Did 3.6 miles this morning but took a couple of walk breaks in there. Legs felt a little sore after yesterday's bike ride.
Rich - I need to finish a couple of other projects before I think about working on the road bike. The temperature really did drop there quickly it seems. It wasn't that long ago we were talking about how warm it was. But it's a welcome change. No more deer flies! Running the half and then the 5K a week later would be challenging I think. I would have to think about it some depending on what the cause was. But then, like you said, being in better shape it would just a walk in the park. Something to strive for.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Runs in the rain
Thanks everybody for the positive comments, but like Rich said there are typically concerns if you are really ready for the race. Here is what worries me:
Not enough training miles - I got a late start this year not really getting in a lot of miles in spring and not really starting my training until the start of June. So last year at this time I had like 300 more miles than this year. ( my total for 2018 is 1,113.9 so far). True, I did ramp it up considerably and did that 70 mile week, but I am not sure if I am as fit as last year.
Not enough speed work - I have done like short sections, like a quarter mile or so, a faster paces. Enough to show that at least I can run at faster speeds. But I have not run like intervals, or tempo runs at race pace. My pace has improved nicely just by high millage, but not to the extent I would like.
Slower time predicted by half marathon results - My finish time this year was 2:21:52, last year it was 2:06:28, so I was like 15 minutes slower. Ray's formula of doubling the HM time and adding 15 minutes would predict close to a 5 hour marathon time, much worse than the 4:29:29 I did last year. Admittedly the heat and humidity slowed down my HM pace, but still it does not help my confidence.
Slacking off in training miles this past month - My weekly mileage peaked at 70 in mid August, then I had a two week taper before the half, then a recovery week, I did 58 miles the 2nd week of September and now I am back in tapering. Well, here from my summary page are my stats: 9/17/2018 – 9/23/2018: 35.3 mi 6:57:48 11:50 / mi9/10/2018 – 9/16/2018: 58.6 mi 13:12:57 13:32 / mi 9/3/2018 – 9/9/2018: 31.1 mi 6:34:28 12:40 / mi8/27/2018 – 9/2/2018: 40.0 mi 8:13:49 12:21 / mi8/20/2018 – 8/26/2018: 30.8 mi 6:08:55 11:59 / miAs you can see I am not that fast and my weekly miles have mostly been in the 30 to 40 mile range these past few weeks. I consider 45 miles to be a good enough week for marathon training, so perhaps I have not gained as much fitness by having the tapers and recovery from my last race instead of more consistent millage.
Needing many rest stops in long runs - Before my taper I did those back to back runs of 17 and 18 miles. I needed 20 minutes of rest stops in my 17 miler and a whopping 47 the next day in my 18 mile run! True, it was mostly the heat that got to me and I wanted to cool off, and running the second long run the day after did not give me recovery beforehand, but I will have to see if I can run the marathon with just quick stops to gulp water. If I have to slow down or walk that would add a lot to my finish time.
No 20 plus mile training runs - Well, my experiment this year is based on the Hansons plan of no runs over 16 miles because they could break you down more than help. I kind of compromised by doing the 17 and 18 mile runs. Now I am sure that if you really follow the Hansons plan which includes very fast intervals and a race pace tempo run each week you will do great in the marathon, but basically I have not done those. I am not at all confident about going like 8 miles further than my longest run. I don't think I will train this way next time, I certainly feel I can go the distance if I have been doing 20 milers and like to feel confident on my race day.
Enough of the gloom, here are some positive thoughts: It will be cooler on race day (Sept 30), maybe not as much as last year when there was frost on the ground, but I expect a 50 to 70 degree range. The race course is basically flat with a 200 foot loss from start to finish (see Maps in this forum). I have the experience of running this course last year. I also bought those GU gels, maybe bad to try them for the first time during the race, but they may help to prevent me hitting the wall at mile 20! I am not sure if I will match or beat last year's time but perhaps I can at least finish in 4 hours 45 minutes, better than the predicted 5 hour time!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Tuesday, 9/25... I love it when a plan comes together! LOL Looked at the radar this morning knowing rain was predicted to be here by 9:00 and wasn't sure I had time to get a run in, but decided to live life on the edge anyway...LOL Long story short, I finished 5 miles and wasn't back in the house 5 minutes before the skies opened up! LOL On another note, I've noticed lately I'm favoring my right side when I run, most likely due to running as much as I did with a sore heel. So that's the next challenge, get back to running with both legs again...
