Ran a 10k in June (3 Viewers)

[FUBAR]

Favorite “go to” workouts and/or routes:

The familiarity makes it zen-like now that I know the distance of various routes.

I know exactly what you mean. People ask me how I can log endless laps in my neighborhood (3.9mi loops) and that's my answer (zen). Its funny how many different combos of streets I've memorized to get the distance I need for different workouts.

4 mile loop isn't bad. our neighborhood would be a 0.8 mile loop which would be boring and flat. I do the usual couple of routes (which leave the neighborhood) from home - loops of 7.75, 12.5 and 17.5 miles. I vary it up when I run from work.

 

[Ned]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

Is this a trail race? How ya feeling?

Lube up!!

 

[ChiefD]

Favorite “go to” workouts and/or routes:

The familiarity makes it zen-like now that I know the distance of various routes.

I know exactly what you mean. People ask me how I can log endless laps in my neighborhood (3.9mi loops) and that's my answer (zen). Its funny how many different combos of streets I've memorized to get the distance I need for different workouts.

4 mile loop isn't bad. our neighborhood would be a 0.8 mile loop which would be boring and flat. I do the usual couple of routes from home but will vary it up when I run from work.

Our neighborhood is like a perfect training ground for running. Some long flat stretches, then some steep inclines, followed by some shorter downhills, some long inclines, etc. Really a nice mixed bag.

 

[Hang 10]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

Is this a trail race? How ya feeling?

Lube up!!

Oh yeah...only about a mile of pavement the whole race. Depending on how much rain we get, the trails could become a muddy disaster. I feel pretty good. I'm a bit under trained...longest training run was 17 miles. But overall I've increased my mileage over last year. I'm gonna shoot for 4:30 (8:41 pace). Hopefully I don't fade too bad at the end.

 

[koby925]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Hell no[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]New accomplishments or PRs in 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Worst running year ever?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race):[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]NA[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]A race disappointment during 2014[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]I ran one race and it was disappointing – Turkey Trot 8k in 31:53[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Favorite “go to” workouts [/SIZE][SIZE=13.5pt]and/or routes:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Unfortunately with injuries I have cut back to not much in the way of “workouts” in 2014 but hope to get back to that in 2015. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Total training volume during 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Between 1150-1200 miles. I broke 40 miles once in 2014 due to documented injury issues and comeback. Also, life with a newborn getting in the way hasn’t helped. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Best memories of other guys’ training or races in 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Ned OWNING 2014 and Steve reaching elite level were quite enjoyable to follow and live vicariously through[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Oddest or funniest experiences (yours or one of the other guys):[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Getting vindication (sort of) when a former “foe” from a couple years back who outkicked me in a 5k at 14 years old, maybe 5’2 and wearing bball shorts turn into a now Junior who won PA states and finished 25th in the country at Footlocker Nationals. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Goal(s) for 2015:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.5pt]Stay healthy. Compete well in the MASTERS division. Depending on races entered, train well enough to hopefully give breaking certain milestones a shot – 17 in 5k (though I’m starting to think that ship sailed on ever doing this again), 30 in 8k, 37 in 10k, 60 in a 10 miler, 1:20 in Half, 3:00 in Marathon[/SIZE]

 

[koby925]

How did you guys with small children and long work hours do it? I currently have a ~2 and ~3 year old and work about 60 hours a week.

I'm lucky that I work from home, but I have 2 boys in kung fu, soccer, and a working wife... so I wake up at 3-4am to log my longer workouts. I'll usually save recovery runs for lunch. Its gotten to the point that my body expects those early morning. There are days that are really tough, but its going to be tough at times no matter how you slice it. Just get out there and do it.

Yeah, I'm going to have to shift my workouts times as well, especially for the full training. I have 3 kids - 9, 7 and 4, and so far I've gotten away with running in the evenings and weekends.

That's going to have to change, especially with the longer runs I'll need to do on a more regular basis. Not looking forward to waking up at 4:30 am, but it will free me up so I can spend more time with them in the evenings.

I keep meaning to get back into morning running but our now 10 month old is the mole in that regard. She still wakes up quite a bit at night so I'm a zombie even without morning running. It is definitely a tough balance. Some of us also have the generation above to worry about. Being at this tweener age of taking care of kids and parents is hard work. So running often suffers.

