145, plus with only easy running, I don't expect a great time. I think 17:29 that I have on the front page is the right goal. That's the best thing about having soft PRs in certain distances!
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5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Stotan Disciple
I don't know I just didn't have it on BAA 10K Sunday. I need to figure this out. Feels like I'm running on fumes. Maybe I'm too focused on the mile races.
Mon 5.9 mi Hill Sprints
Tue 7.2 4x 1k @ 10K & Faster
Wed 8 Mi Easy
Thu AM 8.3 Mi Deek Quarters
Thu PM 5.1 mi Easy
Fri 8.4 Mi Easy
Sat 6.5 mi Easy
Sun 8.5 mi BAA 10k 35:30 Raced an epic failure
58 Miles
Swim Thank you, You had a great week as well glad to hear the groin is doing fantastic.
MMC Great week, I think I need to get my mileage back up to 80-85 stay consistent.
JTReeves Nice week as well I watched Rabat and some meet from Spain. Hahaha some races I could have made the B finals lol. Europe is a hotbed for summer track one of my friends got a Nike contract to run in Europe for three years after college came back wearing a man purse and tight jeans before it was a thing . He was a 46 flat consistent never ran 45 he was chase fodder said he started every race in lane 8 he had to cover 300m in 32-34. LoL that was his job. Oh I also met Sybil from up your way.
JMAC - All these easy runs then race an effort that requires almost VO2Mmax intensity. That will be interesting to see.
Darkwave - Nice job in Bjorkland half. Maybe the 5k took something out of you. I sure feel like I have nothing left. A few years ago I could double and bounce back now I feel like I cant stay on the gas week after week. I don't know how some people race so infrequent and run so fast. I feel like I have to train, hit some races for confidence make adjustment to hit PRs. It's not always successful. I'm still scratching my head.
I see Abdi on the start line and was like there goes 1st then I see Gardiner and was like there goes 2nd. I don't even think I placed 10th, It was a total meltdown. I spent the last three miles trying to hold of some damn 10 Year old Prefontaine. Why is a 10 year old running 35??? for a 10K. Where are his parents???? I will definitely have to make adjustments for the remainder of the year.
Thinking should be done first, before training begins.
I follow a plan my coach puts together, generally following a structure like:
M: rest/recovery
T: 8 - 10mi easy + strides
W: Workout (varying stimulus based on cycle timing)
Th: 8 - 10mi easy
Fri: rest or 4 - 6 easy, sometimes strides
Sat: long run with stuff most of the time
Sun: 10 - 13 easy + strides
Week 2 of Oktoberfest this year starts Monday Sept 30. I've read that that's actually one of the best times to attend if you're trying to avoid the worst of the crowds.
Since I've been racing a lot of short stuff recently, and done little in the way of the 4-5 mile tempos that I thrive on, we swapped stuff around this week. On Tuesday I did a tempo on the track while my teammates did 1200s - having them pop in and out of lane 1 as I tempoed made the workout mentally much easier for me since there was so much happening on the track.
DW - Could this be it? You just weren't doing the build that you normally thrive on, or need for a half? I know for me, when I'm preparing for a half, I like to do about 6 weeks worth of 10k to half paced runs (usually leading up to 2 x 3miles at that pace).
JTReeves - I agree with the rest. That's really impressive mileage on 5 days. That has to be worth more than a little bit more on 7 days.
JMac - I agree a bunch of easy running might not be the best prep for this weekend's 5k, but I still expect you to have a stronger baseline than 17:30ish. I think you'll surprise yourself.
My week: Slowly getting back to overcoming my stupid soccer injury. I hope to get back up in the mileage, and get a workout in.
Upcoming races: Boston
Mother of Cats
Jmac - I like listening to talk radio when driving because it's like a conversation that I don't have to participate in.
And yeah, that's not great conditions for a 5K.
Cinnamon - nice week - and wow at the workout in 95 degrees. Oof. Interesting (and understandable) about liking to do new races. I don't do the same races every year, but there are a few that I like to return to since they are so well done.
JT - glad you got a break from the weather by traveling (though I understand it was nice on the east coast too this weekend). That's solid mileage for 5 days.
Nimmals - sorry about the 10K. This stuff really is a continuing experiment, and sometimes the results are confounding. I heard Boston was hot for the 10K, could that have contributed? Crazy on the 10 year old.
Andres - interesting that you think that way, and that's where I was leaning as well. I think that may be part of the puzzle, but not all of it. Nimmals - I don't think the 5K the week before was an issue - I didn't go deep into the well for that one, and I also raced a 5K the week before Broad Street, and then ran great at Broad Street.
My coach thinks I have been running my workouts a bit too hard/fast, and need to pull back. So I'll be doing that. He also thinks that sub-ing in that tempo was a mistake, and I should have stuck with intervals, and just run the intervals slower.
Coach doesn't think I raced too much, but just that the racing too much combined with workouts that were a bit too hard was an issue. Personally, I think I did race a bit too much - it's not so much that the racing itself hurt me, but that my mileage was too low because I was racing so much. And I probably also stretched stuff out too long - better to do Broad Street, take a short break, do some controlled half-marathon specific training, and then race one 5K before the half. So, lessons for next time. Oh well. I don't feel like all that racing was a total waste - even though I didn't snag a 5K PR, I feel I put in some good work towards improving my execution of the 5K, so that's a plus.
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 don't know I just didn't have it on BAA 10K Sunday. I need to figure this out. Feels like I'm running on fumes. Maybe I'm too focused on the mile races. Mon 5.9 mi Hill Sprints Tue 7.2 4x 1k @ 10K & Faster Wed 8 Mi Easy Thu AM 8.3 Mi Deek Quarters Thu PM 5.1 mi Easy Fri 8.4 Mi Easy Sat 6.5 mi Easy Sun 8.5 mi BAA 10k 35:30 Raced an epic failure
If I was racing a goal 10k on Sunday - Tuesday would be my last workout day - either the 4 x 1k or Deek Quarters. Not both. Maybe strides on Thursday but not two workouts in a race week. Maybe it's an age thing on recovering from workouts.
JMac - it will be interesting to see how the 5k feels and goes after only easy running. Have fun running fast for a change!
I agree with your assessment. See it with the high school kids. Train them over the summer they are sharp all Fall\Winter. Then by Spring because of low volume mostly fast racing they are fast but have low power endurance. 15 Year old 33:50 to 37:21 for 10K for instance. However he did run a 15:53 5k in the Spring.
DW - I agree with your assessment on racing and Nimmals. I brought this up at some point on this thread regarding racing too frequently and how I didn't understand why some people race all the time. I know we had the back and forth regarding the benefit you receive from racing, but I still think you can overdo it and your training can suffer because of it, unless you are training through races and not really gunning for PRs.
Cinnamon/Andres/Nimmals - I think "interesting" will be "it sucks" for my 5K. I don't remember what that sort of racing feels like given I haven't touched VO2 max or faster since January. It's a rust buster race. Soft PR in the 5K helps a lot though.
Andres - after some reflection, what's your long term plan for soccer?