Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)

[prosopis]

After a ton of over analyzing the past 10 days or so, I've just had my plan come to me during my 3 miler today. I'm ready.

These past couple of days has turned our lives upside down, but has also given me clear perspective on this race and everything else in life. My wife's grandfather lived in the 'inlaw suite' that we have connected to our house for the past few years. My wife's parents' yard joins up to our yard, so we have a nice little corner carved out for family here <insert living with inlaws jokes here>. Long story short, after a long battle with his kidneys, her grandfather passed away yesterday morning. Its obviously stirred up all kinds of emotions. It has also opened up a lot of old wounds for me personally from losing my dad 9 years ago.

I did 3 easy miles for lunch and reflected back on all the above and came to the conclusion that I'm putting way too much pressure on myself with this marathon. I've completely lost sight of why I'm doing this in the first place and got caught up with chasing an arbitrary number that I've cooked up in my head based on a hand full of training runs. In all honesty, I really have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to running 26.2. Setting these arbitrary goals is setting myself up to fail.

So with that, I'm rebooting myself and going at this by listening to my body for the entire run. My 1 and only goal is to enjoy this experience and be happy that I'm alive and physically capable of even attempting to run 26.2. Any good numbers will surely come as a result of that and will be icing on the cake. This goes against my usual competitive nature, but I'm at peace with this. I want to run because I love this sport and its really a celebration of what I've been able to accomplish in the last 9 months.

Sorry about your loss.You're faster than me so my goals may not apply.

1) Don't get chicked by any chicks in the 3rd trimester.

2) Don't get dropped by anyone who's currently applying to be on the Biggest Loser.

3) Don't be that guy spazing across the finish line and end being a youtube sensation.

This is actually one of my goals. It is second behind tri mans faking injury at the end of a marathon to get the benefits.

 

[Dexter]

Spent the day mountain biking I hit Bloomer and Addison. I have a mountain bike relay race tomorrow. Probably will put in 26+ miles total. Not a lot but should be a good time.

 

[prosopis]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?

I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

 

[sho nuff]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

 

[Sand]

Practice race tomorrow at Oak Mountain (BnB knows this place). Two laps (24mi) of nasty hills + some swimming + a small run. I am definitely in taper mode and am not going to kill myself here. I'll crush the swim and then do a medium tempo bike and run. I may even draft to see what the practice officials will do about it.

 

[Darrinll40]

7 miles this morning, it was a bit harder than last week but 40 seconds faster. As I was walking a bit after the run I was thinking that maybe I need to start stepping back every third long run. I just finished 4-6 mile runs and 2-7 milers so I think I will just do 4 or 5 next week. After that my last 7, then 2-8's then step back to a 6.

My legs were giving out a bit at the end and giving them a break every few weeks will probably help.

Looking forward to race reports this weekend. Everyone do well and run fast.

ETA: I just checked and the last 5 months I have only skipped two 3 mile runs.

Also I am watching "Blue Bloods" a Tom Selleck cop show that was on last night and one of the guest stars was a babe geared up as a runner being kidnapped in NY City. Man she was hot in her shorts. I looked for any pics and failed to find some.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

I am a firm believer. Back in '09 I threw my back out quite severely on Thanksgiving (9 days before the Las Vegas 1/2 where my wife and I were set to get remarried during the race). I had to get help getting off the couch and out of bed for the first few days. I've seen my chiro now and then for years. She came in on her off days to start what she called "aggressive chiropractic rehab". I saw her 8 straight days, including early in the morning before we flew to Vegas. I was not only able to run the 1/2, I was able to spend the day and night after partying it up on the strip, totally pain free. During last year's HIM training plan, I also saw her every Monday after all of the long brick workouts (probably 5 or 6 times during the cycle). I did not skip a single workout during the cycle based on soreness, pain, etc (sometimes life got in the way, but nothing training related).I'd give it a shot, its not that expensive and you can judge the results to see if you want to go back. Yeah, most will tell you it'll take more than one visit to see results. I suppose there is some truth to this. You'll know if it makes a difference or not.

 

[prosopis]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

 

[prosopis]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

I am a firm believer. Back in '09 I threw my back out quite severely on Thanksgiving (9 days before the Las Vegas 1/2 where my wife and I were set to get remarried during the race). I had to get help getting off the couch and out of bed for the first few days. I've seen my chiro now and then for years. She came in on her off days to start what she called "aggressive chiropractic rehab". I saw her 8 straight days, including early in the morning before we flew to Vegas. I was not only able to run the 1/2, I was able to spend the day and night after partying it up on the strip, totally pain free. During last year's HIM training plan, I also saw her every Monday after all of the long brick workouts (probably 5 or 6 times during the cycle). I did not skip a single workout during the cycle based on soreness, pain, etc (sometimes life got in the way, but nothing training related).I'd give it a shot, its not that expensive and you can judge the results to see if you want to go back. Yeah, most will tell you it'll take more than one visit to see results. I suppose there is some truth to this. You'll know if it makes a difference or not.

Was yours soft tissue manipulation only or was there bone cracking involved? I really dont like the idea of my skeleton being messed with. My friends description of the soft tissue manipulation and how it works made a lot of sense to me. The guy I was talking to is above avg smart IMHO and I respect what he says. He is a doctor as well. His wife is also a physical therapist who agrees with what he says.

 

[prosopis]

I got a nice 6 miles done this morning. Things are heating up here. We hit 100 yesterday. I am wondering how the 5k 6/4/11 will go. It is at 7:00pm but it can still be in the 90s at that time here. Should be interesting.

Good luck to all of our racers-Grue, The Man, Sho Nuff

 

[2Young2BBald]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?

