Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)

[Hang 10]

Seashore Trail Run 50K

Rewind to last year, where I was talked into signing up for my first ultra with little over a month to train. Bad idea. This race kicked my ### pretty good. Boinked. I had to walk 3 out of the last 4 miles...every step hurt...body was cramping badly. Total torture. I'M NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN. 5 hours and 25 minutes.

This time was going to be different. I've had a pretty successful 2013 and I was going to prepare the best I knew how. My mileage is low compared to most you animals but I think ran about as much as I could as soon could coming off a light summer. Averaged about 35 to 40 miles a week for 2 months. This time I was going to keep my energy level up and stay hydrated.

First landing park is relatively flat when compared with most trail ultras but there are few trails that have steady hills up and down. Course isn't overly technical...not many rocks but tons of exposed roots...a little sand. Course is basically 2 loops of the whole park. Race temps for the first day of winter...high of 71. Better take my handheld water bottle and salt tablets.

Race starts off with a cheesy little run down a paved section where you run out .75 miles and turn around cone and back, then straight to the trails. In my head, my goal has been 4 and 1/2 hours (little over a 8:30 pace). I made the decision to leave a couple buddies behind early and start off running by feel and start churning out low 8's. I feel good...my left quad is bothering me a bit but it's much better than a month ago. Still, I think the hardest thing about races of this distance is the mental aspect. You are so hypersensitive to not only how youre feeling at that moment but projecting how you're going to feel in 10 miles...or 15 miles...or 20 miles. It can really drive you crazy.

I'm chatting with a few runners here and there and a ultra veteran advises me to stay ahead of my nutrition and hydration on a warm day like today. Makes sense to me and who am I to argue? Start taking my taking half a serving of my chomps every 1/2 hour...started out doing a salt tab every hour. Things are going well but I start to rethink the decision to ditch my friends...it's lonely on that trail. It's easy to let negative thoughts creep in when you're inside your own head for so long. I just want to get to half way point and change out of my soaking wet tech t-shirt and into a light singlet. I even pondered changing my minimalist trail shoes to my more cushiony trainer. Get to the bag drop at mile 16 (2 hours 18 minutes 8:38 pace) and bend down to pick up my bag and this is first point of concern in the race. My head is woozy and my hamstrings are tighter than hell. Uh oh.

But it's time to press on. Feeling good in some fresh clothes and back to running 8's...high 8's. 4:30 doesn't seem all that realistic but I'm not really that worried about that anymore. I just want to see this thing through. Mile 18 a giant red flag hits me when I notice some slight cramping in my left quad. How can this be? I've drank plenty of water...I'm taking my salt. Still grinding and there's a 3 mile trail loop at mile 22 to 25 that is the toughest stretch of the course...just get through it and you're golden. That's what I was telling myself and that's the point when my race started falling apart. A mile in and I'm starting to cramp badly...it's breaking me. I start to walk for the first time and then the thought comes over me...you have 8 miles to go YOU CAN'T START WALKING NOW. So I start running through it. I can't drive off my quads anymore so I'm basically shuffling and leaping using my calves only. This was definitely come to Jesus moment. Time to pray. Lord get me through this...give me strength. Amazingly, my quad starts to loosen.

At this point I'm running 10's on the trail where I was running 8:50's or so. I make it to the mile 25 aid station and luckily they have extra salt tabs, so I through 2 more back, fill my bottle with gatorade this time and get back to it. Tons of people are fading because of the heat and some how I start passing people. Get to the marathon mark at 3:59...a little less than 5 miles to go. My other quad starts to cramp BAD...press on...do anything but walk. The goal now is just to get in under 5 hours...more prayer and more grinding. My quad loosens again. Some how I get moving again and my splits get back in the 9's. I'm starting to believe I can get through this.

I get to the aid station with a 1.5 miles left and I'm dying for some water. Take the cap off my bottle and yell...water...water. The volunteers just point to the cups. WTF. I see the pitcher, grab it and just as a volunteer starts to get up to pour it for me..."No...no...don't worry about getting up...I got this."

I'm going to make it...my pace quickens a bit and most people are encouraging me saying how I look so fresh and strong...they have no idea. When I see that finish line I seriously felt like crying...it felt like my first marathon. What a day! 4:45:23 24th overall 7/46 in men 30-39

40 minutes faster than last year!

But I was most proud to have gutted it out...my last 5 miles went as follows

27
4:05:10 + 0:21 (-4%) 10'20"/mi

28
4:14:49 - 0:41 (6%) 9'39"/mi

29
4:24:14 - 0:14 (2%) 9'25"/mi

30
4:33:32 - 0:07 (1%) 9'18"/mi

31
4:42:47 - 0:03 (0%) 9'15"/mi

PS: Sorry for the rambling and typos...I suck at these race reports.

 

[FUBAR]

Really miserable suck index of 145 for my 20-miler yesterday to cap a solid 63-mile week. I am heading out for 10-12 here in a few minutes. The front came through so the temps are pleasant.

138 here, 16 miles. Amazing how hard it is to keep the heart rate down with the suck. 9:35 pace overall after starting under 8:30 with 143bpm

 

[Juxtatarot]

I suck at these race reports.

No, you don't. Interesting read!

Congrats on toughing it out and the improvement over last year. You seem to have Grue-type luck with weather and injuries.

 

[Hang 10]

I suck at these race reports.

No, you don't. Interesting read!

Congrats on toughing it out and the improvement over last year. You seem to have Grue-type luck with weather and injuries.

Thanks.

It's definitely not easy to put all the thoughts you had during an almost 5 hour race, into a few interesting paragraphs.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Awesome job, Hang 10. Great finish!

 

[SteveC702]

Seashore Trail Run 50K

Nice work man. Way to tough it out. Looking forward to huge breakthroughs in 2014 from ya.