Art... I can see how your legs might be a little sore after riding 29 miles on a mtn bike, that's quite a workout for your upper legs! Good luck getting your road bike back together, you need to pass a few of those guys who took advantage when you were on the mtn bike...LOL And yeah, September is the month we say goodbye to Summer, things are really starting to cool down. Today it was 38 degrees when I started my run, but yesterday I was hot running in pants at 40 degrees, so wore shorts and a lighter shirt today and was STILL hot. I need to rethink what I've been wearing in the cold...
Altair5... I've had a little experience at screwing up a marathon, so I know from whence you come. What would get me in trouble was trying to race a marathon, I was always in shape to cover the distance, but I'd set an early pace that would get me a BQ and end up burning up my fuel reserves before the finish. That's really the challenge of a marathon, run 26.2 miles without running out of fuel. It's a combination of being properly fueled and running at an effort that won't burn that fuel up too soon. I remember a marathon in Vermont on a windy day, running all 26.2 miles and getting into a sprint to the finish with a guy 20 years my junior and beating him by a second! LOL I also remember cramping at 18 miles, that's a pretty lonely feeling when you've run out of gas with 8 miles to go. My advice, if you don't think you've got a shot at BQ' ing, don't beat yourself up over your time, run at a comfortable pace and enjoy yourself. At 20 miles, if you're still feeling good, bring it home hard. Who knows, because of your training, you might run quick enough to BQ, but the idea is to pace yourself and finish strong. I'm rootin' for ya, it takes guts to take on a marathon...
Usual 3.6 mile run with a set of pullups going out and a set of chin-ups coming back.
Altair - Seems like you're getting prerace jitters second guessing yourself. We know you would like to BQ and you feel like you haven't got enough miles and time in for it. Like Rich said, just plan the run so you can finish with the best possible time. Then see how you did and how you could improve and try again. Maybe with some more training you could run another one early in the year and hit your goal.
Rich - I know what you mean about running in the cold. When it's that way here, I'll start the run on the cold/cool side but by the time I'm finished, I'm pretty warm and sweaty. Then that slight breeze hits you and you feel the chill up your back as you run into the house. It's a little easier dressing for those conditions than running in the heat.
az - Nice to meet a fellow runner on the trail near your work house and encourage her to do a race. Also good to meet your local ultra running celebrity, Rob Krar. It must have been inspiring to hear him talk. The 18 mile run is a good distance, hope you did the planned 20-22 mile. Nice of you to look for your friend at the trail marathon aid station. Imagine that she ran a half mile off the course! I'm jealous of your hike up Mt. Eldon, wish I had mountains to hike around here, will have to wait until I visit my sister in the Blue Ridge mountains in late October. I also need to get rid of a lot of stuff, like your DH I like to hold on to everything since I may need it. I may need to get a big dumpster to throw bigger stuff out. Hope you enjoyed the windy city and if you raced it is always fun to run somewhere different.
Art - That remodeling project is taking a lot of your time, bet you will be glad when it is done and you and your daughter can be proud of the remodel. Looks like you have not made much change in your training, still concentrating on those long bike rides and the 3.6 mile runs. Plan to start longer runs as the weather cools?
