2021 Sub 3:00 Marathon Thread (Read 453 times)

darkwave


Mother of Cats

    Also - hello to everyone rejoining the thread - I'll try to catch up on shoutouts when I have the time.  I've just been distracted the last few days.  (to just pile things on, we also had to put my elderly horse down yesterday - he had a good long life and it was unquestionably time, but still sad.  So this week has sucked so far).

     

    JTReeves - you asked a few pages ago about the slipping during the race?  There were two wooden bridges that were slick from the rain and I slipped on both.  But the biggest problem was a short steep drop down to a bridge - it was only about 50m long, but I lost my balance at the top, windmllled my arms all the way down, and somehow managed not to face plant.

     

    Interesting thing is that I think part of it may have been the way I was wearing my shoes.  I haven't mentioned it but I've been having issues with a bump on the front of my left ankle, where the shoe laces go.    I've always had it, but it's grown much bigger in the last month - likely due to my wearing ankle braces that press on it.  It's about 1.5 inches in diameter now, so big enough to interfere slightly with the flexion of my foot.

    I'm trying to avoid surgery to remove it, and so have temporarily stopped wearing the ankle braces and also started skipping the last two holes on my shoes when tying them (since those are the laces that press on it.).  That of course makes my shoes less stable on my feet when running fast.  I'm thinking that might have played a role.

     

    Marby - I think you and I agree on too much racing (ironic in the age of Covid).  But we may disagree on the definition of rest days.  To me a rest day is one that consists of light cross training - for me that's a shorter pool-run plus a gentle yoga class.  By that definition of rest day, I take rest days regularly.    If you define a rest day as completely sedentary, then no, I only do those when I have to due to life circumstances.  But my personal take is that you're almost always better off with gentle motion on a rest day, as compared to staying on the couch.  Your experience may differ.

    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.

      DW: Good call to stay at home yesterday on your treadmill. January 20th can't get here soon enough. So sorry to hear about your horse; they are such gentle, majestic creatures. There are 3 at a farm I pass on my runs and I routinely stop to visit with them when they are close to the road edge of their pasture; petting them is such a calming experience.

       

      I am very interested in the Runn sensor; I did a bit of googling on it but wanted to ask you if it basically can do what a footpod does in terms of interaction with your garmin watch; does your watch connect with it and use the pace/cadence data it generates? Seems like it would be very accurate.

      2:52:16 (2018)

      darkwave


      Mother of Cats

         

         

        I am very interested in the Runn sensor; I did a bit of googling on it but wanted to ask you if it basically can do what a footpod does in terms of interaction with your garmin watch; does your watch connect with it and use the pace/cadence data it generates? Seems like it would be very accurate.

         

        Yes - my watch reads it like a foot pod.  I'm honestly not sure if I'm getting cadence from it though.

         

        It was accurate at the start but seemed to be reading too fast at the end.  It claimed that I was doing 1K repeats at 6:00 pace.  I am sure I wasn't - the treadmill was at 9.6 mph and the effort sure didn't feel any faster than that.  A friend that has the Runn said he's experienced the same thing - starts accurate but reads fast as you get later into the workout.  I'm not sure why that would be.

        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.

        weatherboy80


          Sorry DW to hear about the horse!

           

          Well just got heard that my March HM has now been postponed and I wouldn't be surprised to hear about other FL races soon given our current numbers Sad

          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)

          Mikkey


          Mmmm Bop

            DW: Good call to stay at home yesterday on your treadmill. January 20th can't get here soon enough. So sorry to hear about your horse; they are such gentle, majestic creatures. There are 3 at a farm I pass on my runs and I routinely stop to visit with them when they are close to the road edge of their pasture; petting them is such a calming experience.

             

             

            My wife and I also pass 3 horses on one of our walk routes with the dogs and it’s definitely a calming experience when we stop and admire them!

             

            darkwave - Sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved horse and I’m sure you and your partner gave him a very fulfilling life. 👍

            5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

               rovatti - You need to post a bio as I think only darkwave and myself remember your Garmin Sub 3 marathon. 

               

              59yo, married, no kids, 2 cats, NYC ER doc, 6’1", 150lbs.

               

              I started training at age 45. I was in decent general shape, but knew nothing about running.  I got my training info (as did Mikkey) from various RWOL on-line characters at the time (gumbo, hillcruiser, jim2, sunday20, rbbmoose, amuse, dave-o, etc).

               

              After a couple years, my best times were 18:14, 1:25:04, 3:05:20.   Then, my “garmin sub3” at Baystate – when my watch hit 26.2mi, my time was 2:59.  However, my official time was 3:01:08 (which I think translates to a 2:50:42 in vaporflys ).  My next cycle went way too long and I wound up exhausted (for a couple of months) and dnf’ed the race... and kind of soured on marathons.

