2022 Advanced Racing Thread (Read 497 times)

ch17


It's Tuesday every day

    Okay, you just gave me permission to post this:

     

    "A cat named Cocci has reunited with her family after traveling more than 280 miles across France in over 13 months"

     

     

    I don’t have a problem if you want to post pics of your cats each week!  My brother is a huge cat lover and always telling me how superior they are to dogs Smile

    CommanderKeen


    Cobra Commander Keen

      NYC Qualifiers - I get an old man bonus for 2024 (turning 40 in early October), but can run a qualifier for that year while I'm a relatively young 38. That's about as close to cheating as I think I can get. Yes, I've already scouted out flat, fast half marathons for the first quarter of 2023. 
      I imagine I'll have to set an alarm and take off work the day registration opens up to make sure I get in. Maybe I can figure out how to write a script to do it for me in record time. Or maybe I should just outsource that to Flavio.


      Mark - Nice week. How'd your daughter's trip go?


      Flavio - I'm glad you like the jacket and have already been able to use it! I got the recommendation from JMac, and have passed it along locally as well.
      Excellent building up the mileage/kilometerage.


      Fishy - Congratulations! Looking forward to reading the RR.


      Steve - Sounds like a rough go of it, but well done considering the unexpected difficulty.


      DWave - Nice week, and I hope things continue to improve ahead of Houston. The idea of just training and hopping into a race just if it seems right is quite appealing.


      Merkle - Good week, and certainly don't worry about the time on those repeats with any kind of niggle.


      My final big training week is in the books, and though I've only had my one usual Sunday recovery run there is an odd sense of relief knowing that I'm starting my taper (tapir, anyone?). I do think I did a good job of restraining myself Sunday and not throwing in a short recovery double that would have not only put me over 100 miles for the week again, but also over 4,100 miles for a rolling year.


      I'm looking forward to trying for a new 5k PR in a few days, but the forecast is looking less than ideal - 47Freedom/8.33Communist with a 10mph/16.1kmh headwind for the out portion and obviously tailwind for the back (all this is fine), but there's a chance of rain that morning that keeps increasing as time goes on.

       

      Weekly for period: From: 11/14/2022 To 11/20/2022

      Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
      in ft
      11/14 Just a bit of sleet 8.36 13.44 01:14:00 08:51 05:30 289
      11/14 I should have worn the waterproof jacket 5.00 8.05 00:43:44 08:45 05:26 190
      11/15 1 meteor 10.00 16.10 01:21:19 08:08 05:03 341
      11/16 3x 5k @ HMe 16.06 25.84 01:54:53 07:09 04:27 344
      11/16 Between meetings 4.10 6.60 00:34:44 08:28 05:16 217
      11/17 Frosty 8.00 12.88 01:11:44 08:58 05:34 259
      11/18 1 rabbit and lots of flurries 12.11 19.48 01:40:34 08:18 05:10 430
      11/18 Hundreds of geese & 1 heron 5.00 8.05 00:43:10 08:38 05:22 220
      11/19 1 owl 22.01 35.42 02:56:11 08:00 04:58 860
      11/20 Exercising restraint. Later. 6.05 9.74 00:55:42 09:12 05:43 253

      Total distance: 96.70mi

      5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

       

      Upcoming Races:

       

       

      JMac11


      RIP Milkman

        Keen - I'm a little surprised you're running an all out 5K this close to CIM. Yes, you'll "recover", but given how important this marathon is going to be for you to finally get it right and hit that sub 3:00, what is the benefit of running this race? I'm all for getting other PRs with a slight chance of having an impact on your marathon, but I feel like you're in a different basket that everyone else. I guess if you've been running a bunch of V02 max still, then maybe it's fine, but I wouldn't touch any all out race within 2 weeks of the marathon.

        5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

         

         

        Running Problem


        Problem Child

          I agree, but I’m not his coach, and I don’t race much during marathon training.

          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


          Pain is my friend

            Another fun training week. Back to backs are going bigger. 17.6 road on Friday and 22.4 Saturday mostly on flat dirt/sand. I ran from Antelope island to Fremont island. During the winter there is a land bridge that is mostly dry. The water levels in the Great Salt Lake drop low enough to expose the land bridge.

             

            Will step up the training next week.