I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

I am a firm believer. Back in '09 I threw my back out quite severely on Thanksgiving (9 days before the Las Vegas 1/2 where my wife and I were set to get remarried during the race). I had to get help getting off the couch and out of bed for the first few days. I've seen my chiro now and then for years. She came in on her off days to start what she called "aggressive chiropractic rehab". I saw her 8 straight days, including early in the morning before we flew to Vegas. I was not only able to run the 1/2, I was able to spend the day and night after partying it up on the strip, totally pain free. During last year's HIM training plan, I also saw her every Monday after all of the long brick workouts (probably 5 or 6 times during the cycle). I did not skip a single workout during the cycle based on soreness, pain, etc (sometimes life got in the way, but nothing training related).

I'd give it a shot, its not that expensive and you can judge the results to see if you want to go back. Yeah, most will tell you it'll take more than one visit to see results. I suppose there is some truth to this. You'll know if it makes a difference or not.

Was yours soft tissue manipulation only or was there bone cracking involved? I really dont like the idea of my skeleton being messed with. My friends description of the soft tissue manipulation and how it works made a lot of sense to me. The guy I was talking to is above avg smart IMHO and I respect what he says. He is a doctor as well. His wife is also a physical therapist who agrees with what he says.

Are you saying you don't trust my opinion because I am NOT above average smart?

Both, we have done the "bone cracking" for years and I find it gives significant relief. We have also used traction from time to time when my lower back, hips and/or legs have been out of alignment. There are good and bad chiros and working in insurance, I have seen more than my share of the bad. I found someone I could trust and it works for me, but understand it is not for everyone. In similar fashion, I thought Yoga was a bunch of hooey until I tried it. Now, having not done it for about a month, I can see the advantages it has for folks like us.

 

[Sand]

Finished my practice race. About 50 people showed up - good turnout. About half did the long course and half the short - the difference being one or two laps of OM. I did the long course. Crushed the swim - something like 1:15/100 for 600yds. Managed to average 240w on the bike (24mi) and averaged 20 with no aero stuff on, nor the bike really setup for TT work. Finished with a short 2.5 mile run, which was good since my calf has been a bit sore and I didn't want to kill it. Managed to come in about three minutes ahead, so I "won".

 

[sho nuff]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

 

[Sand]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

Chances are the course was spot on, but your GPS was a tad off and you didn't run the tangents perfectly.

 

[sho nuff]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

Chances are the course was spot on, but your GPS was a tad off and you didn't run the tangents perfectly.

I agree it likely was. The other I did a month ago was a tad shorter (and was not a certified course so I would not doubt it was a bit short compared to this). That just made me feel even better about this time though.

 

[Ned]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

Good job! I hope that ankle is minor.

 

[skillz]

I am long-time lurker and occassionally post in here. Been running for about 4 years now and have kept to 5 and 10K's. IT is tough for me to get a run in more than 3-4 days per week with my work schedule and taking care of my young son. Have a 10K this weekend in Grand Rapids - ran my first 10K in the same race last year in terrible weather (windy and very cold) and finished in 49:18 which I was very happy with (my goal heading into the race was 52:00). Hoping to beat that time this year.

After that is done I am seriously considering a new challenge by doing a mini-triathlon in August. Requires a 3 mile run, 15 mile bike ride and .3 mile swim. Figured it would give me a change of pace to my workout and a new challenge after 4 years of simply running.

So I am sure I will be posting in here soon about any help or tips you guys can give me on how to get ready for the tri in August. Mostly worried about the swim part more than anything else. I plan on training at a pool in my local Y. The rest seems to be mostly logistical concerns like bringing the right equipment and clothing in order for me to successfully switch over from one portion of the event to another.

Mission accomplished! Finished a rainy and puddle-infested 10k in 47:12. I don't think I could have changed anything about how I approached my run. It also really helped knowing the course from last year so I could save energy for some hills at the end and know when to turn it loose at the end. Now I have to come up with a plan for getting ready for the triathlon I want to do in August. May hit another 10k in late June as well.

 

[SteelCurtain]

Nice job skillz and sho nuff!

Gruecd and Ned -- you're next. Good luck and do your best.

=====================

My update -- ran 8.5 miles this morning at 8:33 pace. I did the first 6.5 at 8:45 pace and then picked it up a bit the last two miles to bring that average pace down. Felt okay but legs are tired from running 5 out of 6 days. Also dealing with a minor bone issue on my left shin. I referee high school and college hockey and got hit by a puck on that shin about 18 months ago and it was a pretty significant bone bruise. It flared up after my marathon and it is still painful the first half mile of every run and its noticeable throughout every run. Not sure what to do.....hoping that it will get used to running as it was able to handle a marathon 4-5 months ago. We'll see.

Hoping to run an easy 3 tomorrow but its supposed to rain and I've got a lot of "to-do's" from my wife.

My next race will be a 7 miler on 6/12.

 

[tri-man 47]

sho nuff & skillz --- great job guys!!! sho nuff, if you're sore in the morning, soak the ankle/foot in some cold water.

 

[Ned]

I am long-time lurker and occassionally post in here. Been running for about 4 years now and have kept to 5 and 10K's. IT is tough for me to get a run in more than 3-4 days per week with my work schedule and taking care of my young son. Have a 10K this weekend in Grand Rapids - ran my first 10K in the same race last year in terrible weather (windy and very cold) and finished in 49:18 which I was very happy with (my goal heading into the race was 52:00). Hoping to beat that time this year.

After that is done I am seriously considering a new challenge by doing a mini-triathlon in August. Requires a 3 mile run, 15 mile bike ride and .3 mile swim. Figured it would give me a change of pace to my workout and a new challenge after 4 years of simply running.

So I am sure I will be posting in here soon about any help or tips you guys can give me on how to get ready for the tri in August. Mostly worried about the swim part more than anything else. I plan on training at a pool in my local Y. The rest seems to be mostly logistical concerns like bringing the right equipment and clothing in order for me to successfully switch over from one portion of the event to another.

