2019 3:20, And Beyond (Read 444 times)

 

I guess when you get older, you stop complaining about things, you know like how it's too windy to run right? 

Yankee. I think the wind speed goes up 2 MPH each time I check the forecast for my run tonight. I should move it to tomorrow when it's not supposed to be windy....oh look more bullisht weather.

pj- hahaha, great description. watching tracktown jsut made me feel awkward via alexi's extra awkwardness

dwave/jamc thanks for the push to get out and do the workout. Wasn't as bad as expected. I hit a headwind, switched the watch to heart rate and ran by effort for the two portions (loop course) where I expected it to get tough. Also mental games with myself about pushing through the wind, it not being as bad as forecasted, and thinking about the potential effects of wind on race day mentally more than physically. Only 1 mile was under goal pace and since I did the same mile twice I was better prepared for the windy section mentally. I guess I should listen to the "elites" here who have faster marathon times (shots fired sub 3 group) but also MORE EXPERIENCE.

Either that or I need to run in Nike shoes more often. Garmin says I was doing each mile 10 seconds faster than M pace, but I'll * that with "wind assist."

kcam I kind of went with that attitude. Plus looking at sunset, and being out there when it actually was dark, I'm glad I didn't go when it was scheduled to be calmer winds. I was REALLY cold for the jog home. It's a little funny starting a run with a headlamp (Petzel Actik Core) and sunglasses with gloves on. I sometimes wonder what other people thing but I'm pretty sure it is "That guy is wearing sunglasses and a headlamp...(insert wtf face)?"

Upside, it is expected to snow Saturday so the grocery stores will be amazing along with my long run. Decided I needed some Honey Stingers with caffeine to start taking for training including long runs. No upset anything during last night's run with one gel around 46:00 and mile 6.5ish (5.0 of the 8 at pace) so that's nice. Working out after (thanks again for the suggestions dw and rlk) wasn't fun, BUT possible.

max I was thinking about you last night. Haven't seen many runs posted. If you're lurking I hope everything is going well. I am not in the book of faces anymore so I'm unsure how active you're with the online friendships other than here.

dwave/jamc thanks for the push to get out and do the workout. Wasn't as bad as expected. I hit a headwind, switched the watch to heart rate and ran by effort for the two portions (loop course) where I expected it to get tough. Also mental games with myself about pushing through the wind, it not being as bad as forecasted, and thinking about the potential effects of wind on race day mentally more than physically. Only 1 mile was under goal pace and since I did the same mile twice I was better prepared for the windy section mentally. I guess I should listen to the "elites" here who have faster marathon times (shots fired sub 3 group) but also MORE EXPERIENCE.

Good!  I also find that running well in wind, in particular, improves with practice.  We have a tendency to hunch and fight against the wind, which costs us more in running efficiency than the wind itself does.  With practice, you learn to battle that instinct and stretch tall (and also how to draft, if you run with others).

I agree with KCam's point about not checking the weather too much.  I try only to check it to the extent it affects a decision I need to make - do I need to wear a hat?  Is it going to change temperature drastically during my long run?

I find that when you focus too much on the details of the weather, or make too big a deal about it, it makes weather into an obstacle it otherwise wouldn't be.

I'm not saying that weather doesn't affect performance (and personally I do check the weather after my run and log the details); just that you don't gain much, and risk losing a lot, by focusing on it too much before or during the run.

Good on ya for getting that workout done in rough conditions, Brew.  You're a better runner for it, seriously.

I myself had to do a workout in 'challenging' conditions but I took my own advice and just went out and did the workout.  This morning was our club's 12X800 relay (on the track, 2 person teams so 6X800 each).  Woke up at 6:30 and it was absolutely pouring.  Not for a microsecond did I consider blowing it off.  Went out there and with about 11 or 12 other runners we did the relay in the rain.  The track was flooded out to lane 3 so you had to run wide on every turn.  It was raining hard enough at points that it was hard to see the far end of the track!  Anyway .... DONE.

3:22, 3:22, 3:18, 3:22, 3:23, 3:24 with rests about equal to what I ran.  A little slower than what I wanted to run (that is ~5K pace) but not bad considering the conditions.  One more under the belt.

One other thing about running in challenging conditions .... it's not just about learning how to run in wind or rain or snow or heat or whatever the specific hardship is it's about learning to overcome the challenge mentally.  You'll need that ability in the last 10K of any hard-run marathon.

