Ran a 10k in June (2 Viewers)

[2Young2BBald]

Looks like the runners only are dwindling. I must admit that I have been intrigued too, from just the training/race stories from you guys here, but I know the time it would take me to train just is not in the cards for me. Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to loose. You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Yeah, the time is honestly the only real concern for me, too. That, and the fact that I really can't swim. :( I chatted with a local triathlon coach last night, and as far as the Ironman is concerned, he said that it requires about 12 hours/week during the majority of the training and then 15-18 hours/week during the 4-6 weeks of peak training...3-4 runs, 3-4 bikes, 3 swims, strength, and core. Right now I'm probably running 7-8 hours/week, so I'd basically "just" need to sleep an hour less every day and train instead.

I have a couple of friends that just completed the Iron Man in Lake Placid. I'm not 100% sure what the exact schedule was, but a big chunk of that 15-18 hours at the end is taken up with longish/long weekend rides including one that was the full Ironman distance which last 6+ hours with traffic and such. They said the tougher part was getting the 12 hours/week normally. Basically they had to do an hour before (either swimming or biking) and then ran in the evening.

They had a blast, but it does make you sort of a hermit to friends outside athletics.

This was very true with the HIM training I did this year. The big chunk of time for any training week was the big weekend day, either Sat/Sun depending on how the week planned out. I have several Sunday's where I spent 4 to 5 hours on brick work. I've stated this before, I found the HIM training much easier to stay true to the plan, compared to marathon training (which felt more like work). The variety of workouts in any given week kept things fresh.Gruecd, I wouldn't discount the value of small events in your pursuit of IM. I read up a bunch on the theory of "racing your way in to race shape". You can't simulate the swim start and transition in training. Plus, you'll be able to meet all kinds of triathltes. Look for M-Dot tats and talk up the sport, you'll learn more from these folks than any training plan, book, etc.

 

[gruecd]

I have a couple of friends that just completed the Iron Man in Lake Placid. I'm not 100% sure what the exact schedule was, but a big chunk of that 15-18 hours at the end is taken up with longish/long weekend rides including one that was the full Ironman distance which last 6+ hours with traffic and such. They said the tougher part was getting the 12 hours/week normally. Basically they had to do an hour before (either swimming or biking) and then ran in the evening. They had a blast, but it does make you sort of a hermit to friends outside athletics.

Yeah, I guess that doesn't make it sound too bad. If I do this, it would be until 2012, but I've already resigned myself to the fact that my life would pretty much consist of work, training, and being at home. Playing basketball, going out drinking with the guys, and pretty much everything else non-IM related would have to stop for a while. But that's a sacrifice that I'd probably be willing to make.

 

[gruecd]

Gruecd, I wouldn't discount the value of small events in your pursuit of IM. I read up a bunch on the theory of "racing your way in to race shape". You can't simulate the swim start and transition in training. Plus, you'll be able to meet all kinds of triathltes. Look for M-Dot tats and talk up the sport, you'll learn more from these folks than any training plan, book, etc.

Totally get what you're saying. I just meant that I probably wouldn't even be interested in doing the smaller events if not for the pursuit of the bigger goal. Basically, I'd just view the shorter stuff as a means to an end. For me, running is a lifestyle, whereas the IM would be more of a "bucket list" thing. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.I am gonna start working on the swimming after Chicago. Talked to the girl last night, and I think we're gonna try to get together weekly. Kinda looking forward to that actually.

 

[Poppa]

To catch up on some old business here:

and, then, to be done with marathoning

Loser.

:finger:---------Congrats to Workhorse for the podium finish, Sand for toughing out the Oly, and Mad Cow for the marathon.The Dances With Dirt 100K relay with 2Young and three others was a blast! We didn't win anything, but we had a fantastic time this weekend. We ended up camping out Friday and Saturday, so race morning logistics were easy. We got through the day in about 10:30. The weather ended up being cool (60'ish), and we picked up rain from leg 7 through to the end ...some of it heavy. So the latter legs were all messy. As it was, we had divvied up the 15 legs to that each of us would face some degree of muddy trails, river crossings, or wading through lakes.I ran a bit over 13 miles. The last mile of my last leg was the interesting part as I experienced my first encounter with what could be called some serious quicksand! The trail went down near some lakes and started weaving through some bogs around the lakes. It started with just sloshing through foot, then ankle, deep mud. That got washed off when I crossed a channel of knee-deep water between two lakes. But then it was right back to the muck. After that, it got really bad as some spots were quicksand - take a step, and you suddenly sink up to your hip. We ended up with a small group of about six of us packed together trying to get through it all. We came to one water hole, and a young gal in front of me was struggling with knee-deep mud as she tried to work around it. I decided to make a leap right into the water ...and promptly found myself chest-deep in swamp water, with my legs stuck in the muck below. Two young gals tried pulling me out, but couldn't, so I got hold of a branch near the water, tilted enough to free up one leg, and then rolled out enough to break free. One of the gals went off in front of our pack, and she sunk deep at least twice and I had to grab her arm to pull her free. Next we all came to a bigger water hole. They'd stretched a rope a couple of feet above the water with the idea that you'd use the rope to pull yourself across. I made a big leap, grabbed the rope, and found it worked best to lay on my back in the muck and pull myself commando style until I could get my butt on manageble muck, rotate my legs away from the water, and carry on. We had one more tough stretch wading through 50 feet of knee-deep muck before jogging further and finally finishing up that leg. Definitely my most unusual running ever!

