Can't wait to read about it. Still looking for your nads?FUBAR said:Great job hang 10!
Write up will come later, but b2b is an awesome event.
Twenty minutes in transitions due to cold, most of that in t1. 5:38 total, sub 3 on bike with negative splits, 1:50 run, cramped 6 or more times in the water.
The general rule is that you should dress like it's going to be 20 degrees warmer when you run. High 40's / low 50's I'm wearing t-shirt & shorts (only wear pants for the coldest of cold training runs) unless there's some wicked wind chill. There's always a difficult balance of dressing for you race and dressing for standing around waiting to run.Thanks for all the tips (a few pages back). Got in 7 miles this morning in 1:03, holding 9 minute pace throughout. Max run was 10 miles in my training, but mentally I feel like in those 2 10 mile runs I did I could have kept going without too much effort. Was paying close attention to my foot today to try and make sure there were no pain flare-ups and it felt good, no after run pain to report either.
I expect race temp to be in upper 40's at the start, maybe low 50's at most. I've been doing my longer runs in shorts and a thin long sleeve compression shirt, but usually by mile 8-9 i'm sweating pretty good because of the long sleeves. In these longer runs, I like the long sleeves in the first 4-5 miles as I'm usually feeling cold at the onset. At this temp range is it basically up to individual runner preference? First time I will ever be racing (running a half marathon) so I don't even know what % of people will be in shorts vs. sweats, long sleeve vs. short sleeve, etc....not worried about what others are wearing, more just curious how people attack it.
thanks tri.Great report, FUBAR! Congrats again ...great achievement. Conditions probably did cost you 20 minutes or so (transitions; start of the bike; swim cramps).
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So I'm reading the Sunday morning paper at around 7:30 this morning. My wife comes down the stairs and, as is common, immediately starts talking about tasks/chores for the day. Her first words today were "I'm going to Costco after church. You coming along?" Thinking about my busy day ahead, I start to explain, "I'll go with you if we can make it quick. I gotta get a run in .." At that point, she turns away in a huff. She comes into the living room a few minutes later with her morning coffee, sits down, and starts b###ing at me: "I know you've got a lot of schoolwork to do, but when you say you've 'gotta get a run in,' it's like saying 'I gotta have a drink.'" My first thought was: Well ...yeah ...you're catching on. Wisely, I kept that as a thought only and went back to the paper.
When I did go for the run, the track was calling me as I passed by on a cool, sunny day, so I did some a couple warmup miles then 8 x 400m at 86-89 seconds.
...or wear shorts and shortsleeves, but wear some cheap garden gloves for the first few miles and discard when you warm up. Glad the foot held up OK. Good luck!!!The general rule is that you should dress like it's going to be 20 degrees warmer when you run. High 40's / low 50's I'm wearing t-shirt & shorts (only wear pants for the coldest of cold training runs) unless there's some wicked wind chill. There's always a difficult balance of dressing for you race and dressing for standing around waiting to run.Thanks for all the tips (a few pages back). Got in 7 miles this morning in 1:03, holding 9 minute pace throughout. Max run was 10 miles in my training, but mentally I feel like in those 2 10 mile runs I did I could have kept going without too much effort. Was paying close attention to my foot today to try and make sure there were no pain flare-ups and it felt good, no after run pain to report either.
I expect race temp to be in upper 40's at the start, maybe low 50's at most. I've been doing my longer runs in shorts and a thin long sleeve compression shirt, but usually by mile 8-9 i'm sweating pretty good because of the long sleeves. In these longer runs, I like the long sleeves in the first 4-5 miles as I'm usually feeling cold at the onset. At this temp range is it basically up to individual runner preference? First time I will ever be racing (running a half marathon) so I don't even know what % of people will be in shorts vs. sweats, long sleeve vs. short sleeve, etc....not worried about what others are wearing, more just curious how people attack it.
Another option is to bring a long sleeve shirt that you don't mind throwing away and just dump on the side of the road when you get hot.
