Forums >Racing>Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023
Mother of Cats
Marky_Mark - interesting choice to do 100s - you don't usually see those on the schedule of a distance runner. But it does seem to play to your strengths.
Merkle - did you do a JD workout and then a rowing session right after? No wonder your legs were trashed.I'm glad you're feeling more comfortable with the long runs. You already know this, but that's a good sign for the marathon. It means that the marathon is becoming less about covering the distance and more about how fast you'll do it.
WCRunner - the trend is in the right direction, and it's educational to see how you are approaching the build-up. And thanks for posting all the blasts from the past - they are really fun to see.
Dave - if the course was .1 short, and you paced it in 1:48:30, it sounds to me like you paced it nearly perfectly (assuming you didn't go out in 6:40 for the two miles and then balance it out with a few 9:00s...)
Flavio - congratulations on the 5K PR - I'm still in awe that you were able to continue running after the finish line. I'm assuming you knew the couse was short because your watch hadn't beeped for the 5th km yet? Congratulations to your wife as well for her PR!
RP: " To finish fast first you must finish" - this quote is worth highlighting
DKTrotter - I know nothing about ultras, but it looks to me like you are coming into form at just the right time.
Krash - what do your non-workout days look like? I'm curious.
CK - you reminded me that I stopped by a different branch of my local gym a few weeks ago, and saw a big banner over the front desk advertising testosterone replacement. Which I guess is OK (from a morality standpoint) if you are not competing in a sport that bans that stuff.
Mikkey - I still have my 305 as well, and it even works (albeit very poorly). About 18 months ago I used it for a run - wow, it was a lot more uncomfortable than I remember.
Steve- good call to bail on the workout - it sounds like all you were going to accomplish was running yourself into the ground if you persisted.
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.
Are we there, yet?
Isn't this around the same time that WOMEN were first allowed to run the marathon? I'm not poking fun at you or anything because your accomplishments for over 50 years are an accomplishment in themselves. I frequently tell people at work that my dad started with FedEx in 1979 and retired just a few years ago; they are frequently impressed. You are continuing to keep trucking down the road/trail and are inspiring to us "young guys".
Yes, 1972 was the first year women were allowed to officially enter the Boston Marathon. The AAU National Marathon Championship was in Liverpool, NY, near Syracuse and hosted by the Syracuse Track Club which is the one Kathrine Switzer belonged to. There were so few women running road races of any kind, much less marathons, that they were very noticeable. The top women runners on the East Coast were running times close to mine so they often finished near me in races (sometimes ahead of me) so I got to meet them.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Intl. correspondent
Andy - I read the other day that the US uses metric to define the imperial measurements heh
Anyway, it seems to me that whenever there are more than one race on the same day, the longer race tends to be correct and the short race tends to be incorrect distance.
This has happened 3 times to me already.
WC - thanks, those are epic pictures.
DW - Yup, once I crossed I just kept running and checked the watch again since it hadn't beeped for 5k so I kept running till it did.I missed a possibly lifetime 10K PR in Pisa in 2020 when the course was short, never again!
PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021
Up next: some 800m race (or time trials) / Also place in the top 20% in a trail race
Tool to generate Strava weekly
Isn't this around the same time that WOMEN were first allowed to run the marathon?
There was no women’s marathon in the Olympics till 1984!
Dave
Also, my week for posterity (now very late):
41 miles running, 1000 yards swimming and 2.5 hours pool-running.
M: 90 minutes pool-running.T: 11 miles, including a track workout of 2x800, 1600, 2x800, 4x200 with splits of 3:29, 3:24, 6:50, 3:21, 3:23, 48, 49, 49, 49; 5:13 recovery after the 1600 and 2:4x-3:0x recoveries after the 800s. Full recovery for the 200s. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.W: Streaming yoga and 8 miles very easy (9:27) plus drills and strides. Th: 60 minutes pool-running and upper body weights/core. F: 6 miles, including 1600 uptempo in 7:11. Drills and strides after.Sa: OffSu: 3 mile warm-up, and then a half-marathon in 1:33:20. Later 500 yards recovery swimming.
Problem Child
Honestly I was thinking in the style of Ron Perlman AKA Fallout narrator guy AKA Hellboy AKA Clay from Sons of Anarchy but I could go for a more Philomena Cunk style if you'd prefer. Also, good call on not using high stack shoes in icy conditions. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Honestly I was thinking in the style of Ron Perlman AKA Fallout narrator guy AKA Hellboy AKA Clay from Sons of Anarchy but I could go for a more Philomena Cunk style if you'd prefer.
Also, good call on not using high stack shoes in icy conditions. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Philomena Cunk sounds like Dobby from Harry potter movies. I'll stick with the Sons of anarchy voice. No one can top Shawshank Redemption though.
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
Hey Syrup Ream Over Lawd....add this to your font page. So you don't forget it.
I'm a little irritated. I planned on a run yesterday at lunch, it turned into white out conditions ( I was prepared for 22 but not 22F AND sideways snow) then didn't get time to put a run in. I feel like this is now a down week with a 5k at the end. I'm skipping today's workout, doing a 6-8 miler, and probably stuff under 10 miles for the week. Looking forward to Tuesday's workout after the 5k, and hopping back into marathon training. I might actually finish without a headlamp some nights.