Mission accomplished! Finished a rainy and puddle-infested 10k in 47:12. I don't think I could have changed anything about how I approached my run. It also really helped knowing the course from last year so I could save energy for some hills at the end and know when to turn it loose at the end. Now I have to come up with a plan for getting ready for the triathlon I want to do in August. May hit another 10k in late June as well.

That's a great time, skillz. Nice work!

 

[2Young2BBald]

I am long-time lurker and occassionally post in here. Been running for about 4 years now and have kept to 5 and 10K's. IT is tough for me to get a run in more than 3-4 days per week with my work schedule and taking care of my young son. Have a 10K this weekend in Grand Rapids - ran my first 10K in the same race last year in terrible weather (windy and very cold) and finished in 49:18 which I was very happy with (my goal heading into the race was 52:00). Hoping to beat that time this year.

After that is done I am seriously considering a new challenge by doing a mini-triathlon in August. Requires a 3 mile run, 15 mile bike ride and .3 mile swim. Figured it would give me a change of pace to my workout and a new challenge after 4 years of simply running.

So I am sure I will be posting in here soon about any help or tips you guys can give me on how to get ready for the tri in August. Mostly worried about the swim part more than anything else. I plan on training at a pool in my local Y. The rest seems to be mostly logistical concerns like bringing the right equipment and clothing in order for me to successfully switch over from one portion of the event to another.

Mission accomplished! Finished a rainy and puddle-infested 10k in 47:12. I don't think I could have changed anything about how I approached my run. It also really helped knowing the course from last year so I could save energy for some hills at the end and know when to turn it loose at the end. Now I have to come up with a plan for getting ready for the triathlon I want to do in August. May hit another 10k in late June as well.

Awesome!!! Where is your Tri? I am guessing its in MI and there are tons of triathletes in MI over on BeginnerTriathlete. I think you are over close to GR. If this is the case, you should go watch or volunteer at the GR Tri the first weekend in June. They are drawing some amazing triathletes and you can learn a lot just by watching (especially watching transition).

 

[FBG26]

Hiked from the top of the Grand Canyon down to the river and back up this morning. About 16-17 miles round trip, roughly 6.5 down and 10 up. That counts as my work out for the weekend. Oddly, going up was better than going down. Legs feel great but I'm really mad at myself for forgetting the Body Glide as my thighs are rubbed raw.

2 weeks til the Madison half.

 

[Dexter]

Crappy day to be outside mountain biking for 6 hours + another 2 waiting around for prizes. One of my team members got really hurt 2 miles into his first lap and had to go to the hospital. He's going to be okay but is pretty screwed up right now.

Anyway put in 26 miles and I feel pretty good. I hope to get a run in tomorrow depending on the weather.

Our team missed first place by 3 minutes (we tied the first place team in laps so it went to total time) We would have one if we didn't spend a long time tending to our hurt friend. oh well I don't care about that.

 

[Darrinll40]

I decided to start my early week by taking today off.

Last night I we went out to dinner to celebrate a friends birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed a 16 oz prime rib (medium - pink, but not bloody) and a small piece of cake. I was so full and got home so late I decided getting up at 6 and running was not going to be pleasant.

I hope all the racers did/do well.

 

[El Floppo]

I was semi-serious in years' past, but I am now serious about this....

I have a pair of 2005, 650s Zipp 404s that are being wasted sitting in my closet. Little mileage on the rear (which was replaced by the manufacturer before my last two races... so 168 miles on it). I've got a couple of DA cogsets, some Ti skewers PLUS a nice wheelbag that will go with them. (eta: they're tubulars)

Who wants to buy them, or knows somebody that rides 650s that might? I'm still trying to figure out price... but make me an offer.

 

[prosopis]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

Sounds like you had fun. Those are the times I am hoping for at my next 5k in June.

 

[prosopis]

I am long-time lurker and occassionally post in here. Been running for about 4 years now and have kept to 5 and 10K's. IT is tough for me to get a run in more than 3-4 days per week with my work schedule and taking care of my young son. Have a 10K this weekend in Grand Rapids - ran my first 10K in the same race last year in terrible weather (windy and very cold) and finished in 49:18 which I was very happy with (my goal heading into the race was 52:00). Hoping to beat that time this year.

After that is done I am seriously considering a new challenge by doing a mini-triathlon in August. Requires a 3 mile run, 15 mile bike ride and .3 mile swim. Figured it would give me a change of pace to my workout and a new challenge after 4 years of simply running.

So I am sure I will be posting in here soon about any help or tips you guys can give me on how to get ready for the tri in August. Mostly worried about the swim part more than anything else. I plan on training at a pool in my local Y. The rest seems to be mostly logistical concerns like bringing the right equipment and clothing in order for me to successfully switch over from one portion of the event to another.

Mission accomplished! Finished a rainy and puddle-infested 10k in 47:12. I don't think I could have changed anything about how I approached my run. It also really helped knowing the course from last year so I could save energy for some hills at the end and know when to turn it loose at the end. Now I have to come up with a plan for getting ready for the triathlon I want to do in August. May hit another 10k in late June as well.

Nice

 

[prosopis]

Hiked from the top of the Grand Canyon down to the river and back up this morning. About 16-17 miles round trip, roughly 6.5 down and 10 up. That counts as my work out for the weekend. Oddly, going up was better than going down. Legs feel great but I'm really mad at myself for forgetting the Body Glide as my thighs are rubbed raw.2 weeks til the Madison half.

That is awesome. I have done the rim to rim hike. I hope to one day do a rim to rim trail run. Just a beautiful place for running. Last year I ran from the little town out side of GC to GC and saw a ton of cool wild life.My rim to rim hike is one of the high lights of my life.

 

[Ned]

This got long winded, so I tried to summarize the first paragraph in case you don't want to read the novel.