 

[SFBayDuck]

How did you guys with small children and long work hours do it? I currently have a ~2 and ~3 year old and work about 60 hours a week.

I'm lucky that I work from home, but I have 2 boys in kung fu, soccer, and a working wife... so I wake up at 3-4am to log my longer workouts. I'll usually save recovery runs for lunch. Its gotten to the point that my body expects those early morning. There are days that are really tough, but its going to be tough at times no matter how you slice it. Just get out there and do it.

Yeah, I'm going to have to shift my workouts times as well, especially for the full training. I have 3 kids - 9, 7 and 4, and so far I've gotten away with running in the evenings and weekends.

That's going to have to change, especially with the longer runs I'll need to do on a more regular basis. Not looking forward to waking up at 4:30 am, but it will free me up so I can spend more time with them in the evenings.

I keep meaning to get back into morning running but our now 10 month old is the mole in that regard. She still wakes up quite a bit at night so I'm a zombie even without morning running. It is definitely a tough balance. Some of us also have the generation above to worry about. Being at this tweener age of taking care of kids and parents is hard work. So running often suffers.

I'm lucky in that I work from home, and even though I rarely run on the roads right from my front door my usual trail heads are 5 minutes away. My daughter is 11 now, so I can take off in the morning on weekends for longer runs and not have to worry about being home before she wakes up (that wasn't the case a couple of years ago). And being divorced I have her just half the time, so that makes the other half even more flexible. The girlfriend is pretty understanding as well, although she gets bummed if I take off on Saturday mornings and miss watching GameDay with her. But I do my best to make my training as "invisible" as possible to them - before they get up, during lunch, etc.

I did my time with 50-60 hour work weeks with an additional 10-15 hours per week of Bay Area traffic. I don't think I'll ever go back to that, especially the commuting - that time I get back is priceless. It allows me to drop off/pick up my daughter from school, coach her basketball team, watch some of her volleyball and lacrosse practices, help with homework, all that stuff. Oh yeah, and go running on the trails.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

Is this a trail race? How ya feeling?

Lube up!!

Oh yeah...only about a mile of pavement the whole race. Depending on how much rain we get, the trails could become a muddy disaster. I feel pretty good. I'm a bit under trained...longest training run was 17 miles. But overall I've increased my mileage over last year. I'm gonna shoot for 4:30 (8:41 pace). Hopefully I don't fade too bad at the end.

Sounds awesome! 4:30 would be super solid (my PR at 50K is 90 minutes more than that!) - is it very hilly?

 

[Ned]

Duck - any recommendations on ultra training books? I know 50K isn't much different than a marathon, but I'm curious.

 

[Hang 10]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

Is this a trail race? How ya feeling?

Lube up!!

Oh yeah...only about a mile of pavement the whole race. Depending on how much rain we get, the trails could become a muddy disaster. I feel pretty good. I'm a bit under trained...longest training run was 17 miles. But overall I've increased my mileage over last year. I'm gonna shoot for 4:30 (8:41 pace). Hopefully I don't fade too bad at the end.

Sounds awesome! 4:30 would be super solid (my PR at 50K is 90 minutes more than that!) - is it very hilly?

Not hilly by your standards but I'd say there's enough hills to slow most peoples average pace by a minute or so. Yeah, I would be stoked to finish around 4:30...last year I hit 4:45 but I'm feeling healthier and stronger going in. Hopefully that will make the difference.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Duck - any recommendations on ultra training books? I know 50K isn't much different than a marathon, but I'm curious.

50K isn't much different at all - just bump up your long run a little, and most importantly do some of your runs on similar terrain to the race if the 50K isn't a flat road race.

As for books, my two favorite that include training specifics:

Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell (the guy behind irunfar.com) - has sample training schedules for 50K up to 100M

Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning - the RD for the race I ran and a total bad ###. Some good stories and tips on training and nutrition.

Another that I enjoyed was Never Wipe Your ### With a Squirrel by Jason Robillard. As you can imagine from the title, some funny stuff in there but some good nuggets of trail/ultra info as well.