 

[Sand]

I suck at these race reports.

No, you don't. Interesting read!

Absolutely - great report and great race! Do you have a Garmin trace of it? I'd be interested.

 

[Hang 10]

I suck at these race reports.

No, you don't. Interesting read!

Absolutely - great report and great race! Do you have a Garmin trace of it? I'd be interested.

Nike doesn't do a very good job of sharing runs but here's what I've got: http://t.co/mkbzvSQxRk

ETA: Total elevation lost and gained was right around 700ft.

 

[FUBAR]

I suck at these race reports.

No, you don't. Interesting read!

Absolutely - great report and great race! Do you have a Garmin trace of it? I'd be interested.

Nike doesn't do a very good job of sharing runs but here's what I've got: http://t.co/mkbzvSQxRk

ETA: Total elevation lost and gained was right around 700ft.

Man, if you're that icon, you're moving fast!

 

[FUBAR]

Last week: 3.2S/8B/41.2R

This week: 2S/30B/41.6R

Tomorrow-Thursday will be a challenge to get anything long in, but then I get a few days with no kids or wife; so this weekend will make up for it. Yes, I'm single for a few days and my thrill-seeking will consist trail running and hopefully road cycling. I'm a wild-man.

 

[Sand]

Last week: 3.2S/8B/41.2R

This week: 2S/30B/41.6R

Tomorrow-Thursday will be a challenge to get anything long in, but then I get a few days with no kids or wife; so this weekend will make up for it. Yes, I'm single for a few days and my thrill-seeking will consist trail running and hopefully road cycling. I'm a wild-man.

Those are some killer numbers, particularly the running.

 

[tri-man 47]

I've had a pretty an extremely successful 2013

Fixed. This great endurance race caps off a great year for you.

 

[bentley]

Bought a Garmin Forerunner 10 (my first GPS watch) as an early birthday present for myself today. Went for an 8 mile run this afternoon. Working up to 13 in anticipation of a half in February. Here were the numbers:

Split

Time

Distance

Avg Pace

Summary 1:06:45.3 8.12 8:14

1 8:13.1 1.00 8:13

2 8:19.0 1.00 8:19

3 8:05.8 1.00 8:06

4 8:12.4 1.00 8:12

5 8:16.8 1.00 8:17

6 8:13.5 1.00 8:14

7 8:10.7 1.00 8:11

8 8:18.4 1.00 8:18

9 :55.6 0.12 7:56

I feel pretty good about that. I know that I'm going too fast for my long run, but the pace is comfortable and I always feel like I have something left in the tank at the end. What's the possible downside?

 

[Juxtatarot]

Bought a Garmin Forerunner 10 (my first GPS watch) as an early birthday present for myself today. Went for an 8 mile run this afternoon. Working up to 13 in anticipation of a half in February. Here were the numbers:

Split

Time

Distance

Avg Pace

Summary 1:06:45.3 8.12 8:14

1 8:13.1 1.00 8:13

2 8:19.0 1.00 8:19

3 8:05.8 1.00 8:06

4 8:12.4 1.00 8:12

5 8:16.8 1.00 8:17

6 8:13.5 1.00 8:14

7 8:10.7 1.00 8:11

8 8:18.4 1.00 8:18

9 :55.6 0.12 7:56

I feel pretty good about that. I know that I'm going too fast for my long run, but the pace is comfortable and I always feel like I have something left in the tank at the end. What's the possible downside?

If you feel comfortable, you probably aren't going too fast. Nice run!

 

[Hang 10]

Yup, if it feels comfortable, than you're fine. But that means when you run that race, we better see splits in the 7's!

 

[beer 302]

Seashore Trail Run 50K

I'm going to make it...my pace quickens a bit and most people are encouraging me saying how I look so fresh and strong...they have no idea. When I see that finish line I seriously felt like crying...it felt like my first marathon. What a day! 4:45:23 24th overall 7/46 in men 30-39

40 minutes faster than last year!

But I was most proud to have gutted it out...my last 5 miles went as follows

Straight up bad ### man! Congratulations on a great race and a great write up!!!

I want to hear more about the cramping. I experienced the same thing and like you stayed up on salt & hydration. Is there an effective counter to help with this late in the race or is it, like Hang 10 said, a guts thing? I signed up for a 50k in February that I actually plan to train for and it would be helpful info to have. Pretty excited about this week, spending three days on the trail running the course Th-F-S, 10.5 mile loop.

 

[Hang 10]

Seashore Trail Run 50K

I'm going to make it...my pace quickens a bit and most people are encouraging me saying how I look so fresh and strong...they have no idea. When I see that finish line I seriously felt like crying...it felt like my first marathon. What a day! 4:45:23 24th overall 7/46 in men 30-39

40 minutes faster than last year!

But I was most proud to have gutted it out...my last 5 miles went as follows

Straight up bad ### man! Congratulations on a great race and a great write up!!!

I want to hear more about the cramping. I experienced the same thing and like you stayed up on salt & hydration. Is there an effective counter to help with this late in the race or is it, like Hang 10 said, a guts thing? I signed up for a 50k in February that I actually plan to train for and it would be helpful info to have. Pretty excited about this week, spending three days on the trail running the course Th-F-S, 10.5 mile loop.

Thanks brother.

I've actually been trying to read up on the cramping today and I think I'm even more confused. I started to cramp around 22 miles of my first marathon but nothing too severe. I cramped up BADLY for my 50K last year and it took about 30 minutes of walking before they finally went away. Hell, I started cramping up for my off road half marathon this past Sept. and that race only took me an hour and fifty minutes. But yesterday was ridiculous and I thought I was prepared. I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out for anything longer than half marathons. I can deal with pain and fatigue but I can't deal with debilitating muscle cramps that come out of nowhere.