The 2011 Delaware Marathon was the most humbling experience of my life. I can't quite get my head wrapped around what went wrong today, but the one thing is for certain - I underestimated everything and paid a huge price. The humidity, the heat, my fitness, the hills. You name it, I screwed it up. I finished, but nowhere near where I thought I would - 4:42:17. I'm still proud with being able to limp it in and be a finisher, but my god it hurt.

The weather this morning was gross. It was 65 and 100% humidity at 6AM when we left the house. I decided with the humidity I better scale it back some at the beginning to get settled in. The first 6 miles were flat so it was a good amount of time to settle in. I was comfortable right off the bat and was rock steady at 9:18-9:20 for the first 6.

At mile 6 we entered into Brandywine valley where the majority of the climbs were at. From 6-10 was a lot hillier than I expected, but I felt strong. I sort of fell asleep on the hills for the 7th mile and ran a 9:56. Maybe this was my first sign that something was wrong, but I didn't realize it. The humidity was so bad we were running through fog/mist through the park. I couldn't tell what was sweat and what was water. I really wanted it to rain in hopes that it would bring the humidity down.

After 10 there was a nice downhill back into the city until we hit mile 12 which had the biggest climb of the run. My wife, kids, brother, and friend were at this point after a quick sighting at 4.0. My 2yr old son reached out for a high five which was a major shot of adrenaline. By this time I had hooked up with a woman from VA. She was super cool and chatty (almost too chatty). We cruised up the hill with no issue and rolled back towards the start. This was a 2 loop course, so we got to do everything again. We had joked about how much 'fun' that hill was going to be at 25.

At 15 I had to pee so bad it was painful. I thought cool I'm hydrating well if I have to still pee like this because at this point my shoes were totally saturated from sweat. The constant squishing noise with each step was gross and felt 'great'. I tried to pee while running, but I couldn't do it. I tried to relax and just let it free, but no dice. So off to a portopot I went. This is when I first noticed that I was feeling off. I suddenly didn't feel as energize as before. I thought it was the stop/go, but by the time I hit 16 it was no better.

At 17 I took some extra gatorade at the water station and saw the clan again shortly after. Some more high fives, but I was in trouble by then. I tried to scale it back, but no matter how much I slowed down, I was still in pain. My left foot went numb from the balls of my foot to my toes. My right arch was doing some weired pull/sting sensation. Quads were fading fast and I still had the climb through Brandywine again. I hit the first hill at 19 and felt like I ran into the proverbial wall. I had to walk. And walk. I knew then I was done. It became a game of survival. I saw a good 6-8 people on stretchers, getting checked by EMTs, etc. I just didn't want to be one of them.

I think I actually hit the wall back at 17 and was on the death march for the last 8 miles. It was not pleasant. I really questioned if I was going to be able to finish when I was at the top of the 2nd Brandywine climb at 21. I walked and shuffled it in and got pretty emotional when I saw the 26 mi marker. When I finished, I was toast and nearly collapsed. Thanks to the course worker who were right there instantly. When my wife and kids showed up, I fell apart and cried like a girl. I was proud of finishing, yet disappointed that I unraveled so bad. My wife notice I was bleeding on my shirt. I sweat so much, the pins holding my bib rusted and stained my shirt looking like blood. Whoa...

I was 2:01 for the first half and a killer 2:41 for the 2nd half. Its now 5+ hours later and my first 2 toes (big & middle) are still numb. Legs are torched. I tried to nap, but my legs hurt so much I couldn't fall asleep. Thanks to my awesome wife and kids who have been waiting on me all afternoon while I sit here like a tub of goo. I was prepared for a melt down, but never did I see a 41 minute positive split. Ooof.

I'm open to any/all criticism. I want to learn from this experience.

 

[prosopis]

I am working on my training plan for a marathon 12/11/11. I got the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas. I am looking at the 24 week schedule. I dont understand what this means: General aerobic+speed 7 mi w/10 x 100 m strides.

I think it means run 7 miles and do 10 100 m strides. What I dont understand is when I do the 10 strides. Before or after the 7 miles. Maybe they are alternated with in the 7 miles?

What is a 100 m stride? I think it is all out as fast as I can go for 100 m. Is that correct?

As always thanks for any help. I am getting geeked up for this new training plan.

 

[mr. furley]

gruecd> how was the wind this morning?

 

[prosopis]

gruecd> how was the wind this morning?

Waiting for his report. He has some on face book.

 

[sho nuff]

sho nuff & skillz --- great job guys!!! sho nuff, if you're sore in the morning, soak the ankle/foot in some cold water.

Going to do some of that this evening.Been a busy day between church and up making my white chicken chili.Just got back from a 10 mile bike ride that the ankle was ok for that.Its sore some when walking...but not all that bad. Ive sprained these things so many times...im used to a little soreness in them.

 

[sho nuff]

Good luck to Ned and Grue tomorrow. Any one else racing this week end?I did 7 + the other night and it was pretty warm but I felt good. I still have these nagging problems with my left hip,glute,knee but I can still run. Rest was not making anything better so I have decided to just run through it. I have an appt with the orthopedic guy in two weeks. I was talking to a friend who is also a runner/tri guy. He says he saw a chiropractor who specialized in soft tissue manipulation? He explained it to me and said it was a miracle. I am scared to death of chiropractors but I may go this route if it is only soft tissue/muscle being worked on and no bone cracking. Any one here have any experience with that kind of thing?

Doing a little 5k for the Homeless in Nashville.Should be wet...plus battling what I thought was strep throat but is some other type of infection. So on an antibiotic and feel like crap...but going to give it a go anyway.

Good luck!! Go all out and sweat the infection out of your system.