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"Very, very good day!

 

[SofaKings]

To catch up on some old business here:

and, then, to be done with marathoning

Loser.

:finger:---------Congrats to Workhorse for the podium finish, Sand for toughing out the Oly, and Mad Cow for the marathon.The Dances With Dirt 100K relay with 2Young and three others was a blast! We didn't win anything, but we had a fantastic time this weekend. We ended up camping out Friday and Saturday, so race morning logistics were easy. We got through the day in about 10:30. The weather ended up being cool (60'ish), and we picked up rain from leg 7 through to the end ...some of it heavy. So the latter legs were all messy. As it was, we had divvied up the 15 legs to that each of us would face some degree of muddy trails, river crossings, or wading through lakes.I ran a bit over 13 miles. The last mile of my last leg was the interesting part as I experienced my first encounter with what could be called some serious quicksand! The trail went down near some lakes and started weaving through some bogs around the lakes. It started with just sloshing through foot, then ankle, deep mud. That got washed off when I crossed a channel of knee-deep water between two lakes. But then it was right back to the muck. After that, it got really bad as some spots were quicksand - take a step, and you suddenly sink up to your hip. We ended up with a small group of about six of us packed together trying to get through it all. We came to one water hole, and a young gal in front of me was struggling with knee-deep mud as she tried to work around it. I decided to make a leap right into the water ...and promptly found myself chest-deep in swamp water, with my legs stuck in the muck below. Two young gals tried pulling me out, but couldn't, so I got hold of a branch near the water, tilted enough to free up one leg, and then rolled out enough to break free. One of the gals went off in front of our pack, and she sunk deep at least twice and I had to grab her arm to pull her free. Next we all came to a bigger water hole. They'd stretched a rope a couple of feet above the water with the idea that you'd use the rope to pull yourself across. I made a big leap, grabbed the rope, and found it worked best to lay on my back in the muck and pull myself commando style until I could get my butt on manageble muck, rotate my legs away from the water, and carry on. We had one more tough stretch wading through 50 feet of knee-deep muck before jogging further and finally finishing up that leg. Definitely my most unusual running ever!

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"Very, very good day!

Hell Michigan!!!

 

[tri-man 47]

So wait. Now gruecd is going over to the dark side? Is there anybody out there who still just runs?

I'll cross-train a bit, but I'm run-focused through until the start of next summer ...hopefully a fall race or two, then training for Boston and Big Sur.

 

[tri-man 47]

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"Very, very good day!

We left a message for you with the ultra-marathon volunteers at transition 13/14: "When a guy comes through with a walking stick and a bandana looped around his fingers, tell him the football guys say hi!"I did leg 11, so I passed you, and I believe I remember you from the early road crossing. You said something encouraging like "you're doing fantastic" and I said thanks and then shouted as I moved on "last leg!!!" lol Nice to meet you, Poppa!

 

[Poppa]

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"Very, very good day!

We left a message for you with the ultra-marathon volunteers at transition 13/14: "When a guy comes through with a walking stick and a bandana looped around his fingers, tell him the football guys say hi!"I did leg 11, so I passed you, and I believe I remember you from the early road crossing. You said something encouraging like "you're doing fantastic" and I said thanks and then shouted as I moved on "last leg!!!" lol Nice to meet you, Poppa!

I remember dat guy... Lol!

 

[Sand]

I am gonna start working on the swimming after Chicago. Talked to the girl last night, and I think we're gonna try to get together weekly. Kinda looking forward to that actually.

Do this part first. If you really want to pursue this, a 2.4 mile swim isn't a trivial undertaking.

 

[gruecd]

I am gonna start working on the swimming after Chicago. Talked to the girl last night, and I think we're gonna try to get together weekly. Kinda looking forward to that actually.

Do this part first. If you really want to pursue this, a 2.4 mile swim isn't a trivial undertaking.

Well aware of that. Believe me.I picked up the magazine that 2Young was talking about, and it talks about how runners have a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages with respect to triathlon training and racing. One of the "challenges" describes me perfectly:

Runners who don't have a swim background can suffer from "sinking leg syndrome" in the water, caused in part by their lean, muscular legs, high leg bone density and poor ankle flexibility.

 

[wraith5]

I picked up the magazine that 2Young was talking about, and it talks about how runners have a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages with respect to triathlon training and racing. One of the "challenges" describes me perfectly:

Runners who don't have a swim background can suffer from "sinking leg syndrome" in the water, caused in part by their lean, muscular legs, high leg bone density and poor ankle flexibility.