Since you guys asked, wife just getting back in shape from having a baby 4 months ago ran the 10K in 1:07:38 and my 6 year old daughter ran her mile kids race in 11:17. They are both slow as dirt.Hang10 - Friggin' smokin' fast! How'd the girls do??
Sorry, dude. That sucks. :(So I'm reading the Sunday morning paper at around 7:30 this morning. My wife comes down the stairs and, as is common, immediately starts talking about tasks/chores for the day. Her first words today were "I'm going to Costco after church. You coming along?" Thinking about my busy day ahead, I start to explain, "I'll go with you if we can make it quick. I gotta get a run in .." At that point, she turns away in a huff. She comes into the living room a few minutes later with her morning coffee, sits down, and starts b###ing at me: "I know you've got a lot of schoolwork to do, but when you say you've 'gotta get a run in,' it's like saying 'I gotta have a drink.'" My first thought was: Well ...yeah ...you're catching on. Wisely, I kept that as a thought only and went back to the paper.
Yeah, my first thought as well. Sorry dude.Sorry, dude. That sucks. :(So I'm reading the Sunday morning paper at around 7:30 this morning. My wife comes down the stairs and, as is common, immediately starts talking about tasks/chores for the day. Her first words today were "I'm going to Costco after church. You coming along?" Thinking about my busy day ahead, I start to explain, "I'll go with you if we can make it quick. I gotta get a run in .." At that point, she turns away in a huff. She comes into the living room a few minutes later with her morning coffee, sits down, and starts b###ing at me: "I know you've got a lot of schoolwork to do, but when you say you've 'gotta get a run in,' it's like saying 'I gotta have a drink.'" My first thought was: Well ...yeah ...you're catching on. Wisely, I kept that as a thought only and went back to the paper.
Ha! I was just typing it. And thank goodness for the board's "auto save" feature, because I accidentally closed the window when I was about 2/3 done!!Second thought... Gruecd you ran a race this weekend too, and a pretty damn long one at that. Race report?
Holy cow, nice race by you and your team! So you ran almost 20 of the miles. Are you like the workhorse innings eater of the group? The other guys got off easy.Happy to report that Fall 50 was a big success. My 3-man team finished 4th overall (behind three 5-person teams) out of 321 teams and placed 3rd in the Men's Open division. Overall time was 5:35:32 (6:43/mile). Personally, I ran really well, and thankfully I had no problems with the hip flexors, so hopefully this will be the start of a much-needed "up" cycle for me.
It was definitely a fun challenge only having three guys, since we ran significantly more miles than the other teams' runners, plus we had a lot less recovery time between legs. Details of my three runs:
#1 (Leg 3) - 7.13 hilly miles at 6:45/mile. Ran the first four miles at 6:40 average then slowed down a bit (low 7s) on the next portion as I grinded my way uphill. Finished off the leg with about 1-1/2 miles of downhill at about 6:15 pace. Felt good.
#2 (Legs 6-7) - Combined these two legs into one longer one. 7.85 miles at 6:50/mile. Sanded the start, running 6:25 for the first mile and 6:38 for the second. Felt OK on mile #3 (6:48), and then I started to get really tired. Thankfully it was a super flat leg, because I was running on fumes. Averaged right around 6:50-7 the rest of the way.
#3 (Leg 10) - 4.66 miles at 6:50/mile. Sanded it again (6:36), then locked in at 6:52-6:57 the rest of the way. The runner for the 3rd-place team took the handoff a couple of minutes ahead of me, and I tried my best to catch her (yes, her), but I ran out of race. If I just could've gotten her in my sights, I'm sure I could've found the energy to go get her. She actually told me afterwards that her motivation on that leg was to not let me catch her and that "[my] stride looks so easy and smooth" that she didn't want to have to stare at it again. So that was a nice compliment.
Hung out afterwards at one of the best post-race parties around, and then spent the evening hitting the bars in Sturgeon Bay. Ladies definitely like a tall dude with a couple of big medals hanging around his neck. Never mind what they tell you...size DOES matter.