             

            Weekly for period: From: 11/14/2022 To 11/20/2022

            Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
            in ft
            11/14 Remember that one day when it wasn’t freezing your face off? I don’t. ❄️ 🥶 9.30 14.97 01:18:12 08:25 05:13 249
            11/15 Even a blind mouse can one day find the cheese. 9.76 15.70 01:25:23 08:45 05:26 318
            11/15 Extra miles 2.51 4.04 00:21:50 08:42 05:24 7
            11/16 5x 4/4 on off with streets with no end 10.01 16.11 01:20:32 08:03 05:00 387
            11/17 Rocking the trail. NO hills here. 10.06 16.18 01:34:26 09:23 05:50 1093
            11/17 Evening tread 2.10 3.38 00:18:23 08:45 05:26 0
            11/18 3:30 in the morning, not a sole in site. The cities looking like a ghost town on a moonless winter night. 17.61 28.34 02:21:34 08:02 05:00 509
            11/19 Running on water without getting wet. 22.41 36.06 03:29:28 09:21 05:49 1325

            Total distance: 83.76mi

            ATY 24   141.445 2019 1st

            Bear 100 22:08 2021 

            Jackpot 100 Feb 14:59 - 5th

            St George marathon Oct 2:58

            ATY 24 130.969 2022 2nd

             

            Pulse endurance 12 hour 76.22 1ST CR

            July Backyard ultra 22 yards Win

            Sept Bear 100 24:08

             

            Running Problem


            Problem Child

              Krash I was wondering about you running like Jesus.

              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

              flavio80


              Intl. correspondent

                Jmac - Was it texting as in ancient SMS ? FYI SMS is notoriously inconsistent as the providers offer no guarantee of when and if the message will arrive. Email would be preferable and in app notification would be the best option if available.

                Fishy - Great job at the marathon, windy on a cold day can be troubling, I was very chilly during my marathon due to that.

                 

                Mikkey - I saw a meme of the world's fastest dog which had a dog running at mind bending speed. They mentioned whippet so I'm wondering is your doggo also the Usain Bolt of doggos?

                Also your brother is merely stating facts. Cats are superior to dogs 😎

                 

                Steve - Good job taking the sensible decision during the half even though it might've hurt your ego a bit.

                 

                DW - I know I know but the sub 3 marathon thought has been inserted on my brain, I could maybe ignore it if I stopped posting on this forum and kept singing la la la la during the whole day, but the best way to get rid of it is to actually run a sub 3.
                A pipe dream at the moment, but who knows, when I started running my dream was to run sub 42 for 10k.

                 

                Mmerk - hip flexor is so annoying as it can prevent you from opening your legs when running faster, I had a few workouts come out slower than expected due to my niggle.

                 

                Keen - I'm not joking in saying that you can find a dev on Upwork who would create that script for you for like 20 bucks 😁
                Also WTF, those are perfect weather conditions, the only thing questionable there is you running a 5k so close to your marathon.
                You will off course PR on the 5k and then on the marathon as well just to make me and Jmac shut up...

                 

                me - It's been raining for over 2 weeks now non stop. But I found a great bright side: No dogs. I know for a fact people who walk their dogs off the leash have a peanut sized brain, but no doggo likes rain. And I hate a dog off the leash 1 million times more than running in the rain, so I'm counting that as a victory!

                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

                JMac11


                RIP Milkman

                   

                  Keen - I'm not joking in saying that you can find a dev on Upwork who would create that script for you for like 20 bucks 😁
                  Also WTF, those are perfect weather conditions, the only thing questionable there is you running a 5k so close to your marathon.
                  You will off course PR on the 5k and then on the marathon as well just to make me and Jmac shut up...

                   

                   

                  I'm being 100% dead serious when I say I am more nervous for Keen's marathon than I was for my own NYC. Maybe it was the bad weather that just made me not care that much, but it's also the fact that Keen has been smashing 80+ MPW for years and has had zero luck with the marathon that I want everything to go right for him. So I hope you are right, but given how I feel, I am very nervous about him running this 5K.

                   

                  What temperature are those rains at? I could run in summer rains every day. I could not run in rains under 60 non-stop, and frankly just two days in a row of rain in the 40s makes me want to quit running.

                   

                   

                  Speaking of which, I've just been running as I feel, and I am LOVING it. Too much to do around the house this weekend? Don't run. Working from home and it's a nice 45 degrees and sunny? Go for a run. Feel good today? Throw in 3 miles at tempo. This is probably the first time in a LONG time where I'm just running for the fun of it. Yes, I want to get into 5K/10K training this spring, but I am in no rush.

                   

                  I've done a lot of easy blocks before, but they were always with a purpose, e.g. rebuild a base after injury or get ready for a next cycle. This is the first time I feel zero guilt missing days. I think I'm going to stick with this 3-4 days a week until at least the new year. It's actually reinvigorating my enjoyment of just running, which given I haven't felt in years, is something I had thought I lost and I needed a goal to run for. Maybe it was just I didn't like running specifically because I never had multiple months in a row with no need of training!

                  5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                   

                   

                     

                    just two days in a row of rain in the 40s makes me want to quit running.

