Forums >Racing>2018 Sub-3. No rules. Run.
2 weeks out from my marathon, and I ran my 2nd tune up race today. Pfitz called for a bit more distance, but by the time I signed up, all that was left was a 5K. Nice and flat though, and pretty decent weather (low60s and not too heavy rain). 10k runners went off 5 minutes early, and it appeared from the website that we were running the same course for our whole part of the race. I have never run a 5k before so I wasn't sure about pacing, but I figured it was better too start off too fast.
I wound up leading the race for the first mile, which was unfortunate because the 5k actually diverged from the 10K, but there was no signage to show it, and the volunteers didn't say anything until I had passed the turn! I had a bike escort, but he was behind me and he didn't say anything either! I probably only lost about 5 seconds there, but it was annoying, and the 2nd place guy caught me there. My stopwatch hadn't started correctly, so I had no clue what pace I was going. After a brief turn around, we were back on the same course as the 10K runners, and I had to swerve between hundreds of them throughout the race.
Anyway I wound up getting passed again (I think I went out too quickly) and finished in 3rd, with a time of 18:55. Calculators put that about in line with my 39:04 10K from last year, and given I'm cheating by running an easy marathon course (Steamtown) I like my chances still at 3rs. I'm pretty happy with the result
14 mile "cooldown" home in the fairly heavy rain stunk though.
5k- 18:55 (2018) 10K- 39:04 (2017) Marathon- 3:00:10 (2018)
My last two weeks:
09/11 11.32 mi @8:41
09/13 11.33 mi @8:43
09/15 17.12 mi @9:20
Total: 39.7 mi
09/17 11.32 mi @8:59
09/19 11.32 mi @8:52
09/21 12.05 mi @8:25
09/23 20.54 mi @9:08
Total: 55.2 mi
Definitely on my way to sub 3 . I am pretty sure, though, some guys in sub 4 thread have faster paces .
slingrunner - as far as I remember Steamtown is downhill race - did you do any training for downhill running?
paces PRs - 5K - 5:48 / 10K - 6:05 / HM - 6:14 / FM - 6:26 per mile
Cal- Your speed will come back.
Me- Yes, some heavy elevation losses especially early on the race. I decided not to do any dedicated downhill, because I was worried of injury and also didn't want to mess up my runs with all the subsequent uphill. Hopefully the right decision. I've done a decent amount of trail racing and trail ultras the last few years, so hopefully my legs will be ready. What I'm most worried about is my shoes. I can't tell how worn out my old kinvara are, and I'm hoping they have enough protection for the downhill. I have fresh ghosts, but I prefer something lighter.
Mikkey: Great to see you signed up for some spring marathons! What is the plan for those, will London be the primary target, with the others serving as options in case of bad weather?
Sling: Nice job on the 5k. I think you have a good chance for sub 3 with that time, even though 5k is maybe less predictive than a longer race. My 5k PR was similar (19:01) before I broke 3.
Calbears: Nice couple of weeks; longer runs like that will be great for rebuilding your base and also burning away the extra weight. And the pace looks perfect to me.
My last week: First part was in southern Germany for work, and had some nice hills and scenery. Also too much beer in the evenings which made getting up early to run challenging. Today's long run was probably my last big workout of this cycle; less than 3 weeks till race day now. Probably just some shorter fast stuff here and there to stay sharp. Most of the hay is in the barn at this point.
Weekly SummaryMonday, Sep 17, 2018 thru Sunday, Sep 23, 2018
2:52:16 (2018)
Mikkey - looks like you have too much time on your hands - 3 marathons in on month! But hey, England is probably smaller than California, so, the logistics is probably not too taxing.
JTreeves - wow, what a nice combination of fast long runs and slow short ones - just perfect.
slingrunner - yeah, downhill running can be risky. But also risky is to run downhill race without paying any attention to it. What happens with straight downhill courses is at mile 18-20 your quads start feeling it and you might have pretty bad last few miles. Trails are great but if your trail run was more than 3 weeks ago, your quads forgot everything - they can't remember hills forever. You don't need much of it - 3-4 miles down will be more than enough. If it's 2-3 weeks away then if you are careful you should be fine. But of course if you never done that before it's risky do it so close to target race.