Well...was not sure how I felt this morning...but the weather held off so I gave it a go. Great weather actually. Overcast and about 60 degrees.Went 29:00...my 1st 5k last month was 29:41 I think. Not bad...and this one went about .l further than the last according to my garmin.Mile 1 9:08Mile 2 9:13Mile 3 9:26then 7:29/mile for the last .16. Ended up twisting my ankle a bit on a rough patch of the road in the last mile that I thought I was ok during it, but afterward I could tell. Nothing bad and not my usual messed up ankle.As good as it felt...just had to laugh. Winner was 16:09 and I got beat by two different 8 year olds. Though, one ran it in 23:53 so I could not feel too bad there, no way I was catching him. The other was just ahead of me. I was trying to catch him down the stretch (after following some nice scenery over the last mile).

Sounds like you had fun. Those are the times I am hoping for at my next 5k in June.

Was a good run...not a bad course downtown Nashville. Run was to raise money for the homeless shelter and some other charities associated with it.The organizers is an organization that Chris Johnson does some things with too.

 

[SteelCurtain]

This got long winded, so I tried to summarize the first paragraph in case you don't want to read the novel.

The 2011 Delaware Marathon was the most humbling experience of my life. I can't quite get my head wrapped around what went wrong today, but the one thing is for certain - I underestimated everything and paid a huge price. The humidity, the heat, my fitness, the hills. You name it, I screwed it up. I finished, but nowhere near where I thought I would - 4:42:17. I'm still proud with being able to limp it in and be a finisher, but my god it hurt.

The weather this morning was gross. It was 65 and 100% humidity at 6AM when we left the house. I decided with the humidity I better scale it back some at the beginning to get settled in. The first 6 miles were flat so it was a good amount of time to settle in. I was comfortable right off the bat and was rock steady at 9:18-9:20 for the first 6.

At mile 6 we entered into Brandywine valley where the majority of the climbs were at. From 6-10 was a lot hillier than I expected, but I felt strong. I sort of fell asleep on the hills for the 7th mile and ran a 9:56. Maybe this was my first sign that something was wrong, but I didn't realize it. The humidity was so bad we were running through fog/mist through the park. I couldn't tell what was sweat and what was water. I really wanted it to rain in hopes that it would bring the humidity down.

After 10 there was a nice downhill back into the city until we hit mile 12 which had the biggest climb of the run. My wife, kids, brother, and friend were at this point after a quick sighting at 4.0. My 2yr old son reached out for a high five which was a major shot of adrenaline. By this time I had hooked up with a woman from VA. She was super cool and chatty (almost too chatty). We cruised up the hill with no issue and rolled back towards the start. This was a 2 loop course, so we got to do everything again. We had joked about how much 'fun' that hill was going to be at 25.

At 15 I had to pee so bad it was painful. I thought cool I'm hydrating well if I have to still pee like this because at this point my shoes were totally saturated from sweat. The constant squishing noise with each step was gross and felt 'great'. I tried to pee while running, but I couldn't do it. I tried to relax and just let it free, but no dice. So off to a portopot I went. This is when I first noticed that I was feeling off. I suddenly didn't feel as energize as before. I thought it was the stop/go, but by the time I hit 16 it was no better.

At 17 I took some extra gatorade at the water station and saw the clan again shortly after. Some more high fives, but I was in trouble by then. I tried to scale it back, but no matter how much I slowed down, I was still in pain. My left foot went numb from the balls of my foot to my toes. My right arch was doing some weired pull/sting sensation. Quads were fading fast and I still had the climb through Brandywine again. I hit the first hill at 19 and felt like I ran into the proverbial wall. I had to walk. And walk. I knew then I was done. It became a game of survival. I saw a good 6-8 people on stretchers, getting checked by EMTs, etc. I just didn't want to be one of them.

I think I actually hit the wall back at 17 and was on the death march for the last 8 miles. It was not pleasant. I really questioned if I was going to be able to finish when I was at the top of the 2nd Brandywine climb at 21. I walked and shuffled it in and got pretty emotional when I saw the 26 mi marker. When I finished, I was toast and nearly collapsed. Thanks to the course worker who were right there instantly. When my wife and kids showed up, I fell apart and cried like a girl. I was proud of finishing, yet disappointed that I unraveled so bad. My wife notice I was bleeding on my shirt. I sweat so much, the pins holding my bib rusted and stained my shirt looking like blood. Whoa...

I was 2:01 for the first half and a killer 2:41 for the 2nd half. Its now 5+ hours later and my first 2 toes (big & middle) are still numb. Legs are torched. I tried to nap, but my legs hurt so much I couldn't fall asleep. Thanks to my awesome wife and kids who have been waiting on me all afternoon while I sit here like a tub of goo. I was prepared for a melt down, but never did I see a 41 minute positive split. Ooof.

I'm open to any/all criticism. I want to learn from this experience.

You will get zero criticism from me. You just did something that most people can't and won't even try to do. Congratulations on getting through 26.2!!Take a week or two before making any decisions about potentially doing another marathon. The way you feel now (positive or negative) may be very different in 10 days.

You did it! Congratulations! If you choose to do another marathon, then you have a base of knowledge that can only help you.

Have a beer tonight and relax. Also, be ready for tomorrow because it will hurt. I know that the day after was brutal. The key is to try to get up and walk around every hour today and tomorrow. If possible, even try to walk 1/4, 1/2 of even a full mile. It will help to stretch your legs. It will really hurt to begin but will actually get better. Good luck.

======================

My update -- did a 3 mile easy run at 8:53/mile. I pushed my 6 year old on a course that included a slight 3/4 mile hill so it pushed me a bit. I'm taking tomorrow off to let the legs relax and rejuvenate.

EDIT: to include my update.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

This got long winded, so I tried to summarize the first paragraph in case you don't want to read the novel.

The 2011 Delaware Marathon was the most humbling experience of my life. I can't quite get my head wrapped around what went wrong today, but the one thing is for certain - I underestimated everything and paid a huge price. The humidity, the heat, my fitness, the hills. You name it, I screwed it up. I finished, but nowhere near where I thought I would - 4:42:17. I'm still proud with being able to limp it in and be a finisher, but my god it hurt.