                     

                     

                    LOL, that’s roughly every day from November through March here! It’s not so bad though, it’s usually just a drizzle. You get used to it. I don’t even own any rain gear; I wear a hat to keep it out of my eyes, and I don’t even really notice. On a year-round basis, the PNW still has the best running weather in the country.

                    Dave

                    JMac11


                    RIP Milkman

                       

                      LOL, that’s roughly every day from November through March here! It’s not so bad though, it’s usually just a drizzle. You get used to it. I don’t even own any rain gear; I wear a hat to keep it out of my eyes, and I don’t even really notice. On a year-round basis, the PNW still has the best running weather in the country.

                       

                      Don't mind that. We all hate absolutely pouring rain too, but I'm thinking more like that rainy day where you get just a nice steady rain of around 1 inch for the day. That rain jacket that Keen talked about that I discovered at an expo one day has helped a lot. However, there is nothing I can wear that lasts for long runs. Once you're out there for over 2 hours, it feels like I just can't stay the proper warmth. You're either too cold, and you freeze, or you warm up too much, sweat, and you freeze. It's a delicate balance.

                      5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                       

                       

                      Marky_Mark_17


                        Mark - Nice week. How'd your daughter's trip go?

                         

                        Was great fun, thanks.  Nice hiking and she had heaps of fun exploring with the scout group.  The weather turned around lunchtime and a big rain band came in.  She is one of those kids who, when offered the choice between staying in shelter for a few minutes with one group to wait for the rain to clear, or carrying on in the rain with the other group, will choose the rain 10 times out of 10.  It was a lot of fun!

                         

                        On the tapir, I do have a friend who will post pictures of those on his Strava when he's tapering.  Good luck in the 5k!

                        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"

                        Fishyone


                          Thanks to all for the congratulations and support.

                           

                          Sorry for the long report but you asked...

                           

                          Race Information

                          Time:3:09:19

                          Goals

                          Goal

                          Description

                          Completed?

                          A

                          Sub 3:15

                          Yes

                          B

                          Sub 3:20

                          Yes

                          C

                          Even Splits

                          Yes

                           

                           

                           

                          Splits

                          10k

                          44:45

                          7:12 /mi

                          Half

                          1:34:17

                          7:11 /mi

                          30K

                          2:14:20

                          7:12 /mi

                          Finish

                          3:09:19

                          7:13 /mi

                          Training

                          Took some time after a disappointing Boston finish.  Averaged @ 50 MPW form most of the summer and started training end of August.  Training was about 14 weeks with the first few just high mileage. Averaged 80-90 and started to work in speed and one lonely hill workout in November. Was planning on 7:20 pace but all of my workouts at MP ended up being closer to 7:10 so I thought I was in good shape to shave at least 5 minutes from Boston. I also went back to a steeper taper only 55, 45, then 12 + race.

                           

                          My Boston takeaways were:

                           

                          Start slower.  I went out too fast especially with the congestion.

                          Buy a new Garmin.  Mine is probably 7-8 years old and usually holds a charge for 4 hours but maybe is wasn’t on the charger correctly but I can’t race without the feedback.

                          Go back to my old fueling strategy.  I think I probably only took in 3 gels which for me is not enough.

                           

                          Pre-race

                          The work week leading up to the race was insane making me skip 2 runs. I was a little concerned but legs felt GREAT and I knew a couple of 5 milers wouldn’t make much of a difference.  Train to Philly was uneventful.

                           

                          Had a nice meal of a cheesesteak and fries….hey I’m in Philly what else would I get? Quiet evening and in bed by 8:30.  Woke at 4:30 had a muffin and several cups of coffee put on my race clothes and throw away sweats and headed out to the start.  Having run Philly last year I knew to bypass the south entrances and go up to the North side where the lines are MUCH shorter.  It was COLD….and WINDY…and COLD.

                           

                          Found my way into the Maroon corral which is right behind the elites.  I hung near the back of the corral and noticed a pacer with a 3:15 sign. It looked like the “5” was crossed out with a black marker and replaced with a “0” so I assumed he was a 3:10. I kept it in the back of my mind.

                           

                          I waited until literally the last minute to take off my sweats and was immediately freezing. National anthem and we’re off!!

                           

                          Race

                          Miles 1-6

                           

                          It was nice to be moving. The first few miles went by easy, I was passing a few runners but the overall pace felt right. My feet and hands were completely numb but I knew in time they would thaw out and be fine.  I had some music on and was trying to just zone out.  The race runs through Chinatown and trough the downtown area and the crowds were great given the cold temps. I didn’t look at my watch and just ran with the group. Had an espresso gel at mile 4 and remembered why I hate gel and prefer shot bloks…my mouth felt coated in slime so had a Gatorade to wash it down.