To me the piece that may be most different for a fast roadie like you moving to a trail 50K (if that's what you're doing) is the potential difference in in-race nutrition strategy. For someone like you going from running 3 hours to running 4-5 hours, that can be quite a change. So you'd just want to dial in, as best you can, what works for you when you get to that 4+ hour mark. Those two books above both talk about nutrition a fair amount, but in the end that's so individual that it's really just an experiment of one.

 

[phatdawg]

[SIZE=medium]2014 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved? [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Goals were to get healthy and use running and better diet as a catalyst. Also, to complete a local 5K. I achieved both of those goals. Started at 227 on Feb. 10 and wanted to get under 200 by my birthday (Aug.). I lost 60 pounds by September. I also finished three 5Ks.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]New accomplishments or PRs in 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Finished my first 5K in 25:45 and then improved to 24:11 the next week.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Proudest was the first 5K because I actually ran it ... and finished. Then I got to do a kids fun run with my son right after.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]A race disappointment during 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Biggest disappointment was my third 5K. I wanted to go sub 24:00, but I didn't train consistently and ended up barely beating my first 5K (25:41).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Favorite “go to” workouts [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]and/or routes: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Any workout that doesn't get interrupted by my 3-year-old or 9-month-old.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Total training volume during 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]I will finish with about 250 miles. Pretty paltry, but oints to shirt:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Best memories of other guys’ training or races in 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]The same as many have mentioned (Duck, Steve, Ned). I love reading every race report, the more detailed the better.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Oddest or funniest experiences (yours or one of the other guys): [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]I went for a run while visiting family. I had planned out the run on mapmyrun before I went so I would know how far I was running and my route included a few country roads and a decent sized sub-division. I planned to run about 4 miles, but I got lost in the sub-division and ended up running up and down streets trying to find my way out. I cut through a couple yards to get back to the main road, got chased by a dog (he was in an invisible fence) and barely missed a nice fall. I ended up running for just short of an hour (which for some of you guys would have been a HM, but for me was probably about 5.5 miles).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2015: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Complete a HM, sub 23:00 5K, 750+ miles for the year.[/SIZE]

 

[gruecd]

To me the piece that may be most different for a fast roadie like you moving to a trail 50K (if that's what you're doing) is the potential difference in in-race nutrition strategy. For someone like you going from running 3 hours to running 4-5 hours, that can be quite a change. So you'd just want to dial in, as best you can, what works for you when you get to that 4+ hour mark. Those two books above both talk about nutrition a fair amount, but in the end that's so individual that it's really just an experiment of one.

For 50K, I'm honestly fine with just GU. 50-milers? That's another story...

 

[FUBAR]

a buddy just upgraded to the Garmin 920 and wants to sell his 910xt for $225. Includes HRM and everything in the tri bundle except he's keeping the cadence counter. I'll need to get one of those but they're cheap enough.

I can see the advantages of this (mostly battery life) but with the TomTom less than a year old, is it worth it?

 

[beer 30]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

So perfect!

GET SOME MOTHER####ER!!!

 

[tri-man 47]

Forecast looking like crap for Saturday. Upper 30's with a 70% chance of rain. Gonna be a soggy cold 50K.

Is this a trail race? How ya feeling?

Lube up!!

Oh yeah...only about a mile of pavement the whole race. Depending on how much rain we get, the trails could become a muddy disaster. I feel pretty good. I'm a bit under trained...longest training run was 17 miles. But overall I've increased my mileage over last year. I'm gonna shoot for 4:30 (8:41 pace). Hopefully I don't fade too bad at the end.

A strong race here would be icing on the cake for the great year you've had. Hopefully the rain cooperates to some degree. Go get 'em!!!

 

[FUBAR]

2014 Year-end Report

Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved?

Goal(s) for 2014:

DISTANCE: 1000/2000/150 This will be a significant increase but with the IM in August, endurance will be vital. Probably need to increase the bike mileage more.

RACES: Finish the IM. I might set a time goal later but for now, completing it is enough. 3:30 for the Marathon in May. No time goal for the trail marathon either. Below 5:15 for the Raleigh 70.3. 5:30 for my leg (bike) of the IM B2B relay.

