Well, since you want more people to participate, I'm going to put myself out there so we can get some participation out.
Marathon #10 is Sunday. RnR Vegas. I've done 9 other marathons, 7 with asthma attacks. I have asthma and it has taken me a while to figure it out but I think I have found what's working for me.
The following have been my race times since September through now. I race a lot, so bear with me:
September - 5K 24:57 (PR)
September - Berlin Marathon 4:37:XX (PR - asthma issues)
October - Livelong HM (2:05) (30 seconds off PR - MP workout, did not race all out)
October - Sun Capital HM (2:16:XX) (easy run)
October - MCM Marathon (4:47) (sick, 49% breathing capacity)
November - 5K 25:19 (no taper, 17mph headwind)
November - 13.1 Ft. Lauderdale (2:11:XX) (MP workout easy / 9 @MP, flat)
November - RnR Miami Beach HM (2:09) (MP workout 13 @ MP, hilly)
Easy runs are at 10:45-11:15. I am still running in mid-70s down here in Miami. My average mileage is at 40ish mpw for the year but in the last month I've run 50mpw. Peak for Berlin was 60mpw and since then I've just been doing easy runs 5 times a week and an MP/HMP workout during my LRs.
Can I go sub-4:30?
Discuss.
Damaris
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I have no doubt you are capable of it. Main concern I would have is about the race organization, since I know at last year's Vegas there were a lot of snafus with course traffic etc. that gave a lot of people problems. I think you normally race by HR from what I've read, are you planning on doing that for this race? And when are you flying to Vegas? If you feel strong and are pretty rested at start (the start time should not be a problem, since you normally run late in the day, too, right), I would say you can definitely do it, if conditions cooperate. Sounds like you've been running very well recently.
PRs: 5K: 21:25, 10K: 44:05, HM: 1:38:23* (downhill), M: 3:32:09
I fly Friday night. I am doing this one by pace but looking at the HR in case an attack arises (the HR predicts it). I should be capable of faster but the asthma is so unpredictable I am not sure I should strive for a real PR. Any PR is going to be OK for me.
Booyah!
With no asthma issues, i would say yes, 4:30 is doable. But only you know what speed you can run to keep it in check.
You only throw in some speed work during your LR. I would suggest for your next training cycle to do at least 1 day of
fast(er) running per week (tempo, VO2 Max, fartlek, etc) but maybe that is not possible with asthma problems.
Yes, you do race alot. How you find the time, do you race in between court cases??
PR's:
5K- 20:15 (2017) HM- 1:39:38 (2012) FM- 3:26:53 (2016)
With no asthma issues, i would say yes, 4:30 is doable. But only you know what speed you can run to keep it in check. You only throw in some speed work during your LR. I would suggest for your next training cycle to do at least 1 day of fast(er) running per week (tempo, VO2 Max, fartlek, etc) but maybe that is not possible with asthma problems. Yes, you do race alot. How you find the time, do you race in between court cases??
LOL.
During my training for Berlin I did. But since I'm doing one marathon a month, I've been mostly recovering and tapering, hence the lack of speedwork since the beginning of October. During training, I did fartleks, 800s, 1000s, HMP and MP runs during the week, as well as the MP paced run. Tempos used to be impossible with the asthma, but not anymore.
Sounds like a good plan to run by pace and monitor HR. I don't have asthma, but I wish I'd looked at my HR during my last marathon, because if I had I think I might have paced better. I don't think the lack of 800s and 1000s in last couple months will be a problem for this race, though. Are you going to try to start right around PR pace and pick it up if feeling good?
Most likely, I will do the first mile easy or close to 10mm and then increase pace until I am around 9:50-9:55. If I feel OK, I will continue at that pace. If not, I'll slow down to 10mm and see how I feel. I remember doing some nice miles in Berlin but later slowed down because my breathing was compromised.