                           

                          Miles 6-12

                           

                          Mile 6 you break out of the tall buildings and I noticed the wind for the first time.  It was a significant wind but we were still grouped together pretty tightly so it probably helped to block some of the wind. I could still see the pacer (I thought he was 3:10) ahead with a large pack running with him.  It looked like there were 2 pacers so maybe the 3:15 and 3:10 merged??  I wasn’t sure but the pace felt good so I rolled with it.  Mile 8 -12 is the hilly area as it heads into some parks and by the zoo. I remembered that it should feel easy and at this point it did.  I was passing a few people but for the most part running similar paces to those around me. Had some caffeinated Shot Blocks at mile 8 and Gatorade at 2 stops.

                           

                          Went to check my pace at @ mile 10 and WTF my watch is black.  No low battery, no warning just dead. Had to quell a moment of panic.  Maybe the cold killed the old thing.  Knew I should have replaced it. I saw the pacer a couple hundred yards ahead and sped up.  I decided come hell or high water I’m sticking to him and even if it’s the 3:15 I can pass them later if I’m feeling good.  I speed up and get with the group which is still pretty large.  I stay with them and remember that I have the “Map my Run” app on my phone.  I start it up and start a workout at exactly the mile 12 marker.  I know with this I’ll at least get mile updates through my earpods with last mile pace, and average pace since mile 12.

                           

                          Miles 12-20

                           

                          Running with the pace group was actually great. I started to get mile splits and they were consistently right @ 7:10 which was a little faster than goal but felt doable. These are the hard miles and it’s so easy to let pace slip but I was determined to keep up with the group.

                           

                          At mile 16 the race breaks out onto the Schuylkill river and heads north to mile 20 then a hard turnaround and back to the finish.  We were heading directly into the wind for the entire stretch and it HURT. I actually began to feel cold and had to put my gloves back on. I ate some more shotbloks and drank Gatorade.  The pace pack broke apart during this stretch.  I couldn’t tell if people dropped off or sped up but I stuck to the pacer and the splits kept coming back even 7:11,7:7:07,7:12.

                           

                          It was so cool to see elites coming down the other way toward the finish.  Funny they didn't look like they were running THAT much faster LOL.

                           

                          Miles 20-26

                           

                          The turn was a 180 and not gradual but who cares the wind is at my back now!  It’s now only 3-4 of us running with the pacer.  At mile 22 he turns to his partner and says “right on track but we need to pick it up a bit.” Not exactly what I wanted to hear but so be it. Right after he says this I hear the tone that my airpods are done for the day.  So now I know I have no time feedback or music.  I take them out of my ears and decide to enjoy the crowds which worked.  I slapped a few “press here for power” signs and enjoyed the occasional “you go Scott!!” At 24 I passed the pacers and tried to pick it up for the last 2 miles.  Seeing the finish and 3:09Tight lippedx I sprinted to the end.

                           

                          Takeaways

                          Buy a new Garmin.

                          Tapers are good…

                          Cold is better than hot any day!

                          This Pacer was good at his job!

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

                            Keen - I'm a little surprised you're running an all out 5K this close to CIM. Yes, you'll "recover", but given how important this marathon is going to be for you to finally get it right and hit that sub 3:00, what is the benefit of running this race? I'm all for getting other PRs with a slight chance of having an impact on your marathon, but I feel like you're in a different basket that everyone else. I guess if you've been running a bunch of V02 max still, then maybe it's fine, but I wouldn't touch any all out race within 2 weeks of the marathon.

                             

                            Pfitz plans have an 8-10k race 2 weeks out.

                            Dave

                            JMac11


                            RIP Milkman

                               

                              Pfitz plans have an 8-10k race 2 weeks out.

                               

                              I think a 10K two weeks out is probably fine. I'm worried about a 5K about 10 days out for Keen. And again, this is more specific to him given his marathon history. Also, pfitz has you doing vo2 max throughout the end of your marathon training, so running a 10K is not that stressful. If your plan has the opposite, classic periodization (eg start with vo2, move to LT, end with a lot of MP), running a 5K can be asking your body to do something it hasn't done in weeks. This is also why training needs to be thought of in aggregate and not just week by week, as the race can/cannot make sense depending on how you trained.

                               

                              Anyway it's not a criticism of Keen or his coach just more making sure it makes sense in the context of his plan!

                               

                              Fishy - looking forward to the report will read in a bit

                              5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                               

                               

                              Mikkey


                              Mmmm Bop

                                A 37yo averaging over 80mpw this year should be able to smash his 5k PR…and then smash his marathon PR 10 days later…absolutely no excuses.

                                 

                                I ran my 5k PR 15 days before my marathon PR in 2019 at 53yo.

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