TRAINING: stay injury free. My plan is to stay fully MAF into January; add tempo runs from mid-January until the last week in February where I will go back to MAF as taper to the trail (I'm treating the trail as training). Between trail and road marathons, recover and add speed work until a few weeks out, taper. The 28 days between marathon and 70.3 will be recovery and low maintenance miles. Then it's 12 weeks to the full IM, which will be spent mostly on the bike. After that, 2 months until our B2B relay which will be almost entirely on the bike after recovery. After that... hibernate.

Didn't get sub 5:15 in Raleigh and didn't do the bike leg of B2B but nailed that goal during IM Crabby. Stuck with the plan for the most part except changed IM Louisville to Maryland.

ETA Miles by discipline (likely year-end)

Swim: 128, likely end with 130 Won't hit the goal of 150

Bike: 3099, (3160)

Run: 1360, (1425)

Total: 4587 (4715)

To tri to put this into perspective; spit balling times here, roughly 70 hours swimming, 155 biking, 200 running for a total of 425 hours on the year.

New accomplishments or PRs in 2014: Crabby

Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): Watching my 9yo win his third turkey trot, running two 5Ks with my 6yo, Crabby

A race disappointment during 2014: would have liked to be faster in Raleigh

Favorite go to workouts and/or routes: MAF, Bricks

Total training volume during 2014: 4573 miles to date

Best memories of other guys training or races in 2014: Too many to list them all but Duck, Ned, Steve and Grue are inspirations.

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

Goal(s) for 2015: Sub 90 HM, sub 5 HIM. Incorporate more high intensity training. Otherwise TBD

2013 Year-end Report



Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved?

Your goal(s) for the year ahead: Country Music Marathon, although I am strongly considering switching to the half in an attempt to set a PR. I feel doing the marathon would be more attune to going through the motions or just to do it. Also to get ready for a Full Ironman, but that will probably in in 2014. Continue to cross-train. Start swimming over lunch starting this summer (new job will allow me to do so), run a sub 12 2 mile and sub 18:30 5k.

Did the half, didn't quite get the PR. Set a decent base for a IM, which is getting done in 2014 so on track there. Not close to the 5k goal, and 12 seconds slower on the 2 mile than hoped for. but otherwise pretty decent year overall.


New PRs or accomplishments in 2013:

Got back into tri

Beach2Battleship 70.3, PR of 5:38.27

12:11 on the 2 mile run


Favorite "go to" workout and/or routes:

RUN: My go-to 7.2 mile run is around the "Triangle" around my neighborhood. I haven't done it much lately, but I like a 2:1 intervals where you knock out 50 pushups in the minute. When I run from work, there's a 4 mile route which includes 2 miles of easy trail. I really liked running home from work when it stayed light past 6:30, that was 11-13 depending on which trails I took.

BIKE: just getting out on the roads. Bricks are vital.

SWIM: I'm starting to like Swim Golf, but that's only part of a workout. I've been doing 2x (10 minute x K,P,S) makes for a good hour without much rest.


Total training volume during 2013:

RUN: 753 miles so far. I expect to get to 800

BIKE: 1291.5 miles; might get to 1350 (includes stationary bike)

SWIM: 80 miles

Cross-training; mostly core, kettlebell and pushups, roughly 3x / week


Goal(s) for 2014:

DISTANCE: 1000/2000/150 This will be a significant increase but with the IM in August, endurance will be vital. Probably need to increase the bike mileage more.

RACES: Finish the IM. I might set a time goal later but for now, completing it is enough. 3:30 for the Marathon in May. No time goal for the trail marathon either. Below 5:15 for the Raleigh 70.3. 5:30 for my leg (bike) of the IM B2B relay.

TRAINING: stay injury free. My plan is to stay fully MAF into January; add tempo runs from mid-January until the last week in February where I will go back to MAF as taper to the trail (I'm treating the trail as training). Between trail and road marathons, recover and add speed work until a few weeks out, taper. The 28 days between marathon and 70.3 will be recovery and low maintenance miles. Then it's 12 weeks to the full IM, which will be spent mostly on the bike. After that, 2 months until our B2B relay which will be almost entirely on the bike after recovery. After that... hibernate.

