Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)

[Sand]

Way to go, Sand!!! That is a big improvement (but correct the date in your sig). Gotta be major frustration over the missed turn. And Poppa, sounds like you're pleased as well - awesome!!!

Mixed blessing. Yesterday I was pretty mad over the lost time. More mad now about the lack of control over the intersection and the inherent dangers there. I wasn't getting on a podium, anyway, so through the magic of Garmin I could easily figure out my real time. I'm in this for my own self improvement, so I have no qualms correcting my times. The cool thing about it was that I ended up passing a kid (he was 15) on the bike and talking to him a bit - he was seeded ahead of me on the swim and I complimented him on his swim (turned out I smoked him, though ). My missed turn brought him back into range and I passed him on the run. He caught me on the second half of the run - which I complimented him on; great effort on his part. We ended up running stride for stride all the way in and agreeing to a sprint finish - he smoked me. I talked to him and his buddy after the race for a bit - nice kids. His buddy, at 16, was the overall winner - impressive.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Woke up this morning and realized it wasn't a dream. I did an Olympic Triathlon yesterday. While not the hugest of feats, for a guy that hadn't swam a pool length with any purpose until late last June, it was HUGE. Making it sweeter was that the venue for yesterday's race was the scene of my 1st tri a year ago AND my daughter did the bike leg of a Sprint Tri Relay. The Teen Angels (Ages 17, 13 & 11) just missed the podium finishing 4th. My daughter averaged over 14 MPH on a tough and hilly bike course and her 1st race (or bike event of any kind) on an open course (and couldn't shut up telling her grandparents about by phone after which, I am not ashamed to admit, made me misty).

As for me, the swim really was rather easy and I have no doubt I could have pushed it harder. It was an on the beach start, which I have never done and I was unprepared for how to attack it (my legs aren't exactly built for high stepping in the water). Once I start freestyle I never broke from it and held the same cadence the whole way. It was a counter clockwise swim which was tough for me as I breathe on the right. On the way out, I kept creeping towards shore, on the way back my sight was right in to the sun. I'd bet I swam at least and extra 100 to 150 meters. I did a TON of drafting and I did it well. I got tired of getting off course and just fell in behind feet on my pace. As much as I tried to keep Nursery Rhymes out of my head, Row, Row, Row Your Boat was playing on my internal iPod to my cadence. When I rounded the buoy for home, Daughtry's Home played for a while and our of no where a Caroline's Spine tune popped in.

T1 was longer than my usual as I had to run about 400 meters, with a wetsuit at my waist, in bare (and COLD) feet across a parking lot, 5 lane road, train tracks ( which they luckily carpeted) and an alley in to transition. With all this, I still shed the suit and shoed up in 2:15 (I AM the Transition Master) which put me in the top 10 for the entire field. My transition spot was a mess with 2 mountain bikes crammed against my bike.

Once on course, I was getting a rub with every rotation of the front tire. I was able to reach down and pull the brake arm a bit and I thought it abated. I just could not generate any power. I don't know if the swim took more out of me or if the hills early on (there was a climb from mile 3 to mile 6.5) crushed me, but the speed just was not there. I was able to pick it up a bit on the way in, back down the early hill. Typically, my race speed is faster than what is on my CPU. Yesterday was different. My CPU had me at 18 MPH, race speed show 17.5 . When I took my bike from the hotel to the car this morning my front tire was ½ flat. I doubt it was going down in race, but maybe it was and it affected the bike a bit. I am guessing something got out of whack and those mountain bikes on the rack crashed me ride.

In T2 I was just about to rip off another sub 1-minute transition when I bent over to put my second shoe on it felt like every part of my lower body was about to cramp up. I immediately fell to my butt, put on the 2nd shoe quick and got in and out in 1:22.

Once on the run course, I spotted the Mom of the runner on my daughter's Sprint team, and my daughter wasn't there. Having not seen her on the bike course, I had a moment of panic until she told me the girls were killing it. This gave me a massive surge of energy and I ripped off about a 7:30 1st mile (which, in hindsight, was way too fast). I started some massive cramping at the tops of my thighs and both calves. After a bag of beans and a water stop the cramping let up a bunch. At about the same time I saw a guy down on the ground cramping up and stretching. He stood up and started to run right as I went by. I had another ½ a bag of beans from the ride and another spare so I asked if he wanted them. He did and I flung them to him and I was on my way. Well, at the mile 3 turn around, the guy catches me, thanks me again, tells me the beans worked great and then runs away from me So much for being a nice guy. I continued on, having a good and with about 2 miles to go I had dueling emotions of "Holy ####, I am going to do this!!!!!" and "Holy #### it is hot out and I still have 2-miles to go". I was fading and wanted to walk, but decided I wanted to see my kids at the end, hear my daughter's race stories and went in to pick off mode. I didn't really pass that many guys, but enough to move me up in my AG and the overall. I am VERY happy with my 10K time, running a 50:43 (8:10s).

My overall time was 2:53, good enough for AG 8th (would have been 3rd in the 30-35 group, darn it). This was a true race "festival". They had a full dinner for the racers with a raffle, awards and s'mores on the beach after. They had around 130 ½ IM racers, as well as a huge groups of Oly and Sprint racers. It turned in to a GIANT party and we all had a blast. I made a beer soaked pact with a buddy that we are going to concentrate on our weaknesses over the winter (me on the bike, him on the run) and decide by Christmas is a ½ IM is doable next year. I've decided I need to get my flat fixed quick. I am registering for another Sprint next weekend. I don't want this season to end!!!!

Poppa, glad you liked what Michigan had to dish out. Amazing, isn't it that such beauty sits less than an hour outside of Detroit? I'll be dirt racing out that way in November.

Duck, Congrats again!!!! I am guessing, like me, today's soreness is easy to take after a day like yesterday.

Sand, your progress is great man, next year's season should be a great one for you (you'd kill in the totally indoor event over the winter if they have them in your area). Piece of advice, if you are upset about the on course support, email the race company. Not knowing how things are I your area, it is a very competitive race environment here and the companies are very receptive to feedback from racers.

And, Tri-Man, you are killing the marathon training (old school). I am curious where this marathon training stands with your others. I kind of remember you last and don't remember you knocking down the miles like this.

 

[tri-man 47]

Woke up this morning and realized it wasn't a dream. I did an Olympic Triathlon yesterday. While not the hugest of feats,

I disagree. Given how far you've come ...is was a ginormous feat! So again ...congrats (to your incredible daugher, too!!!). Duck, too, coming so far along, and Sand also gearing up the endurance swimming and nailing tri's. Neat, neat, neat.

And, Tri-Man, you are killing the marathon training (old school). I am curious where this marathon training stands with your others. I kind of remember you last and don't remember you knocking down the miles like this.

My second marathon was on slightly injured feet and ankles, so I didn't get in good miles at all. For my first two years ago, I had just one week of 50 miles. So far, I've hit 55 and 56 already, and plan to hit or exceed those twice more. I've had a lot of good pacing on intermediate runs, too, and hope to have several more of those. Plus, I'll run the race smarter (= slower pace over the first half) and won't have the hills of Madison, WI.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Woke up this morning and realized it wasn't a dream. I did an Olympic Triathlon yesterday. While not the hugest of feats,

I disagree. Given how far you've come ...is was a ginormous feat! So again ...congrats (to your incredible daugher, too!!!).