 

[PatriotJohn]

Longtime lurker, part time poster (and I use that term liberally).

I will be turning 50 next October, and one of the things I want to cross off my bucket list is to run a marathon. What better time than the present before I turn 50, then I will concentrate on 5 and 10K's. I trained for 3 half marathons, and ran 2 of them (I had to pull out this past year due to heel bursitis 3 weeks before race day.) I ran 2:17 in 2005 and 2:25 in 2011. This will be my first year training for a marathon and am looking for someone who wouldn't mind being a part-time mentor/motivational coach. I will be searching for a training plan soon ( i have usually used Hal Higsdon's half plan in the past) but would like to find a plan that has the long runs every other week, so not to burn myself out.

A few things that I plan on doing differently this year is doing actual tempo runs and speed work. Usually I will run/walk 3-5 times per week at a set distance and do my long runs at race pace. I know now that I truly have to slow it down on my long run days and not even worry about time. Another thing I must conquer is my weight. I am about 230 pounds right now (5'9') and I ran the '05 half at @203 but I would ideally like to be at 180 or below by race day. I will not be doing any consistent outdoor running until March, and will be doing plenty of core work (insanity), cycling and ellitical work until then, as I have been doing all year.

I would like to think that with 50 fewer pounds and the proper training, I can break 5 hours. I will be running the Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton on the third Saturday of September. I also plan on doing the Flying Pig marathon relay in May with my family.

I will post my progress like so many others as the year progresses. Just reading some of the stories makes it motivation enough. Merry Christmas!

 

[bentley]

Good luck John!

 

[prosopis]

Nice race Hang 10 and nice write up.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Seashore Trail Run 50K

Race starts off with a cheesy little run down a paved section where you run out .75 miles and turn around cone and back, then straight to the trails.

They usually do this to spread out the field a little before hitting single track. Nothing worse than going directly onto singletrack and being stuck at the back of a conga line of slower runners that you can't get around.

Things are going well but I start to rethink the decision to ditch my friends...it's lonely on that trail. It's easy to let negative thoughts creep in when you're inside your own head for so long

Do you train solo or with other people? I'm 99.9% training solo, so a race with anyone else in it, even if I might not see anyone for awhile, is a treat for me. Either way, another part of the mental challenge of longer races.

I'm going to make it...my pace quickens a bit and most people are encouraging me saying how I look so fresh and strong...they have no idea. When I see that finish line I seriously felt like crying...it felt like my first marathon. What a day! 4:45:23 24th overall 7/46 in men 30-39

40 minutes faster than last year!

But I was most proud to have gutted it out...my last 5 miles went as follows

27
4:05:10 + 0:21 (-4%) 10'20"/mi

28
4:14:49 - 0:41 (6%) 9'39"/mi

29
4:24:14 - 0:14 (2%) 9'25"/mi

30
4:33:32 - 0:07 (1%) 9'18"/mi

31
4:42:47 - 0:03 (0%) 9'15"/mi

PS: Sorry for the rambling and typos...I suck at these race reports.

Nothing more rewarding than gutting it out and getting it done! And I've at my last three race finish lines, so I can sure relate!

Congrats on a great race, Ultrarunner. That's a hell of a pace for an ultra!

Seashore Trail Run 50K

I'm going to make it...my pace quickens a bit and most people are encouraging me saying how I look so fresh and strong...they have no idea. When I see that finish line I seriously felt like crying...it felt like my first marathon. What a day! 4:45:23 24th overall 7/46 in men 30-39

40 minutes faster than last year!

But I was most proud to have gutted it out...my last 5 miles went as follows

Straight up bad ### man! Congratulations on a great race and a great write up!!!

I want to hear more about the cramping. I experienced the same thing and like you stayed up on salt & hydration. Is there an effective counter to help with this late in the race or is it, like Hang 10 said, a guts thing? I signed up for a 50k in February that I actually plan to train for and it would be helpful info to have. Pretty excited about this week, spending three days on the trail running the course Th-F-S, 10.5 mile loop.

Thanks brother.

I've actually been trying to read up on the cramping today and I think I'm even more confused. I started to cramp around 22 miles of my first marathon but nothing too severe. I cramped up BADLY for my 50K last year and it took about 30 minutes of walking before they finally went away. Hell, I started cramping up for my off road half marathon this past Sept. and that race only took me an hour and fifty minutes. But yesterday was ridiculous and I thought I was prepared. I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out for anything longer than half marathons. I can deal with pain and fatigue but I can't deal with debilitating muscle cramps that come out of nowhere.

The more I've researched this the more I've come to believe cramping is simply about going at an intensity, often combined with duration, that your muscles just aren't used to. Most people don't experience cramps during training, just during racing - when you're pushing further and faster that you do in training. While it's obviously important to keep up on hydration, nutrition, and (arguably) electrolytes, it's more of a training/intensity issue than anything else. I'm a big believer in the Central Governor theory - your brain is trying to protect your body by shutting down muscles before they get damaged, so it causes cramping, forcing you to slow down.

That doesn't help you in terms of how to fix them during a race, other than do what you did - slow down, and change the muscle stimulus if possible (ie walk if you have to). And during training I suppose it's about going at intensities, at a long enough duration, to condition your Central Governor (brain) that your muscles can in fact handle it.

One weird thing - while physiologically the ingestion of electrolytes has been shown in studies not to help alleviate cramps, the taste of pickle juice does. Some think it's the taste of vinegar, some the taste of salt, but the effect is quick enough that there is no way that whatever is in the pickle juice has been absorbed so it has to be simply a signal that the taste buds are sending to the brain. So while carrying a flask of pickle juice isn't usually very practical, and I haven't seen it very often at aid stations, I have heard of runners chewing on an electrolyte tablet to get that strong salt taste and send a signal to the brain to shut the cramps down. I haven't tried it myself, but it's an interesting idea.