Mmmm Bop
I’d love to race Brighton which is my local marathon and run it 5 times as a pacer (2x3:15 and 3x3:30)...I reckon it’s about 90sec slower than London if there’s no wind so will keep my options open...if the weather isn’t great then it’ll be my last long run before London. I loved the track marathon this year and want more...so much easier than a road race!
JT - Your training has been great and I know you’ll smash it next month. 👍
Sling - Congrats on the 5k race and you seem to be right on 3 hours.
Cal - I remember you as a high mileage/easy pace runner and your marathon pace isn’t much different to your 10k pace 😀. Keep up the good work!
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
2 weeks until my marathon and I've hit the Pfitz 12 week training plan perfectly. Yesterday I PR'd by about a minute in a time trial 10k and then this morning did the last long run of the plan. I'm ready to go and now will just be watching the weather, trying to get enough sleep and not doing anything stupid. I do have one more tough workout - a VO2max of 3x1 mile with 2 minute rest between repeats.
Cal - 3 months is plenty of time to get back in shape for sub 3.
JT - That long run should give you confidence, especially the last 6 miles. Looks like you're ready to go.
RIP Milkman
Mikkey - “love” track marathons and find them “easier?” Does...not...compute. You check out this guy on Strava named Daniel Trusca who lives in Romania (found him via the Sub 90 group). He runs 160 MPW, which in and of itself is crazy. But every single mile is on the track!
JT - You’ve had an amazing cycle and the hay is certainly in the barn. Most of your times, include your TT and this long run today indicate that sub 2:50 is in the cards. You have a nice long 3 weeks to think about it
Sling - good luck with the downhills. Annoying that you had to deal with that during the race. I’ve only run one race where I couldnt’ see anybody in front of me and definitely had a few turns where I wasn’t sure what to do.
Cal - You run just like Mikkey (or maybe vice-versa): lots of mileage on a few days per week.
Madison - getting through any plan “perfectly” is an accomplishment that few people reach. You sound like you’re in prime condition. By the way, I went into your running log and you keep such detailed notes! Your race report in there was really interesting, do you have any interest in making that more “public” by posting it in these forums?
Me - Had a very good week and really feel like the hay is starting to accumulate in the barn. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that the heat/humidity finally broke this week and I could see what i was capable of. My Thursday run gave me a ton of confidence, as my T pace was a good 20 seconds faster than the majority of my workouts this summer. It was definitely a classic Daniels workout, throwing 2x2T in immediately after 8 @ MP with no rest. My long run Sunday went very well too. I have a 10 mile race this Sunday that will hopefully solidify what my goal for the marathon will be. I’d love to break 60 minutes but that will require everything going right race day plus good recovery from this long run.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Sling: Nice tune up race! Looking on target for a sub 3 so now taper up!
Mikkey: Wow - 3 marathons this spring
JT: Looking very solid this cycle. That was a great LR yesterday. Hoping the weather works out for your race. Sub 2:50 is certainly in play. Rest up and stay away from those germs!
Cal: Nice couple of weeks and welcome back!
Madison: Sounds like a great cycle you have put in. Looking forward to see what you throw down!
JMAC: Yet another solid week for you. That was a killer Daniels mixed effort LR on Thurs. Those 2T repeats look really impressive after that mileage. Your on target for a very fast race!
Me: Initially wanted a bit of a step back in volume this week, but still ended up just over 80 so will try to ease off a bit this week instead as the last couple have been over 80. Workouts were nothing too extreme this week (too warm), but certainly pleased with the 4 X 1200 meter bridge workout and then the 2 fast miles of 5:35 & 5:28 I was able to throw down at the tail end of my 18 mile LR yesterday right after pacing a mixed effort and very hot/humid local HM (just over 1:31).