 

[Nigel]

Race day has moved up to 10/17 in Lowell instead of a race in Newton two weeks later. Lowell is pretty flat, whereas the Newton race is hilly, including a run up Heartbreak Hill on the back side – not up for that. We have to condense the training plan a bit though, we’ll see how it goes.

damn it - wife was supposed to sign us up for Lowell yesterday, and did not. She just went to do so this afternoon and it closed as of this morning. Looks like it will be the hills of Newton on 11/14 (4 weeks later, not two) instead. I guess the additional training time should negate the additional dificulty, though quite honestly I just wanted to get the thing over with. Had a solid interval workout yesterday on the treadmill, 10 minute warmup followed by 8x440s at 8.2mph, with 2 minutes of recovery at 6.5 between each, then a cool down 10 minutes, total of around 49 minutes. It was the longest I've ever been on a treadmill but I think intervals make it go by kind of quick. Felt great.

 

[wraith5]

10 x 400 (400RI) today, 6:30 goal pace. 1/2 mile warm-up / cooldown.

6:16

6:18

6:15

6:14

6:17

6:23

6:19

6:24

6:16

6:15

I jogged most of each recovery (A little less each time I suppose) which I don't do as well on the longer intervals. I feel like I can do 400s all day. Next week is 8x 800s which will be a real test.

Also, my HR monitor came back to life today! Apparently the new battery works afterall. Except for repeat #5 and #6, where my HR "hit" 225 and I died, it seems to be working fine.

Also also, hello bloody nipples. Forgot to wear bandaids on my 10 miler last week and did some damage. Apparently I wasn't fully healed.

 

[gruecd]

Also also, hello bloody nipples. Forgot to wear bandaids on my 10 miler last week and did some damage. Apparently I wasn't fully healed.

How'd the shower feel?

 

[wraith5]

Also also, hello bloody nipples. Forgot to wear bandaids on my 10 miler last week and did some damage. Apparently I wasn't fully healed.

How'd the shower feel?

Last week it hurt like hell. I didn't know I was injured until the blinding pain hit me in the shower. This week the blood tipped me off, so I applied Neosporin and bandaids BEFORE the shower.

 

[rail]

So wait. Now gruecd is going over to the dark side? Is there anybody out there who still just runs?

Still training for my first marathon on 10/17. Just did an 18-miler Sunday (was in MN, so I really enjoyed the extra oxygen).I have been neglecting my diet (not eating terrible, but not eating super great) , core work, and 1 day of cross-training. I'm sure this will affect me in the long run. The way my schedule and energy level have been going, I feel lucky to get in all of my runs each week.

 

[Born to Run]

I picked up the magazine that 2Young was talking about, and it talks about how runners have a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages with respect to triathlon training and racing. One of the "challenges" describes me perfectly:

Runners who don't have a swim background can suffer from "sinking leg syndrome" in the water, caused in part by their lean, muscular legs, high leg bone density and poor ankle flexibility.

That is only a factor for pool work. You will probably be wearing a compression suit for swimming which will make you quite buoyant. I just completed my first Olympic distance tri last weekend at Malibu which starts with a 1.5km/.93mi ows. No leg drag with all that neoprene on your body.

 

[D_House]

So wait. Now gruecd is going over to the dark side? Is there anybody out there who still just runs?

Still training for my first marathon on 10/17. Just did an 18-miler Sunday (was in MN, so I really enjoyed the extra oxygen).I have been neglecting my diet (not eating terrible, but not eating super great) , core work, and 1 day of cross-training. I'm sure this will affect me in the long run. The way my schedule and energy level have been going, I feel lucky to get in all of my runs each week.

Hey it looks like we are on an identical schedule. Same race date, same 18 mile run on Sunday, and same lack of diet, core work, and cross training. However, I am planning to do an aerobic video with my wife tonight as my cross training. NTTAWTT.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"

Very, very good day!

Since I didn't get the chance on Saturday THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING!!! The Dirt Crew was amazing, braving the rain. Wish we would have known you were out there to share a beer! No X Country of Dirty Old Men will be back next year, I'm sure of it, so I (we) look forward to hopefully seeing you out there then!

 

[2Young2BBald]

My daughter had a Cross Country meet out at the same park where there is a triathlon this weekend. I am still sore from the weekend, but I couldn't resist and came home and registered. Not sure what I got for the weekend, but I am not ready to be done with this season. Swam 2,000 yards last night and will be back in the pool tomorrow night. It sucked to be back to swimming indoors!

 

[prosopis]

104 outside when I got home.

I waited for the sun to dip behind the mountains and I headed out. I am sure it was in the high 90s when I was out there. I reset my garmin to pace me at 9:30-10:00

mile 1 9:48

mile 2 10:05

mile 3 10:10

cool down .37 @ 14:07

I am having a hard time keeping a steady pace. I am all over the place so the garmin was beeping quite a bit. I assume with time my body will figure out a steady maintained pace and I wont have so much beeping. It was hell hot out there and I did stop to walk two or three times.

I am pretty happy with what I did in that heat.

 

[wraith5]

104 outside when I got home. I waited for the sun to dip behind the mountains and I headed out. I am sure it was in the high 90s when I was out there. I reset my garmin to pace me at 9:30-10:00mile 1 9:48mile 2 10:05mile 3 10:10cool down .37 @ 14:07I am having a hard time keeping a steady pace. I am all over the place so the garmin was beeping quite a bit. I assume with time my body will figure out a steady maintained pace and I wont have so much beeping. It was hell hot out there and I did stop to walk two or three times.I am pretty happy with what I did in that heat.

