Forums >Racing>2023 The Waltons: Racing & Training Thread
Hey, all!
Boston pre-verification opened this week - it's getting exciting!
Bummed not to see Steve run his race this weekend (not 'see' see, but you know what I mean), but no doubt it will happen in the near future!
Thought I'd do my Weekly in non-metric this time...it makes my elevation gain seem greater that way lol
50+ age-group PBs: Half Perish 1:24:24 (June '23 Road Race) - 10km 37:52 (2022 Local Road Champs) - Track 5km 18:49 (Aug '22) - Perish Run 3:17:42
2024 Goals: Boston Perish Run Sub 3:15 - Road/Track 10km Sub 37:30 - 5km Sub 18:20
Waltons ThreadLord
Mick - Probably a good idea not to take the small dog too far.
Watson - Are those prediction results good news?
Steve - Oh no on the cold. I hope it passes quickly.
Hash - Good luck w/Boston
I ended my 3rd highest week in the past year with a 12-mile hills run that included over 600' of elevation (still not as much as the marathon course, but many of the hills were steeper than what I'll deal with in the marathon). I ran yesterday's ParkRun at 80% - 85% effort with today's long run in mind (still got 1/5 in AG). As I write this I'm still feeling kind of wiped out by the run, but in a good way. 49.0 miles/78.8km/8:35:14 for the week.
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: Scotch Plains 5k, 6/12; Firecracker 4-miler, 7/4
Watson - nice workout on the Fri.
Fred - well done on that long run. Those hills will seem easier in the race if you've had a lot of practice running tougher hills!
Hash - fingers crossed for you on Boston.
Me - had a pretty good week tbh. Legs a bit sluggish on Tues and pretty rough weather Wednesday but other than that it was mostly very good winter running conditions. Another trail race coming up this Sunday, this time it's in a forest which should be fun - and hopefully not too muddy this time around.
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: Runway5 / National 5k Champs, 16:22, National Masters AG Champ!
Up next: Still working on that...
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Mother of Cats
(Out of time, will circle back for shoutouts later)
61 miles running,1500 yards swimming, and 3:30 hours pool-running.M: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yogaT: 10 miles, including a track workout of 2x800, 1600, 2x800, 2x400 in 3:30, 3:29, 7:00, 3:22, 3:21, 1:37, 1:38 - recoveries of 2:4x-2:5x after the 800s, 6:01 after the 1600, and 88 seconds between the 400s. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.W: 11 miles very easy (9:38), including some grass running, drills, and four downhill strides. Upper body weights/core in afternoon.Th: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga.F: 17 miles, including 2x5 miles at marathon effort in 37:47 (7:33 pace) and 37:41 (7:32 pace) with 1 mile in 9:00 between the two. Followed with injury prevention work and 500 yards streaming yoga.Sa: 9 miles very easy on trails (11:12) plus drills/strides. Followed with upperbody weights/core and 30 minutes pool-running.Su: 14 miles, including some 100s, 200s, and 400s with full recovery. Fastest 200s were 46 seconds. Followed with injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming.
Workout notes:Tuesday: frustrating track workout where I was essentially stuck at my tempo pace for intervals. In retrospect, it was simply because the track workout was too close to Sunday's 16 miler, which was followed by some heavy squatting. So I'll file that workout under "it's the effort that counts."Friday: I moved my marathon effort workout up to Friday to take advantage of better weather. I had planned on doing the 4-3-2-1 workout (4, 3, 2, and 1 miles at marathon effort with 1 mile between), but I hit a good rhythm during the first 4 and decided on the fly to swap to 2x5 miles at marathon effort. The marathon effort miles all felt good and controlled and like I could have continued on (which is the ideal when doing a marathon effort workout, IMHO) so I felt pretty good about it.Sunday: Since I did my long run on Friday and my next hard workout isn't until Tuesday morning, I used Sunday morning to run a whole bunch of 100s, 200s, and even a few 400s, wearing different shoes and playing with different mental cues to see what worked and didn't in terms of running my fastest for a given effort. The winners were: the Takumi Sen 8 and envisioning a rope tied around my pelvis pulling me forward while my legs extend behind me.
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.
spam
Hi all! I had a decent week, with 4 runs totalling 69km and 2 bike sessions for another 70km. In fact I did one yesterday, as my legs felt tired, and when I went for a workout today, my legs felt really fresh and the workout felt very easy. I don't know how to convert the cycling miles to running miles - but assuming its a 1:4 ratio, that would be great and actually I am starting to like it a lot, as I just don't want to be just running all the time.
I did take the dog out for a run - I bought a used baby stroller for 50 bucks and it detaches, has three wheels and he can chill and sit in the bottom basket. He actually prefers to stand up and watch/sniff the air of what is ahead of us. But that worked out surprisingly well. So I will probably do that again this week. And possibly in the future. Will take a picture and post; it looks really cool.