You went and made me get misty again. This reminded of something from yesterday and I am not really sure why. I was on the bike course, in a "bubble" of sorts where no one was around me going out or back. TNT brought a whole bunch of racers from the Cincinatti area and as is typical, cheerleaders in force. So I am in no-wheres-ville lost in my thoughts and a woman with one 1 arm and a prostetic arm in a Team in Training jersey is heading the other way doing the Oly too. We've all read of athletes like this and I have seen folks with prostetics doing running events, but never in triathlon. No real story here other than that I found it really amazing what she was doing. I have no idea what her story is, but I found myself happy for her and I shared a quick go get'em when we passed. I'll state it again, I wish someone would have turned me on to this 20 years ago and I am (carefully) making sure my kids don't miss out on this at a young age. You guys that are doing these, encourage your friends. I had over 10 racers I knew at the event and it made it even better. Thinking about doing one, make next year the year. The mom of the runner on my daughter's team was in tears seeing the girls yesterday and vowed to do one next year.

 

[Poppa]

Best. Trail. Ever. (First ever iPod post...)

Really........The Best. Trail. Ever.Simply...indescribably Incredible!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I was off the Mountain and into the woods...where I belonged...and I knew it lonnnng before I hit the first mudhole - where the fun reeeeeealllly started!Rainier is done. I did my best. I don't need to go back... :( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~We started in the dark.I was scared...very, very nervous.My body felt fine enough, but my confidence had been left behind somewhere short of the Summit on the Disappointment Cleaver...:(Jeez, I was scared - my usual excitement muted to the point of near non-existence...!"I can't do this...!" I told myself - as we were lightstick-directed into a parking space on the edge of the woods, after the pre-dawn drive in.Race would start in 20 minutes...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I needed to be alone.But how do ya do that...at a race start...with a hundred and a half other fools milling about waiting for the starter's gun?I wondered off to the lake's edge to compose myself...I noted Orion in the clear sky...and the half-moon - glowing 'round and bright - with Aurora soon to vanquish the night sky with another dawn.I counted my blessings...pausing momentarily as I lighted on thought of a special, inspirational friend...and with a deeeeep, deep breath...I felt verrrry alive...very lucky indeed!I was ready to go...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ummmmm...Did I mention we started in the dark?I was gonna be the guy lost along the lake's edge...or lost in the park or in the woods - that guy who would go down in DWD lore as having gotten lost before he'd hardly even started!I just knew it...I knew this, of course...because nearly every other runner had his headlamp affixed on his gourd - pointed down-trail and ready to go!All I had was my runnin' stick.Felt like I ought to have painted it white and put a red rubber tip on it.Anybody'd help an old blind man tap, tap, tappin' his stick along the trail - right!?!?God, I hoped so... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6:15.............and we were off!Wishing to retain the security of my faithful fan, my #1 groupie as long as possible - I left my Missus' side only as the starter's gun sounded...and stumble-bummed somewhere into the middle of the lighted, now bobble-headed pack.Beautiful morning...temp about 55...verrrrry slight breeze....foggy, but not super foggy!Was to be a perfect day for a stroll through the park...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I 'felt' my way along the grass with the pack. Headlamps behind and all around...my shadow loping ahead, jumping and dancing......though I was not.All fine until we entered the woods...a few moments later...on single-track trail.Then of course, and suddenly - everything started moving!The hoards of halogen bounced streams of daylight where only night existed.The close trail...the rocks...the trees and bushes...the entire forest canopy - all in dizzying shadowy motion.Verrrry, very no fun!I kept my eyes singly on my next step only...continually trying to shift sides of the too-narrow trail (so my shadow would shift along with me...) from those - Wanda, who was running her first Ultra...and her ultra-chatty girlfriend - who were providing my light!I literally could hardly step outta my own shadow's way...Creepy first hour...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The darkness would fade by the 1st aid station.I was happy!It wouldn't be for another two hours or so, though...that happy would turn to unadulterated joy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mud.Mudhole.20 feet of mud - and with a rope tied, at ground level, from one tree across to the next.Trail ribbons for me to follow - on the otherside.I stuck my stick in. It nearly disappeared...and took a mighty tug back to retrieve!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hmmmmm...THAT ####'S OVER MY HEAD!!!I demurred, but only for a moment.Grinning from ear to ear, I stepped to the other side of the tree - following skidding footprints to the muck below - and repeated my stick test.Satisfied that I wouldn't disappear - I stepped in...I was sure now that that rope across...was to pull ya back up so's ya could breathe!'Twas like mud trolls grabbing ahold of your ankles - hellbent not to let go...20 feet of black, sucking, La Brea Tar Pit, DWD-Hell, Pleistocene mud...quadraceps high and sinking fast!Each 'step' forward...only a couple inches. Each forward motion...ankles bent high...toes up first - so as not to lose a shoe forever. Each step wondering - how lowwww will I go...?? My stick a great depth gauge - the first step forward.Balance though, not a factor. Muck held ya up straight just fine!I had taken a breather not 5 minutes before...and emptied my shoes of trail detritus.I laughed now at the absurdity!My temporary MUD slowdown...allowed Wanda and her still chatty girlfriend (I could hear 'em in the woods behind me...) to nearly 'catch' me, I noted.I debated 'helping'...I debated 'watching'...surreptitiously or not, from my otherside perch - strictly for entertainment purposes...Wanda's chatty girlfriend was all of 4' 10"...I debated though only for a moment...and then simply moved on - not to see them again for a dozen miles as they entered a 3-4 mile loop I was leaving...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The mud was fun!!Reeeeally, really fun...Very much a turning point for me in the day's events.Life is funny...Next aid station I see...soon comin' up the lane?'Tis my loyal fan club...now turned to 3...as my Missus and her aid mates are waitin' on me!Ohhhhh Jeebus - life was good!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The trail was broken into 'trail legs' for the relay peeps...with aid stations between each.Names like:Awakening, Limbo, This Sucks (less), Stripper Pole, Styx, the River of Death, Poto, etc....Us relayers - well I, anyway - never knew what 'section' I was on. Does it matter? I guess not...Hills were rated, as well - 1 through 5 - for 'hilliness'. 50k legs ranged from 1.3 to 4.5 - with 5 being the highest. Rated also for 'grunge' factor. Have I mentioned that much of the course was run on horse trails...?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Paired up with a crazy lady for awhile - (I've already fallen FIVE times!!) - she 55, and us the only two runners around. She talked to herself as much as she talked to me! Carried a backpack full of 'supplies', with a compass hanging, swaying from the back. She broke out her map at one point - uncertain, at intersection, as to where to go. I was pretty sure it was....thisaway------> but I waited for her to finger-trace her sealed-in-plastic map, until she made sure in her own mind that we were okay...I lost her for good as she sat in the streamside muck...taking off her shoes and socks to cross a knee-high river. What's the point...?She would soon find...as I had suspected...that there would be a half-dozen more river crossings in the few miles ahead!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The final river crossing - this one waist deep - turned out to be not a crossing at all!!I entered alone...having run alone now for a couple hours...and began to scan the other side for exit. Point being, of course...to straight line it across, if possible...The trail didn't cross - it continued upstream! Up around the bend...and another bend...and another - plowing through waist-high water and sandy, muddy-bottomed muck!!Again - How lowwww would I go?I took off my Camelbak (with Cellphone in a Ziplock...) and held it over my head.Under a 4-lane roadway bridge so low I coulda whacked it with my stick! Dark, spooky...FUN!!Ultimately, to exit up a muddy riverbank with a rotund fella dressed in a red satin Devil's suit - tail and pitchfork too!Like Santa Claus - "Ho! Ho! Ho! Welcome to Hell!!!"Many of Hell's permanent residents alongside the river clapping in welcome as well!Verrrrry, very cool! Hell apparently not as bad as advertised...And an aid station besides!!I tell ya - Grapes'll never taste so cool, so wonderfully refreshing...as those dozen green orbs did then...after 21 1/2 miles!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Onward...under 8 hours no longer possible - (I didn't care - just noted the possibility after having hit the 1/2 way point in 4 hours and a minute...) - but over 9 hours very unlikely too!I was happy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roxanne and I would meet shortly - having passed and re-passed with friendly hello - on the now increasingly slow moving trail.Poto, this leg was called, I learned later. Up and down and around and rocky and no more aid stations, we knew, until the finish - this the longest leg and the mostest and steepest hills.We fell comfortably into trail company...and very pleasant conversation - she a fit, attractive early 40's, a tri-athlete, mountain biker, mother, 50 mile Ultra-husband - for nearly the entire last 2 hours...when she at last bade me please go ahead.She wanted simply to sit for a few moments...I'd led - (customary on the trails, I think...to break spiderwebs and watch for tigers) - alert for her progress (her knees hurt...) and she followed closely behind...chit chattin' and singing out alerts (my mind was tired and a' wanderin'...) as necessary, so's we might step aside in timely enough manner for crazy mountain bikers to zoom past!Her company had made the final miles go 'gently'...Does that make sense?I expect mine did for her, as well.Missus and I met her at the finish... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I finally came out of the woods and knew right where I was!!I'd turned down that road to the lake nearly 1/2 a day earlier...in the pre-dawn darkness...scared and anxious through to my bones.How far would my will carry me today, I'd wondered in the dark?I no longer knew...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I knew THEN though!!As soon as I stepped out of the woods - I knew...I told the first person I saw - an older woman sitting on a picnic table watchin' the across-the-meadow finishline festivities...I asked her - "I've done it, haven't I...?I'd tears then. I've tears again at the memory."You sure have...", she said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My Missus saw me coming down the slope.Says she can recognize my off-kilter, stick-packin', lopin' from a mile away...My documentarian, my groupie, my entire fan club...waitin' and wondering and hoping through the early afternoon...We was, with Goal in sight now, pretty darn mutually happy to see each other...! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I got my medal...I got my chip cut off.I got my pizza, my Coke and my lawn chair.I remain awestruck at the gift of the day...This Trail was important to me.I accepted limitations...and uncertainty.I recognized the blessing of today over yesterday...Simply put - The Best. Trail. Ever.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank you so much...and Goodnight now!