Rich - Like you we just got a slow, steady rain for the hurricane remnants. The rainy season seems to have begun and a few trees have a tinge of color and are starting to drop some leaves, but still mostly green here. No frost here yet, just starting to wear a shirt again on some of my runs. As far as the legs feeling good one day and tough to get going another day, the body is a funny thing. Sometimes you only start to feel the fatigue and soreness after you take time off. But perhaps the days you did the tryke and golf gave good recovery before you ran those fast splits. Good luck on those upcoming 5ks. The one with the 400 foot drop sounds interesting, fast, but wonder if it will stress the legs.
My Marathon is this coming Sunday. So far I have just done some 4 mile runs this week. I may or may not get in a run today, some rain in the forecast, but have Thursday and Friday off. I will run the 8 mile "Watertower" run Thursday as my last run. Friday I will go to Corning for my race packet. There will be an Expo and I want to see if I can find E-Gels, an energy gel based on starches with high amounts of electrolytes that is supposed to be easy on the stomach and helps to avoid sugar spikes and crashes. Saturday I will work a double shift from 7 AM to 9 PM in order to have Sunday off. By the way, early in spring I knew I had not done enough to maintain my fitness during the winter to BQ this year. Although I can't say the chances are zero I think they are very, very slim, like 0.5%. I will see how it goes, perhaps I can match or beat last year's time of about 4 1/2 hours. I just want to make a good effort and have some fun with it.
Several of you commented on how nice it is to have someplace to get water during a run. I have an idea which I want to use next summer. Instead of leaving my house and running a long course I could do like shorter loops of like 4 to 8 miles. I have over 50 courses made that all start and end at my house so I could just do several of those back to back. After each loop I could get whatever cool drink I wanted from the refrigerator and even take a quick dip in the pool to cool and rinse off the sweat! Then, refreshed do another loop.
Some non-running news. I finished reading the entire Tarzan series, at least the ones done by the series creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. There were 24 novels. The first Tarzan book was published in 1914. I have hardcovers of the first 12 novels that were originally owned by my father and I had read many of these as a teenager. I found paperbacks of the rest of the series on ebay. Note that the Tarzan of the novels is a lot more complex that the "Me Tarzan, you Jane" of the popular movies, he would drive cars, fly airplanes and spoke several languages..
Hello everyone!
Let me see......
Last TH: 4 miles
Fri: 14 miles ......legs gave out and didn't want 'junk miles' for my planned 20-22 .....another day.
Sat: volunteered at mile 21 A.S. for the Stagecoach 100 miler solo and relay, 55k solo and relay. A beautiful day. Amazing runners, incredible spirit! I keep missing this race, I had wanted to run the 55k but didn't feel I had trained for it .....so another year of volunteering. Afterwards, a running buddy and I drove to another trailhead near the ski resort and ran about 8 miles. Good recovery run for me.
Sun: REST
Mon: took REST day, got too busy in the morning and the rain came later in the day, trails muddy.
Tues: guess what?!? Finished 22 miles on trails!! YIPPEE!! Day was partly cloudy, some nice cool breeze, and predicted rain showers in the distance. Each loop is about 10 miles. After first loop, got back to car and ate energy bar and refueled with Hammer perpetuem. After second loop, ran a different loop that is 2 miles. Nice short hills. Took 1 minute walk break about every 2 miles. It was a good day!! No stomach issues. There was a couple of times that it sprinkled but it felt so nice. On my way home, it started to POUR!! Anyway, I wrote everything down and see if I can duplicate it for my actual trail marathon next month. I had to pick up my Harley bike and drop off DH's bike. DH had already hooked the trailer to the truck. I waited for the rain to calmed down. However, it wasn't raining in our area but it was still a DOWHPOUR in town, OMG!! Thank goodness it just stopped raining at the bike place to make the exchange. But it begin to rain again on my way home!! Glad I made it back......slowly but safely.
Today: 8 miles on different trail. Quads still feeling the long run but after a mile or so, it loosened up. I'm all packed for our Chicago trip. Decided NOT to run the Chicago 10 miler race on Sat. Will most likely check it out anyway...not too far from our hotel......and do some cheering!