Men’s Vaporflys on sale for $200. Most sizes available, but that doesn’t usually last.
https://www.nike.com/t/vaporfly-2-mens-road-racing-shoes-glWqfm/CU4111-103
RIP Milkman
RP - maybe that's a good thing! Having a down week is always good in marathon training, I love pairing that with a race: best of both worlds. Best of luck to you! It'll be great to see 5:XX for a 5K, it's a great barrier to break.
Andy - best of luck to you this weekend as well! I think the no port-a-potty stops is the biggest goal, because it'll be hard to run other goals if you can't get that under control!
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
dktrotter Thanks! I got a forerunner 255. I'm new to this HRV and optimal load stuff. I like it so far though. I think me and the watch are still getting to know each other.
dw Just read the race report. Looks like you had a great day. Glad the new meds seem to be helping. Hopefully you'll get used to crowds soon. Don't you deal with crowds a lot on that track? And yes lol I did row right after a JD workout. Not sure if I'll do that again.
RP I think you're good to run under 6:00 pace for a 5k.
Am I the only one who still hasn't gotten into the super shoes / cheater shoes? Not sure why but I'm hesitant. Doesn't help that they're expensive.
I waited a long time. Hard to justify the price when we don’t do this for a living. But if you can rationalize the purchase to yourself, they really do make a difference. Obviously when you can get them on sale it helps. Although at this sale price they’re still pretty expensive. With the deal I got about a month ago, they ended up at $112.
Overweight per CDC BMI
HA!! You are correct when it comes to A goal vs. B goal for this race but I am also poking fun at myself a bit. The last time I ran this same race in 2020, I was still naive and thought I needed to carb load for a Half. I looked back at the splits from that race and I was running at 7:30 pace for the first 7 miles but ended up stopping at least 2 times at the porta poddy. My late miles were also much slower with walking breaks to keep my bowels in check.
I remember running a Half a few years ago which the same lady sped past me 4-5 times during the race but I never once passed her. They had porta poddies every 2 miles on that course and it occurred to me later after the race that she was in the porta poddy every time I passed her. She still finished the race ahead of me and that was when I ran my PR so she must have been killing it when she was actually running.
For the marathon this past December I didn't do anything different with my diet and didn't have any digestion problems during the race. I also took an Imodium before the race as a precaution. Those two things are my plan for this race and likely going forward.
Memphis / 38 male
5k - 20:39 / 10k - 43:48 / Half - 1:34:47 / Full - 3:38:10
Men’s Vaporflys on sale for $200. Most sizes available, but that doesn’t usually last. https://www.nike.com/t/vaporfly-2-mens-road-racing-shoes-glWqfm/CU4111-103
Just in time for Boston...available in sizes 13-15 too. These won't last long.
Also, just after Womans day...and the woman's shoe is NOT on sale. Heck...when I clike the "Womans Day" sale button on the app it takes me straight to Men's stuf. I know I use the app so it knows I'm male. I just laugh at having a womans day sale on men's items.
JMac I just HAD a down week. It's more "I'd LIKE to go running, and now I understand why people living in the snow/ice midwest don't like snow much anymore.
Mmerkle yeah you're probably one of the last hold outs. I just bought them when I was going for Sub-3/BQ-5 and it was half because my uncle wrote me a check a year or two before, and half becasue "I'm spending enough on gels and hotels I can go the extra little bit."
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I think the goal is 5:57/mi for an 18:30 or thereabouts. I'm kind of hoping there are some people to work with. Previous races show I'd be top 10-20 depending on who shows up. Unfortunately, they do 9-10 year age groups so I won't be winning any cool age group award. There are some FAST guys in the 30-34 age group and I'd be lucky to take 4th. It would just be cool to have some age group medal and brag about it on a Sunday group. "did you know they gave out something OTHER than a pint glass? NEITHER DID I!!!"
maybe it's easier to purchase shoes when you own a jeep you're dumping money into and no using, but maybe that's just me.
I got a forerunner 255. I'm new to this HRV and optimal load stuff. Am I the only one who still hasn't gotten into the super shoes / cheater shoes? Not sure why but I'm hesitant. Doesn't help that they're expensive.
I got a forerunner 255. I'm new to this HRV and optimal load stuff.
mmerkle - I upgraded to the 255 last year and have enjoyed it so far. No clue how to interpret the HRV stuff but I am really enjoying utilizing the acute training load feature to help keep myself in check when I get motivated. The watch and that feature actually predicted me getting a minor injury end of January when I was doing a lot more speed work than my body could handle. My load score was well above the green zone for a few days and then 4 days later I was on RA complaining about tightness/pain in my left hip.
I have yet to turn to the dark side of super shoes with the carbon fiber plate. I would certainly make the investment if I eventually try to hit a BQ time or something but I want my PR's to not feel like they happened because of a shoe vs. me putting in the work. I also like to get a normal amount of mileage out of new shoes I buy for a race so for me it is hard to justify spending $200+ on shoes which I will only get ~120 miles out of them. For my Half Saturday I bought a pair of Brooks Hyperion Tempo which have the same foam as their super shoe but no carbon plate.
I have 14 pairs of running shoes but the lift kit for my Jeep is still in the box in my garage... I will probably get it installed in April after we see how much money we spent during the cruise next week.