 

[jmcc]

Need some time to digest and come up with a full race report, not to mention continuous icing of knees, shins, and ankles. So for now, I'll repost my Facebook status update:excitement. 3-2-1! climb, climb. breathe, damn altitude. climb some more. dirt, rocks, roots. pain. beauty. halfway! uh oh, nauseau. slow. slower. struggle. puke. doubt. climb, climb. sit. drop? NO! GET UP! climb. pain. 7up, thank you! move, better. shuffle, walk,shuffle. tears. pain. home stretch, help? music! prodigy, NIN, crue. final mile, tears. FINISH!! ULTRAMARATHONERTime was around 8:36.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jmcc]

Poppa,2y2bb,duck,and all the rest are awesome. Great reports. I love reading this stuff.

 

[Sand]

Woke up this morning and realized it wasn't a dream. I did an Olympic Triathlon yesterday. While not the hugest of feats, for a guy that hadn't swam a pool length with any purpose until late last June, it was HUGE. Making it sweeter was that the venue for yesterday's race was the scene of my 1st tri a year ago AND my daughter did the bike leg of a Sprint Tri Relay. The Teen Angels (Ages 17, 13 & 11) just missed the podium finishing 4th. My daughter averaged over 14 MPH on a tough and hilly bike course and her 1st race (or bike event of any kind) on an open course (and couldn't shut up telling her grandparents about by phone after which, I am not ashamed to admit, made me misty).

As for me, the swim really was rather easy and I have no doubt I could have pushed it harder. It was an on the beach start, which I have never done and I was unprepared for how to attack it (my legs aren't exactly built for high stepping in the water). Once I start freestyle I never broke from it and held the same cadence the whole way. It was a counter clockwise swim which was tough for me as I breathe on the right. On the way out, I kept creeping towards shore, on the way back my sight was right in to the sun. I'd bet I swam at least and extra 100 to 150 meters. I did a TON of drafting and I did it well. I got tired of getting off course and just fell in behind feet on my pace. As much as I tried to keep Nursery Rhymes out of my head, Row, Row, Row Your Boat was playing on my internal iPod to my cadence. When I rounded the buoy for home, Daughtry's Home played for a while and our of no where a Caroline's Spine tune popped in.

For starting from scratch only a year ago that kind of swim is superb. Particularly considering that the best swimmers were only in the 1:40/100 range. And congrats on the girl's leg - awesome. My 10 year old was my official photographer for this tri. After the race he asked me if I could put aerobars and a wheel cover on his back wheel on his mountain bike.

(BTW, I did drop an email to the company. We'll see what they say.)

 

[Sand]

And now for something completely different.

 

[gruecd]

Back from a crazy long weekend in Chicago. Plenty of drinking and dancing and debauchery in general, which made for tons of fun.

Back around 3 PM this afternoon, unpacked, and squeezed in a 10-mile run to cap off another 60-mile week. Like DolphinsPhan, I've got my last 20-miler this coming weekend, and then it's taper time.

Gotta get to bed, so no time for super detailed shoutouts, but I did want to commend Sand, 2Young, Poppa, and Duck on great races this weekend. Way to go, guys!

And pmb, welcome to the thread, buddy. To answer your question, I started doing doubles fairly recently, because I wanted a way to increase my mileage. As it is, I'm generally only resting once every 10 days or so, so the doubles work well for me. I usually do them on recovery days (4 easy in the morning, 5 easy in the afternoon), but sometimes I'll do them on "speed" days, in which case I'll use the morning run to help wake up my legs for the afternoon/evening speed session. A couple of months ago, RW did an article on doing doubles. I'll see if I can find it for you.

But right now, time for bed. Catch y'all on the flip side....

 

[gruecd]

A couple of months ago, RW did an article on doing doubles. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Here you go: Double Duty.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Great work this weekend fellas. A lot of hard work going on there.

As for me, i got done running 38 miles over the last three days. 6 on friday at about 8:00 pace. 10 on Saturday below my Marathon Goal pace at 7:25. This was a big one for me. I did not know if I could do it especially after Friday's run because that was supposed to be a rest day, but I crushed it. The weather has been pretty cool the last couple of weeks here so the mornings are crisp and makes it easier to run in. I just hope the marathon is as cool this year. As for yesterday, I did 22 at 8:25 per mile. I walk a bit every so many miles to take a gel or get some Gatorade in me so the time is off a bit because of that, but the last couple of miles were done at about 8:00 a mile which is really good for me.

