Forums >Racing>2023 The Waltons: Racing & Training Thread
Waltons ThreadLord
Watson - Nice week and nice race. Great that you got to run in the same event with your wife and 11 year old. I hope you can find a replacement marathon.
Mick -yes, you inspired me to measure not just my distance, but time spent. I think Chuck's come and go in 10-15 year cycles.
HCK - I agree with you completely. Trail races are better in the cold, especially with regard to the bugs (it's been said the mosquito is the NJ state bird and that in the summer months they're so big they sit in the trees and bark).
Tough day at the track today. The planned workout was 3 x 2 miles a bit faster than HM pace with ½ mile recoveries, so looking for around 8:10/mile. My legs were already tired from Sunday's aggressive 14 and yesterday's easy 7 (not to mention my stress level was up after my son's car needed to be towed on Sunday night). I managed the 8:10 pace for about 1 mile. I ran the second and third sets blind, just trying to run harder than easy pace. Looking at the data, I was in the 9:10 range. The good thing is I didn't give up or cut the workout short. I got some work in even if not at target and got 10½ miles for the day.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
Zebano - I've decided to go ahead and race the FebApple Frozen Fifty (10-mile version) on 2/25. OK if you don't get it on the list given the short notice. It's a true challenging trail run (unlike the simpler XC races I had been doing).
JamesD
Watson - Good race & RR. I don't think I've ever noticed a multiple-distance race with start times staggered in that way, with the half starting so long before the 10K and the 10K so long before the 5K. The ones I've seen here have both or all three races start at the same time & place, or occasionally there'll be a half with a 5K starting at the same place 10 minutes later so that even the slowest in the 5K finish before the fastest in the half. Seems like your way would be good for the faster half and 10K runners, as they wouldn't have to weave around many much slower (& sometimes unaware) runners in the shorter races near the end. Instead, the only 10K runners the half leaders might see would be the 10K leaders who are probably going around the same speed, and the only 5K runners the half or 10K leaders might see would be the fastest 5K runners. On the other hand, it seems like the bulge of less competitive runners in all three races would be finishing together, which could get crowded. Do you have three separate clocks at the finish line to show runners in the various races their times?
Post-1987 PRs: Half 1:30:14 (2019); 10K 39:35 (2019); 5K 19:12 (2017); Mile 5:37.3 (2020)
'24 Goals: consistency, age-graded PRs, half < 1:32
Watson - great RR and result must have been a really challenging terrain. Great to see that you had the entire crew racing with you. That's usually not the case so I hope they are all the same in talent as you!
Fred - I think Chucks don't follow a cycle, they are just there
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Watson, nice job on the race. Does the finish area get congested with so many races converging?
I've seen a lot of talk about Converse shoes for strength training due to the flat soies. I had a pair years ago and they just did not work for me, too narrrow.
HCK - That Wednesday run sounds pretty big. Good work.
Chris - nice race, You must have been pretty darn close to to running ideal splits if your "fade" was only + :05/km. That's pretty neat to get your kid running with you.
I've never really seen Chucks go out of style, but I've never really seen them be "in-style" either. It's mostly the hipster/emo crowd that wears them and that's been true since the late 90s. I tried to wear them once but they are super narrow.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
Watson - well done on the race. As for Taupo... when they say "unpaved", most of that is actually concrete now and quite fast - or at least it was when I did it. There may be a short amount of gravel still between turning off the road at Five Mile Bay, and hitting the concrete pathway around the lake, but of the 5km it would be not more than 1-2km. There was more gravel in 2016, but when I did in 2018 some of that had been paved with new concrete. Plus, some of the older concrete pathway is more like cobblestones. The finish line at the end is on grass but that is only around 100m or so. Overall the course is pretty quick and on balance I would say faster than the surface at Hawkes Bay would have been. TBH it could be the fastest marathon course into the country outside of Christchurch (and Wellington on a calm day).
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: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Re the race:
- The crowding was only for the last 400m, so the impact on weaving is very minor.
- The conditions were reasonable for a short race. The wind was a net tail wind, and although a bit too warm it's pretty mild effect for a short race, it would have been much harder for the 1:50+ half runners.
Re replacement marathon:
- Hawkes Bay has had no announcements yet, which makes planning hard. The could defer to 2024 which would make planning easy, they could do later in 2023 which would then rule out a replacement marathon, or (very unlikely) still have it May on probably a changed course.
- Taupo is looking a good option, although a very small full field at around 200, it's probably quick, is late winter so will be cool or mild. The other options aren't great such as Auckland being mid spring and a real risk of being warm, Queenstown being late spring (probably milder than Auckland), quite slow (a lot of trails) and expensive. I cannot do earlier due to work so Christchurch (fast course, good field) and Rotorua (medium quick course, good field) are ruled out.
PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)
40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)
2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05
2024 PRs: 5km 20:25
Watson - the small marathon field for Taupo is mitigated a bit by the half field, which is generally a reasonable size and runs on the same course. If you get a good day it's pretty much perfect marathon or half weather there at that time of year. I would definitely pick it over Auckland if you have a time goal in mind.
I presume when you ran the half, the distance was legit? I don't need AIMS certification or anything official, I just need to know that the course won't be short.
Found you on Strava at 21.03km - the people "who ran" with you on Strava are between 21.01km and 21.33km...
My week is over - I will again take the weekend off. 8:13h time on feet, 1 mile short of 50. I had a nasty head cold towards the end of last week, and didn't think I would be able to get as much work done, as I did - was lucky that it didn't spread to the chest. My long run was a bit of a disaster, as I didn't carry any water and there were zero fountains - and Jack Daniels asked for 8 miles at marathon pace towards the end of the run which I was unable to deliver. On top of that, I found out that the Hoka Bondi's are too narrow for my feet and have some pretty huge blisters as a consequence - I have around 250 miles on them and that was never a major issue. I am actually super glad that I am finding this out now, and not on marathon day.
Mick - it's amazing what you can pack into 5 days. I wish I could do that. Having weekends free has a certain appeal.
Watson - good luck finding an appropriate marathon.
I continue to be run down as my cold turned into a sinus infection so I'm off to the doctor in a couple hours. I also did something to my back whilst sleeping Tuesday night so I've avoided running since then (ugg). Thankfully while it feels terrible getting out of bed, swimming seems to help it so I've done a couple lite sessions in the pool. I'm hopeful I can shake this and at least get a solid Sunday run in but if it doesn't happen it's not the end of the world though I would like to get back to running soon as the hip is no longer bothering me.
Zeb - thank you and get well! Let me unpack this however. Your hip is better but you hurt your back while sleeping? Man you gotta take it easy when you sleep, resting is an important part of every weekend warriors training regiment
Mmmm Bop
🤡🤡🤡
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)