Weekly Summary Monday, Sep 17, 2018 thru Sunday, Sep 23, 2018
1mile: 4:46 (12/20) | 5K: 15:57 (3/21) | 10K: 33:40 (4/20) | 15K 51:43 (4/21) | HM: 1:15:03 (12/20) | FM: 2:40:30 (1/20)
Me: Initially wanted a bit of a step back in volume this week, but still ended up just over 80 so will try to ease off a bit this week instead as the last couple have been over 80.
This has never happened in my life. "I meant to take a down weeks, but whoops ran 80."
You and Mikkey are strange running creatures with your crazy mileage and his love of track marathons.
Madison: Congrats on the sub-34 10k! You've got some serious wheels; at least equal to but I think even faster than a guy on here last year who ran 2:35 at St. Jude; do not think he broke 34 for 10k. Anyway, you are looking strong to break your 2:39 PR in a couple of weeks.
JMac: You had an awesome week, that Thursday workout was huge! All that training in the sauna all summer is paying off for you now. You are a legit case for sub 2:50, even on the tough NYC course. I think sub 60 at 10 mi is definitely in the cards for this weekend.
Weather: Great week as usual; 80 mpw seems to be your homeostasis point! Even when you want to back off you still end up there. You're looking strong for a PR in the half, and in shorter stuff as well.
BTW, you can add me to the list of weirdos who would like to do a track marathon. Not sure if I will do a spring marathon next year, but if I do I may look into a track one for that. I may even fly over and join Mikkey if I can't find one in the US!
You guys are really putting up impressive numbers. I feel like I am the outlier in this group in that I am really struggling this cycle. My motivation and confidence are in the toilet. I'm not really enjoying this cycle and think sub 3 is a massive long shot if even possible for me. I have considered abandoning the training plan and target time and just trying to enjoy it but will try to keep pushing for the next 6-7 weeks. I'm pretty sure the faster paces are what is doing this. I either struggle to hit my paces or miss them which is discouraging and on top of that I am tired all the time. I took today off for a mental and physical rest.
Debbie downer rant over. I don't know how you guys hit those fast paces on top of the mileage you run. Very impressive and has to be a big confidence boost as your races approach. Nice job everyone!
My week:
BGS - It's not unusual to still feel like crap where you are in training. Also, you ran 25 miles this Sunday, what do you expect??? I think you'll start feeling better with slower running (which it looks like you've implemented) and also more time. I would highly recommend you do not increase your mileage any further before race day. It may be helpful if you uploaded your runs to Running Ahead so we can see more of your mileage history. It's hard to fully diagnose what's going on without more history. I felt like crap all summer (as most on this board know due to my non-stop complaining about the weather), but things just sort of clicked starting 2 weeks ago. You may experience the same thing, so don't give up yet.
JT - I think you and I may battle for a better time. At least you're going first so I know what I have to beat . Let's hope we both get perfect weather days.
JMac11 thanks for the feedback. Yes, I am making a conscious effort to slow the easy days. I thought my data was visible but it looks like it has been imported but not saved. Do I really have to save each individual run or is there a way to just save all? I know weather has been a factor for me also (Atlanta) but I'm just feeling a little discouraged that sub 3 may never happen for me. My race is not until Nov so I'm going to try to just suck it up until then. Looking at the plan I should be in the 70-80 range for the next few weeks until taper. I hope you are right and that things will click sooner or later.
You guys gunning for sub 2:50 (and faster) make it look easier than it is.
Edit: just saw the "Save all" option on the log. Should have scrolled down.
BGS: Hang in there; that is a big week and a huge long run, so you are bound to feel tired. Good choice to take today off. I usually take the day after the long run off and I think it helps to recover and let things sink in.
JMac: Though I wish I was in the same league as you, I'm afraid I am not! Sub 2:50 is a realistic and likely goal for you, even on NYC. Don't think I am at that level of fitness yet. Hopefully with another year of consistent training I may get there. But for now I would be happy with sub 2:55. I'm with you in hoping for perfect weather days for our races: 45 deg F, calm, and overcast would hit the spot!