Overall, I am pumped and ready for the marathon. I really wish it was sooner than later, but i have one more 20 to do in two weekends and then I am on taper, which i am really looking forward to just to get my legs rested. Any more my legs are feeling so strong now for all of my runs, which has not happened before during my running.

I did not mention before, but I am doing the Higdon Intermediate II program for my training so that is why I have pace days before my long runs on some weekends. It is a good program and I guess it is making me stronger. Some of it is good and some bad. The mid-week long run really drains me, but i just get out and get through it.

gruecd, I think I just read that article you are talking about. I am a couple of months behind in my RW so i know which one you are talking about. That is what really got me thinking about doing the doubles. It sounds interesting and i am going to try it to see how my body can handle it.

Tri-man, I think it was you that said you have a twin in Columbus. Do you know where the best place to park is on race day? Unfortunately, we could not get a downtown room, so we are going to be staying in Dublin and need to drive in to park that day. I will probably be coming in separate from the rest of my crew that morning and just want to be able to give them some ideas of where to park and possibly what streets may be closed since we are not familiar with the area.

 

[The_Man]

Wow -- trying to catch up a lot of the awesomeness here. Great work everyone!

Work was a nightmare for me last week, cutting into my board visits and my running. Kind of sucks, since my race is this Saturday and I was feeling bad about only running one time last week before the weekend.

On Saturday, I went out for a 5 mile fast run. Was pretty sure I could do it in under 40 minutes, and ended up at 38:50 for a 7:46 pace. Nice to look back in my log just 4 weeks ago and see that was my exact pace for a fast 3 mile run then. Sunday was my long run -- 7 miles, which is definitely the longest distance I've ever run. Took it nice and slow, and stopped at the 4 mile mark to stretch for a minute -- felt really good after that.

Best of all, I didn't overdo it and now feel really good. All during Sunday's run, I kept gruecd's advice about training sensibly in mind. Just have a couple of short runs tomorrow and Wednesday, and then a couple of off-days before Saturday's 5K - my first race in 25 years. When I did my 5K test run just over 3 weeks ago, I did it in 23 minutes. Kind of hoping for 22 on Saturday, though that might be wishful thinking -- that's a 7:05 pace, and I'm not really sure if I can do 1 mile that fast, let alone 3.1.

 

[gruecd]

Wow -- trying to catch up a lot of the awesomeness here. Great work everyone!

Work was a nightmare for me last week, cutting into my board visits and my running. Kind of sucks, since my race is this Saturday and I was feeling bad about only running one time last week before the weekend.

On Saturday, I went out for a 5 mile fast run. Was pretty sure I could do it in under 40 minutes, and ended up at 38:50 for a 7:46 pace. Nice to look back in my log just 4 weeks ago and see that was my exact pace for a fast 3 mile run then. Sunday was my long run -- 7 miles, which is definitely the longest distance I've ever run. Took it nice and slow, and stopped at the 4 mile mark to stretch for a minute -- felt really good after that.

Best of all, I didn't overdo it and now feel really good. All during Sunday's run, I kept gruecd's advice about training sensibly in mind. Just have a couple of short runs tomorrow and Wednesday, and then a couple of off-days before Saturday's 5K - my first race in 25 years. When I did my 5K test run just over 3 weeks ago, I did it in 23 minutes. Kind of hoping for 22 on Saturday, though that might be wishful thinking -- that's a 7:05 pace, and I'm not really sure if I can do 1 mile that fast, let alone 3.1.

Sounds like you're making some great progress, The_Man. Keep it up.FWIW, I always like going out for an easy 30-minute jog the day before a race. If I just sit around all day, I find that my legs feel super stiff on race day. Maybe throw in a couple of 100M strides just to wake up the legs a little bit. But again, just my two cents. Good luck on your race!

 

[tri-man 47]

Tri-man, I think it was you that said you have a twin in Columbus. Do you know where the best place to park is on race day? Unfortunately, we could not get a downtown room, so we are going to be staying in Dublin and need to drive in to park that day. I will probably be coming in separate from the rest of my crew that morning and just want to be able to give them some ideas of where to park and possibly what streets may be closed since we are not familiar with the area.

pmb - I don't spend enough time there to have any clue. But in general, I'd suggest checking the course map/downtown locale so that you generally know which areas will not be closed off. Then as you drive in, head for that area ...and don't worry about parking real close! You'll want some warm-up time anyway (and should have already picked up your race chip and gear?), so it's actually good to be 1/4-1/2 mile away, I'd say. That gives you the chance to walk/jog/loosen up, and maybe best of all, find a dark downtown corner for a nervous pee stop (though they might have an abundance of porta-potties). It's a Sunday, so parking should be rather plentiful and free.We're on the same training schedule for the same day's race! What's your target goal?

--

Man - sounds like you're gearing up great for the 5K! Being your first race in ages, and being a 5K, plan carefully and be prepared ...the explosion off of the starting line (many racers will start too fast); the surprisingly quick occurrence of the one mile mark; the gut-check of the second mile; then using body and mind to come home strong. Plan your mental tricks for the latter half ...whether that be sling-shotting around the corners; working on/staying with other runners; knowing the last 1/2-mile of the course (jog it as your warm-up). Especially for a 5K, I tend to find that it becomes a race within a race - you find yourself around another runner (or runners), and that becomes your race. Anticipate that, and use it to your advantage!

 

[pigskinliquors]

It's nice to see that everyone is still here. I am finally over my lazy period. I gained a bit of weight, but not enough to stop moving. This morning I did a real slow 5 miles, but it is the farthest I have run in more than a year. I am shooting for the 10 miler on Thanksgiving morning and the local half in January. Also I am posting just about every run on my facebook page. If any of you guys gave facebook please look me up.

My facebook page

GREAT to see you back in the thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pmbrown_22]

Tri-man, I think it was you that said you have a twin in Columbus. Do you know where the best place to park is on race day? Unfortunately, we could not get a downtown room, so we are going to be staying in Dublin and need to drive in to park that day. I will probably be coming in separate from the rest of my crew that morning and just want to be able to give them some ideas of where to park and possibly what streets may be closed since we are not familiar with the area.

pmb - I don't spend enough time there to have any clue. But in general, I'd suggest checking the course map/downtown locale so that you generally know which areas will not be closed off. Then as you drive in, head for that area ...and don't worry about parking real close! You'll want some warm-up time anyway (and should have already picked up your race chip and gear?), so it's actually good to be 1/4-1/2 mile away, I'd say. That gives you the chance to walk/jog/loosen up, and maybe best of all, find a dark downtown corner for a nervous pee stop (though they might have an abundance of porta-potties). It's a Sunday, so parking should be rather plentiful and free.We're on the same training schedule for the same day's race! What's your target goal?