 

[SFBayDuck]

As I'm planning my ramp up to 2014 and a 100K or 100M, I know I need to add more frequency to my training. I've pretty much been a 3-4 runs/week guy, which even with consistent 15-20 milers on the weekend limits the overall amount of volume I can get in. So I started a block earlier this month with that focus - run more often, and see how my body held up.

So far so good - I ran eight days in a row, took a day off, then three more in a row culminating with a hilly 15 miler yesterday before resting today. Aside from yesterday they were all relatively short (nothing much over 7), but I did work in some intensity with a hill repeat workout mixed in there (followed by a 3-mile recovery run the next day).

While my legs were definitely tired yesterday and the accumulated fatigue slowed me down a bit (which is hard to tell for my slow ###), I feel strong and the areas I've had problems with (achilles, calves, IT) seem to be holding up.

All in all it was 11 runs in 12 days, for 70 miles and about 9,500' of elevation gain (per Garmin). While I'll be cautious to avoid ramping up too quickly moving forward, it's a good confidence builder that my body probably can handle more than I've given it in the past.

 

[FUBAR]

Duck:

" Nothing worse than going directly onto singletrack and being stuck at the back of a conga line of slower runners that you can't get around."

my one trail 50k was like this. I took it too slow for the first half mile before we got to single track in the dark, I had to walk portions before it finally opened up and we could pass. Lesson learned- know the course well and be confident at the start; don't sprint, but don't be overly cautious either if the course is one huge choke point.

 

[Ned]

Congrats Hang! It's amazing how total exhaustion can bring you to tears.

 

[Hang 10]

They usually do this to spread out the field a little before hitting single track. Nothing worse than going directly onto singletrack and being stuck at the back of a conga line of slower runners that you can't get around.

Huh...that actually makes sense. They did basically the same thing at the off road half I ran in a different park.

Do you train solo or with other people? I'm 99.9% training solo, so a race with anyone else in it, even if I might not see anyone for awhile, is a treat for me. Either way, another part of the mental challenge of longer races.

I probably ran a good 80% of my mileage with someone else training for this race. But yeah, I would often try to strike a conversation whenever I could. Definitely takes your mind off the task, even if it's for a short while.

Nothing more rewarding than gutting it out and getting it done! And I've at my last three race finish lines, so I can sure relate!

Congrats on a great race, Ultrarunner. That's a hell of a pace for an ultra!

Thanks man.

The more I've researched this the more I've come to believe cramping is simply about going at an intensity, often combined with duration, that your muscles just aren't used to. Most people don't experience cramps during training, just during racing - when you're pushing further and faster that you do in training. While it's obviously important to keep up on hydration, nutrition, and (arguably) electrolytes, it's more of a training/intensity issue than anything else. I'm a big believer in the Central Governor theory - your brain is trying to protect your body by shutting down muscles before they get damaged, so it causes cramping, forcing you to slow down.

That doesn't help you in terms of how to fix them during a race, other than do what you did - slow down, and change the muscle stimulus if possible (ie walk if you have to). And during training I suppose it's about going at intensities, at a long enough duration, to condition your Central Governor (brain) that your muscles can in fact handle it.

One weird thing - while physiologically the ingestion of electrolytes has been shown in studies not to help alleviate cramps, the taste of pickle juice does. Some think it's the taste of vinegar, some the taste of salt, but the effect is quick enough that there is no way that whatever is in the pickle juice has been absorbed so it has to be simply a signal that the taste buds are sending to the brain. So while carrying a flask of pickle juice isn't usually very practical, and I haven't seen it very often at aid stations, I have heard of runners chewing on an electrolyte tablet to get that strong salt taste and send a signal to the brain to shut the cramps down. I haven't tried it myself, but it's an interesting idea.

That's what I was reading as well. Not very encouraging for me. I wanted it to be a chemical imbalance that I could easily fix through race day nutrition. But now I'm thinking that maybe this is where my low mileage catches up with me. Sure, I did some long runs and I didn't run them particularly slow but they were generally in the 2 1/2 hour range...a far cry from almost 5.

 

[beer 302]

The more I've researched this the more I've come to believe cramping is simply about going at an intensity, often combined with duration, that your muscles just aren't used to. Most people don't experience cramps during training, just during racing - when you're pushing further and faster that you do in training. While it's obviously important to keep up on hydration, nutrition, and (arguably) electrolytes, it's more of a training/intensity issue than anything else. I'm a big believer in the Central Governor theory - your brain is trying to protect your body by shutting down muscles before they get damaged, so it causes cramping, forcing you to slow down.

That doesn't help you in terms of how to fix them during a race, other than do what you did - slow down, and change the muscle stimulus if possible (ie walk if you have to). And during training I suppose it's about going at intensities, at a long enough duration, to condition your Central Governor (brain) that your muscles can in fact handle it.

One weird thing - while physiologically the ingestion of electrolytes has been shown in studies not to help alleviate cramps, the taste of pickle juice does. Some think it's the taste of vinegar, some the taste of salt, but the effect is quick enough that there is no way that whatever is in the pickle juice has been absorbed so it has to be simply a signal that the taste buds are sending to the brain. So while carrying a flask of pickle juice isn't usually very practical, and I haven't seen it very often at aid stations, I have heard of runners chewing on an electrolyte tablet to get that strong salt taste and send a signal to the brain to shut the cramps down. I haven't tried it myself, but it's an interesting idea.

