Providence Marathon (Read 706 times)

I think that you certainly could build up, but I'd look at building your mileage a little through the Autumn rather than sitting at 20 miles per week. The more often that you run the better. Try just adding 1/2 to 1 mile to your long run each week, for at least a few weeks. Right now, you don't really have a long run. You've done one 5 mile run which is longish, but for the most part your long run is the same as your mid week runs. Every 3rd or 4th week cut back a little and take some rest. Once you get your long run up to about 7 or 8 miles, then instead of adding a mile to the long run then add it to one of your mid week runs, then back to the long run in the week after that. You could easily (and safely) be up near or over 30 miles per week by the time Winter rolls around, which will make it easier for you to prepare for a Spring marathon. As to whether you should wait for Bay State or not, that's your own judgement call. While you could certainly be ready for May, you'd have been running for only a year at that point (unless that's just when you started logging) so an extra 6 months certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I don't know anything about Bay State; I've never run that one before. As mentioned in the other thread to answer your other questions:

is it a flat course??? [...] Is this a good course for a first marathon (since running one 25 years ago hardly counts now)??

It was not nearly as difficult as the ING Georgia Marathon in terms of elevation changes, but it has a few good climbers in there. I found it relatively easy, but I spent my entire winter training in the snow at Bradbury Mountain so hills weren't a huge problem for me at that point. The hills never go over 150 feet and the biggest climb at any given point is about 80 or 90 feet. Here's my full race report which will give you a lot of details about the race: http://news.runtowin.com/2008/05/06/cox-marathon.html I break down the different aspects of the race (pasta dinner, pre-race, post-race, different sections of the course by miles, etc etc.) - you should give that a read. It's certainly not a flat course, but it is not so hilly that it would make it impossible to finish as a first timer (in 25 years.) Just make sure you put a few hills in your training.

I ran last year and ran about 20 MPW in Nov and Dec - but took an injury that set me down for a few weeks and then the cold weather got the best of me and next thing I knew I had missed 3 months of running.... But I am finding that it's coming a lot better this year.....so I'm feeling good over all.....

Good luck! It's very easy to get injured, especially for beginners. The problem comes from the fact that our cardiopulmonary systems (heart and lungs) adapt to a new training load in a matter of a 3-4 weeks so we feel as though we can run more than we are really ready for because our heart rate doesn't skyrocket and we don't have much trouble breathing. Unfortunately, it takes 6-8 weeks to make musculoskeletal adaptations (muscles and bones) so what happens is that we run more than we are ready for and hurt our muscles and bones, which don't give us the same immediate feedback that our heart and lungs give us. The first real feedback you get is an injury, such as a stress fracture or a strained muscle. If you want to run both of them, then I would recommend trying to build up your long run slowly now so that by the time next winter rolls around you already have a good base and don't have to try making big jumps and leaps in the less than ideal weather. The only reason I ran so well at that race this year was because all of my long runs were scheduled at Bradbury Mountain, where I knew there'd be snow whether it was snowing or not and I didn't have to deal with traffic. A couple dozen sheet metal screws in the bottom of my shoes and I was good to go for my 2, 3 and 4 hour runs all winter. This was easily my best winter training since college, when I had both peer pressure and indoor facilities to keep me going.

Providence, OTOH, was a new event in '08, and the comments about this race on marathonguide are not kind

I haven't checked that yet, I'll have to do that. Maybe my experiences were better because I was near the front, or maybe I just went into it with certain expectations given that it was a new event; I've certainly run enough badly managed races before and this one was better off for it. The first year ING Georgia had a ton of problems, and despite the bad reviews I ran it this year anyway and they mostly had them fixed. The only real problems they had stemmed from the fact that the race course was changed last minute when some tornadoes ripped through town a week before the race. MTA: I took a look at marathon guide, and yeah, I can see why people complain about some of that stuff. I had heard about the campus cop that was mean to people, but the only one I interacted with was polite and apologetic (they were holding classes and we were too loud apparently.) Most of the things that people complained about weren't a huge problem for me because I either wasn't affected or I just don't need the amenity and just accept it as a bonus rather than a right (such as crowds.)

Is there a link somewhere that shows that the half and full marathons will be held again in May of 2009? All I can find is in regard to the 2008 series of races.

It is not unheard of for some (especially not-mega-huge) races not to have updated websites 10 months out... I wouldn't be worried about this, at least not in July of 2008. If you want, you could contact the race folks and ask. There's a 'contact' page on that site, and they have an email address listed on their comments page on marathonguide. It's possible they are taking a summer siesta though :-).

Is there a link somewhere that shows that the half and full marathons will be held again in May of 2009? All I can find is in regard to the 2008 series of races.

I've emailed the race promoter and they have said that they are holding a 2009 version of it, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'd expect it to be updated in 3 or 4 months; I started hearing about the race in October last year, I think, so I'd imagine around October/November they'll start getting the wheels turning again.

Here's my very long and detailed Providence Marathon report. It was OK for a first try, it's very unfortunate that one stormtrooper security guard had such a negative effect on so many runners. He was UNBELIEVABLY obnoxious. Unlike some others on marathonguide.com, I hated winding my way through Providence at the end. When I'm completely spent the last thing I want to do is go through a series of turns. The setup at the finish was really bad, nobody knew where anything was. The only "real" food (other than nearby vending trucks and restaurants) was pizza and it was gone. It looks like they were letting anybody come up and take it, so they were feeding the whole crowd not just runners. The walk back to the State House parking SUCKED, and nobody in Providence seemed to know how to get there. I had to wing it, and that isn't any fun at all when you're really beat. At least I got one of the crappy (5K/Half Marathon/Marathon) finisher's medals, they even ran out of those. The course passes a number of strip clubs and an industrial area or two, so I have a hard time thinking of it as "scenic" but it did pass through some nice neighborhoods also and I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The hills are challenging for an old guy like me, but seem even more challenging because they continue through mile 24. Most of these things can be fixed with a little thought and some work (like giving that idiot security guard the day off!) There aren't all that many Spring marathon choices around here, so I hope Providence improves and does well for itself. I'm hoping like hell that Boston is my Spring marathon for next year. As luck would have it, the flat and fast Baystate is my next marathon. If you don't come out to run the half yourself this year John, I'll be sure to get you a lengthy and overly detailed report. I know a lot of the people putting it on, and they do a nice job. It's a race on the rise, and a USATF New England Grand Prix event this year. BQ or die tryin'.