Forums >Racing>2018 3:20 (and beyond)
pie man
Wait, they graded guaranteed entry for Chicago? I was assuming that passed with the 3:15 pacer. Hooray for the ravages of time. Not that I can do it this year,but it it's nice to have maybe down the line.
11:11 3,000 (recent)
Report: Lucky 13 Half in South Jordan, Utah
This race was weird because I was really unmotivated about the whole thing. I know I’m not really in PR shape right now (mayyyybe if I tapered for a half?), and that’s generally my motivation. I figured I could probably win the female category overall after looking at the race results from last year but I find it almost embarrassing to win something with a 1:35ish half, and without getting too into my neuroses, winning things in running makes it seem like I’m starting to get into less “fun”, so I’ve really just never chased prizes (I think cash prizes could sway me). That, combined with the fact that I only started running more than 20 miles a week in January and was looking at probable cold rain made me not excited, but those factors also made me want to know what kind of pace I should even think about targeting for that upcoming marathon so I thought it best to just show up and run it. So, I woke up at 7, made coffee for myself and DH, ate a bagel, and finished my amazon music playlist in my car waiting for the race to start, and ran. It went as follows:
Miles 1-5: 7:19, 7:25, 7:24, 7:16, 7:22
I wanted to make sure I didn’t go out too fast because I’m not in shape to really push it for 13 miles. By mile 3 I knew I was in the top 10 of all the runners and I try to make sure that once I pass someone I don’t get passed back, so I gradually passed a few people before mile 5. It felt pretty easy and it was almost warm with my windbreaker and gloves, so at mile 4 I took my gloves off and put them in my pockets. At mile 5 there was a bridge and we were supposed to run under it, and there was only standing water. There was an aid station so I asked them if we were really supposed to run through the water and they said people had been running on the wall that was maybe 5’ off the ground and about 10” wide. So I hopped on that and ran around the water. I don’t think it slowed me down much in the end. These miles were pretty uneventful.
Miles 6-10: 7:15, 7:06, 7:14, 7:32, 7:18
This was an out and back course on a running path, so at mile 6.5 they literally had someone standing in place and you were supposed to run around them. Seeing those on the way back confirmed that I was the first female and in the top 10, but I didn’t count the total. Once I turned around I realized that I had been running the first half with a tailwind and the next half would be with a headwind. This added to my lack of motivation but I kept telling myself that I’d at least get a good tempo workout out of this thing, and that would be good. The bridge/wall on the way back was a bit more challenging since people were trying to go both ways and no one seemed to want to run in the water, which may have had something to do with the fact that it was about 35 degrees and windy.
Around mile 8 I had something happen that hasn’t happened in a long time: my lungs got to me and my asthma started to flare up a bit. If I lacked motivation before, this certainly didn’t help, but I was able to breathe a bit and I was very thankful I had my inhaler with me, and I used it twice. I also put my gloves back on facing the headwind and dropping temperatures.
Miles 11-13: 7:16, 7:20, 7:07
At this point I just kept telling myself that I was almost done and to keep going. I was far enough behind the person in front that I couldn’t see him and far enough ahead the person behind that the same applied. I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to get caught by another female and though I’d been planning to see if I could pick up the pace a bit in these miles, while my legs may have allowed it, my lungs were not letting it happen. It was cold at this point and by mile 12-13 it was full on snowing, so I was happy to be done. I realized once crossing that the course was short, (Garmin read 12:96) which seems really silly for an out and back course on a parkway trail, but it wasn’t a PR or anything. For those that haven’t seen it on FB, I ended up sticking around for the awards at the end and fighting the urge to leave in the snow only to somehow take the “First Male Finisher” plaque and not realize it until I got home. Oops. I did email the director today asking if the poor guy that got the “first female” award, but all he said is that he’d mail the right plaque to me. Because what I need is BOTH of them..