The weather this morning was gross. It was 65 and 100% humidity at 6AM when we left the house. I decided with the humidity I better scale it back some at the beginning to get settled in. The first 6 miles were flat so it was a good amount of time to settle in. I was comfortable right off the bat and was rock steady at 9:18-9:20 for the first 6.

At mile 6 we entered into Brandywine valley where the majority of the climbs were at. From 6-10 was a lot hillier than I expected, but I felt strong. I sort of fell asleep on the hills for the 7th mile and ran a 9:56. Maybe this was my first sign that something was wrong, but I didn't realize it. The humidity was so bad we were running through fog/mist through the park. I couldn't tell what was sweat and what was water. I really wanted it to rain in hopes that it would bring the humidity down.

After 10 there was a nice downhill back into the city until we hit mile 12 which had the biggest climb of the run. My wife, kids, brother, and friend were at this point after a quick sighting at 4.0. My 2yr old son reached out for a high five which was a major shot of adrenaline. By this time I had hooked up with a woman from VA. She was super cool and chatty (almost too chatty). We cruised up the hill with no issue and rolled back towards the start. This was a 2 loop course, so we got to do everything again. We had joked about how much 'fun' that hill was going to be at 25.

At 15 I had to pee so bad it was painful. I thought cool I'm hydrating well if I have to still pee like this because at this point my shoes were totally saturated from sweat. The constant squishing noise with each step was gross and felt 'great'. I tried to pee while running, but I couldn't do it. I tried to relax and just let it free, but no dice. So off to a portopot I went. This is when I first noticed that I was feeling off. I suddenly didn't feel as energize as before. I thought it was the stop/go, but by the time I hit 16 it was no better.

At 17 I took some extra gatorade at the water station and saw the clan again shortly after. Some more high fives, but I was in trouble by then. I tried to scale it back, but no matter how much I slowed down, I was still in pain. My left foot went numb from the balls of my foot to my toes. My right arch was doing some weired pull/sting sensation. Quads were fading fast and I still had the climb through Brandywine again. I hit the first hill at 19 and felt like I ran into the proverbial wall. I had to walk. And walk. I knew then I was done. It became a game of survival. I saw a good 6-8 people on stretchers, getting checked by EMTs, etc. I just didn't want to be one of them.

I think I actually hit the wall back at 17 and was on the death march for the last 8 miles. It was not pleasant. I really questioned if I was going to be able to finish when I was at the top of the 2nd Brandywine climb at 21. I walked and shuffled it in and got pretty emotional when I saw the 26 mi marker. When I finished, I was toast and nearly collapsed. Thanks to the course worker who were right there instantly. When my wife and kids showed up, I fell apart and cried like a girl. I was proud of finishing, yet disappointed that I unraveled so bad. My wife notice I was bleeding on my shirt. I sweat so much, the pins holding my bib rusted and stained my shirt looking like blood. Whoa...

I was 2:01 for the first half and a killer 2:41 for the 2nd half. Its now 5+ hours later and my first 2 toes (big & middle) are still numb. Legs are torched. I tried to nap, but my legs hurt so much I couldn't fall asleep. Thanks to my awesome wife and kids who have been waiting on me all afternoon while I sit here like a tub of goo. I was prepared for a melt down, but never did I see a 41 minute positive split. Ooof.

I'm open to any/all criticism. I want to learn from this experience.

The right response is "congratulations." You successfully finished your first marathon in way-less-than-ideal conditions. That's a major accomplishment and represents a milestone in your running career. In time, you'll get over the disappointment of missing an arbitrary time goal and you'll realize that you did something that you should be proud of.FWIW, your race went a lot like my first marathon (finished about 40 minutes slower than I had expected) as well as a ton of other people's. These get easier as you do more of them.

 

[tri-man 47]

I am working on my training plan for a marathon 12/11/11. I got the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas. I am looking at the 24 week schedule. I dont understand what this means: General aerobic+speed 7 mi w/10 x 100 m strides.I think it means run 7 miles and do 10 100 m strides. What I dont understand is when I do the 10 strides. Before or after the 7 miles. Maybe they are alternated with in the 7 miles?What is a 100 m stride? I think it is all out as fast as I can go for 100 m. Is that correct?As always thanks for any help. I am getting geeked up for this new training plan.

Prosopis - I would say it means "run 7 miles at an easy, aerobic pace, but during the run, throw in 10 instances where you run about 100 yards with strong, focused strides." Don't sprint! Just push a full stride for 100 yards ..more leg rotation, and quicker pacing - all within the context of an easy 7 mile run.

 

[gruecd]

Whassup, dudes.

So the good news is that my Garmin says I averaged 6:35 pace, almost exactly where I wanted to be. The bad news is that the course was set up wrong, we ran a block too far on an out-and-back portion, and I ended up running 13.35 miles, with 2/3 of that extra quarter-mile attributable to the wrong turn.

So as of right now, my "official" finishing time is 1:28:01. Unofficially, I figure the wrong turn cost me a little over a minute, so I probably would've finished somewhere around 1:26:50, which would've been a PR by about a minute. Regardless, I did win the Clydesdale division by almost three minutes.

Overall, temps in the 40s were awesome for running. We had a nasty NNE wind (gusts pushing 40mph), and there were a couple of stretches where it literally stood you straight up. Regardless, I felt really strong the whole way, and I'm sure I negative split by a decent margin.

It'll be interesting to see if they adjust the official times to account for the error. The full doesn't split from the half until after mile 11, so the error affected everybody.

Time to go eat some dinner. Have a nice night, guys.

 

[gruecd]

I am working on my training plan for a marathon 12/11/11. I got the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas. I am looking at the 24 week schedule. I dont understand what this means: General aerobic+speed 7 mi w/10 x 100 m strides.