 

 

One other thing about running in challenging conditions .... it's not just about learning how to run in wind or rain or snow or heat or whatever the specific hardship is it's about learning to overcome the challenge mentally.  You'll need that ability in the last 10K of any hard-run marathon.

Agreed - so that whatever the weather is doesn't add any additional mental burden to the burden of finishing a marathon.

PJ - I think you're our new Smax.

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My week: 60 miles, 8 "miles" of pool-running, and 2000 yards of swimming:
M: Off - just a work trip
T: 8 very easy (9:11) plus 4 hill sprints, then upper body strength and core, followed by another 2 very easy home (9:02).
W: 11.5 miles, including a workout of 11x400m and  7x400m averaging 94 seconds with 100m floats averaging 29 seconds - 2:30 break (bio break) between sets.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.
Th: Yoga and 8 "miles" pool-running.
F: 10 miles very easy (8:55) plus 6 hill sprints and drills, followed by upper body strength and core.
Sa: 16.5 miles, including 3x3 miles at marathon effort (averaged 6:52, 6:54, and 6:46 for the three sets) and 1 mile faster (6:21).  One mile easy between each.  Followed with  leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming
Su:  10 easy (8:31) and yoga.

My week. Not enough days running, but one fairly monster workout. 15 miles of trail with pretty good climbing and descent (my garmin says over 1,000 feet, so not sure why Strava says only 685). My plan was to go easy up the hills, cruise the flats, and push anywhere from MP to tempo on the downhills. I ended up closing the 15th (downhill) mile in 5:54  which felt great. I wasn't all-out by any means, but I was going about as fast as I considered safe, given the terrain. (Measured via the actual mileposts, not GPS which is unreliable on this trail).

Planned on getting at least a shake-out the next day, but my back was a bit sore and we had a lot on our plate (including a 3 hour drive), so I rested instead.

Three more training questions as I approach a goal 5k on 3/17:

1) I'm considering this 15 miler my last key workout. But I was thinking of doing a sharpening workout on Thursday of this week (10 days out from race), maybe something like 6 or 8 x 400. Does that sound good, or should I do something different?

2) Which shoes to wear? I did the 15 miles in my Zoom Flys and they didn't give me any problems, but when I run near or below-6:00 pace on the track they tend to get hot. I don't expect to average below 6:00 in the 5k, but with any luck I'll be close to it. I also have a pair of Lunaracers that are pretty beat (maybe 400 miles on them?) but they're VERY light and probably still serviceable for a 5k. I think they're lighter than the Zoom Flys? What do you think?

3) Pacing. The first mile of the race is slightly downhill, the second has a medium hill, and the third is net downhill but with one short hill burst near the end. On a flat course I think I'm in PR shape (19:03). I was thinking of going out slightly ahead of that given the downhill start, maybe 5:55 to 6:00 flat. Does that seem too fast? I would then try to stick to 6:10 pace on the flat, allow a slight fade up the hill, and then push hard once I hit the turnaround back downhill and see what I have left in the last mile. Or should I try to run more evenly?

KCam - Sounds like an awesome relay!

PJ - Miwok? After the group LR on Sat. I talked to a local-ish guy who is doing Never Summer. I very nearly offered to pace him.

SClever - Looking forward to you leapfrogging my PR. Take this for what it's worth: 1) I see nothing wrong with that workout that far out - no input as to alternates. 2) I'm not too familiar with Nike shoes, but I'd probably opt for the lighter ones. 3) That opening pace doesn't seem out of line with a downhill start. I'd say try keeping a 5k level effort and just let the pace fall where it may.

Brew - Nice job on getting that workout in. Maybe CTRL+F5 for the Strava import app? Perhaps the cache clear will help. Enjoy all the MP runs!

I had my best week since November, both in terms of quality and quantity. Unfortunately most of it was on the treadmill due to icy roads. My legs don't feel like I ran as many miles as I did - certainly because I've been doing a second, short run during the day rather than a single long one. I did feel the LR on Saturday, though. My previous long since November was the prior week's 14.5, and my glutes were protesting some the last 8k or so.
I'm getting really tired of the treadmill. More ice yesterday, though hopefully it'll melt off today in the sun, even if it doesn't get above freezing today (likely).

Monday, Feb 25, 2019 thru Sunday, Mar 03, 2019