               

              I never really improved in the subsequent years, but I had a renaissance at age 54 (when I joined a club and started doing group workouts).  My best results then were: 18:01?, 18:35, 38:54, 1:25:35

               

              For the past 3 years it’s been a constant string of lower leg injuries.  Multiple calf strains, “heterotopic calcification of anterior tibialis”, knee surgery for a quad tendon tear, and now arthritis of both patellas, which makes every footstrike uncomfortable. So now, I just do weights and elliptical at the gym.  If my arthritic knee caps somehow settle down, I’ll start training for short distances (mile and 5K), and posting my weeks.

               

              Anyhow, that’s my story.  I’ll be rooting from the peanut gallery for now.

              OMR


                Dwave:. So sorry to hear about your horse...such majestic animals.  Regarding the bump in your foot, have you had that checked out by a doctor?  Nobody wants surgery, but it might be good to know exactly what it is (if the steps you are taking don’t take care of it).  I have a bump in my hand - been there for a couple of years now - turns out I have Dupuytren’s.  It was good to be told it wasn’t anything more serious.

                 

                weather:  Bummer that they’ve already postponed the half.

                 

                rovatti:. 6’1” and 150 pounds?  I have a thin frame, but you’ve got me beat apparently.  I do hope to get closer to 150 though, as that was a pretty ideal race weight for me several years ago.  I don’t think I knew your backstory, so that was a good read.  Are there any options for arthritic patellas, surgery or otherwise?

                 

                JT: January 20...agreed that it can’t come soon enough.  I missed out on a lot of the news yesterday because I was busy making instructional videos for classes that started today.

                darkwave


                Mother of Cats

                  Rovatti - I think your marathon is just an early precursor to all the marathons being run to Garmin measurements right now Smile

                   

                  OMR - the bump was checked out the Monday after Christmas.  I thought it was a Ganglion cyst (fluid filled) and could just be drained.   Nope - ultrasound shows it to be solid.  Which was surprising to me because I swear it feels like there's water in there.

                   

                  The podiatrist injected a short acting corticosteroid into it to see if that would bring it down (It's gone down some, but not as much as I would like) and I have a follow up with him on the 25th.  We discussed biopsies - he said that if were going to biopsy it (which he didn't see as necessary), he'd just remove the whole thing - I'd need stitches there either way.

                   

                  Because of the location, getting it removed is a minimum of 3 weeks no running and very limited cross training (can't be flexing the ankle too much, let alone wear shoes that press on it).  Which I'll do if I have to, but obviously would prefer to avoid.

                  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.

                  Ian5


                    Long time lurker taking the big step in to posting.

                    48yr old male,married with 3 older kids,living in Wirral,North West England.

                    Started running in 2015 as I was fed up of being fat.Started with a 10k and was amazed to finish under 1 hour,from there I went straight to a half then a full in the space of a year.

                    Gradually whittled my time from 4:24 down to 3:07 in 2019,last year training went amazing but no races to show for it,managed a 10k and 10m race and got PB's in both,36:43 and 61:55.I definitely feel like sub 3 was there last year so hoping it is this year.

                    2019 was a travelling marathon year,raced in 5 different countries and got my first 2 majors in Berlin and NYC,was meant to be in Boston in 2020 but that can wait.

                    My training is all around easy running,I'd say 90% is easy,probably 100% most weeks.Other bests are 5k 17:35 and HM 1:24:03.

                    Lots of current race entries due to deferrals from last year,aim at the minute is Dartmoor Discovery(32m) then Chester marathon but hoping to change depending on when races open.

                    5k 17:35,10k 36:43,10m 61:55,HM 1:24:03,Full 3:07:39

                      Running bio:

                       

                      49 years old / PR Marathon 2:40:50 in 2006 / 5 years off from training / Goal is 2:59:59 as a 50 year old / Running Coach.  Edited to add: No plans for a race yet.  I turn 50 in the first week of January next year.  I might decide which one after reading your reports.

                       

                      So I was posting in the old forum every now and then and plan to continue that until I am consistent.

                       

                      Age and maybe mileage from decades of running is a serious issue for me so just getting to a steady schedule is a struggle now.  I had somr foot issues a couple of months ago so I took 3 weeks off.  Now I am up to 4-5 days per week which is above where I was.  Most of my miles are between 8-9 minute pace which is ok for now.  The other day I did 4 @ 6:55 pace and felt ok but not great.

                        Ian5: Welcome! It looks like you have some great natural ability to get to those fast times in just a few years of running. I agree with you that given that 10k and half time you definitely were in sub 3 shape last year. This should be the year for that to happen for you; to me the question is how far under 3:00 will you go! 

                         

                        otter: Glad to see you back here. That sounds like good news: 4-5 days running and getting in a tempo. The fitness will get there.

                        2:52:16 (2018)

                        OMR


                          Dwave:  Interesting...maybe you can coordinate removing it with marathon recovery (if it can wait that long)...have the surgery the day or two after a goal race, and then take a few weeks off?

                           

                          Ian:  Welcome, and that's a speedy 5K!  Definitely think sub-3 was/is there for you.

                           

                          otter:  That's an impressive marathon PR, looking forward to watching you chase the sub3.