@Kathi you used to bike a lot: ever thought of indoor biking? I got myself one of those Suito Elite roll trainers two year's ago and hardly ever got on it. But now I really enjoy it.
Darkwave: I don't go to the track often enough, but occasionally try to push my 1k PR. Next time I will try that mental clue, to see if it helps. I am tied to a rope that is pulling me faster and faster forward. The part with the legs behind, I might not understand just because I am not advanced enough. I will give it a shot. Takumi Sens - they get a lot of love around here and in the competitive thread. But for me unfortunately I am currently bargain hunting for a normal shoe that does easy and long runs.
Hash - nice week. Nice volume. So what does this mean regarding Boston. Did you submit and now they are checking whether you made it in? I thought you had already booked your flight etc. Fingers crossed.
Watson - nice workout. Your indoor GPS is really not that great!
Fred - wow what a week. You ramped up to close to 90km pretty quickly - no wonder your legs are tired! Good job!
Steve - bummer and I hope you are feeling better!
Mark - king of consistency, no accidents last week, that is a big plus. Sorry that NZ didn't make it to the next stage.
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Took advantage of cool-fo-August weathe at the start of last weeek, which beat me up a bit.
Monday pm 3 easy plus upper body strength
Tuesday am 6.5 miles with 6 x 3 min + 4 x200
Wednesday am 3.4 easy pm lower body strength
Thursday rest
Friday am 6.2 with strides pm upper body strength
Saturday 2eassy on the treadmill
Sunday 4.4 with 6 x 400 + 4 x 200 plus lower body strenght
Watson, I've accidently turned on GPS while on the treadmill. Makes for an interesting map, but also annoying since it messes up the tracking.
Steve, hope you are feeling better.
Hash, when does Boston registration start? Is that in September?
Fred, nice week. Aare there any races in NYC prior to your marathon that share parts of the course/
Mark, I'm guessing the sleepoever at the aquarium was something with your daughter?
Darkwave, always tough trying to do workouts without enough recovery. I definitely tried to take advantage of the nicer weather last week.
MJ, is the dog older? Some small dogs probably are ok with a little running. I see a lady powerwalking frequently with Boston terriers. They are always in the lead. I have a spin bike in the basement that I was using a bit in the winter and just haven;t found a way to consistenyly fit it in. I switched to running when I moved to this area because the roads here are awful for biking and if I can't go from my front door, it isn't happening (same with running).
MJ & HCK - Well, this is my first time registering to run Boston, so I'm kinda making it up as I go!
Registration opens in Sept sometime, but it seems that you can 'pre-verify' your qualifying time (to speed up your registration or to give you peace of mind perhaps??). The 2023 Christchurch Marathon wasn't on their list of races to get electronically verified (bit harsh lol) so they have to manually verifying it.
And yes, I have already booked flights for myself and my family to fly over to Boston, so worst-case scenario it will be an expensive cheerleading trip! But I have complete faith in their system...
Fred - You're putting in some strong weeks!
Mark - Hope bubs and mum are doing well? Also, how is big sister coping with not being the complete centre of her parents' attention anymore??
DW - I missed the memo about your Streaming Yoga. I'm now sitting here trying to imagine what it actually is!
Watson - You running Wainui in a couple weeks?
Fred, nice week. Are there any races in NYC prior to your marathon that share parts of the course/
No, not really. I suppose there's the 5th Ave. mile and regular races in Central Park might cover a small portion of the route (though in the opposite direction). Most of the race is on major roads and bridges that are closed only for the marathon and not other races. I'll have to rely on my course knowledge from five years ago (plus all the data online).
Mick - I wrongly had track mode on. So it wasn't the watch's fault.
Hash - yes, I'm running the road champs. Seven days before Hawkes Bay marathon, so there's a bit of taper/peaking juggling going on as they're both 'A' races for me.
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
Darkwave - your marathon workout was good.
JamesD
Enjoyed our vacation in Banff, Canada the week ending August 5. Got in two good days of hiking (one 13 miles with almost 3,000 feet gain & descent, one only about 4 miles, but at 8,000 feet & with lots of gain & descent) as well as a day-long bus tour that showed us a lot of the sights. DS, who’s 20 and hadn’t done outdoor things with old people for a while, was teasing DW about how slowly she hiked and wanted me to go with him on an evening hike up a small mountain just outside of Banff while DW soaked her legs in ice water at the hotel. He lifts weights & so has strong legs, but he doesn’t do cardio, so I left him gasping going uphill and on the flats, and he didn't tease DW as much the next day. (To be fair, he was faster than me on the downhills, probably because he has better balance.) When we got back home, my legs were too tired to do any faster running on Sunday other than strides, but I was pleased that my hamstrings & glutes seemed no more than normally sore.