I think it means run 7 miles and do 10 100 m strides. What I dont understand is when I do the 10 strides. Before or after the 7 miles. Maybe they are alternated with in the 7 miles?

What is a 100 m stride? I think it is all out as fast as I can go for 100 m. Is that correct?

As always thanks for any help. I am getting geeked up for this new training plan.

It is not "all-out-as-fast-as-you-can" for 100M. This will help: StridesI do mine within the last few miles of the run. Some people do them afterwards. Whatever works for you. LMK if you have any other questions. Good luck.

 

[tri-man 47]

Ned - don't get down on yourself at all. Mother nature threw a nasty day at you, and that was totally out of your control. 100% humidity is horrible for running, much less a full marathon. Major props to you for finding a way to gut it out. That's truly impressive. Forget about the time; forget about the splits. You did what you could on an awful day. You could not have prepared yourself for conditions like that.

Rest up and get a lot of fluids. Take pride in the effort you gave! I know how disappointing it is to put in so much preparation, only to see lousy conditions shoot down the opportunity for a fair effort. (In a couple of days, look at the race results and see how many people DNFed.)

 

[gruecd]

The right response is "congratulations." You successfully finished your first marathon in way-less-than-ideal conditions. That's a major accomplishment and represents a milestone in your running career. In time, you'll get over the disappointment of missing an arbitrary time goal and you'll realize that you did something that you should be proud of.

FWIW, your race went a lot like my first marathon (finished about 40 minutes slower than I had expected) as well as a ton of other people's. These get easier as you do more of them.

Great job, Ned. Proud of you for toughing it out in less-than-ideal conditions. You'll be back.

 

[Ned]

Thanks guys. I actually just saw results posted and finished 388/712. About 100 DNFs.

I'm of course disappointed in the time but my 4 year old has taught me everything I need to know. He's been running this afternoon in the house non stop asking me to check the map for where he's running, taking pics, etc. He's worn my medal all afternoon. It's all worth it there.

Grue killer run, man. I hope they do correct the times for you. 6:35 is blazing!

 

[sho nuff]

The right response is "congratulations." You successfully finished your first marathon in way-less-than-ideal conditions. That's a major accomplishment and represents a milestone in your running career. In time, you'll get over the disappointment of missing an arbitrary time goal and you'll realize that you did something that you should be proud of.

FWIW, your race went a lot like my first marathon (finished about 40 minutes slower than I had expected) as well as a ton of other people's. These get easier as you do more of them.

Great job, Ned. Proud of you for toughing it out in less-than-ideal conditions. You'll be back.

Big time congrats...something I doubt I will ever do is a full marathon. Training for a half and just even doing 5ks sometimes is about all my legs can take. Maybe after I lose some weight and get that first or second or third half in...I might change my mind. But I doubt it.

Ton of respect to you all who can do it thought. Thats big time!!!

 

[Sand]

Thanks guys. I actually just saw results posted and finished 388/712. About 100 DNFs.

I'm of course disappointed in the time but my 4 year old has taught me everything I need to know. He's been running this afternoon in the house non stop asking me to check the map for where he's running, taking pics, etc. He's worn my medal all afternoon. It's all worth it there.

Grue killer run, man. I hope they do correct the times for you. 6:35 is blazing!

Pfft... I did 4:45s today for 10 miles with my wife. (on my bike).Ned - as someone who grew up in New Orleans I can say I have been there. Drinking/breathing water for an effort like that sucks hard. You can't cool off because your sweat doesn't go anywhere. It is likely you misjudged your pace given the conditions. Not a huge surprise since this was your first marathon, much less one in swamp-like conditions. You got your medal - now go get your legs healed up and plan your attack on your next adventure.

Oh, and good race Grue - 1:28 is absolutely smokin'! Personally I'd figure out the distance of the wrong turn and decrement your time accordingly for PR purposes. Just IMO.

 

[gruecd]

Oh, and good race Grue - 1:28 is absolutely smokin'! Personally I'd figure out the distance of the wrong turn and decrement your time accordingly for PR purposes. Just IMO.

Already done. I'm saying 1:26:50.

 

[prosopis]

This got long winded, so I tried to summarize the first paragraph in case you don't want to read the novel.

The 2011 Delaware Marathon was the most humbling experience of my life. I can't quite get my head wrapped around what went wrong today, but the one thing is for certain - I underestimated everything and paid a huge price. The humidity, the heat, my fitness, the hills. You name it, I screwed it up. I finished, but nowhere near where I thought I would - 4:42:17. I'm still proud with being able to limp it in and be a finisher, but my god it hurt.

The weather this morning was gross. It was 65 and 100% humidity at 6AM when we left the house. I decided with the humidity I better scale it back some at the beginning to get settled in. The first 6 miles were flat so it was a good amount of time to settle in. I was comfortable right off the bat and was rock steady at 9:18-9:20 for the first 6.

At mile 6 we entered into Brandywine valley where the majority of the climbs were at. From 6-10 was a lot hillier than I expected, but I felt strong. I sort of fell asleep on the hills for the 7th mile and ran a 9:56. Maybe this was my first sign that something was wrong, but I didn't realize it. The humidity was so bad we were running through fog/mist through the park. I couldn't tell what was sweat and what was water. I really wanted it to rain in hopes that it would bring the humidity down.

After 10 there was a nice downhill back into the city until we hit mile 12 which had the biggest climb of the run. My wife, kids, brother, and friend were at this point after a quick sighting at 4.0. My 2yr old son reached out for a high five which was a major shot of adrenaline. By this time I had hooked up with a woman from VA. She was super cool and chatty (almost too chatty). We cruised up the hill with no issue and rolled back towards the start. This was a 2 loop course, so we got to do everything again. We had joked about how much 'fun' that hill was going to be at 25.