Best team name that I saw? Must Eat Between Legs
Most fun team? Dirty Girl Scouts Troop #69
I'll definitely be back next year. Might try to put together a 5-man team to go for the win...
Thanks. To be honest, it's a lot easier when you know you've got teammates counting on (waiting for) you. If I hadn't run the race, I doubt I could've gone out on my own this afternoon and ran 7+ miles at 6:45 pace. Which basically tells me something that I already knew....that my mental game is the part that I really need to work on.Nice racing, Grue! I'm not sure how I'd handle mutliple legs like that.
Haha. More or less. One guy just ran Chicago, so we gave him the shortest leg combo (15 miles), and I didn't want to run the "mountain" in leg #8, so I gave that set to the other guy.Holy cow, nice race by you and your team! So you ran almost 20 of the miles. Are you like the workhorse innings eater of the group? The other guys got off easy.
Must Eat Between Legs
Thanks. I had about 62 minutes between my first two legs and 64 minutes between the second and the last.That's awesome consistency, grue! How long did you have to recover between legs?
Damn, that's awesome stuff. I know how it feels to run that quickly back to back. The fact that you kept such an even pace for all of them is amazing. I fall apart every year at the trail triple.Thanks. I had about 62 minutes between my first two legs and 64 minutes between the second and the last.That's awesome consistency, grue! How long did you have to recover between legs?
Fly Steve in!I'll definitely be back next year. Might try to put together a 5-man team to go for the win...
We are heading to states on Saturday. It takes place at Michigan International Speedway, with the finish in the grass down the front stretch. The girls qualified as team finishing second in the region to the team that will likely take states. My daughter ran as a freshman and has been a manager for the last three years so I am excited to see them compete as well. It should be an amazing day.2Young, congrats to you and the boy. That's a great season and things sound even more promising for the future. Is he going to go to watch states? I'd recommend it for him and the rest of the top 7-10 guys or so both to cheer on the two who made it individually and to see the environment. And motivation for next year...
Ha! I'd gladly have him, but he's flying on his own dime. I do, however, likely have free lodging lined up for next year, so if that helps...Fly Steve in!I'll definitely be back next year. Might try to put together a 5-man team to go for the win...
Damn that sounds like quite the race. Especially considering you ran each leg right at or under MP. I've heard that the length of rest you get during those things is actually a lot harder to handle than something like a 10-15 min break since you have to try to stay loose. (which is not easy while you are presumably in a car/van following your teammates).Ha! I was just typing it. And thank goodness for the board's "auto save" feature, because I accidentally closed the window when I was about 2/3 done!!Second thought... Gruecd you ran a race this weekend too, and a pretty damn long one at that. Race report?
I think the last part describes how I feel about your venture over the last few months as well.To come all the way from the shape you were in to being able to run at the level you are running right now says a lot about the effort you have put into this. Hope you stick around and I'm sure with some consistent training you'll surprise yourself with the progress you make.Just ran my 2nd 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago. The first one I ran was last spring. Actually, that was the first race I had ever run. Got talked into it by my neighbor last October, so I had plenty of time to train. That and my doctor laughed at me last year when she tried to put me on cholestoral meds. I told her I'd like to try and control it naturally by diet and exercise.
Fast forward a year. My first 1/2 in the spring I had no idea what to expect. And I'll preface this by saying my goal was to finish. I had really no idea on what to do, what to wear, nothing. Found the Hal Higdon plan and followed it pretty religiously. Ended up finishing in 2:03. Also lost 20 pounds in the process, quit eating fast food, cut back on my soda and beer consumption by at least 75%.
Decided I wanted to run faster on this next race, the one I did last weekend. Followed the Hal Higdon plan, but more of the intermediate plan. So I added tempo runs and interval training to my schedule. My goal for this race was 1:50. Not even sure why I picked that number: probably because my neighbor's sister ran one that quick, so I figured what the heck.
Ended up at 1:52, and was really pleased. A pretty hilly course here in KC, but I probably could have gone faster. I lined up in the 1:55 group, because I just wasn't sure I could hit 1:50. In retrospect, I should have lined up a 1:50 because I probably could have stayed with that pace group. I definitely feel I had some left in the tank.