Good job getting out there, pros!

 

[Sand]

Runners who don't have a swim background can suffer from "sinking leg syndrome" in the water, caused in part by their lean, muscular legs, high leg bone density and poor ankle flexibility.

Now this is bull####, IMO. Swimming is all about technique. The whole lean, muscular thing is a bunch of hooey.But I do agree that runners probably make the best triathletes. I hadn't swum in 20 years and in a year I am close to taking overall swim honors in races. I hadn't really ridden in 25 years and am now putting up top 10% type times after a year. Played soccer all my life and I am only top 1/3 (and I was a guy who lived off of speed on the field). Running pays off bigger than the other two, IMO.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Went out last night and did 9 miles with 5 x 600m repeats. My legs were like jello and still recovering a bit from the weekend. I have 14 on the schedule for tonight.

It was a little warmer last night when I ran and I felt like I could not get any air in my system at all. I am always impressed by you guys who get out there in the big heat and get things done. Even without humidity it still is a challenge.

 

[gruecd]

This morning was one of those "mind over matter" runs. Alarm went off at 5 AM, and I seriously contemplated staying in bed, but I got up anyway. Got downstairs, started getting dressed, but briefly contemplating going back to bed. Got out the door and ran a little over 3 miles to the track, then started the 1st of four (4) 1200-meter intervals. Couldn't get the legs moving and felt like quitting after the second lap, but kept going. Perseverance paid off, as the legs finally started to loosen up, and things got progressively better.

Ended up running 10 miles with 4 x 1200M at 4:35, 4:33, 4:31, and 4:28 (6:03 average pace). 3-minute jogs in between.

Off to work for early client meeting. Hope you all have a great day.

 

[The_Man]

104 outside when I got home. I waited for the sun to dip behind the mountains and I headed out. I am sure it was in the high 90s when I was out there. I reset my garmin to pace me at 9:30-10:00mile 1 9:48mile 2 10:05mile 3 10:10cool down .37 @ 14:07I am having a hard time keeping a steady pace. I am all over the place so the garmin was beeping quite a bit. I assume with time my body will figure out a steady maintained pace and I wont have so much beeping. It was hell hot out there and I did stop to walk two or three times.I am pretty happy with what I did in that heat.

For you to put in that kind of solid work in insane heat is amazing.Starting a mini-taper today for this weekend's HM. Just did 5 routine low-effort miles, progressively sped up from 9:09 for the first to 8:06 for the last, 8:37 average overall. It was just about 55 degrees when I started - unreal! Legs actually felt a little lifeless, despite the cool, which I think must be last week's new record mileage catching up with me. Trying to decide whether I want to do 2 or 3 tomorrow and take Friday off, or take tomorrow off and do the 2-3 on Friday. Leaning toward the latter, just because my legs usually take a couple of miles to get loose following off days and I want to be ready to race my best on Saturday. Any thoughts?

 

[Poppa]

Haven't checked-in in a lonnnng time, but wanted to see if any of youz were up in Michigan for the Dirt race ---'cause if you were, good chance you'da seen Poppa! Part of the Dirt Crew this time...Trail/Road-crossing volunteer guy in bright yellow somewhere on the 11th(?) leg - "Where's the F'n Bridge...?"

Very, very good day!

Since I didn't get the chance on Saturday THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING!!! The Dirt Crew was amazing, braving the rain. Wish we would have known you were out there to share a beer! No X Country of Dirty Old Men will be back next year, I'm sure of it, so I (we) look forward to hopefully seeing you out there then!

Thank you - never've volunteered for a race before. Would highly recommend for all of us that live to do these things!Whole 'nuther perspective...

Me an' the Missus'll be up again next year. We'll come FBG-identified in some manner...

 

[tri-man 47]

Runners who don't have a swim background can suffer from "sinking leg syndrome" in the water, caused in part by their lean, muscular legs, high leg bone density and poor ankle flexibility.

Now this is bull####, IMO. Swimming is all about technique. The whole lean, muscular thing is a bunch of hooey.But I do agree that runners probably make the best triathletes. I hadn't swum in 20 years and in a year I am close to taking overall swim honors in races. I hadn't really ridden in 25 years and am now putting up top 10% type times after a year. Played soccer all my life and I am only top 1/3 (and I was a guy who lived off of speed on the field). Running pays off bigger than the other two, IMO.

With a cautionary note for the longer triathlons. I recall my first half-IM, where I got through the swim in a decent time, but the effort was very hard and my feeling at the time was that it had 'sucked the brave' right out of me, throwing off the rest of the race. Any difficulties on a long swim (half-IM, or certainly the full IM) can be a significant set-back for the other two legs. You can bluff your way through a sprint or maybe even an Oly ...but not the longer races.

 

[Workhorse]

Did a 7 mile recovery run at 8:40 pace with 6x100 strides last night.

11 mile lactate threshold run with 7 miles at half marathon pace tonight.

This is my peak week for the PFitz 18/55 plan. And my legs are already screaming.

 

[gruecd]

Trying to decide whether I want to do 2 or 3 tomorrow and take Friday off, or take tomorrow off and do the 2-3 on Friday. Leaning toward the latter, just because my legs usually take a couple of miles to get loose following off days and I want to be ready to race my best on Saturday. Any thoughts?

