On the road again...
Figured I'd kick this one off since Clive's recovering...
At the races:
I write. I read. I run. One time, I ran a lot on my 50th birthday.
Paul
Paul,
I thought you were running Santa Scramble this Sat? I was (until I suffered a medial right foot sprain last night that left me having to use crutches last nite and a boot today!). I think Lynwood is still planning to run the Thunder Road half this weekend.
Clive,
did you arrive at the start later than planned or was there a stated cut-off time in terms of when one is required to report to their starting corral? I would think running the first mile like you did "upset your equilibrium" because of instead of starting at a nice steady pace, your forced to run in a pack of sardines at a very slow pace, and then try to sprint around people to get out of the pack and to where you needed to be? Did you stop sweating after mile 20 (you mentioned that this happened in your prior marathon) but was not sure if that actually happened (again) -- that is not a very good thing to happen btw (is that what happened in that race in Davidson where you landed in the ER?)?
Rob
Yep, Cliff, Paul put me down for the Thunder Road Half. My first goal would be to PR at 1:44 or better. 1:42 or better would be a more aggressive goal that I had last year and didn't hit.
Sorry to hear of your foot injury Rob. Any timeframe of when you plan on running again? Hope this didn't knock you out of a race.
Lynwood, I really wanted to run the "Broadwell" Wednesday nite run tomorrow nite (her home is located just off the course btw, do you know where you make the left turn on Oriole from Lexington -- her home is the next block down which is Mt. Vernon and I would have definitely verbalized this change to the group as we could run by all of the news trucks and reporters). On Sun and most of Mon I had to use crutches to get around. I swam and did water running last nite and tonite, and as in the past, my foot has responded very well to where tonite I can actually walk without a limp and put full weight on it. So perhaps I may be able to start to run again Fri or the weekend. And this did knock me out of the Santa Scramble as well as anything else I was thinking about thru early December.
Rob, sorry about the ankle sprain. Heal up!
Clive, did you arrive at the start later than planned or was there a stated cut-off time in terms of when one is required to report to their starting corral? I would think running the first mile like you did "upset your equilibrium" because of instead of starting at a nice steady pace, your forced to run in a pack of sardines at a very slow pace, and then try to sprint around people to get out of the pack and to where you needed to be? Did you stop sweating after mile 20 (you mentioned that this happened in your prior marathon) but was not sure if that actually happened (again) -- that is not a very good thing to happen btw (is that what happened in that race in Davidson where you landed in the ER?)?
There was no firm/official cut-off -- I just got there with ~10min to go, which I thought wouldn't be an issue for what I'd read was a 4000-runner field. I didn't expect they'd be patrolling the barricades and actively discouraging climb-overs, either.
After the cramped and choppy first quarter-mile or so, there was some daylight to squeeze through. I was mindful of NOT making any quick bursts or generally wasting energy darting around people and through gaps ... but it was more energy-expensive and stressful than the race start I desired.
Happily, I was still moist even to the finish. Dumped water over my head a couple times, but I re-thought my nutrition/hydration, did a bit of research, and had a plan that worked well this time (in the face of higher temps and sunnier skies, too). My late slow-down was caused, I think, by (a) getting off my gel intake schedule, and (b) running a little over my head for a little too long over the first 16-18 miles. There was no cratering or hardcore bonk, just an energy drain and my paranoia of muscle cramps. You know how it is: you wonder how things would have turned out if you'd just tried to run through the calf-tightening. Maybe it would have stayed tight and let me run, maybe it would have seized irretrievably. It's hard to roll the dice like that and risk squandering such a good day.
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
Cliff, I thought that Clive has Honorary Consulate from either DART or the Duchy of Grand Fenwick (I remember seeing "Honorary Consulate on your license plate when you pulled out of the parking lot when you joined us on that Wed run), and thus given that Clive is an an American citizen, and on American soil, and given such honorary status, that Clive should have invoked diplomatic immunity status or inevitability, and that the race organizers escort Clive into Corral 1? It would have helped if you brought such license plate and pinned it to the back of your (pajama) shirt or at the very least silk-screened it on the back of your (pajama) shirt?
Lynwood, I would remember this if you have any issues at the starting line at Thunder Road (invoking your diplomatic immunity granted by Charlotte Runners for being the organizer of the Monday Night run as well as any additional credentials such as PSMR or MNMR?
Rob, that's good info. I'll try to remember, or can I just call Cliff? I asked Bevin to give me credentials awhile back but never got them. I've held off on my license plate update untill I get them.
FWIW, I've had really good luck in smaller races by doing some striders down a side street, such that I've approached the start line from the wrong (on-course) direction. I joined at the very front, then just slid back to where I belonged.
So I'm on the fence for the Scramble tomorrow. Training calls for a 2 hour run in the morning and I'm not sure how much speed I'd have later in the afternoon after that run. Don't want to cheat on the long runs since they are so key to the training. Thoughts? Advice?
I would concur with Shashi. You could warmup, run the 5k, grab some water and treats and put them in your car, then "warm down" with 6-7 miles and that would put you at about 12 miles (you can run along the greenway there to get those miles in, and given how late the awards ceremony is for that race you'll be back just in time. btw, I looked at your log and your "brave" wearing the Newton Gravity on training runs with frequency. I see your not wearing them every day which is a good thing (because they will really trash your calf and Achilles if you build up too quickly). Plus the Gravity is a light shoe and you have to be careful about foot issues (I wear them only for workouts and only for the workout set itself, not during the warmup/down, and I would really be careful if you wear them on a trail as the lugs make the shoe unstable on rocky/undulating surfaces).
Thanks for the input, Sash and Rob. I decided to just stick with the training and not worry about the 5k. I had a great 2 hour run and am glad that I went that route.
Rob - the plan right now has been to wear the Newtons on one run each week, and typically a speed workout. I have noticed my left calf has been more sore the last week, so I'm rolling it and wondering if maybe I shouldn't do the Newtons once every other week. I really like them, but want to give the body time to adjust.
Woot!
The plan right now has been to wear the Newtons on one run each week, and typically a speed workout. I have noticed my left calf has been more sore the last week, so I'm rolling it and wondering if maybe I shouldn't do the Newtons once every other week. I really like them, but want to give the body time to adjust.
You could try wearing them for shorter distances rather than using them less frequently. To compare, I got a pair of Brooks PureCadence (5mm drop) back in late April. Here's my daily usage thus far (fingers crossed the the image embeds):
Paradoxically, you might also bias the Newton's use toward your slower runs. It's the slower runs where you're going to get the benefit of a shoe that urges you toward a midfoot/forefoot strike -- you're already going there of your own accord when running fast. Compared to one weekly run of 6mi, I believe using them for two easy runs of 3mi, spaced three days apart, gets you more benefit with less peak stress on the lower legs.