Now, of course, the bug has hit. How fast can I really go? I'm 44, and the truth is I don't really enjoy running. I really enjoy the benefits: better health, I can see my abs again, etc. So I'm not even sure HOW to go faster.
Anyway, congrats to everyone in here. I admire anyone who just gets off the couch and does something.
Congrats!I'm 44, and the truth is I don't really enjoy running.
And there is nothing that says you have to just run. I, for one, tend to like biking much more than running. Actually, that is why I do triathlons - I get sick of one sport and hop over to something else for a while.Congrats!I'm 44, and the truth is I don't really enjoy running.
I assume most of us don't like running while we're actually running. (Although a lot of times I don't mind it.) I always look forward to being done with a run and often dread starting. As you mention, what's usually liked are the health benefits you receive and the sense of accomplishment when you reach various goals. That's enough to keep a lot of us going.
I doubt you'll regret it, but you'll need to be extra vilgilent to hydrate and eat at IML. Take one day off for each hour you race. This will leave you a nice 4 week training block before your next taper. IML will be a great event to properly set your goals for B2B.Last post for a while today;
How long would you all suggest resting between ironman events? I'm signed up for the Louisville IM in August next year and considering signing up for next year's Full Beach2Battleship (it was that good an event). This is ~ 8 weeks after Louisville. I think it's doable, but will I regret it?
Not to be too hard on you, but given your fitness, you should be north of 20mph on the bike for the 1/2 distance on that course. That said, if you err in the other direction, you'll lose everything back and then some on the run. You can tell by how much closer you total finish is to your bike finish where the work needs to go. Didn't you say you were wearing sweat pants on the bike?It's funny looking at the post-race results list and how my perception might be different than reality, at least for this race.
I placed 172 out of 624 listed (so, top 30%). But the participants list had the total at 1329. Maybe 700 people just didn't show up? Seems weird that it would be that many, but there were many empty bike spots. My coral of 6 only had 3 bikes in it.
Swim - which I thought would be my worst event, especially with the cramps; I placed 153.
Bike - my split isn't listed, but according to my watch, I would have been ~197. Had thought this to be my best event, but the first 20 miles were slow for me.
Run - has me at 137. So rather easily my best event. Not too surprised by this.
So, in a way it's what I thought it was - places of 172 total, 153/197/137; I'm pretty consistent. Nothing great but no glaringly bad performance area. Maybe I'm just wrong about my bike being my strength, or maybe I just was more affected by the weather than others. Or maybe I just took it too easy at first, lacking the confidence experience would bring? If I had started closer to my final pace, I would have ranked somewhere between 100-140. Too bad we can't see how others paced throughout.
Anyway... it's just interesting to look at.
Great, great season. He really broke out this year - exciting to think about where he'll be next fall, a year stronger and picking up (more or less) where he left off this year.No states for my boy, but he had an incredible end to his XC season yesterday. He ran a 17:27; good for 3rd on his team and 35th out of 119 runners. Unfortunately, the normally soft region was not this year. His team's top 5 all ran under 18, but it was only good enough for 7th out of 17 teams. The future is very bright for his team. Their top 3 are all under classmen, going Soph at 16:26, Jr at 16:40 (15th finisher and last state qualifier) and my Soph at 17:27. Their #6 is also a Soph who went 18:03 and ran a 17:48 earlier in the season.
Thanks. Glad this thread is in here: some good motivational stuff in here.I think the last part describes how I feel about your venture over the last few months as well.To come all the way from the shape you were in to being able to run at the level you are running right now says a lot about the effort you have put into this. Hope you stick around and I'm sure with some consistent training you'll surprise yourself with the progress you make.Just ran my 2nd 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago. The first one I ran was last spring. Actually, that was the first race I had ever run. Got talked into it by my neighbor last October, so I had plenty of time to train. That and my doctor laughed at me last year when she tried to put me on cholestoral meds. I told her I'd like to try and control it naturally by diet and exercise.