PRs: HM: 1:32:59 (2015); FM: 3:18:36 (2017)
Elizabeth - makes sense that you were sore!!
Matt - way to fight the DNF demons.. marathons can definitely be stupid.
PJ - sounds rough due to a lot of factors, especially being sick
Oregon - sounds like it was a good experience and good that you got out there. Having a half marathon training plan would imply that I have a training plan at all really, and I haven't done that since before DS was born. When I was training specifically for a half a did a fair amount of HMP miles, but that's all.
Ilana - sounds like it's coming along!! I wanted to get the plaque exchanged, but I really don't want BOTH OF THEM. I just mostly felt bad for the poor guy with the female's prize..
Ace - hopefully soon you can graduate to the road running again.
CK - I think I'm in the minority - I really like cutback weeks and probably like tapers more than most..
SC - congrats on the 3rd AG! 5Ks are definitely hard to pace!
Hi Sam, Rune, and anyone else I missed!
My week:
M: 9.6@8:21
T: 8.3@8:37
W:5.3@9:23 AM, 2@8:33PM
H: off
F: 4.8@9:02
Sat: 13@7:18
Sun: 2.5@10ish on TM
Total: 45.4
I know this isn't high mileage to most, but it's almost as high as I've ever run, and I'm pretty happy with it. I think it's good I did the half, but I don't know if I could call it "raced".. my legs are totally fine today and were yesterday, and a race effort would not have had them feeling that way. I think it's a decent measure of fitness, but wish I knew why my lungs got to me. Ran at lunch today, too. I can't believe it's one more week and then taper..
Nice job Katia. I'd say that headwind agitated your lungs. I have a hard time breathing with that too. It can dry you out quickly too. And it may be possible the course want short and your GPS was off a little.
Problem Child
Ace: what’s up with the MEI results? It’s monday.
Rlk/JimE: apparently there is a race in your neck of the woods this weekend. Someone asked if they’d see me there. Also, wtf is up with people wearing long sleeves and tights in 67F? I’m not THAT removed where mid 60s is ‘cold’ am I?
jim: would that 50K be around Auburn or Lake Tahoe? I only know a few East of you involving hills. Some are harder than others, I think. I heard one is kind of flat.
Katia: loved the race review. I would have avoided getting wet like the plague. It reminded me of a trail 10K I did. The overall winner said they could have broken the course record but the out and back involved crossing a 1.5 person wide bridge which included mountain bikers walking their bikes across, and runners going the opposite way, and no one really understanding they’re blocking the leader. He didn’t know where the store he won $100 to was at.
SC: double finger, maybe even a Dane Cook ‘SuFi’, to you and your streak of 19s. Signed ‘data’s who can’t break 20’
ilana: good to see you getting more miles.
Omr: totally forgot to mention Brewing. Figured since it’s in the name, and I haven’t done it in a few months, I’d ignore it as a hobby. More time to run you know.
attempting to get some motivation back. Going back to my original motivation of ‘no one cares. Work harder.’oh and I’m signed up as a 1:50 pacer for the half marathon I’m trying to streak. I may abandon the 1:30 goal but first I need to get serious about reading about running fast and create a game plan for running the 6 man 178 mile relay without knowing what kegs I’m running while also attempting to pull out a 3:07. Sheet es getting reels.
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
Also, wtf is up with people wearing long sleeves and tights in 67F? I’m not THAT removed where mid 60s is ‘cold’ am I?
A guy in my office likes his 800 fill down jacket even if its 60F outside. Maybe it's a fashion thing?
... and create a game plan for running the 6 man 178 mile relay without knowing what kegs I’m running while also attempting to pull out a 3:07. Sheet es getting reels.
Best for brewers to run kegs?
Hello everyone! It's been a while, but I've been sort of following the discussion here. Busy with job, babies, training, life.
Brew and rlk - congrats on the 5k PRs! rlk, impressive taking that much off your time and welcome to Europe! brew, great job pulling a PR off at the very early stages of getting back into training!