Storms made my outdoor runs this week interesting. During Tuesday’s first 45 minutes, it was hot at 94/34, but a sudden storm caused temperatures to fall by 17/9 degrees in half an hour. The 45 mph/72 kph wind gusts also had me concerned about branches flying off all the old trees in the park. Between being soaked & the wind, I actually felt cold when I finished. Today (Saturday), it was so hot that I stopped a mile early, but within 20 minutes, after I had stretched & I was on my way home, an unexpected storm had caused temperatures to drop again. Two weeks until my midnight 5K, and I was encouraged by Thursday's tempo run.
Week ending August 5:
Sun - off, lightning when I had planned to swim
Mon - 8.3 miles in park AM incl. 3.5 @ 7:08, temp 84/29, TDP 155
Tues-Sat - off w/2 days hiking in Canada
Total - 8.3 miles
Week ending August 12:
Sun - 8.3 miles (1 TM, 7.3 park) midday including strides, temp 91/33, TDP 166
Mon - 7.5 miles very slow (60:25 AM/30 PM) on treadmill w/40-second walk breaks/6:00
Tues - 8.3 miles in park PM @ 8:46, 1st 45 minutes faster at 94/34, TDP 167, much cooler after thunderstorm
Weds - ~33 minutes swimming
Thurs - 7.3 miles in park AM incl. 3.5 @ 6:58, temp 77/25, TDP 147
Fri - 7.5 miles very slow (63 AM/30 PM) on treadmill w/40-second walk breaks/6:00
Sat - 7 miles in park PM @ 8:32, temp 97/36, TDP 171, stopped a mile early
Total - 45.9 miles
YTD Average - 37.3 mpw
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
James - nice weeks. The long hilly hikes will have crossover to running endurance.
My week was good, below plus one strength session.
Mon indoor training was good, low volume with quality (Garmin indoor track mode so probably not super accurate). Wed hills went very well. Sun long run went pretty well.
Thirteen days from the marathon. I have a 10km race this Saturday, so will be semi-tapered, and hopefully fully tapered for the following Saturday.
Hash - yeah everyone's doing Ok except when they get hangry lol. Big sister is an absolute star, doesn't seem jealous at all and is really eager to help. What route are you taking to Boston? Mostly it used to be via LAX or SFO but that was before they added direct flights to Texas and JFK.
James - way to put the youngster in his place!
Watson - lots of climbing in some of those runs... that will definitely pay off for sure.
Got my first trail race win this morning so that was definitely the highlight of the week! Course wasn't particularly technical, but lots of sandy sections so those were hard work, especially the uphills. There is an experienced trail runner who has been minutes ahead in every race of the series so far and he went out pretty quick early on. I kept it pretty conservative but noticed around halfway that I was gaining on him going up a long climb. I wasn't working especially hard up the hill, but most of the hills on this course were long, gradual climbs on gravel roads so I was able to find a good rhythm. I passed him partway up the longest of the climbs and wondered if he'd just backed off a bit for the hills and would pass me again later on. I kept it pretty conservative on the uphills and the more technical trail sections and tried to take advantage of the downhills and was just able to keep a nice rhythm up (apart from stopping at one point where the course got slightly confusing... lucky I took the right path!). Through the massive mud puddle with 2km to go, and after that it's all downhill / flat... a cheeky look back helped me to figure I had at least a minute as he wasn't in sight so I didn't need to push it and came home in first! Was stoked to get my first trail race win especially as I've been several minutes behind that guy in every race of the series so far. IDK maybe he was having an off day but I'll take it. Probably can't call myself a trail rookie any more now.
It was the most enjoyable course so far and not just because of the result. Some great ocean views from the top of the hill and a fun mix of trail, gravel road and 4WD track with nothing too technical. I was surprised how quick the pace ended up being but it seemed much easier to maintain a rhythm for much of that course.
<caption>Weekly Grid</caption>
Mark great win. Hope you can still snatch up the overall win in the trail series Like the picture too - didn’t know you needed a camelback for a 18k trail race but I am sure its brutal.
watson - nice 32k workout & week! Your overall volume hasn’t been huge - will that marathon be a suffer fest for the last 10k or you think you will do great there? I know I would/will fall apart.
kathi - I let the dog run whenever he asks to hop off the stroller. I have taken him on 4-5 easy runs. People always laugh at us. I need to figure out how to paste pictures in here and will share. How about mountain biking? If the roads are bad in terms of pot holes or rather bad drivers (merkle was ranting about bad drivers in Maryland - maybe thats the same four your area?)
James - that hiking in Canada sounded like fun. Cool to have your son join too. Sounds like he is a bit older; some just don’t want to hng out with the older folks anymore.
Hash - fingers crossed mate, trust the process! I am sure you can get a bib from someone else and then just hop on the course somewhere. I have the impression reading RPs report that there are ID checks.
My week was cool - I broke three records - longest easy run with stroller and dog (he did like 3k running, 9k chilling in the stroller); longest long run other than the marathon race (30k all easy) and most km in a week (92k on 5 days plus 2 days on the bike). Mostly easy miles so all pretty easy on the legs. I could have broken 💯 but was too lazy yesterday.
Whats up with the 🦅 though what does this mean Flavio???