At 15 I had to pee so bad it was painful. I thought cool I'm hydrating well if I have to still pee like this because at this point my shoes were totally saturated from sweat. The constant squishing noise with each step was gross and felt 'great'. I tried to pee while running, but I couldn't do it. I tried to relax and just let it free, but no dice. So off to a portopot I went. This is when I first noticed that I was feeling off. I suddenly didn't feel as energize as before. I thought it was the stop/go, but by the time I hit 16 it was no better.

At 17 I took some extra gatorade at the water station and saw the clan again shortly after. Some more high fives, but I was in trouble by then. I tried to scale it back, but no matter how much I slowed down, I was still in pain. My left foot went numb from the balls of my foot to my toes. My right arch was doing some weired pull/sting sensation. Quads were fading fast and I still had the climb through Brandywine again. I hit the first hill at 19 and felt like I ran into the proverbial wall. I had to walk. And walk. I knew then I was done. It became a game of survival. I saw a good 6-8 people on stretchers, getting checked by EMTs, etc. I just didn't want to be one of them.

I think I actually hit the wall back at 17 and was on the death march for the last 8 miles. It was not pleasant. I really questioned if I was going to be able to finish when I was at the top of the 2nd Brandywine climb at 21. I walked and shuffled it in and got pretty emotional when I saw the 26 mi marker. When I finished, I was toast and nearly collapsed. Thanks to the course worker who were right there instantly. When my wife and kids showed up, I fell apart and cried like a girl. I was proud of finishing, yet disappointed that I unraveled so bad. My wife notice I was bleeding on my shirt. I sweat so much, the pins holding my bib rusted and stained my shirt looking like blood. Whoa...

I was 2:01 for the first half and a killer 2:41 for the 2nd half. Its now 5+ hours later and my first 2 toes (big & middle) are still numb. Legs are torched. I tried to nap, but my legs hurt so much I couldn't fall asleep. Thanks to my awesome wife and kids who have been waiting on me all afternoon while I sit here like a tub of goo. I was prepared for a melt down, but never did I see a 41 minute positive split. Ooof.

I'm open to any/all criticism. I want to learn from this experience.

You posted this at the exact same time I posted a question regarding a marathon training plan I am now scared to go on.Congrats on finishing and I am sure you will heal up fine. I think I confuse you with "The Man" and when I wished him luck in his race I was thinking of you. I dont think the man even has a race this weekend.

Were the course workers who helped you purty? pics?

Get better and get back on the course. The next one will be better. You can also now say you completed a marathon, not many can say that.

 

[prosopis]

I am working on my training plan for a marathon 12/11/11. I got the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas. I am looking at the 24 week schedule. I dont understand what this means: General aerobic+speed 7 mi w/10 x 100 m strides.I think it means run 7 miles and do 10 100 m strides. What I dont understand is when I do the 10 strides. Before or after the 7 miles. Maybe they are alternated with in the 7 miles?What is a 100 m stride? I think it is all out as fast as I can go for 100 m. Is that correct?As always thanks for any help. I am getting geeked up for this new training plan.

Prosopis - I would say it means "run 7 miles at an easy, aerobic pace, but during the run, throw in 10 instances where you run about 100 yards with strong, focused strides." Don't sprint! Just push a full stride for 100 yards ..more leg rotation, and quicker pacing - all within the context of an easy 7 mile run.

Thanks I assume you program that into your garmin, right?

 

[prosopis]

Whassup, dudes.So the good news is that my Garmin says I averaged 6:35 pace, almost exactly where I wanted to be. The bad news is that the course was set up wrong, we ran a block too far on an out-and-back portion, and I ended up running 13.35 miles, with 2/3 of that extra quarter-mile attributable to the wrong turn. So as of right now, my "official" finishing time is 1:28:01. Unofficially, I figure the wrong turn cost me a little over a minute, so I probably would've finished somewhere around 1:26:50, which would've been a PR by about a minute. Regardless, I did win the Clydesdale division by almost three minutes.Overall, temps in the 40s were awesome for running. We had a nasty NNE wind (gusts pushing 40mph), and there were a couple of stretches where it literally stood you straight up. Regardless, I felt really strong the whole way, and I'm sure I negative split by a decent margin.It'll be interesting to see if they adjust the official times to account for the error. The full doesn't split from the half until after mile 11, so the error affected everybody.Time to go eat some dinner. Have a nice night, guys.

Awesome as always

 

[prosopis]

I am working on my training plan for a marathon 12/11/11. I got the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas. I am looking at the 24 week schedule. I dont understand what this means: General aerobic+speed 7 mi w/10 x 100 m strides.

I think it means run 7 miles and do 10 100 m strides. What I dont understand is when I do the 10 strides. Before or after the 7 miles. Maybe they are alternated with in the 7 miles?

What is a 100 m stride? I think it is all out as fast as I can go for 100 m. Is that correct?

As always thanks for any help. I am getting geeked up for this new training plan.

It is not "all-out-as-fast-as-you-can" for 100M. This will help: StridesI do mine within the last few miles of the run. Some people do them afterwards. Whatever works for you. LMK if you have any other questions. Good luck.

Thanks for the link. Do you program them into your garmin? If you do how much time do you allow in between a 100 m stride? or is it how much distance do you allow between 100 m stride?Thanks again for your help

 

[prosopis]

Thanks guys. I actually just saw results posted and finished 388/712. About 100 DNFs.I'm of course disappointed in the time but my 4 year old has taught me everything I need to know. He's been running this afternoon in the house non stop asking me to check the map for where he's running, taking pics, etc. He's worn my medal all afternoon. It's all worth it there. Grue killer run, man. I hope they do correct the times for you. 6:35 is blazing!

Funny how a four year old can say in a few actions what we are trying to say with all these words. 100 DNFs You did fantastic to finish.