SC - also congrats on the 5k PR! And that's an impressive streak!
KK - congrats on the win! And also, it seems like a perfectly paced race to me.
oregon - congrats on the PR! 8 km seems like an interesting distance to race.
PJ and matt - congrats on the marathons! matt, those splits do look tough, but kudos to you for toughing it up and finishing being sick! PJ, I agree with matt, despite the positive split, the fade was not too bad.
ace - I'm so sorry about the hip issue, I was really looking forward to see you kick a$$ this weekend! You've been dealt some tough luck. Hope the MRI went well!
CK and e78 - impressive mileage from both of you!!
DkW - again, lovely LR last weekend.
ilana - very happy to see you're getting back into it. 20 mpw is excellent! Also, feel free to do your number magic based on the information below
Hi everyone else! I may have forgotten many things.
Me - I've continued training and have now officially entered tapir time. I have not been able to run as much as I wanted, especially in the last 5 weeks or so, but I'm pretty happy with the cycle I've put together.
According to my plan, I was aiming at 50.4 mpw average for the first 15 weeks before starting taper. I've averaged 48.4, so only 2 mpw below my goal. That's not bad given the circumstances. I've had two peak weeks at around 60 miles, including this last week, and I've felt pretty good on all my LRs (4 LRs of 20+ miles, some with MP in them), except the last one where I think I just pushed myself too much.
I raced a HM 10 days ago and got a 2.5 minute PR with 1:21:11. I was quite happy with that and makes me think that sub-3 is possible.
Now, I'll just wait until April 8, and hope the weather is on my side.
Have a great week everyone!
5K - 18:03 (5.18) | 10K - 37:58 (2.18) | HM - 1:20:45 (9.18) | FM: 2:57:59 (10.18)
Rune - My spreadsheet suggests 3:25-3:30 ...
Was waiting on The Pace Guru to chime in. My gut said 3:25 is slightly too fast (fwiw) ...
I raced a HM 10 days ago and got a 2.5 minute PR with 1:21:11. I was quite happy with that and makes me think that sub-3 is possible. Now, I'll just wait until April 8, and hope the weather is on my side.
You definitely have the speed for a sub-3. And then some. Miles per week is the other main factor, but can vary quite a bit for different people. I felt I needed to peak at 70mpw for a sub-3 attempt and averaged in the 60s for the core of the plan. It worked for me in 2015, but I haven't been able to put it together again since.
Before starting the training, I targeted a 1:25 half. During the marathon training I ran two more half marathons, PRing both times with a 1:24 high and a 1:23:32 (~four weeks before full). The progression and times gave me confidence.
Katia ~ Congrats on the win!
Oregon ~ Congrats on the AG win and "PR."
Matt/PJ ~ Solid 'thons (which are stoopid).
Arvind ~ It takes time to come back from illness (or injury); steady patience. When in doubt, go back to the basics: 1) run as many times per week as you can and stay healthy; 2) do enough supporting strength and mobility to stay healthy; 3) include one long run per week to 10 days (~20 to 25% of mpw); 4) add strides; 5) add a tempo/LT run.
Pesto ~ Smokin! Yes, sub 3 is quite realistic.
E78 ~ Strong week.
Ilana ~ B2B 20 mpw is a great start.
Holy cow, I got busy for a couple of days and this thread flies
FB: Nah, you are a sub-3 marathoner, you should know pretty well your fitness... one hour range would be really dangerous for pacing. I'm debating on 7-8secs/Km (which can be a lot) on ideal conditions.
Elizabeth: Wow, thats a great week and a superhard workout. that LR with MP is reassuring.
Katia: Contrats on the win, and enjoy both plaques
Pesto: Congrats on the PR... I think 1:21 HM is a good shot for a sub-3, unless wrong conditions or awful pacing
Ilana: Happy to see you back. I will ask for your pace suggestion in one or two weeks
SC: Congrats on your AG placing and the sub-20 streak.