I'm in total agreement with you. Take tomorrow off, and do a few "shakeout" miles on Friday. Like you, my legs also feel crappy the day after an off day.

 

[gruecd]

11 mile lactate threshold run with 7 miles at half marathon pace tonight.

Ooh, the "dreaded" Pfitz 11/7. The toughest workout in any Pfitz schedule, IMHO. Have fun with that.

 

[Workhorse]

11 mile lactate threshold run with 7 miles at half marathon pace tonight.

Ooh, the "dreaded" Pfitz 11/7. The toughest workout in any Pfitz schedule, IMHO. Have fun with that.

Yeah, the 10/6 was tough enough a few weeks ago.

 

[gruecd]

Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to lose? You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Realized I never answered your question. What do I have to lose? If I can find/make time for the additional training without spending even less time at home than I do already, then nothing. If not, then I probably stand to lose half of everything I own. Honestly, though, I figure I could stop playing basketball, going out with the guys on the weekends, spending so much time on the internet, and maybe even (gasp) fantasy football, and I could make it work. And I think it would be worth it, too.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Trying to decide whether I want to do 2 or 3 tomorrow and take Friday off, or take tomorrow off and do the 2-3 on Friday. Leaning toward the latter, just because my legs usually take a couple of miles to get loose following off days and I want to be ready to race my best on Saturday. Any thoughts?

Do you do any warmup running prior to the race? Personally, I like to take the day before a race completely off. On race day, about 45 minutes before the start, I'll jog half a mile easily and then throw in a couple of strides at 10K pace over the next half mile. I won't do this for the marathon because I don't need a warmup to hit MP comfortably, but for anything 13.1 and below that works pretty well for me.__________________________Good solid 6 miles today. Whatever lingering fatigue was causing me problems on Monday seems to be gone now, as expected.

 

[The_Man]

Trying to decide whether I want to do 2 or 3 tomorrow and take Friday off, or take tomorrow off and do the 2-3 on Friday. Leaning toward the latter, just because my legs usually take a couple of miles to get loose following off days and I want to be ready to race my best on Saturday. Any thoughts?

Do you do any warmup running prior to the race? Personally, I like to take the day before a race completely off. On race day, about 45 minutes before the start, I'll jog half a mile easily and then throw in a couple of strides at 10K pace over the next half mile. I won't do this for the marathon because I don't need a warmup to hit MP comfortably, but for anything 13.1 and below that works pretty well for me.

I dunno. This will be only my third race since ... Fall of 1984. Didn't really warm up before the other two. About 30 minutes before the race, I was planning to run 5 minutes, topping out at MP+1:00, then stretch for 10 minutes, then run 5 more minutes, topping out at HM pace for about 30 seconds. OK - going to plan to rest tomorrow and then shake the legs out Friday. The heavy legs I get following a day off are more likely to be a bother than any tiredness I would get from jogging 3 miles the day before a race.

Latest weather forecast for 8 a.m. Saturday is 61 degrees, with a dewpoint of 58. Love it! And my wife and kids are coming to see me run for the first time. Looks like a very boring spectator course, so they'll just camp out at the finish, but it will be fun to have them there. We're going to go down to the Eastern Shore after school on Friday, hit a bayside crab house on the way, and get to the hotel in time for the weekend's real main attraction - a heated indoor pool for the kids.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to lose? You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Realized I never answered your question. What do I have to lose? If I can find/make time for the additional training without spending even less time at home than I do already, then nothing. If not, then I probably stand to lose half of everything I own. Honestly, though, I figure I could stop playing basketball, going out with the guys on the weekends, spending so much time on the internet, and maybe even (gasp) fantasy football, and I could make it work. And I think it would be worth it, too.

I would be in the same boat. I don't have an active social life, but to spend less time with my kids would just hurt to bad. Even though the reality is that they probably are not really affected all that much by my schedule (I plan it that way), the little time I do get to spend time with them would be cut into and I don't want to do that to them or me. Ditto on the divorce too. I am sure my wife would be supportive for a time, but the Saturday bricks and long rides would be a no no for me.

 

[The_Man]

Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to lose? You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Realized I never answered your question. What do I have to lose? If I can find/make time for the additional training without spending even less time at home than I do already, then nothing. If not, then I probably stand to lose half of everything I own. Honestly, though, I figure I could stop playing basketball, going out with the guys on the weekends, spending so much time on the internet, and maybe even (gasp) fantasy football, and I could make it work. And I think it would be worth it, too.

I would be in the same boat. I don't have an active social life, but to spend less time with my kids would just hurt to bad. Even though the reality is that they probably are not really affected all that much by my schedule (I plan it that way), the little time I do get to spend time with them would be cut into and I don't want to do that to them or me. Ditto on the divorce too. I am sure my wife would be supportive for a time, but the Saturday bricks and long rides would be a no no for me.