ART: nice long bike miles!! That is tough to try to run some miles after a long ride....... On Saturday's run with my RB, we ran Aspen Corner and trees are/have already turned colors but still a phenomenal sight to see. Most of the hikers are enjoying the season change. Cooler temps too, NICE!! Sedona is always warm so you should be fine. Maybe get a short run in on a trail?
RICH: Good luck on the upcoming races .......... back to back short races are do-able I think ......even a HM one week and a 5k the following week should be a good interval/speed workout for those muscles. I see on the weather channel that your area is experiencing some cold snaps ....... in the 30s!! wow!! It snowed up in the peaks here a few weeks ago and definitely colder temps lately.
ALTAIR: It sounds like you're setting yourself up for disappointment regardless of how much you trained. Race days may be your good day ...... or not so good day........ just trust your training and run. I agree with Art that you're beating yourself up ....... focusing on what your pace time should be at a certain mile is a lot of pressure when you don't know how you might be feeling on race day, what the weather will be like, etc. You're ready!! You've done the training and those weekly miles are quality miles, right? You've had experience with this distance, use that and enjoy...you may surprise yourself....just run!! Good Luck!! I'll be rooting for you!!
Thursday, 9/27... out early today for a 7 mile tryke ride on the trail. I've been ignoring the tryke for a while now, concentrating mostly on running instead, but have decided to ride it a couple of days a week 'til snow arrives to improve upper body strength. Looks like we've got light rain forecast for tomorrow, so I'll probably work between the raindrops to get a little yard work done and take the day off from running.
Art... it's weird how much heat our body generates from running, I'll go from cold to sweating within the first mile...lol I know I can get away with running in shorts in 40 degree weather, now I'll have to see what it's like when it's 35 degrees, the 30. At some point, I'm going to end up cold at the end of a run, 30 degrees might be a stretch, but we'll see...lol
Altair5... I'll be thinking about you Saturday. One of the things I've noticed is the difference in chatter before runners actually toe the line at the start of a race. 5K races engage in the most chatter, 10k's almost as much, HM's even less and when you get to marathoners, they're very subdued. I think it's the difference in what's ahead at each race distance, the longer the distance, the more serious the runner. Casual runners don't run marathons...lol Anyway, good luck Saturday and enjoy!
az... you got that 22 miler in, nice! And lots of other runs too...lol I came close to running the half marathon this weekend, but looked at the course and decided I need to run more hills in training before taking on another hilly HM. What's worrisome about the 5K with 400 feet of elevation drop is it's run mostly on an old paved road with lots of busted and heaved pavement, so footing could be a little rough. I'll probably drive the thing before race day and look for the best way to avoid the rough spots...lol
az - Bummer that your legs after 14 miles, But then you did 22 miles just three days later! Good to get a cooling sprinkle and good to finish before the downpour. Good luck duplicating it on the trail marathon. Nice of you to volunteer for the Stagecoach 100, not only do you run a lot of races but you often volunteer! Have fun in Chicago! Thanks for the encouragement on my upcoming marathon. Guess I analyze it so much because unlike yourself and others here I run only a couple of races, maybe just two this year, and thus each one takes on a magnified importance in my mind. I do hope I surprise myself, but will just try to run at a good effort and not push too hard in the beginning.
Rich - Good idea to brush off the cobwebs and use the tryke more often, great alternative exercise. I hear you about how much heat we generate during running. I have done races when it was just above freezing and as long as the sun is shining and the air is still I have had no problems. By the way, my race starts at 8:15 on Sunday, not Saturday! Saturday I will be at work the whole day, from 7 AM to 9 PM, in order to get Sunday off. Your comments on how there is more chatter for the shorter races and then people get serious about the big ones had me LOL! About your 5K, can't you go there to jog or walk it before the race just to know what to expect?