PJ and Matt: Good job, nonetheless. Get the best of it as learning experience.
Ace: How did it go?
Oregon: Congrats on your AG win... HM plan: I do my own, 3x4wk cycles + 1wk taper. Every 4th week is a cut down in volume but a notch up in speed for tempo and intervals. I aim to run a 10K tempo TT 10 days before the race to gauge the effort
OMR: It's excellent to have a favorable outcome, so you can have a game plan and resume running soon
Hi, everyone else I'm missing
Me: 3 days of snow and, right after, a cold front did impact last week. I had to shovel on Wednesday so I skipped my mid long (on Thursday I doubled a MP run with soccer with few hours in between trying to get a similar stimulus. Long run on Saturday got cut short because of the cold weather. It was -8 C (feels like -15), so it was not fun at all... Let's say I put 67Kms between Thu and Sun.
Weekly SummaryMonday, Mar 12, 2018 thru Sunday, Mar 18, 2018
Pace Prophet
Pesto, when was the old HM PR(~1:23:40?) relative to your marathon PR? Because if it was near enough to it to be a predictor (which is roughly supported by your 5k PR) I would say 2:59 is a reasonable goal but I would not aim faster.
Mother of Cats
Hi guys - quick drop in to leave my week, and to congrat KK on her win! I'll update the race chart right now
Ace - if you have questions about pool-running, feel free to ask them on Strava or FB. I'd happily respond here, but it's hard to access this via my cell phone, and computer access may be limited over next few days.Today was 9.5 miles, including 2K, then 4x800 in 8:03, 3:05, 3:06, 3:07, 3:04
My last week was:75 miles plus 10 "miles" of pool-running.
M: 3 miles very easy (9:31), yoga, then 7 miles very easy (8:54) plus drills and strides.T: 12 miles, including 6x800 in 3:08, 3:04, 3:02, 3:04, 3:01, 3:00. Also injury prevention/leg strengthwork and recovery swimming.W: 8 miles very easy to yoga (9:01), yoga, then 4 miles very easy (9:01) plus drills and strides.Th: upper body weights and core and 10 "miles" pool-running.F: 11 miles, including a 4 mile tempo in 25:38 (6:31/6:25/6:27/6:15). Also injury prevention/leg strengthwork and recovery swimming. Massage in evening.
Sa: 10 miles very easy (9:10) plus drills, strides, upper body weights/core.Su: 20 miles progressive (first 6 averaged 9:18, next 7 averaged 7:42, last 7 averaged 6:50). Worth noting that this was an out and back with a downhill assist for the last 7 miles to get the quads a bit more toughening. Also injury prevention/leg strengthwork and recovery swimming.
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.
Jogger
4x800 in 8:03, 3:05, 3:06, 3:07
nice first rep.
Mile 5:24 3k 11:01 5k 19:01 10k 38:34 hm 1:26:57 fm 3:02:33
Thanks for the vote of confidence dad, Matt, Jaime and ilana! If conditions are good, I think I’ll go for it. I wouldn’t aim for anything below 2:59 though.
matt - I had a similar cycle to the one you describe laste year going into Berlin with a 1:23:48 HM PR and 60 mpw average on a Daniels plan, with 4 weeks above 70 (one over 80). I ended up with a 3:04. I felt a bit tired by the end, so decided to decrease mileage this time (also due to life).
ilana - indeed, the 1:23:48 PR was 5 weeks before Berlin. On the one hand, conditions for the HM were near perfect, while Berlin was very humid and wet, so that may have affected my Berlin time a bit in comparison. On the other hand, I have had a smaller mileage this cycle, compared with last year, which could mean that my endurance is worse (or not, given that I have an extra cycle under my belt).
DkW - the LR is even more impressive at the end of a 75 mile week!