This is an interesting topic - how do you fit all your training into a very full life of work and kids and marriage without becoming selfish and taking too much time away from those things? I feel like the balance right now is working, but it would probably tip if I devoted any more time to training. Except when I was hurt for a couple of weeks, I've run 5 times a week for 5 months now, and my wife has been incredibly supportive through it all - even during those recent Sunday afternoons when my long runs have been rendering me fast asleep for a couple of hours. She's made sure I've always had clean stuff to wear, that there's always the appropriate food and drinks in the house, and never complained about the ever-increasing dollars going to shoes, and a Garmin, and race fees, and now overnight hotel stays.But last week when I made a passing reference about trying to BQ in my next marathon because I almost certainly can't get there this time, her face kind of fell and she said "Next one?" Time with kids hasn't been a factor - I usually run before they're up, and I my son rode his bike with me during one long run - but I feel like once I run this marathon, it's going to have to be time to let my wife set the calendar/schedule for a while.

 

[BassNBrew]

Haven't been around for a couple days. Did I miss anything?

This weekend was an absolute blast. Headed down to Madison on Saturday afternoon with a buddy of mine, knocked out a nice 16-miler down there, and then headed out for a night on the town. Got to bed sometime after 2:00, then back up around 5:30 to get ready for Ironman!! Thanks to some connections, I was able to get VIP access, so we were able to do a lot of cool stuff, including helping out as wetsuit strippers and handing out water on the bike course in Verona. Had free food and drinks all day, and had access to the best seats in the house at the finish line. But the part part of the whole VIP thing was having access to the finish line area, where I was able to personally give my friend Jenni her finisher's medal. So cool. Actually, all of the people I knew who were racing down there did great. So proud of them....

My one piece of advice (and I should've known better) is to not attend an Ironman unless you want to get inspired. Seriously. It took me about five minutes standing on top of Monona Terrace watching everyone get in the water before I decided that I need to do one of these. And then watching all the runners finish later last night just confirmed it. I've got a friend who swam collegiately who coaches at a high school very near my house, and she's already offered to coach me up, so we'll see. Maybe I'll work towards a Half IM next summer, and if that goes well, maybe 2012.......

Super tired today though. Stayed almost 'til the end last night to watch another friend of mine finish around 11:45, then drove 2 hours home (after the late night on Saturday). Downed 2 cans of Amp on the way, and despite the couple hundred mg of caffeine, still barely made it. Hoping to knock out 10 miles this afternoon after work.

On the negative side, started Reggie Bush over Arian Foster this week. And played against Matt Forte in my other league. Way to start the season.

It was never a matter of "if", just "when". Welcome to the darkside.

 

[BassNBrew]

Went down to the beach to help a friend move the last two days. Took my TT bike and did manage to get in 40 miles in just a shade over 1:50. Averaged 23-24 mph for the first 20 miles including stop lights / signs with the tailwind and 18-19 mph on the way back into the wind. I wasn't pushing too hard but am still dealing with an elevate hr issue. For those familair with the area basically rode from Surfside thru downtown Myrtle to the outskirts of North Myrtle and back. With the wind at quatering at my back and a 25 mph speed limit, I didn't get passed by a car for roughly an 8 mile stretch down the grand strand. Traffic was light and the roads are pancake flat. I had a blast!!!

 

[tri-man 47]

Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to lose? You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Realized I never answered your question. What do I have to lose? If I can find/make time for the additional training without spending even less time at home than I do already, then nothing. If not, then I probably stand to lose half of everything I own. Honestly, though, I figure I could stop playing basketball, going out with the guys on the weekends, spending so much time on the internet, and maybe even (gasp) fantasy football, and I could make it work. And I think it would be worth it, too.

I would be in the same boat. I don't have an active social life, but to spend less time with my kids would just hurt to bad. Even though the reality is that they probably are not really affected all that much by my schedule (I plan it that way), the little time I do get to spend time with them would be cut into and I don't want to do that to them or me. Ditto on the divorce too. I am sure my wife would be supportive for a time, but the Saturday bricks and long rides would be a no no for me.

This is an interesting topic - how do you fit all your training into a very full life of work and kids and marriage without becoming selfish and taking too much time away from those things? I feel like the balance right now is working, but it would probably tip if I devoted any more time to training. Except when I was hurt for a couple of weeks, I've run 5 times a week for 5 months now, and my wife has been incredibly supportive through it all - even during those recent Sunday afternoons when my long runs have been rendering me fast asleep for a couple of hours. She's made sure I've always had clean stuff to wear, that there's always the appropriate food and drinks in the house, and never complained about the ever-increasing dollars going to shoes, and a Garmin, and race fees, and now overnight hotel stays.But last week when I made a passing reference about trying to BQ in my next marathon because I almost certainly can't get there this time, her face kind of fell and she said "Next one?" Time with kids hasn't been a factor - I usually run before they're up, and I my son rode his bike with me during one long run - but I feel like once I run this marathon, it's going to have to be time to let my wife set the calendar/schedule for a while.

While my two kids were young, I spent a ten year stretch as pretty much just a 5K guy (and loved it ..and miss it). Not a lot miles; just a lot of intensity. Only when the kids grew and started to be more self-manageable did I get back to triathloning. Be patient, guys. You don't get a do-over with the kids (..or wife). The racing will always be available (and the age brackets - eventually - start to thin).