That's what I was reading as well. Not very encouraging for me. I wanted it to be a chemical imbalance that I could easily fix through race day nutrition. But now I'm thinking that maybe this is where my low mileage catches up with me. Sure, I did some long runs and I didn't run them particularly slow but they were generally in the 2 1/2 hour range...a far cry from almost 5.

With you Hang 10, was hoping there was a simple tweek to the nutrition/hydration that would be the "fix" but like so many other things in this sport, it comes down to your training. Much like Duck's higher mileage training, I'm going to try ramping it up in January to see how the body holds up. Seems like that's the only way to help avoid this issue in ultra's which brings me to my mantra for 2014.2013 was "don't short the run" meaning finish strong no matter what in honor of my brother and his fight with prostrate cancer. 2014 is a throw back to my HS football days, "practice like you play". If you're not giving 100% during training, when you're up against the wall in a race, you're going to take the easy way out. You've got to push yourself in training to understand, appreciate and realize just what you are capable of. I've taken it to heart from a lot of the DNF's in this thread on FB that you read about. Some of the time is a physical thing but a fair amount are mental as well. If you don't let that "quit" enter your mind, no matter how bad the training or race is going, you won't quit. You won't let yourself quit.

 

[worrierking]

Great report Hang.

Patriot, Good luck with the training. I am 50 and I can tell you without a doubt that a 50-year old is not too old for this activity. Keep us posted. I think a Higdon plan is great for a first-time marathon. It will get you to the starting line healthy and across the finish line.

 

[Brony]

Quick update on my return to running after 20 years:

Some may recall that a lingering calf injury has kept me sidelines from the road for the past 20 years. Anyway, I followed the advice from a link that Beer posted about the injury that suggests lots of massage and RICE therapy. The massage therapy seems to have helped the gastroc injury and remarkably I'm not getting pain there any more. I still have a different kind of pain in the stringy muscle/tendon right behind the knee, but it doesn't happen when I run and it's possible that with some rest, it's temporary (fingers crossed). Thanks much to the help by Beer and others!

I can crank out 4 miles now without much effort and the body is getting used to running again. Legs are great; lungs and heart aren't there yet. I can get about 1/2 to 3/4 mile at a pace where it feels like running again (I'm chasing that high I used to get when I could bust out 4-5 miles at ~6 minute pace).

For now I'm just trying to stay at 2 to 4 miles about 3 or 4 times a week and give the calf a little more rest. Plus, the daylight hours and the Chicago cold still aren't amenable to an enjoyable running condition just yet. Hanging in there and getting a little optimistic for a spring 5K.

 

[tri-man 47]

Longtime lurker, part time poster (and I use that term liberally).

I will be turning 50 next October, and one of the things I want to cross off my bucket list is to run a marathon. What better time than the present before I turn 50, then I will concentrate on 5 and 10K's. I trained for 3 half marathons, and ran 2 of them (I had to pull out this past year due to heel bursitis 3 weeks before race day.) I ran 2:17 in 2005 and 2:25 in 2011. This will be my first year training for a marathon and am looking for someone who wouldn't mind being a part-time mentor/motivational coach. I will be searching for a training plan soon ( i have usually used Hal Higsdon's half plan in the past) but would like to find a plan that has the long runs every other week, so not to burn myself out.

A few things that I plan on doing differently this year is doing actual tempo runs and speed work. Usually I will run/walk 3-5 times per week at a set distance and do my long runs at race pace. I know now that I truly have to slow it down on my long run days and not even worry about time. Another thing I must conquer is my weight. I am about 230 pounds right now (5'9') and I ran the '05 half at @203 but I would ideally like to be at 180 or below by race day. I will not be doing any consistent outdoor running until March, and will be doing plenty of core work (insanity), cycling and ellitical work until then, as I have been doing all year.

I would like to think that with 50 fewer pounds and the proper training, I can break 5 hours. I will be running the Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton on the third Saturday of September. I also plan on doing the Flying Pig marathon relay in May with my family.

I will post my progress like so many others as the year progresses. Just reading some of the stories makes it motivation enough. Merry Christmas!

PatriotJohn - sounds like a great plan! I was in my 50s when I first marathoned four years ago. I like the Higdon marathon training plan. It builds in some speed and tempo work, and the long runs are spaced out. I like the Higdon plan of moderately long tempo runs on Saturdays followed by long, slow runs on Sunday (which will be on tired legs). It's good you have done some half-marathons ...you have some sense of distance racing and dealing with endurance issues. The marathon rule of thumb is double your HM time and add ten minutes, so sub-5:00 is a reasonable goal, particularly as you drop some weight. And as you get into the longer marathon training heading into the summer, you'll lose weight, for sure. (I have a marathon friend who has two sets of wardrobes since he drops 20 pounds every race season, and he's not a big guy.) The gang here enjoys following each other's progress, so keep on posting. You'll get a lot of feedback and advice.

--

Speaking of the latter, interesting comments, SFDuck, about the Central Governor. I've read comments over time about the mind trying to shut things down in advance of physical damage and the idea of training the mind to 'allow' continued effort. I do believe a HR focus helps with this in that the mind gets fully focused on the HR, which overrides other controls, strange as that seems.

--

eta: Good news to hear, Brony! It makes sense to keep it under control for now so you can be healthy and ready come springtime. A few of us are in the Chicago area (myself, Juxt, and the elusive Annyong). Maybe we can connect at a 5K over the summer.

 

[worrierking]

[SIZE=medium]2013 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved? I wanted to PR in the Marathon and I failed on three occasions. I PRd a half, which was a goal that I didn't think I could accomplish so I am jazzed. I will miss my mileage goal for the year, but not by much and it is still a PR so I am fine with that. A good year, anyway.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]New PRs or accomplishments in 2013: Half PR earlier this month. 1:42:16. Total Mileage will be over 2300 which will be a PR (2200.3 in 2012). I have stayed healthy since my last injury almost exactly a year ago. That's a huge accomplishment at 50.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): [/SIZE]My best segment of a race ever was my final 5k of my half PR. I ran it in 22:58 which would have been a 5k PR two years ago.



