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btb's running log (Read 1123 times)

btb1490


    Training for the Steamtown marathon in October. Had knee surgery at the end of December 2006, was able to start running again at the beginning of March. Ran a 3:01:33 marathon at the end of May. Ended up with a sfx in my foot from that, took 6 more weeks off, and started running again mid July. Hoping for a 2:50 at Steamtown, but I think it's gonna take a minor miracle to get there. We'll see...
    btb1490


      sorry
      btb1490


        oops
        btb1490


          sorry
            Hey, Bob! No need to remove the posts. I've been enjoying reading your exploits - no reason to stop now. Guess I should have posted sooner so you would know someone was paying attention. Big grin

            When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

            btb1490


              Hey, Bob! No need to remove the posts. I've been enjoying reading your exploits - no reason to stop now. Guess I should have posted sooner so you would know someone was paying attention. Big grin
              Thanks Mike. Thanks for reading my jibberish. Actually, my fall marathon plans are in limbo suddenly. The plan was to run the Steamtown Marathon on October 7th. But friends who I want to run with are not sure now if they will be going, and may pick a later marathon instead. So until that's decided, I'm not sure what I'm doing. Just keep running I suppose till something falls into place. But, if I was running Steamtown, today would've been the first day of the program. Let's see what the workout called for..... Rest day! I like it! I guess when I figure out what I'm doing, I'll get back to posting. Perhaps in the future I'll do weeklies like you. Thanks again for dropping in!
              btb1490


                Oye... Until I hear otherwise, I guess I'll just go ahead and train as if I'm running Steamtown on Oct 7th. So today was the real first day of the program, yesterday being a rest day doesn't count! Oh man, what a reality check. 3x1.5 miles at tempo pace with a .5 mile recovery inbetween. I am basing my tempo pace on what the McMillan calculator says I need to do for a 2:50 marathon. Given the fact that I haven't tried running that fast since like forever, plus I really have just started running again after a foot sfx layoff, today was a real eye opener. It was almost comical. I couldn't come near the pace I was supposed to do, and it hurt so darn much that I was practically laughing out there at the absurdity of what I was trying to do. But it will get easier with time, right? That's what I need to keep telling myself. Pain and lack of oxygen aside, it was a great run. It was a cool, calm, clear morning, and your senses just seem to come alive when you run. Every run is a great run, no matter what. Smile But oh man that hurt....


                Forever Learning

                  Bob, Being an experienced runner you should know that McMillan is designed to reverse engineer tempo paces for a goal marathon time... Wink I prefer to use VDOT tables or McMillan based on current race times and look to run a 5-K or even 10-K time trial (if no races) to help adjust paces -- running them roughly every 4-6 weeks.
                  btb1490


                    Bob, Being an experienced runner you should know that McMillan is designed to reverse engineer tempo paces for a goal marathon time... Wink I prefer to use VDOT tables or McMillan based on current race times and look to run a 5-K or even 10-K time trial (if no races) to help adjust paces -- running them roughly every 4-6 weeks.
                    Hi Jeff! Thanks for reading and thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate them. Who are you calling "experienced"? I'm making this stuff up as I go! I have been running long enough though to be able to run by "feel". So in other words, I know how my current tempo pace should feel, without having to rely on charts to tell me. You stick me out on a road without a watch or mileage markers, and I could probably tell you within a few seconds per mile how fast (or slow!) I'm running. I use McMillan as my gauge of how I'm progressing. When my tempo runs finally start falling within his range, I know I'm getting close to my goal. So for yesterday's tempo run workout, I started out at the pace that McMillan suggested, just to see how it would feel, and found it to be rediculously hard for my present level of fitness, so I backed off to where I felt my pace for a tempo run should be for now. At the end of my workout, I compare the pace that I actually ran vs. what McMillan said I should be running, and use that as my guide as to how I'm progressing. Not sure if what I'm saying makes sense or not. I'd be curious how my current pace would compare to VDOT tables. I checked out your training log. Keep up the great work!
                    jEfFgObLuE


                    I've got a fever...

                      I'd be curious how my current pace would compare to VDOT tables.
                      On this website, the guy has created a VDOT calculator based on Jack Daniels' VDOT tables. Very handy. Smile

                      On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

                      btb1490


                        On this website, the guy has created a VDOT calculator based on Jack Daniels' VDOT tables. Very handy. Smile
                        Great resource, Jeff! Thanks! Bookmarked for future use. It looks to me like the threshold pace mentioned in that table is what I should use for my tempo run pace. Based on my current fitness level, that pace seemed about right. Thanks again!
                        btb1490


                          hair of the dog... I wondered where that phrase originated. Thanks to Google and Wikipedia, I got "In Scotland it is a popular belief that a few hairs of the dog that bit you applied to the wound will prevent evil consequences. Applied to drinks, it means, if overnight you have indulged too freely, take a glass of the same wine next morning to soothe the nerves. 'If this dog do you bite, soon as out of your bed, take a hair of the tail in the morning.'" How does this relate to running? Well, this morning I woke up feeling both bitten and hungover, thanks to my tempo run yesterday. My muscles were sore and tired, my joints were stiff. What did I expect though? I'm just coming off a 6 week layoff from running, and haven't tried running this fast in probably 6 months. Duh! The solution? Go for a run! An EASY run. I'm a firm believer in active recovery for my running. If I'm tired or sore, I find that taking an easy run or doing something active is more beneficial for recovery than doing nothing. So this AM was an easy 5 miles, just to get the cobwebs out and the blood moving. Yeah, I was tired, creaky and sore, but once I got going, it sure felt good to be out there. I also walk our dog a lot. Probably 3-4 miles a day. It makes a great way to warm up or cool down from a run, or to loosen up the legs at the end of the day after the mornings workout. There aren't very many other runners where I live, so seeing another runner out on the road is a rare occurance for me. But I do have a neighbor who runs, and he is an early morning runner like myself, and we cross paths often out there. Today was one of those days. He's a great guy with a great attitude on life, and our meetings usually involve getting bear hugged from him. Some of our deepest conversations with each other have take place while standing out in the middle of a deserted road, often times in total predawn darkness, sometimes in terrible weather conditions. But there is always time for talks like this. It's what makes running special. Not so much all the miles and times, but rather the experieces along the way. Years from now, I won't remember a darn thing about the specifics of my run this AM, but I sure will remember the warm, heartfelt conversation I had with my neighbor in the middle of the street at 6am.


                          Forever Learning

                            Bob, Understand completely where you are coming from... I too plug in some goal times and see what that would require as far as tempo paces or even HM and 10-K times. In reading tons of posts and talking to folks it seems McMillan is slightly optomistic in the projections - especially as the input distance varies from the goal distance (i.e., a 5-K is not a good full marathon predictor). I am running more by HRM for now but will go back to McMillan/VDOT for my tempo and interval workouts for sure.
                            jEfFgObLuE


                            I've got a fever...

                              In reading tons of posts and talking to folks it seems McMillan is slightly optomistic in the projections - especially as the input distance varies from the goal distance (i.e., a 5-K is not a good full marathon predictor).
                              The further apart the distances are, the less accurate the prediction. A half marathon or 10-miler could be used to give a reasonable marathon prediction, but usually not a 5k. One failing, and that's a failing of runners, not of the calculator -- it's easier to get into shape for your best 5k than it is your best marathon. I think McMillan's seems optimistic on the marathon to a lot of us because we aren't sufficiently trained for peak performance at that distance.

                              On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

                              Scout7


                                Hey, out of curiosity, I would be interested to see what sort of schedule you're following. And I apologize for not being by earlier. I've been busy.