It was rainy on Wednesday, so I skipped the run. Ended up having to work a double shift at work from 2:30 PM until 6:30 AM the next morning. Got a few hours of sleep, but got up around 11 AM. I hope the lack of sleep will not affect my race. Thursday it was damp still from the rain and remained overcast the whole day, except for maybe a few minutes of sun. Since the running shorts I want to wear were in my hamper I did a load of wash and hung it up to dry. I then mowed my front lawn, grass was getting high with all the rain, and the went for my run to the water tower, about 8 miles total. Legs felt tired, perhaps from mowing the lawn, and I was also still exhausted from lack of sleep. I still did a moderate pace for the run, my last one before the race. I took my clothes in, the jeans were still wet and I hung them up inside. I put them out again today along with another wash load. Still need to replace the dryer, perhaps I will deal with it next week. Today is sunny about 70 degrees. I will be leaving shortly to travel an hours south to Corning for my race packet and to look at the expo. Sunday should be in the 50 to 70 degree range and overcast. I think I like party cloudy better, nice to have some sun! This will likely be my last post before the race, but I have all of Sunday off and will post my race report sometime after I get home.
Saturday, 9/29... 6 mile trail run this morning.
altair5... I get to wish you good luck on your marathon a second time! I like the early start time, you'll be running in cooler weather to start. Ok, one more time, good luck and enjoy!
Race report - Wineglass Marathon, Corning, NY:Got up at 5 AM to prepare, had my vitamins mixed with some applesauce and a protein bar.Left home about 6 AM and it was an hours drive to Bath NY, the start of the race. It was drizzling and my car said the temperature was 47 degrees. I drank a sports drink before the race. I wore an old sweatshirt and pajama pants over my running shorts and "lucky" shirt, which I removed just before the start at 8:15. It was still drizzling and it continued to do so at various intensities throughout the race. Enough to keep you cool and damp, but not really soaked. I tried at first to keep up with the 4:30 pacer, which I did for several miles. However, I had some issues with needing to urinate, which I had to do several times. Usually I do not consume a lot of fluids until past the half way point, but I was experimenting with using gels and you are supposed to have water with them. I also had failed to move my bowels this morning and had to make a porta pottie stop for that about mile 10, first time ever during a race. Still, I knew I was going to be slower than last year so I took the advice you all gave me to just do what felt best and not worry about the pace. My Garmin gives my fastest split at mile four with a 9:40 pace and slowest mile 14 with a 13:32 pace. There was a 70 foot hill at mile 5, nothing to me, but some were walking. People rang lots of cowbells as we passed through several towns. Passed by a lake and also ran by the side of a river for a while. The surrounding hills had mist from the light rain. The most interesting thing was a small, brown salamander on the road at mile 15, looked like it was made of rubber and was very cute! Speaking of cute, there was a 70% female ratio, running is popular with the young women. I really started to tire, especially after exceeding the 18 miles of my longest training run, but kept going. Maybe it would be beneficial, but I don't like to walk during a run. My pace was 10:39 mile 25 and 10:50 mile 26. Those last few miles were tough, 26.2 miles is quite a long distance! But I still was able to do a little sprint at the end which my Garmin says was at a better than a 9 minute pace. Town clocks near finish showed 53 and 55 degrees, my Garmin said 50 degrees for the run. Bart Yasso was the announcer again this year. Chip time and Garmin time match at 5:00:01, a half hour slower than last year, but I was glad just to finish. My legs were very sore afterwards and I sat down to eat provided bagels and pizza and drink a chocolate milk and a coke. Overall I was 1323 out of 1674 and 14 of 18 in my AG.
Sunday, Sept. 30... I've done a few things this Fall getting the house ready for the cold weather that's coming, but the portable A/C unit was still in the window yesterday and needed to be removed. The window's at an awkward height and the A/C unit tweaked my back just a bit when I removed it and lugged it downstairs to the basement. That little tweak wasn't an issue 'til 2 miles into today's 6 mile road run, when a few muscles in my back decided to tighten...lol Didn't kill me, but caused me to slow down and take walk breaks the rest of the way.