[SIZE=medium]A race disappointment during 2013: No real disappointments. I was displeased (but not surprised) when I cramped and crashed at the Illinois Marathon in April. I still ended up with my second best marathon time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your most memorable workout or race for the year:[/SIZE] Most memorable workout was a ridiculous 11-miler in 36 degree rain. My wife got scared because I hadn't come home and she eventually thought I must have taken refuge somewhere after searching for me for a long time. I actually just took a very different route through town and was about 5 miles from home when the rain got heavy. She was making pancakes for me when I got home!



[SIZE=medium]Favorite "go to" workout and/or routes: I don't really have a favorite route. My favorite workout is my standard Thursday tempo run. My wife runs with me for the first five miles at an easy pace. I drop her off at home and continue the run 5-8 more miles at HM pace.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Total training volume during 2013: I am currently at 2255 which is a PR. I will end up somewhere above 2300.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Best memories of other guys' training or races in 2013: Ned's Half, Duck's final 8.5, any race by Steve. [/SIZE]



[SIZE=medium]Oddest, unusual, or funniest experiences of the year (yours or one of the other guys): [/SIZE] I am still laughing at Annyong's seven chicken breast carb-load.

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2014:[/SIZE] I definitely want to surpass 2400 miles in 2014, which was my goal this year. I still think I have a Marathon PR in me, so maybe I can do that in Houston 1/19. I would like to get a shot at a 5k PR if I get an opportunity.

 

[Brony]

eta: Good news to hear, Brony! It makes sense to keep it under control for now so you can be healthy and ready come springtime. A few of us are in the Chicago area (myself, Juxt, and the elusive Annyong). Maybe we can connect at a 5K over the summer.

Thanks GB. I'll be checking back in here and we'll figure out something for Chicago in 2014.

 

[tri-man 47]

2013 Year-end Report

Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved? My goal had been to compete in a HM series, but after the Boston bombings, I changed plans to a marathon focus and never got back on track with the HMs.

New accomplishments or PRs in 2013: My 3:33:29 at the Fox Valley Marathon (#2 of the three races) was a PR by 3 ½ minutes. It was also good enough for a marathon AG award, and it felt pretty cool to place in a marathon event.

Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): It felt great to come back after the first marathon disappointment to run a BQ and a PR race three weeks later.

A race disappointment during 2013: The first marathon on September 1st in northern Wisconsin. It totally threw me off when I looked at my HR late in the first mile and saw a rate much higher than I expected (shouldn’t have been a surprise with the warm day and high humidity). I just hadn’t anticipated that, and a couple attempts to alter goals did not prevent a BQ failure.

Your most memorable workout or race for the year: On a short training run a week before my BQ marathon attempt, I got stung in the chest by some kind of wasp or hornet and ended up in the ER with bad swelling and itchiness.

Favorite “go to” workouts and/or routes: Favorite training is always on my trips to our summer cottage near Grand Rapids, MI. A paved trail passes right across the street and takes me through fields and forests, but I also enjoy just running the country roads on a summer day.

Total training volume during 2013: A bit over 1,500 miles – all the marathon tapering and recovery cut out miles, and I’ve been a bit of a slug since then.

Best memories of other guys’ training or races in 2013: the 100 milers of BnB (run) and Sand (massively hilly bike); the explosion of ultras this year; Hang10’s strong summer racing.

Oddest or funniest experiences (yours or one of the other guys): Crazy Annyong!

Goal(s) for 2014: My 2014 summer of speed – I want to bring the 5K under 20:00 and the HM under 1:30.

 

[SteveC702]

[SIZE=medium]2013 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

...

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2014:[/SIZE] I definitely want to surpass 2400 miles in 2014, which was my goal this year. I still think I have a Marathon PR in me, so maybe I can do that in Houston 1/19. I would like to get a shot at a 5k PR if I get an opportunity.

Congrats on everything you accomplished this year and thanks for the shout out in the "races by others" comment. I also saw that last line and wanted to get this out there before it slipped my mind... I didn't get into the USA half but I am running the regular half in Houston. I'll be pretty much free all day Saturday if you want to meet up for a drink or meal. Just let me know man.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Goal(s) for 2014: My 2014 summer of speed – I want to bring the 5K under 20:00 and the HM under 1:30.

Awesome! Do you plan to race much in the spring or are you going to wait for summer? I'm already eyeing some races for March.

 

[Ned]

[SIZE=medium]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): [/SIZE]My best segment of a race ever was my final 5k of my half PR. I ran it in 22:58 which would have been a 5k PR two years ago.

Love these kind of stories. It's amazing how 2 yrs ago you probably would've never dreamed of saying this.

 

[worrierking]

[SIZE=medium]2013 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

...

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2014:[/SIZE] I definitely want to surpass 2400 miles in 2014, which was my goal this year. I still think I have a Marathon PR in me, so maybe I can do that in Houston 1/19. I would like to get a shot at a 5k PR if I get an opportunity.

Congrats on everything you accomplished this year and thanks for the shout out in the "races by others" comment. I also saw that last line and wanted to get this out there before it slipped my mind... I didn't get into the USA half but I am running the regular half in Houston. I'll be pretty much free all day Saturday if you want to meet up for a drink or meal. Just let me know man.

Thanks, Steve. I would love to be seen with a fast guy in Houston! Let's see what the plans are as we get close. I would be open for a carb-load Saturday or a post-race beer Sunday. Of course you will be finished with your race three hours before I am done with mine, so you could be finished with a six-pack while I am just starting to cramp at mile 24. Are you staying Sunday night or leaving?