--

Man - sounds like you're gearing up great for the 5K! Being your first race in ages, and being a 5K, plan carefully and be prepared ...the explosion off of the starting line (many racers will start too fast); the surprisingly quick occurrence of the one mile mark; the gut-check of the second mile; then using body and mind to come home strong. Plan your mental tricks for the latter half ...whether that be sling-shotting around the corners; working on/staying with other runners; knowing the last 1/2-mile of the course (jog it as your warm-up). Especially for a 5K, I tend to find that it becomes a race within a race - you find yourself around another runner (or runners), and that becomes your race. Anticipate that, and use it to your advantage!

tri-- I am not sure I have a target goal. For this one, my goal is to try and do 7:30 miles which would put me in the 3:20 range, but i am not sure I will be able to keep that up for the whole thing. Anywhere under 3:45 for the whole thing is a PR for me so as long as I am under that I will be feeling really good. Ideally if I get 7:44 a mile ( which is a minute better than last time per mile) then I will be real happy with it. I am still learning a lot of stuff and keep getting better at pacing. I am going to go out with a pace group so I am hoping that helps out some too. I feel i will have to in order to not get to far ahead of myself with adrenaline.Thanks for the tips...if i remember, there are plenty of porta-potties at the start...i need to do a warm up just to get some of that nervous energy off...it is just too hard not to be over excited at the start of one of these things.

 

[pigskinliquors]

WOW! Just WOW everyone!!! What an amazing weekend of races we've had!!

Mr. "Ultra-Marathoner" Duck: Major congrat's. I hope to join your ranks in 8 weeks!

Mr. "Olympic" 2Young: Awesome job taking that next step toward a half IM; and to being able to experience it with your daughter. Just Awesome!

Mr. "Swimming-fool" Sand: Great race! I also missed a turn in my last duathlon which cost me a 1st in AG (lost by 1 second); so I understand the frustration!!!

Mr. "Trail-runner" Poppa: Your story made my day. I got a bit misty near the end = must be dusty in here. As always, inspiring!!!

Some awesome training as well:

BnB = great ride; my guess is that you'll be 1.5 MPH faster (what I typically gain)

PmBrown = Super 22 miler!! You are already, ready. It's all-over but the shouting.

Tri-Man = Extraordinary miles you are putting in, especially for a guy your age

Gruecd = You are sooo ready to BQ!

___________________________________________________

My update:

I had an amazing weekend. I spent Friday night on a mule/Polaris with 3 friends. It was pouring rain, and we took it "mudding" through AWESOME trails in our neighborhood that I did not even know existed (= my next Sunday's run will be on them!!!!!). We had no less than 76 near death (at least it felt like it) experiences and all came home late, sopping wet, and inebriated to 4 not-so-happy wives

Saturday the Mrs. and I had the 20 counselors from our Camp over for a BBQ and some Mud-Football. I took my lawn-tractor to a big field in our neighborhood and mowed a large field with an all-mud end zone. We played for almost 4 hours, and every inch of me was sore. I then hobbled to a neighbors house to drink some of the pain away while watching OSU vs. USC

Sunday I could barely get out of bed, but had a 16 miler scheduled, and knew I needed to HTFU! I got a slightly late start (8L45 am) and it was already 78 degrees with 88% humidity. After last week's failed 14 miler, and knowing the weather today was similar, I decided to shoot for another 14 miler (instead of 16). I also decided to base the run strictly on HR and to not worry about speed in the least bit. My goals were: through 6 miles, HR < 165; through 9 < 170; through 11 < 175; through 13 < 180; last mile all out = see how high I could get it?! I had to go extremely slow to keep my HR under 165 for the first 6, but was able to; the next three were amazingly ez and I had to speed up quite a bit to get to 170. Mile 10 my HR shot-up to 178 really quickly (what happened at the last 14 miler), so I backed way off (running a 9:35 mile) and got it back under 175 through 11. My legs still felt really good for mile 12 (8:55), and 13 (8:50) before putting the accelerator down for mile 14 (8:03) and watching my HR reach 187 With nothing left in the tank; I literally did all that I could to take a shower and curl up on the sofa with every muscle in my body aching (mostly from football the night before). I laid there and watched football until 6:00 when I took my youngest daughter (age 4) fishing with the same 3 guys (and their youngest) until 8:00 = great weekend!

 

[Sand]

WOW! Just WOW everyone!!! What an amazing weekend of races we've had!!

Tell me about it. Best weekend of results I've seen in this thread!

Mr. "Swimming-fool" Sand: Great race! I also missed a turn in my last duathlon which cost me a 1st in AG (lost by 1 second); so I understand the frustration!!!

Well, I couldn't very well tell you guys I can swim without backing it up. I think the proof is now there, though. Next season will be interesting since this set of results is off of four months of training after twenty-five years of not swimming competitively. I think I can get lots faster. As a bonus my lats and triceps are starting to gain serious mass - my shallow vain side loves that.Now with the AG win I think the bar may be set a bit too high for future races, though - the field there wasn't as strong as the first tri I did.

 

[tri-man 47]

WOW! Just WOW everyone!!! What an amazing weekend of races we've had!!

Tell me about it. Best weekend of results I've seen in this thread!

As Woody Harrelson says in the trailer for the upcoming Zombieland:"Nut up or shut up!"

 

[wraith5]

You guys are outstanding!!!

I'm way behind and haven't posted anything since I took a few days off a week ago to celebrate my 10th anniversary with my wife downtown Chicago (which was great). I'll try to post tonight while I'm watching MNF.

I am REALLY impressed with everyone's races. Just Wow. Congratulations to all!!

The good news (for me) is that I have been running, just not updating. I'll get to all that when I can get back online - now I'm off to take my 3 year old to Tae-kwon-do!!

 

[SFBayDuck]

Loving the race reports especially, of course, Poppa's. Sounds like a hell of a day on a hell of a trail.

So, Lake of the Sky....wow, what an experience. This is long, thanks for indulging me......

Got up at 4:30 Saturday morning to do my coffee/breakfast/bathroom routine, we wanted to be to the start by 6:15 or so. A little nervous as people gathered in the parking lot, getting lighter but some cloud cover early on. Checked in, milled around for a bit chatting with a few people, took a quick picture with my buddy. At a couple minutes to 7:00 the RD called everyone up to the front of the parking lot, made a couple announcements about the trail and navigating it, and then it was 3-2-1 GO! I hadn't even buckled my hydration belt on yet, and off we all went. I'm guessing there were about 40-50 people that did the full 36.4, another 10-15 doing the marathon, and a handful doing 8 miles. Off we charged up the street for about 2/10ths of a mile and then onto the trail.

As the elevation chart shows, it's pretty much straight up hill for the first 6 miles, climbing from lake level at about 6300' up to about 7600' in that span. So other than the elites who bounded off at the front of the pack from the start, the rest of us fell into a single file line hiking, breaking into a slow jog when it would flatten out a bit, hiking again as it steepened. My buddy was about 5-6 people ahead of me, and about 15 of us pretty much stayed together through the first 2-3 miles. At the 3 mile mark I stopped to adjust my Garmin, as I had wanted to set the auto-lap for 3 mile laps, breaking the race into 12 sections, but had forgotten to beforehand. I fell behind part of the group and about the same time it was starting to stretch out and separate a bit. The altitude and the climbing was getting to me, had a hard time keeping my HR down below 165 or so, but I knew I'd get into a groove and get used to it eventually.