                           

                          My week:

                           

                          S:  Rest

                          M:  8.8M @ 8:31

                          T:  6.9M @ 8:35

                          W:  6.0M @ 8:17, plus a Hill Simulation workout on the elliptical.

                          T:  5.4M @ 8:25

                          F:  7.1M @ 8:32

                          S:  14.2M @ 8:28

                           

                          Total:  48.4M

                           

                          The elliptical hill simulation was 5 x (2min moderately hard with moderate resistance, then a 10-second "sprint at the top of the hill" with low resistance, and 2:30 recovery).  These seem to wear out my legs a lot faster than actual hill repeats (was planning on 8-10 repeats), so hopefully that translates into being a beneficial workout.

                          Marby


                          Ash

                            We sure have the 45-49 age group covered.

                             

                            Otter – Hi, 2:59:59 as a 50 year old is also what I am looking to do later this year with a lot of hard work and a bit of luck.

                             

                            Ian – Hi, impressive progression and times. Just need to get in a marathon and sort that one out.

                             

                            Dwave – Re active recovery, even though conventional wisdom and the science is on your side, I like to spend as much time as possible in the 36 hours prior to racing in corpse pose.

                             

                            OMR – Solid week.

                             

                            Much the same for me in terms of volume to last week but have increased the frequency from 4 to 5 times. While most of you are battling cold I’m looking at the forecast and modifying the ‘plan’ so as to avoid the heat.  I was back at home and work this week, returning to regular running routes around the Maribyrnong River (where the handle comes from). I am working from the office full time again after several months in 2020 working from home.  Three of my runs were commuting work to home.

                             

                            Weekly for period: From: 01/04/2021 To 01/10/2021

                            Date Name Distance
                            in mi
                            Duration Avg Pace
                            per mi
                            Elevation Gain
                            in ft
                            01/05/2021 Easy 6.87 01:03:12 09:12 246
                            01/06/2021 Short Hills Progression 3.28 00:26:51 08:11 197
                            01/07/2021 Easy 5.06 00:47:04 09:18 240
                            01/08/2021 Easy 🔥 5.63 00:51:00 09:04 102
                            01/10/2021 Willi return 17.41 02:39:09 09:08 259

                            Total distance: 38.26mi

                            Next: Ballarat, April 28, Pacing 3:50

                            Best: 5k 19:46 (Parkrun, 2016), 10k 40:37 (Track, 2022), Half 1:26:41 (2016), Full 3:00:23 (2021)

                            Ian5


                              OMR-If your body thinks it was a hard workout then it was,your body just knows the effort you are putting in.

                              JTReeves-The 10k was a night race and it was very dark so I think I can improve on that this year.

                              From April-July I gradually increased from a previous best mileage of 220 monthly to 4 consecutive months of 250+ ending with a 270ish which I put my improvement down to,hoping to match that again this year.

                              I'm currently recovery from a bout of PF which has severely restricted me from November,I bought an exercise bike so managed 65 miles on that this week and my first run of the week today was 7 miles,hopefully step up again now.

                              5k 17:35,10k 36:43,10m 61:55,HM 1:24:03,Full 3:07:39

                                OMR: Solid week. If the elliptical hill workout tires out the legs really well it sounds like a good way to go.

                                 

                                Marby: Great long run you had; those will help the weight come down. I usually find once I get to long runs 2.5 hours and longer I lose a couple pounds. Nice that you are able to run commute, I wish I could do that but at 19 miles it's a bit too far.

                                 

                                Ian: Sorry to hear about the PF but glad you are getting over it and starting to run again. I had a long stretch with PF a few years ago and it's a really annoying injury. Luckily mine never got to the point where I could not run; it mostly bothered me when not running. Oddly the thing that made it go away was increasing my mileage, though maybe it was just coincidental. It seems to be a condition where it is poorly understood how to get over it (other than just not running).

                                 

                                My week: Opted for the treadmill for Wednesday's workout as it was super windy and frigid cold outside. Instead of the usual long run today I went to the track. It was windy again (seems to be windy every day the last couple months...becoming like New Zealand around here) but not as cold. Honestly I felt pretty lousy for this workout and probably should have just done a long run on the roads instead.

                                 

                                Weekly for period: From: 01/04/2021 To 01/10/2021

                                Date Name Distance
                                in mi
                                Avg Pace
                                per mi
                                Gain
                                01/05/2021 Morning Run 10.13 8:34 554
                                01/06/2021 10 x 3 min on/2 min off (treadmill) 11.03 7:40 0
                                01/07/2021 Morning Run 6.11 8:12 394
                                01/08/2021 Morning Run 10.13 8:10 548
                                01/09/2021 Morning Run 8.21 8:05 472
                                01/10/2021 Warmup 3.43 7:39 0
                                01/10/2021 2 x 1200, 2 x 800, 2 x 400; 400 recovery 4.31 6:34 0
                                01/10/2021 Cooldown 2.06 7:51 0

                                Total distance: 55.42 mi

                                2:52:16 (2018)