 

[tri-man 47]

Goal(s) for 2014: My 2014 summer of speed – I want to bring the 5K under 20:00 and the HM under 1:30.

Awesome! Do you plan to race much in the spring or are you going to wait for summer? I'm already eyeing some races for March.

I'll probably target a HM or two early on ...March would force me to train hard starting, well, now! 5Ks can wait until June or so. Will that Chicagoland HM be in March again? (Finish what you started? ).

 

[Juxtatarot]

Goal(s) for 2014: My 2014 summer of speed – I want to bring the 5K under 20:00 and the HM under 1:30.

Awesome! Do you plan to race much in the spring or are you going to wait for summer? I'm already eyeing some races for March.

I'll probably target a HM or two early on ...March would force me to train hard starting, well, now! 5Ks can wait until June or so. Will that Chicagoland HM be in March again? (Finish what you started? ).

Looks like April 6. I'd do that.

 

[SteveC702]

[SIZE=medium]2013 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]

...

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2014:[/SIZE] I definitely want to surpass 2400 miles in 2014, which was my goal this year. I still think I have a Marathon PR in me, so maybe I can do that in Houston 1/19. I would like to get a shot at a 5k PR if I get an opportunity.

Congrats on everything you accomplished this year and thanks for the shout out in the "races by others" comment. I also saw that last line and wanted to get this out there before it slipped my mind... I didn't get into the USA half but I am running the regular half in Houston. I'll be pretty much free all day Saturday if you want to meet up for a drink or meal. Just let me know man.

Thanks, Steve. I would love to be seen with a fast guy in Houston! Let's see what the plans are as we get close. I would be open for a carb-load Saturday or a post-race beer Sunday. Of course you will be finished with your race three hours before I am done with mine, so you could be finished with a six-pack while I am just starting to cramp at mile 24. Are you staying Sunday night or leaving?

Saturday carb-load meal is probably the best option. Post-race gorge-fest is always fun, but I am actually catching a flight pretty much right after the race (around 10:30 AM) since the wife isn't coming with me so I am just making a short trip out of it. (get in late Friday, shake-out / expo / relax Saturday, then race and go). Let me know if you know where you're staying and we'll plan something. (I am staying about 4-5 miles away from the race start/finish area since I booked my hotel late, but will have to be downtown for packet pickup anyways)

 

[beer 302]

So got to thinking, this 50k I signed up for is February 8th which gives me about 6 weeks to train . Naturally I'm woefully behind the 8 ball but at least I have more time than I did for the last one. I'm thinking of trying to do some form/combination of the highlighted cells in this training program. This week will be telling as I'm attempting to 40-50 miles for the first time in forever with most of those on the actual trail I'll be running. Should be a hoot

 

[BassNBrew]

The more I've researched this the more I've come to believe cramping is simply about going at an intensity, often combined with duration, that your muscles just aren't used to. Most people don't experience cramps during training, just during racing - when you're pushing further and faster that you do in training. While it's obviously important to keep up on hydration, nutrition, and (arguably) electrolytes, it's more of a training/intensity issue than anything else. I'm a big believer in the Central Governor theory - your brain is trying to protect your body by shutting down muscles before they get damaged, so it causes cramping, forcing you to slow down.

That doesn't help you in terms of how to fix them during a race, other than do what you did - slow down, and change the muscle stimulus if possible (ie walk if you have to). And during training I suppose it's about going at intensities, at a long enough duration, to condition your Central Governor (brain) that your muscles can in fact handle it.

One weird thing - while physiologically the ingestion of electrolytes has been shown in studies not to help alleviate cramps, the taste of pickle juice does. Some think it's the taste of vinegar, some the taste of salt, but the effect is quick enough that there is no way that whatever is in the pickle juice has been absorbed so it has to be simply a signal that the taste buds are sending to the brain. So while carrying a flask of pickle juice isn't usually very practical, and I haven't seen it very often at aid stations, I have heard of runners chewing on an electrolyte tablet to get that strong salt taste and send a signal to the brain to shut the cramps down. I haven't tried it myself, but it's an interesting idea.

That's what I was reading as well. Not very encouraging for me. I wanted it to be a chemical imbalance that I could easily fix through race day nutrition. But now I'm thinking that maybe this is where my low mileage catches up with me. Sure, I did some long runs and I didn't run them particularly slow but they were generally in the 2 1/2 hour range...a far cry from almost 5.

With you Hang 10, was hoping there was a simple tweek to the nutrition/hydration that would be the "fix" but like so many other things in this sport, it comes down to your training. Much like Duck's higher mileage training, I'm going to try ramping it up in January to see how the body holds up. Seems like that's the only way to help avoid this issue in ultra's which brings me to my mantra for 2014.2013 was "don't short the run" meaning finish strong no matter what in honor of my brother and his fight with prostrate cancer. 2014 is a throw back to my HS football days, "practice like you play". If you're not giving 100% during training, when you're up against the wall in a race, you're going to take the easy way out. You've got to push yourself in training to understand, appreciate and realize just what you are capable of. I've taken it to heart from a lot of the DNF's in this thread on FB that you read about. Some of the time is a physical thing but a fair amount are mental as well. If you don't let that "quit" enter your mind, no matter how bad the training or race is going, you won't quit. You won't let yourself quit.

Mileage isn't the answer guys. Salt tabs, nutrition, and hydration. I used to constantly cramp at events. I double dosed Saltstick tablets and it became a thing of the past when running.

Congrats on the hug3e pr hang 10.

 

[Annyong]

Hey dickfaces. I'll be back after the holidays.