 

[Darrinll40]

I didn't post this weekend because it took me a while to get over Saturday's fail run. I went out for 8 miles and ended up walking home after 5. After a couple of miles I was hacking and coughing about every half mile. I think I may have still been a bit sick from the week before.

Anyway, yesterday I felt much better so I went out for an easy 3. Temp was 92.

1- 10:22

2- 9:56

3- 10:15

A 10:12 average for a nice easy run. I felt great afterward.

Today I went out for a 4 mile run with .25 mile repeats. Temp was 89.

1- 10:56 easy warm up

Repeats

8:13

8:32

8:31

8:37

8:40

Averaged 10:03 for the 4 miles.

I don't understand why I can do 4 miles at a 10 min/mile ace, yet can't run 8 miles at a 12 m/m pace. Maybe it is all in my head. Today I started out thinking, oh, only 4 miles. Saturday I start out with, ohhhhhh 8 miles.

I had my yearly employer/insurance company sponsored health risk assessment.

Good news, I weighed in at 224, down 15 pounds in the last month and a half. They did claim my BMI was 31.3, so that means an obese man ran 4 miles at a 10 m/m pace today. Woohoo obesity.

 

[Sand]

Good news, I weighed in at 224, down 15 pounds in the last month and a half.

Went down to the beach to help a friend move the last two days. Took my TT bike and did manage to get in 40 miles in just a shade over 1:50. Averaged 23-24 mph for the first 20 miles including stop lights / signs with the tailwind and 18-19 mph on the way back into the wind. I wasn't pushing too hard but am still dealing with an elevate hr issue. For those familair with the area basically rode from Surfside thru downtown Myrtle to the outskirts of North Myrtle and back. With the wind at quatering at my back and a 25 mph speed limit, I didn't get passed by a car for roughly an 8 mile stretch down the grand strand. Traffic was light and the roads are pancake flat. I had a blast!!!

That sounds like fun! That kind of thing is why I am liking the bike more than anything else right now. We have a stretch on my regular ride that is a nice even -1.5% grade for a mile. I pulled four people down that road yesterday at 32mph. Love, love doing that stuff. Really bummed the days are getting too short to ride a lot.----On my end yesterday I had my regular group ride. 25 folks started and I ended up dropping about 20 of them. The other 4 dropped me like a hot rock on the last long road - I just fell flat at 20 miles in. Still managed to average 22mph (avg power 227w). So today I wake up and I am sore. Like from the bottom of my feet all the way up. Got to the pool today and didn't even get out of the car - just basically said "day off!" and took off home. Evidently I should have rested more than 1 day after the Oly.

 

[prosopis]

I didn't post this weekend because it took me a while to get over Saturday's fail run. I went out for 8 miles and ended up walking home after 5. After a couple of miles I was hacking and coughing about every half mile. I think I may have still been a bit sick from the week before.

Anyway, yesterday I felt much better so I went out for an easy 3. Temp was 92.

1- 10:22

2- 9:56

3- 10:15

A 10:12 average for a nice easy run. I felt great afterward.

Today I went out for a 4 mile run with .25 mile repeats. Temp was 89.

1- 10:56 easy warm up

Repeats

8:13

8:32

8:31

8:37

8:40

Averaged 10:03 for the 4 miles.

I don't understand why I can do 4 miles at a 10 min/mile ace, yet can't run 8 miles at a 12 m/m pace. Maybe it is all in my head. Today I started out thinking, oh, only 4 miles. Saturday I start out with, ohhhhhh 8 miles.

I had my yearly employer/insurance company sponsored health risk assessment.

Good news, I weighed in at 224, down 15 pounds in the last month and a half. They did claim my BMI was 31.3, so that means an obese man ran 4 miles at a 10 m/m pace today. Woohoo obesity.

I dont understand this. Did you run the 8s every so often for 1/4 mile? If so was it evry 1/2 mile?Congrats on losing the weight.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I don't understand why I can do 4 miles at a 10 min/mile ace, yet can't run 8 miles at a 12 m/m pace.

Seriously, you need to not obsess over this. First, 8 miles is a lot longer than 4 miles. Doubling your mileage is always more than twice as hard. Second, it's apparently still very hot where you live, which makes it even tougher. And finally, like you said, you've still got some extra pounds, which makes distance running way harder. You should be thinking about the weight you've lost and the fitness you've gained. You know this already, but most people with a 31 BMI would be completely unable to run a single mile, let alone 4, let alone 8. You are in the process of making a major lifestyle change. It's already shown dividends, and it's only going to get better. Just stick with and don't get down on yourself. You're absolutely doing the right thing and you should be feeling great about the results you've achieved so far, not bad stuff that you'll be able to overcome down the road.Edit: For real,

 

[Ned]

I don't understand why I can do 4 miles at a 10 min/mile ace, yet can't run 8 miles at a 12 m/m pace.