 

[koby925]

I don't know how you trail guys do it. Maybe because at heart I'm a track guy...it's like it's a different sport. Trail running vs road or non trail running to me is like comparing Golf and Frisbee Golf. I ran in a new park today and found myself suddenly going from a nice firm dirt path to a technical trail. I figured I'd tough it out for a bit and see if it was only technical for a bit but after a mile or so into it I had to call NO MAS and turn around. I can't get into any kind of groove or pace doing that and I'm constantly calculating and chopping my steps in between roots, rocks, trees. And I am always this close to biting it or turning an ankle. Luckily I came through unscathed today.

 

[Ned]

I can't get into any kind of groove or pace doing that and I'm constantly calculating and chopping my steps in between roots, rocks, trees. And I am always this close to biting it or turning an ankle.

I'm not a dedicated trail guy, but when I do the trail triple every year in April, its these things that make it fun for me.

 

[FUBAR]

I don't know how you trail guys do it. Maybe because at heart I'm a track guy...it's like it's a different sport. Trail running vs road or non trail running to me is like comparing Golf and Frisbee Golf. I ran in a new park today and found myself suddenly going from a nice firm dirt path to a technical trail. I figured I'd tough it out for a bit and see if it was only technical for a bit but after a mile or so into it I had to call NO MAS and turn around. I can't get into any kind of groove or pace doing that and I'm constantly calculating and chopping my steps in between roots, rocks, trees. And I am always this close to biting it or turning an ankle. Luckily I came through unscathed today.

congrats, you're like everyone else! Some of us just find that fun.

the pace/groove thing comes with practice.

 

[koby925]

Ha - yeah I guess it would just take a mindset change for me. I can see it being fun I'd just have to think and prepare totally differently. I'm so programmed after years of running that I am going to run X miles and they will all be within Y seconds pace of each other.

 

[SFBayDuck]

I can't get into any kind of groove or pace doing that and I'm constantly calculating and chopping my steps in between roots, rocks, trees. And I am always this close to biting it or turning an ankle.

I'm not a dedicated trail guy, but when I do the trail triple every year in April, its these things that make it fun for me.

congrats, you're like everyone else! Some of us just find that fun.

the pace/groove thing comes with practice.

Yup, it's like that for everyone. Now if you do it all the time you get used to it, although the "groove" is very different.

Yesterday I ran up and down a narrow, semi-technical (for me) 2-mile stretch of trail with water flowing down it and across it like a creek. It was all choppy steps, bouncing back and forth off the sides of the trail, jumping over rocks and water, stopping to move fallen branches, crawling under two downed trees - and it was awesome! It's a trail I run on a few times a week, and I still found myself stopping for 5-10 seconds yesterday to take in a view.

As I've said before I don't get how some of you guys head out on a flat road and run past oncoming cars while churning out mile after mile at the exact same cadence and pace for hours - I just don't know how to do that. To me (no judgement here) that's no different than a treadmill, except you don't even get to watch tv.

 

[Brony]

[SIZE=medium]Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved?[/SIZE] No goals coming into this year. Just see if I could run and how my body would hold up... so, yeah, I guess so

[SIZE=medium]New accomplishments or PRs in 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]I ran a 5K for the first time in 20 years(!)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race): [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]The first 5K I did in April. One of the most gratifying aspects of running, or other sports, heck even life, is to push your body further than your mind ever thought was possible. In November of last year, I was still re-signed to a life of "I'm never gonna run again". Due to a mix-up in the course timing, I don't know if my April 5K was running at 6:15 or 6:35 pace, it was still beyond what I thought I had in me. That was pretty cool. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]A race disappointment during 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Being injured for my potential race with Juxt. He would have crushed me though, so at least I have an excuse.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Favorite “go to” workouts [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]and/or routes: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]I do the same 2 mile loop in my backyard every time I run. I should mix that up some next year.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Total training volume during 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]? I don't track mileage[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Best memories of other guys’ training or races in 2014: [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Similar to other sentiment here on Ned, Steve and Duck. Steve's AF marathon is an insane accomplishment and it was great to follow here. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Oddest or funniest experiences (yours or one of the other guys): [/SIZE] I recently reconnected with some high school XC friends and we drank beers and busted each other's balls about stuff that happened 25 years ago. It was great. These stories mean nothing to anyone here unfortunately. (Cool story Bro).