First aid station at 4 1/2 miles, stopped to refill my Heed, and headed off with two guys and started talking with them. Turns out they were pilots who were in town for Tailhook, and had been up partying until 2:30 in the morning! Good thing for them they're about 25 years old and in good military shape, so they were chugging along. We ended up running together off and on over the next 5 mile or so, and I left them at the next aid station, as one of them was borrowing some chapstick from a friendly girl to address his in-shorts chafing issues! Pretty sure she let him keep the chapstick.

As I got to miles 11-12-13, there was enough separation that I was pretty much by myself. The only people I saw were the leaders of the marathon distance who had already hit their turnaround and were coming back. I kept up with walking the hills, running the flats and downhills, and was hitting the aid stations about 2-3 minutes ahead of my A goal of 8:12:00. My knee was starting to get a little sore, but other than that I was feeling good - getting a gel down every 40 minutes or so, drinking 1.5-2 bottles of Heed every 5 miles or so, and taking an Endurolyte every 50 minutes. We were lucky in that the heat forecasted earlier in the week didn't materialize, and while it didn't feel hot I was still sweating up a storm.

Ran into the 13.5 mile aid station with a woman who had come up quickly behind me around mile 13, which was a little depressing until she said she was doing the relay option so was pushing to her finish. When we got there, her husband and a baby in a stroller were waiting, they kissed, she took the stroller, and the husband took off back down the trail. I thought that was really cool.

I was back by myself again, running along a lake and then off towards the turnaround aid station. As I hit the 15 mile mark, the leading two men came flying back by me. I joked that they better watch out as I was only 7 miles behind them, but they were gone to fast for me to hear if they even responded. Another mile or so later came the women's leader (she was hot, I'll be race stalking her and hope to find pics once the results are up), followed by the 3rd place man. Over the final 2 miles to the 18.2 mile turnaround, it became a steady stream of people coming back, and it was great to exchange "keep it up", "great job", "go get 'em" greetings as we passed each other. 1/2 mile from the turnaround my buddy passed me, at that point he was on pace for a sub 7:00 finish, and he looked and sounded great.

Finally got out to the turnaround, and I was still about 2 minutes ahead of my A goal pace. I stopped to empty my shoes out, filled my bottles, and made what turned out to be my first mistake - I grabbed two handfuls of potato chips - and left the aid station exactly on my A goal pace at 3:53:00 after spending a couple of minutes there.

I had been wondering if I was in last place, since I hadn't passed anyone for about 6 miles, so it was a little encouraging to see people still heading out to the turnaround (including my new pilot pals). Now I got to give the encouraging words, which was great. I was sore, starting to feel some pain, but feeling strong and having some visions of maybe even beating 8:00. After all, it was net downhill back to the start, so no problem, right?

Then, things got ugly. About mile 19, my stomach just started knotting up with waves of nausea. Looking back, I think it was the fat from the potato chips, something my stomach just wasn't able to handle at that point where I was likely to bonk a bit anyway. I tried to drink some Heed, but it made things worse. I missed my scheduled gel, knowing it wasn't going to happen. I started walking even the flat sections, and not even power-hiking but walking slowly on the uphills, stopping to stretch and catch my breath every so often. The pain in my feet, knees, shins, and hips started getting worse, and my mental state started spiraling down. I finally sat down on a rock, and up came the contents of my stomach, but I was so worried about dehydration that I swallowed it back down. I thought about giving up, the letters "DNF" flashing in my head. I don't think I sat there for more than a minute or two, but it sure felt longer than that. Finally, I yelled out "NO!" and stood up and started walking again. One step, then another, let's see how much farther I can go. Of course miles 20-24 are all uphill, up 800' to the highest point of the course at almost 7900'. A couple people passed me, pausing to make sure I was ok before continuing on.

I finally reached the next aid station and told them what was going on, and they offered me 7-Up - and what a lifesaver that was. After doing each 3 mile segment in between 37:00-40:00 up to that point, those two segments covering that stretch were done in 45:00 and 54:00 minutes. No more dreams of a sub-8:00, or even my A goal, now it was just find a way to finish.

With my stomach settled back down a little, I was able to start getting fluids and calories back in me. I don't think I ever was able to fully catch back up, but at least I didn't hit a wall that I couldn't push through in terms of dehydration and energy depletion. Now, it was all about overcoming the pain. I wasn't going fast enough to have my HR be very high, but I was able to run the flats and downhills again. Well, run might be a generous term, as I truly found what they call the "ultra shuffle" during that stretch. Next aid station had some more 7-Up, kept downing the Heed, and off to the final aid station.

As I hit the final mile into that station, which would've put me at about mile 31, the pain was getting really bad in my legs. Just kept telling myself if I could make it there, then I was going to finish. It finally came into sight, and tears welled up in my eyes. "no, dammit, can't afford to lose the fluids!" I told myself, and stopped there to refill. The guy could see I was hurting, and tried to get me to eat something, but I told him there was no way I would be able to hold anything down. I had just done a gel, and it was a struggle enough that I knew it would be my last. As I left the station, I put on my "911" playlist on my ipod (which I hadn't even used at all through 20 miles or so). First song: Prodigy's Smack my B* Up! Huge surge of energy (relatively speaking), and off I sprinted down the trail....well, it felt like it, but when I looked at the Garmin I was doing about 12:30 miles!

That surge lasted for about a mile, and then it was struggle time again. But it was mostly downhill, and shuffle shuffle shuffle I went. Finally, I could see the buildings near the finish line, and new I was going to make it. Right then, Coldplay's Viva La Vida came on my ipod. I know I shared this video awhile back that ultrarunner and coach Matt Hart put together, it's been a constant source of motivation and inspiration for me with my new chosen hobby of trail running, I watch it at least once a week. No holding the tears back this time. Damn, I'm crying again right now.....

I came out of the trail and onto the road, running downhill the 2/10ths of a mile to the finish. I was practically bawling, in between a couple dry-heave like stomach convulsions, snot coming out my nose, black shirt almost completely white covered in salt - I was quite a sight I'm sure as I hit the finish, I think it was 8:36 something, not sure as I couldn't really see (and of course forgot to stop my Garmin for a few minutes). I walked 20-30 yards, sat down on a rock, and finally smiled.....

 

[gruecd]

That's an awesome race report, Duck! When you look up "HTFU" in the dictionary, that's the type of stuff you see. Way to go!!!

 

[2Young2BBald]

That's an awesome race report, Duck! When you look up "HTFU" in the dictionary, that's the type of stuff you see. Way to go!!!

Agreed, that was a fantastic read Duck. I think this would look real nice next to your 50K sticker!!!!

 

[Poppa]

So, Lake of the Sky....wow, what an experience. This is long, thanks for indulging me......

I've been waitin' to hear and am smilin' right along with ya this evening!Congratulations - Ultra 'Duck' man

 

[tri-man 47]

Duck, that's just an incredibly inspiring story. Thanks for sharing it with us. Congrats again!

 

[jmcc]

Awesome report Duck.

 

[wraith5]

That's an awesome race report, Duck! When you look up "HTFU" in the dictionary, that's the type of stuff you see. Way to go!!!

Agreed, that was a fantastic read Duck. I think this would look real nice next to your 50K sticker!!!!

What a great race report!!

Is it wrong that it makes me want to try an ultra?!?