Seriously, you need to not obsess over this. First, 8 miles is a lot longer than 4 miles. Doubling your mileage is always more than twice as hard. Second, it's apparently still very hot where you live, which makes it even tougher. And finally, like you said, you've still got some extra pounds, which makes distance running way harder. You should be thinking about the weight you've lost and the fitness you've gained. You know this already, but most people with a 31 BMI would be completely unable to run a single mile, let alone 4, let alone 8. You are in the process of making a major lifestyle change. It's already shown dividends, and it's only going to get better. Just stick with and don't get down on yourself. You're absolutely doing the right thing and you should be feeling great about the results you've achieved so far, not bad stuff that you'll be able to overcome down the road.Edit: For real,

 

[gruecd]

While my two kids were young, I spent a ten year stretch as pretty much just a 5K guy (and loved it ..and miss it). Not a lot miles; just a lot of intensity. Only when the kids grew and started to be more self-manageable did I get back to triathloning. Be patient, guys. You don't get a do-over with the kids (..or wife). The racing will always be available (and the age brackets - eventually - start to thin).

I think I can manage the time commitment, but like I said, it's just gonna mean (a) getting up religiously to work out in the morning, especially since I'll need to do a lot of doubles, and (b) giving up some of the other "extra" stuff.

 

[Sand]

I don't understand why I can do 4 miles at a 10 min/mile ace, yet can't run 8 miles at a 12 m/m pace. Maybe it is all in my head. Today I started out thinking, oh, only 4 miles. Saturday I start out with, ohhhhhh 8 miles.

Dude, I started out 2009 at 210lbs (BMI=31). ZERO chance I could have run 2 miles, much less four. In fact, I didn't start running until I was down to 175 and even then for six weeks I would do 2 miles and come home practically puking.You are so far ahead of the game it isn't even funny. A few more months of what you are doing and you are going to hit a golden age. Just keep going!

 

[pmbrown_22]

Grue - I say go for it. What do you have to lose? You obviously have the determination and no doubt you would succeed with it. You will never know if you don't try.

Realized I never answered your question. What do I have to lose? If I can find/make time for the additional training without spending even less time at home than I do already, then nothing. If not, then I probably stand to lose half of everything I own. Honestly, though, I figure I could stop playing basketball, going out with the guys on the weekends, spending so much time on the internet, and maybe even (gasp) fantasy football, and I could make it work. And I think it would be worth it, too.

I would be in the same boat. I don't have an active social life, but to spend less time with my kids would just hurt to bad. Even though the reality is that they probably are not really affected all that much by my schedule (I plan it that way), the little time I do get to spend time with them would be cut into and I don't want to do that to them or me. Ditto on the divorce too. I am sure my wife would be supportive for a time, but the Saturday bricks and long rides would be a no no for me.

This is an interesting topic - how do you fit all your training into a very full life of work and kids and marriage without becoming selfish and taking too much time away from those things? I feel like the balance right now is working, but it would probably tip if I devoted any more time to training. Except when I was hurt for a couple of weeks, I've run 5 times a week for 5 months now, and my wife has been incredibly supportive through it all - even during those recent Sunday afternoons when my long runs have been rendering me fast asleep for a couple of hours. She's made sure I've always had clean stuff to wear, that there's always the appropriate food and drinks in the house, and never complained about the ever-increasing dollars going to shoes, and a Garmin, and race fees, and now overnight hotel stays.But last week when I made a passing reference about trying to BQ in my next marathon because I almost certainly can't get there this time, her face kind of fell and she said "Next one?" Time with kids hasn't been a factor - I usually run before they're up, and I my son rode his bike with me during one long run - but I feel like once I run this marathon, it's going to have to be time to let my wife set the calendar/schedule for a while.

For me, my wife has been really supportive and I promised that running would interupt the rest of the family's schedule as little as possible. For the most part I have stuck to that, but there is always going to be exceptions. She was like that for the first training cycle and then after the first marathon, she was amazed at the people that ran and kind of understood why I did it. I guess she started to respect what I did. I am not sure if you have done earlier marathons and if your wife was present, but my wife now makes it a challenge to try and map out the routes so she can see me as many times as possible to cheer me on. She gets it now and has even started to run here and there. Will she ever do a marathon, probably not, but maybe she sees the benefit of me running and hopefully living a healthy, long life.As far as budgeting for different things, we are on the "Ramsey" plan right now, but still get a little extra cash here and there to spend on things like this. I just have to tell my CFO when the race is and how much it will be. She finds the money for the entrance fee and lodging. She gets to get away for a bit too so she does not mind too much. As for shoes, I get $25 dollars a week allowance to do with what I want. I hardly eat out for lunch so I usually end up saving most of it. This is my shoe money and a couple of weeks before my shoes wear out, I am scouring the net to find the best prices on shoes so I can by two pair to rotate my miles. It has worked out really well so far for me.

--------------

Went out last night and did my 14 miles. It has gotten hot again over the last couple of days and we had impending storms coming in so the humidity was up as well. Got through them, but man was I wiped.

Have a great day all.

 

[gruecd]

Went out last night and did my 14 miles. It has gotten hot again over the last couple of days and we had impending storms coming in so the humidity was up as well. Got through them, but man was I wiped.

Nice work, pmb. I've got 11 tonight, and then an easy little 4-5 miles tomorrow before knocking out my last really long run of this training cycle (21 miles) on Saturday morning.

 

[Workhorse]

Did my PFitz 11/7 last night. The 7 miles at 7:40 pace and finished the overall run in 1h28m.

My legs are killing me this am. Even a good working over with "The Stick" isn't helping right now. Gonna be an Advil day.