[SIZE=medium]Goal(s) for 2015: None. Get back to running in March April and see if the surgery helped my calf and my ability to do more than 4 miles without post-running pain. If it was helpful, then we'll see what this old body can do in 2015. [/SIZE]

 

[Sand]

As I've said before I don't get how some of you guys head out on a flat road and run past oncoming cars while churning out mile after mile at the exact same cadence and pace for hours - I just don't know how to do that. To me (no judgement here) that's no different than a treadmill, except you don't even get to watch tv.

Equating road running to treadmill running are fighting words.

As much as I like both road and trail running, treadmills are torture devices.

 

[FUBAR]

As I've said before I don't get how some of you guys head out on a flat road and run past oncoming cars while churning out mile after mile at the exact same cadence and pace for hours - I just don't know how to do that. To me (no judgement here) that's no different than a treadmill, except you don't even get to watch tv.

Equating road running to treadmill running are fighting words.

As much as I like both road and trail running, treadmills are torture devices.

Agreed but I can see his point of view. Running on roads around here compared to his trails, yeah it's like the difference between these roads and the dreadmill.

 

[Hang 10]

I don't know how you trail guys do it. Maybe because at heart I'm a track guy...it's like it's a different sport. Trail running vs road or non trail running to me is like comparing Golf and Frisbee Golf. I ran in a new park today and found myself suddenly going from a nice firm dirt path to a technical trail. I figured I'd tough it out for a bit and see if it was only technical for a bit but after a mile or so into it I had to call NO MAS and turn around. I can't get into any kind of groove or pace doing that and I'm constantly calculating and chopping my steps in between roots, rocks, trees. And I am always this close to biting it or turning an ankle. Luckily I came through unscathed today.

It is different. That's kinda the idea. I do a lot of my long runs on trails just break up the monotony of worrying about the mileage or splits. Time seems to move a little quicker on the trails because of the things you mention. You are more aware of your surroundings...turning...checking out the terrain. I love it. I'd like to do some more trail races.

 

[SFBayDuck]

As I've said before I don't get how some of you guys head out on a flat road and run past oncoming cars while churning out mile after mile at the exact same cadence and pace for hours - I just don't know how to do that. To me (no judgement here) that's no different than a treadmill, except you don't even get to watch tv.

Equating road running to treadmill running are fighting words.

As much as I like both road and trail running, treadmills are torture devices.

Agreed but I can see his point of view. Running on roads around here compared to his trails, yeah it's like the difference between these roads and the dreadmill.

I knew that'd get at least one of you roadies worked up! Of course it's different, hell the dreadmill isn't even a completely natural movement. But I do equate the two from that standpoint of a "set it and forget it" pacing and mindset. And as I've said before, that ability to knock out mile splits within a couple seconds of each other mile after mile is amazing to me.

 

[Hang 10]

As I've said before I don't get how some of you guys head out on a flat road and run past oncoming cars while churning out mile after mile at the exact same cadence and pace for hours - I just don't know how to do that. To me (no judgement here) that's no different than a treadmill, except you don't even get to watch tv.

Equating road running to treadmill running are fighting words.

As much as I like both road and trail running, treadmills are torture devices.

Agreed but I can see his point of view. Running on roads around here compared to his trails, yeah it's like the difference between these roads and the dreadmill.

I knew that'd get at least one of you roadies worked up! Of course it's different, hell the dreadmill isn't even a completely natural movement. But I do equate the two from that standpoint of a "set it and forget it" pacing and mindset. And as I've said before, that ability to knock out mile splits within a couple seconds of each other mile after mile is amazing to me.

The big difference between road running and the treadmill is we race on the roads. But where they are similar is they are both a means to an end. I run on the roads to workout. I can work on speed on the roads. Everyone can benefit from speed training. Yes, even trail runners.