 

[Sand]

Is it wrong that it makes me want to try an ultra?!?

Duck inspires you.Teri Hatcher inspires me (she recently did a sprint tri).

To each his own.

 

[wraith5]

... I was able to hold my pace and have others "push" me....very cool! I felt good for most of the race. Obviously the last couple of miles were difficult but that's expected, right? I was pretty tired entering the last mile and the group got away from me. Oh well. I was still able to pick a few people off at the end (HTFU) and finished in exactly 1:42:00!!!! I had a relatively aggressive goal of 8:00/mile and I did it in 7:47/mile!!! Needless to say I was (and still am) very happy...and almost got "emotional" at the finish line! I must've looked goofy with my perma-grin. I really trained hard for this one. It feels so rewarding to have set a goal and be successful. That's all for now....happy running everyone!

Sorry for my (very) delayed congrats Keggers, but this was an outstanding race! I'd love to get myself to a 1:42. Great accomplishment for you! Gruecd - I assume your feet are fully recovered from your LunaRacers fiasco. Still a pretty strong effort despite the challenges.

 

[SFBayDuck]

That's an awesome race report, Duck! When you look up "HTFU" in the dictionary, that's the type of stuff you see. Way to go!!!

Agreed, that was a fantastic read Duck. I think this would look real nice next to your 50K sticker!!!!

What a great race report!!

Is it wrong that it makes me want to try an ultra?!?

Thanks everyone for taking a minute to read that, glad it's inspired a few people. Obviously, I've been inspired by many here over the past 2-3 years.And yes, the 50K sticker is on my car, opposite the 26.2 one. Of course that's just because they don't make 59K stickers, which would be more accurate.

My buddy and I are already talking about what we need to do to get up to the 50 mile distance.....

 

[wraith5]

Is it wrong that it makes me want to try an ultra?!?

Duck inspires you.Teri Hatcher inspires me (she recently did a sprint tri).

To each his own.

That second picture is truly outstanding. Nice find.

 

[wraith5]

Quick recap of my running the past couple of weeks:

9/3 - 5 mile tempo run (1 mile warm-up, 1 cool-down), 8:15 goal pace. 2.5 = 8:19s, 2.5 = 8:04s, 8:12 ave.

9/5 - stayed downtown with my wife and ran along the lake early (same path as the RnR 1/2). about a mile to/from the hotel. After 6 miles (running south) I was soaked with sweat from the humidity - shorts were drenched and uncomfortable. Turning back north was MUCH better as I discovered the breeze - but the damage was done. Ended up doing a (relatively) slow 13 miles overall. Still it was great to see many hundreds of runners ( I lost count after 50 different Soldier Field 10 mile and RnR 1/2 shirts!!) instead of my normal dozen or so runners on my trail at home!!

9/11 - couldn't get out earlier in the week, so I missed my speedwork. Bad. Did the same run as 9/3 (5 mile tempo) but with 8:30s goal (per the program). 8:25s then 8:14s for an 8:20 pace.

9/12 - 17 miler. back to back days running for me, which is NOT my norm and I don't know the last time I did it. cool but well over 80% humidity. 9:38 goal pace. Through 14 I was at about 9:25s then hit the wall hard - last 3 miles each had some walking, and my legs were really hurting as I pulled into the driveway. 9:47s overall. Ironically, the last 17 miler I did was Aug of 2006, and I hit a wall at 14 then, too. Room for improvement.

5x 1ks tomorrow.

 

[Poppa]

My buddy and I are already talking about what we need to do to get up to the 50 mile distance.....

Go slower. Get a stick...

 

[gruecd]

My buddy and I are already talking about what we need to do to get up to the 50 mile distance.....

Assuming I get my 2010 and 2011 BQ's at Chicago, I'm kinda planning on running the Fall 50 solo next year. Maybe you and your buddy should make a road trip to Wisconsin next fall to join me....

 

[gruecd]

Gruecd - I assume your feet are fully recovered from your LunaRacers fiasco. Still a pretty strong effort despite the challenges.

Thanks, GB. Yeah, the blisters are pretty much healed. The cool thing is that the owner of the shoe store where I bought the Nikes is a friend of mine, and he let me exchange them for a pair of Mizuno Wave Precisions. I've had a pair of Wave Riders in my rotation for the past couple of years, and they've worked well for me, so I expect good things from the Precisions, which are a very similar shoe, only lighter. Wore them for my 5-mile recovery run last night, and they felt good. I'll probably wear them for my last 20-miler this coming Sunday, and if all goes well, they'll be my marathon shoes.Tonight is 10 miles including 4 x 1,200M at 5K pace with 2-minute recovery jogs. I hate long intervals, but I'll get it done. Just this one last week of hard training, and then taper. My body is handling everything just fine, but mentally I'm ready for the break.

 

[gruecd]

Drinkers More Likely to Exercise

Interesting......

 

[pigskinliquors]

My buddy and I are already talking about what we need to do to get up to the 50 mile distance.....

Go slower. Get a stick...

I've actually been thinking about this exact thought, as I don't think I'll be fully prepared for my Ultra (due partly to too much heat down here, and mostly to deciding to do HH100). Yet, after reading Duck's report I know I have to do all that I can to get to the starting line (step 1). Great, great race report Duck!! You put the "H" in HTFU (you Viagra'd itTM). Wraith: Great to hear that you are keeping at is

________________

My tiny update:

I got a nice 6 miles in this morning. It was the coolest run I've had all summer (only 72 degrees with 79% humidity = low humidity for us in the early am); and my legs could sure tell. It was supposed to be a SRD, so I took off at what I thought was snail's pace. Since it was pitch black, I didn't know my first mile (supposed to be a warm-up) until the Garmin lit up and said 8:31 (half minute faster than I thought it was). Each subsequent mile was faster than the previous, with the last two being 7:54 and 7:43. While my quads still ache from playing mud-football over the weekend; my legs still feel good. I'm hoping that as the temps continue to cool down, that I'll be able to make mileage gains along with speed gains (not usually advisable).

 

[gruecd]

My tiny update:

I got a nice 6 miles in this morning. It was the coolest run I've had all summer (only 72 degrees with 79% humidity = low humidity for us in the early am); and my legs could sure tell. It was supposed to be a SRD, so I took off at what I thought was snail's pace. Since it was pitch black, I didn't know my first mile (supposed to be a warm-up) until the Garmin lit up and said 8:31 (half minute faster than I thought it was). Each subsequent mile was faster than the previous, with the last two being 7:54 and 7:43. While my quads still ache from playing mud-football over the weekend; my legs still feel good. I'm hoping that as the temps continue to cool down, that I'll be able to make mileage gains along with speed gains (not usually advisable).

That's what we runner geeks call a progression run. Nice job, pigskin. By the way, I think we have an acronym mix-up here. When I refer to "SRD," I'm talking about a Scheduled Rest Day, i.e. no running at all. What are you referring to??

 

[pigskinliquors]

My tiny update:

I got a nice 6 miles in this morning. It was the coolest run I've had all summer (only 72 degrees with 79% humidity = low humidity for us in the early am); and my legs could sure tell. It was supposed to be a SRD, so I took off at what I thought was snail's pace. Since it was pitch black, I didn't know my first mile (supposed to be a warm-up) until the Garmin lit up and said 8:31 (half minute faster than I thought it was). Each subsequent mile was faster than the previous, with the last two being 7:54 and 7:43. While my quads still ache from playing mud-football over the weekend; my legs still feel good. I'm hoping that as the temps continue to cool down, that I'll be able to make mileage gains along with speed gains (not usually advisable).