Fast forward a year. My first 1/2 in the spring I had no idea what to expect. And I'll preface this by saying my goal was to finish. I had really no idea on what to do, what to wear, nothing. Found the Hal Higdon plan and followed it pretty religiously. Ended up finishing in 2:03. Also lost 20 pounds in the process, quit eating fast food, cut back on my soda and beer consumption by at least 75%.
Decided I wanted to run faster on this next race, the one I did last weekend. Followed the Hal Higdon plan, but more of the intermediate plan. So I added tempo runs and interval training to my schedule. My goal for this race was 1:50. Not even sure why I picked that number: probably because my neighbor's sister ran one that quick, so I figured what the heck.
Ended up at 1:52, and was really pleased. A pretty hilly course here in KC, but I probably could have gone faster. I lined up in the 1:55 group, because I just wasn't sure I could hit 1:50. In retrospect, I should have lined up a 1:50 because I probably could have stayed with that pace group. I definitely feel I had some left in the tank.
Now, of course, the bug has hit. How fast can I really go? I'm 44, and the truth is I don't really enjoy running. I really enjoy the benefits: better health, I can see my abs again, etc. So I'm not even sure HOW to go faster.
Anyway, congrats to everyone in here. I admire anyone who just gets off the couch and does something.
Already signed up and paid for Louisville. Not turning back now.FUBAR - 8 weeks apart carries some risk. Have you considered another Half-IM a couple of months before doing the BtoB full IM? Finishing a full IM must be such a grind. To finish is a hugh achievement. Why the desire to do two in that short span? Not like I'm the one to question doubling up on endurance events! Nevertheless, do you have a clear goal, other than the sheer madness of it all (which I understand)?
I think you're right. I wasn't as confident coming out of the swim as I probably should have been. I told myself I'd just get going for the first 10 miles, which is what I did. I should have pushed harder earlier.Not to be too hard on you, but given your fitness, you should be north of 20mph on the bike for the 1/2 distance on that course. That said, if you err in the other direction, you'll lose everything back and then some on the run. You can tell by how much closer you total finish is to your bike finish where the work needs to go. Didn't you say you were wearing sweat pants on the bike?It's funny looking at the post-race results list and how my perception might be different than reality, at least for this race.
I placed 172 out of 624 listed (so, top 30%). But the participants list had the total at 1329. Maybe 700 people just didn't show up? Seems weird that it would be that many, but there were many empty bike spots. My coral of 6 only had 3 bikes in it.
Swim - which I thought would be my worst event, especially with the cramps; I placed 153.
Bike - my split isn't listed, but according to my watch, I would have been ~197. Had thought this to be my best event, but the first 20 miles were slow for me.
Run - has me at 137. So rather easily my best event. Not too surprised by this.
So, in a way it's what I thought it was - places of 172 total, 153/197/137; I'm pretty consistent. Nothing great but no glaringly bad performance area. Maybe I'm just wrong about my bike being my strength, or maybe I just was more affected by the weather than others. Or maybe I just took it too easy at first, lacking the confidence experience would bring? If I had started closer to my final pace, I would have ranked somewhere between 100-140. Too bad we can't see how others paced throughout.
Anyway... it's just interesting to look at.
Regardless, that's an impressive placement, especially when the hardcore guys probably raced and the newbies sat out due to the cold.
Yeah, I do keep a log. I do have a nice bike, so I could certainly incorporate that into my training. I'm pretty lucky where I live in the Kansas City area: I can get to a paved trail that is about 2.5 miles from my house. So I usually run there to go on my long runs: it literally goes for miles throughout the KC area. So I have some different scenery and topography.Chief - congrats on the HMs and the health/weight improvements! Like Sand suggests, you could mix in more cross-training ...add some strength work; buy a decent bike, etc. Do you keep a training log? If you stick with running, maybe just mix up the routines ...drive to new locales nearby, or add in some trail running/racing. I believe the second year through tends to show continued improvement as you now know more about what works (or doesn't) with the training, how to eat before and hydrate during training and races, how to pace yourself, etc.