 

[koby925]

To be clear, I mean the technical trails. I run on trails all the time, it's just that they're perfectly manicured like a PGA green

 

[beer 30]

To be clear, I mean the technical trails. I run on trails all the time, it's just that they're perfectly manicured like a PGA green

To be clear, those aren't trails

You get much better at falling as well. Cross training

 

[MAC_32]

I love the trails because it instinctively teaches you better balance and technique. You don't think when you run anymore, you just go. It also helps in minimizing over use types of issues every runner deals with at one time or another since you have to use different muscles as you go.

I think I just motivated myself to head out and hit the trails this weekend. Thanks, fellas.

 

[tri-man 47]

I love the trails because it instinctively teaches you better balance and technique. You don't think when you run anymore, you just go. It also helps in minimizing over use types of issues every runner deals with at one time or another since you have to use different muscles as you go.

The balance issue can get interesting in the winter. One wide, gravel trail I like gets very rutted after snowfalls due to bikers and cross-country skiers. On some steps I even get turned sideways. But I do view that as great for the legs and for balance.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Some data on Low Carb/High Fat diets for endurance athletes from UltraRunning Magazine. I've heard a few of the participants (Ben Greenfield, Zach Bitter) talk about this in podcasts, interesting to see some of the preliminary findings.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Good luck to Hang 10 this weekend! Anyone else racing?

 

[Annyong]

I'm not racing!

 

[Hang 10]

Forecast has improved. Looks to be dry but cold. Kinda an in between cold though (mid to upper 30's). If this was a half marathon I wouldn't hesitate to dress light but when it's going to be 4 hours + I'm just not sure. You warm up...you cool down...etc.

Thoughts?

 

[beer 30]

Forecast has improved. Looks to be dry but cold. Kinda an in between cold though (mid to upper 30's). If this was a half marathon I wouldn't hesitate to dress light but when it's going to be 4 hours + I'm just not sure. You warm up...you cool down...etc.

Thoughts?

Dress like you normally would for a 13-15miler in this weather. If it was me I'd wear a longsleeve shirt with a running pull over and skull cap, gloves are up to you but upper 30's sounds sweet! You'll get warm but to your point you'll also have times when it may get cooler so I'd put on some easily removable, transportable stuff that you can take off/put on fairly quickly. When you're not wearing it, tie it around your waist.

 

[ChiefD]

Good luck this weekend Hang10. Can't wait for the race report.

 

[tri-man 47]

Forecast has improved. Looks to be dry but cold. Kinda an in between cold though (mid to upper 30's). If this was a half marathon I wouldn't hesitate to dress light but when it's going to be 4 hours + I'm just not sure. You warm up...you cool down...etc.

Thoughts?

Unlike shorter races, you won't pick up the pace and therefore won't be generating a lot of body heat. Do you have an outer layer that you can zip up and down as needed? As you note, you'll probably be fluctuating between warm and cool. Another option that I'll use at those temps is wrist bands instead of gloves. For me, it's often the back/base of the hands that first feels the cold. Not sure where you're early 'stress point' is. Remember your Body Glide!

Do well!!!

 

[gruecd]

10+ miles for me last night at 7:30 average pace....37 laps at the 443-meter indoor track at the Pettit National Ice Center. Dropped down to sub-7 pace the last couple of miles and felt decent. Took a risk and got on the scale this morning for the first time in a looooooong time, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Weighed in at 212, only 7-10 pounds over race weight. Pretty psyched about that.

Hang 10 - Good luck this weekend!

 

[FUBAR]

Rock it out hang 10!

Started adding in some high intensity this morning. Revolver is a #####.

 

[Ned]

I really fn hate how much a marathon takes out of me. I rarely get sick, yet I got absolutely rocked this week with a stomach bug. Just as I was kicking that nasty cold. I slept from noon on Wednesday all the way Through to Thursday AM. My energy finally feels back to normal today, so we will see how the legs feel. :X

Pulling for ya today, Hang10. Pace yourself!

 

[FUBAR]

I really fn hate how much a marathon takes out of me. I rarely get sick, yet I got absolutely rocked this week with a stomach bug. Just as I was kicking that nasty cold. I slept from noon on Wednesday all the way Through to Thursday AM. My energy finally feels back to normal today, so we will see how the legs feel. :X

Pulling for ya today, Hang10. Pace yourself!

dude, it's a marathon. It's supposed to take a lot out of you.