That's what we runner geeks call a progression run. Nice job, pigskin. By the way, I think we have an acronym mix-up here. When I refer to "SRD," I'm talking about a Scheduled Rest Day, i.e. no running at all. What are you referring to??

We do have an acronym mix-up. SRD = "Slow-Recovery-Day" for me = slow run to help legs recover from a hard run (or too much mud-football followed by a long run). My bad for the mix-up. I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

 

[gruecd]

I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Well apparently that's a good thing, as it supposedly makes you more likely to exercise the next day. See link posted above.

 

[pigskinliquors]

I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Well apparently that's a good thing, as it supposedly makes you more likely to exercise the next day. See link posted above.

I saw the link, but for the life of me couldn't imagine who they could have got for the control group, as I can't imagine any real-man (in particular a FBG) not consuming 76 or more drinks per month. I understand the non-drinkers group, but a less than 76 drinks group

 

[SFBayDuck]

I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Well apparently that's a good thing, as it supposedly makes you more likely to exercise the next day. See link posted above.

I saw the link, but for the life of me couldn't imagine who they could have got for the control group, as I can't imagine any real-man (in particular a FBG) not consuming 76 or more drinks per month. I understand the non-drinkers group, but a less than 76 drinks group

I think I had 76 drinks on Sunday alone on my DNBDBD day. A slow, but not overly painful 3 miles today. Massage scheduled for later this morning. The recovery is on.

 

[pigskinliquors]

I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Well apparently that's a good thing, as it supposedly makes you more likely to exercise the next day. See link posted above.

I saw the link, but for the life of me couldn't imagine who they could have got for the control group, as I can't imagine any real-man (in particular a FBG) not consuming 76 or more drinks per month. I understand the non-drinkers group, but a less than 76 drinks group

I think I had 76 drinks on Sunday alone on my DNBDBD day. A slow, but not overly painful 3 miles today. Massage scheduled for later this morning. The recovery is on.

Giddy'up!! Duck: what's the longest run/hike you had prior to your amazing race! I'm currently looking at only getting one 20+ run in right now; though I "only" have to run/hike 31 miles.

 

[The_Man]

I've been harboring this crazy dream that I could do my first race (Saturday's 5k) in 22 minutes - a 7:05 pace. Not really basing this goal on anything except that when I did my "Test Race" 3+ weeks ago, I ran it in 23:02.

However, nothing in the intervening weeks has really showed me that I have the speed to suddenly go so fast. So today in my tempo run, I basically decided to see how fast I could run the mile that came up from 1.5 to 2.5 in my 4-mile run. After doing the first 1.5 at an 8.23 pace, I hauled tail and did the mile in 7:02. I then dragged home the last 1.5 miles at an 8:30 pace.

Not so sure about that 22:00 goal now -- felt pretty spent after one mile at that pace. How do you pick a goal? Should I even bother? I just want to do better than that test 23:02 and am not sure how much better is realistic.

 

[gruecd]

Not so sure about that 22:00 goal now -- felt pretty spent after one mile at that pace. How do you pick a goal? Should I even bother? I just want to do better than that test 23:02 and am not sure how much better is realistic.

Personally, I'd start by doing a super easy 20- to 30-minute warm-up before the race. Try to time it so you finish no more than 10-15 minutes before the start. 5K races start fast, so there's really not time to warm up during the race. I'd then suggest starting at the 7:26 pace you ran for your test run and doing that for the first mile or so. If you feel good after the first mile, then maybe try to do your 2nd mile 10 seconds faster. If not, just try to hold the 7:26. The last 1.1 is gut check time. Just dig deep, let it all hang loose, and let the finish line pull you in. Locate people in front of you and try to pick them off. It's gonna hurt, so be mentally ready to deal with the pain. It'll be over before you know it.

 

[tri-man 47]

Is it wrong that it makes me want to try an ultra?!?

Duck inspires you.Teri Hatcher inspires me (she recently did a sprint tri).

To each his own.

That second picture is truly outstanding. Nice find.

See, I KNEW that good swimmers always shave before a race!

 

[wraith5]

We do have an acronym mix-up. SRD = "Slow-Recovery-Day" for me = slow run to help legs recover from a hard run (or too much mud-football followed by a long run). My bad for the mix-up. I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Did 5 x 1000 this morning. Pace = 7:00, 6:56, 7:00, 6:42, 6:47. 6.4 miles total run/recovery. Would have liked to see that last one a touch faster, but as I've posted before the last repeat is often a killer on these longer repeat days. Gotta dig deep for those last 300 meters!! The last time I did this particular key run was 7/22, and I went 6:59, 7:07, 7:04, 7:11, 7:17, so today was definitely an improvement.

 

[gruecd]

We do have an acronym mix-up. SRD = "Slow-Recovery-Day" for me.

How about we substitute "Easy" for "Slow" and make yours ERD's?? Unless someone on here has Esophageal Reflux Disease, in which case we'll try something else. ETA: According to AcronymFinder.com, that could also stand for Extended Reach Drilling, but I doubt that's a phrase that any of you guys are using!

 

[SFBayDuck]

I call your SRD's: DNBDBD's (do nothing but drink beer days).

Well apparently that's a good thing, as it supposedly makes you more likely to exercise the next day. See link posted above.

I saw the link, but for the life of me couldn't imagine who they could have got for the control group, as I can't imagine any real-man (in particular a FBG) not consuming 76 or more drinks per month. I understand the non-drinkers group, but a less than 76 drinks group

I think I had 76 drinks on Sunday alone on my DNBDBD day. A slow, but not overly painful 3 miles today. Massage scheduled for later this morning. The recovery is on.

Giddy'up!! Duck: what's the longest run/hike you had prior to your amazing race! I'm currently looking at only getting one 20+ run in right now; though I "only" have to run/hike 31 miles.

I ran a 20 and a 22 prior to the marathon, then that 26.2 at the end of July. Following that, I ramped back up in August and did an 18 and then a 24 miler, with the 24 spot coming 3 weeks prior to the race. Final two weeks were a 15 miler at altitude, and then 11 last weekend.The key for me, and something I learned after struggling more than expected in the road marathon, was the whole specificity of training thing. Every long run, and all but a couple of my runs in total during that 7 weeks, were on trails with a lot of hill climbing. I spent time walking up hills, and running down them. And my 24 mile run I had an idea of how many miles I wanted to do, but more importantly was getting at least 5 hours of time on my feet, moving the whole time, and just figured I'd end up with 23-25 miles at the end of that. I even worked in sitting down for a minute or two, and then getting up and running again, knowing that might happen at some point during the race (good thing, eh?). That run gave me a ton of confidence.Just wish I had tried some potato chips 4 hours into a training run at some point, so I would've known not to do it during the race! Sounded like such a good idea at the time - starch and salt, just what I need, right? But I forgot about the fat part. My stomach sure didn't. And as someone pointed out afterward, being up over 7000' at the time might've had something to do with it as well.