2013 goals:

Run 365 miles this year (later upped to 500) . Burned passed 365 about 7 months in and I think I ended up near 700

Run a HM. Did that in an hour 50

2014 goals:

Run 1000 miles

Sub 21 minute 5k, (i think i can do sub 20 but I'm working on distance this year)

PR in 5k, 10k (never ran one) and HM

Run a marathon (probably something in the fall)

 

[FUBAR]

This was... fun?

30 day plank challenge

1. 25 Nov 60 seconds

2. 26 Nov 60 seconds

3. 27 Nov 120 seconds

4. 28 Nov 120 seconds

5. 29 Nov 120 seconds

6. 30 Nov rest

7. 1 Dec 135 seconds

8. 2 Dec 135 seconds

9. 3 Dec 60 seconds @ F,L,R (at this point I stopped tripling and added side planks)

10. 4 Dec 60 seconds @ F,L,R

11. 5 Dec 60 seconds @ F,L,R

12. 6 Dec 90 seconds @ F,L,R

13. 7 Dec Rest

14. 8 Dec 90 seconds @ F,R,L

15. 9 Dec 90 seconds @ F,R,L

16. 10 Dec 120 seconds @ F,R,L

17. 11 Dec 120 seconds @ F,R,L

18. 12 Dec 150 F, 75 R,L (at this point divided side planks in half so the total side time was equal to the front)

19. 13 Dec rest

20. 14 Dec 150 F, 75 R,L

21. 15 Dec 150 F, 90 R,L

22. 16 Dec 180 F, 90 R,L

23. 17 Dec 180 F, 90 R,L

24. 18 Dec 210 F, 105 R,L

25. 19 Dec 210 F (was hurting after kettlebell, so took off sides)

26. 20 Dec rest

27. 21 Dec 240 F, 120 R,L

28. 22 Dec 240 F (long run day, skipped sides)

29. 23 Dec 270 F, 135 R,L

30. 24 Dec 300 F, 150 L,R

 

[Ned]

Nice job, FUBAR!

Interesting to see your breakdown... I just finished day 12 yesterday and had to tap out of the sides. I've been doing all 3 at the scheduled timing, but 90 was too much. Did 90 basic and then 60/60 for L/R. Those side planks kill me. I think I'll stick with 60sec sides until it feels like I can go further. I really have to dig to get thru 60sec.

Pushups going well. Finished D1W2 yesterday and finished set 5 with 17 pushups. :flex:

 

[FUBAR]

Nice job, FUBAR!

Interesting to see your breakdown... I just finished day 12 yesterday and had to tap out of the sides. I've been doing all 3 at the scheduled timing, but 90 was too much. Did 90 basic and then 60/60 for L/R. Those side planks kill me. I think I'll stick with 60sec sides until it feels like I can go further. I really have to dig to get thru 60sec.

Pushups going well. Finished D1W2 yesterday and finished set 5 with 17 pushups. :flex:

Thanks. I was shaking with the 2:30 sides, more on left than right.

I'm going to start my own push ups challenge. Start at 30, add 10 every day for 6 days, skip a day. next week start at 60, add 10... 3rd week start at 90. Final day should be 140 seconds if I time it right. The next week I have an APFT.

 

[Prince Myshkin]

Nice job, FUBAR!

Agreed! At my current pace, this 30 day challenge is going to take me about 2 months. I've missed 3 days because it simply slipped my mind. My schedule has been all over the place and I haven't gotten into a good routine. Did complete the second day of 45 sec FLR yesterday. 60 seconds today...

Slugged through 4 miles in the snow this morning...big change from the 70s we had a couple days ago. Was planning on 5, but my watch crapped out and I was already late because I had to change a tire for a guy and his pregnant wife on the way (the guy was probably 25 and admitted he had no clue ). I tried to make it as painless and un-embarrassing as possible for him, but his wife got in a couple of zingers. Made me thankful to have a dad that made me learn that type of thing early...

 

[Juxtatarot]

This will be my first year training for a marathon and am looking for someone who wouldn't mind being a part-time mentor/motivational coach. I will be searching for a training plan soon ( i have usually used Hal Higsdon's half plan in the past) but would like to find a plan that has the long runs every other week, so not to burn myself out.

A few things that I plan on doing differently this year is doing actual tempo runs and speed work.

I've been meaning to respond to this post and, actually, I'm surprised nobody else brought this point up. I'm not sure you're going to find a plan that has speed work yet a long run only once every two weeks. I think you should really consider risking the burn out and plan on a long, slow run once a week. I think you should certainly cut out the speed work before the weekly long run. This is your first marathon and your goal should be to finish, not to be a faster runner (although long runs can even help with that). The long runs will also help the weight loss.

I don't mean to discourage you from speed work but that could be in addition to the weekly long runs, not in lieu of.

 

[sho nuff]

Merry Christmas to you all.

Got a nice interval run in yesterday. Will try to get out for a few tomorrow morning after the kids open everything.

Then off to the great white north and cold ### temps in grue land.

 

[FUBAR]

Agreed! At my current pace, this 30 day challenge is going to take me about 2 months. I've missed 3 days because it simply slipped my mind...

Put it on your calendar. I set mine for the time I wake up each day, do it first thing.

 

[tri-man 47]

Merry Christmas to you all.

Got a nice interval run in yesterday. Will try to get out for a few tomorrow morning after the kids open everything.

Then off to the great white north and cold ### temps in grue land.

Yes, Merry Christmas, guys! Off soon for a day with my wife's family.

Cold one this a.m. (wind chill at or below 0) ..did 6 miles. I wore the balaclava over my mouth and nose, but breathing is a pain that way since it's hard to inhale without sucking in the material. But the warm air pushes up on my face and creates little icicles on the eyebrows as it freezes, which is always fun.