Altair5... congratulations, you ran a smart race today! Your splits in mile 25 and 26 were a little slower than your early pace, but you seem to have held up pretty good, do you feel like the gels helped? Nicely done, now enjoy the satisfaction of finishing another marathon, 5 hours of running is no small feat! Do you have to walk down stairs tomorrow? Good luck with that and with your recovery...
Saturday had things to do early morning so got in 2 miles walking before we started. Didn't want to get sweaty. After that was done worked in the yard for a couple of hours then started replacing the bathroom sink. Couldn't get one of the valves to shut so decided to replace both of them. Got cleaned up and went to Home Depot. After I got back went out for dinner.
4 miles Sunday morning and then a trip to get some plants for the garden. Got a few broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce. Thought was a good time to get them as the weather is calling for lower temps and some rain as the storm heads our way. Then back to the bathroom sink faucets. What a PITA having to work in that small cabinet. Replacing the valves was relatively easy. But getting the 2 faucets and stem out trying to get the tools up in that small space while trying to be comfortable was an exercise in frustration. But eventually I got it finished.
Altair - Congrats on finishing your marathon. Sorry the time wasn't what you had hoped for but you finished. I'm waiting for my daughter to call and say they are ready for my help with laying some floor tile and the wood floor. At least I got this weekend off helping her. Though I did do some of my jobs around the house. Now that the weather is starting to cool off I plan on getting in some longer runs. Probably could have ran more this morning but had things to do.
AZ - Nice runs there. Getting in the 22 miles after feeling a little beat up on the 14 miler. Some days are just like that. Hope you enjoyed Chicago.
Rich - I like mixing things up. I was going to go for a bagel run bike ride after my run. But when I looked, there wasn't any room in the freezer so I'll get that done next weekend.
Rich - My take on the gels were I personally did not really like them. I did get another brand beside the GU at the Expo called "Stinger" which is honey based and got ones made with ginseng. Now I used to buy these little glass vials with royal jelly and ginseng at the heath store, so I do like that flavor. I used both those and a variety of Gu-gels during the race. I did not really "hit the wall" but did feel the fatigue near the end, so I guess they worked. It was kind of like drinking a glass of maple syrup though, all that intense sugar. They did not make me nauseous however. As I mentioned I did have an issue with drinking all the water that goes with it. I think I prefer to just eat my bowl of buckwheat groats before the race to provide a steady source of energy and I think with better training I should be able do the distance. I was not able to obtain the starch based "e-gels" to try them out or experiment with my own mixtures. My legs are so sore I am hobbling around. I did walk down the steps to the basement, but very slowly. At work tomorrow I don't expect to have to climb any stairs. BTW, my overall pace was about 11:13, I did slow about the halfway point and sped up some the last two miles, guess my training paid off in that respect anyway since I often did do some short speed sections when I was tired at the end of a training run. Just want to add that littering is an issue with those gels, the metal packets were thrown all over the race course and I'm not sure if someone goes over the whole route to pick them up. I made sure to carry mine until I could dispose then in a trash can.
I hear you about hurting the back removing air conditioners from the windows. Hope it feels better soon. I have two units of my own that I will have to take down for the winter. I also have to take down the pool, but an 80 degree day is expected, perhaps my last dip for the season!
Art - You posted as I was writing and posting mine! Replacing a sink is cramped, frustrating work. I had a professional redo my bathroom about two years ago, the toilet was sinking into the rotting floor! Got a new floor, sink and toilet, but you pay when someone else does the work. Better cost-wise if you can do it yourself. You do a lot of work for your daughter, hope she appreciates you!. Hard to imagine starting a garden now, here frost and maybe snow, is just a few weeks away. Good that you plan some longer runs. That is my next plan after I recover, less weekly millage but a long run on one of my days off. My time was about what would be predicted by my half marathon time, but I was expecting better. Still, I really appreciate today how long 26.2 miles really is and it is an accomplishment just to finish.Just think, out of 1674 runners only 18 were men in my AG!
I guess the next poster will have to start the new month!