But yeah, I feel the same way. Even more so with the IM. Surprisingly so. It comes back.

 

[Ned]

I really fn hate how much a marathon takes out of me. I rarely get sick, yet I got absolutely rocked this week with a stomach bug. Just as I was kicking that nasty cold. I slept from noon on Wednesday all the way Through to Thursday AM. My energy finally feels back to normal today, so we will see how the legs feel. :X

Pulling for ya today, Hang10. Pace yourself!

dude, it's a marathon. It's supposed to take a lot out of you.

But yeah, I feel the same way. Even more so with the IM. Surprisingly so. It comes back.

That doesn't mean I have to like it!!!! 6mi @ 7:54/151. HR was crap but I didn't care. Days like today are why I run. That feeling of being on cruise control and just enjoying the day are awesome. It felt good to feel healthy.

 

[worrierking]

Go Hang10!

21 miles this morning. It felt pretty easy, which is encouraging. Ned would be proud of me because I wore my HR monitor. I wanted a good reading of how much drift I was getting in a long run like this. But I forgot my garmin! The people I run with kept me up-to-date on my miles, but I have no HR data. Oh, and I was also stupid enough that I forgot to take the strap off before starting the run and actually let it chafe me. I finally dropped it off at our base after 12 miles. I am a dumass sometimes.

54.3 for the week. Four weeks until Houston.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

My university just built a giant indoor training facility with a 300m track. Our first ever indoor open-to-whoever 5K is in late January. When I'll be out of town for some stupid conference. FML.

worrierking -- Nice job. Don't feel bad for leaving your Garmin behind. You don't need it on your long runs. Just let your buddies track the distance and cover it as easily as possible.

 

[tri-man 47]

[SIZE=12pt]2014 Year-end Report[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Your goals coming into the year, and were they achieved?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]My goal was to set PRs for 5K and HM races, but I really wasn’t close. Most of the season was frustrating. It was not an “A” season to begin with as I was coming off the marathons last fall and didn’t have any primary races to shoot for. Then a weak winter and spring of training along with some lingering tightness/soreness in the hips got me off to a poor start. A couple of solid fall races salvaged the season to some degree. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]New accomplishments or PRs in 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]None, but: Having finished the doctorate last March, and now being on the cusp of getting a full-time faculty position for fall, 2015, I really look forward to my racing future. I’ll have much more free time starting in the fall, which is when I also change age brackets (to the really senior circuit).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Your proudest and/or best race (or segment within a race):[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]For the last 400 yards of a fall 5K, I was floating in with a smooth stride on the balls of my feet. With more focused speed work, I want to experience more of that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A race disappointment during 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A couple spring HMs were utterly frustrating. With poor conditioning and some soreness, I was actually starting to doubt myself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Favorite “go to” workouts [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]and/or routes:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I enjoy the track workouts (repeat 400s and/or 800s) as well as any opportunity to get out to the suburban trails, whether in Chicago or up in Grand Rapids during the summer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Total training volume during 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Not quite 1,400 miles with a very slow start the first half of the year. I've gotten back into some strength training this fall.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Best memories of other guys’ training or races in 2014:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]What a fascinating year! A lot of health issues - Nigel started things off with his big heart scare, as reported in early January, then possible issues for gruecd, koby, and worrierking, and now Brony with his end of year surgery. Hopefully Brony can follow Nigel and others and get back at it soon. The best recollection was the memorable fall stretch – PatriotJohn completing a marathon at the time SteveC was winning the Air Force marathon; a sequence of 4 Ironman races (2 by former posters, for whom I played sherpa, and then FUBAR and MAC’s really strong events); and Duck’s 100 miler. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Oddest or funniest experiences (yours or one of the other guys):[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Nothing stands out other than Duck’s recent stories of joyfully splashing through the mountain streams.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Goal(s) for 2015:[/SIZE]

A Boston BQ of sub-3:40 and then a lot of medal mongering, especially in the fall with the new bracket. I haven’t given up on getting the 5K back under 20:00 …

 

[Hang 10]

Seashore Nature Trail 50K

I'll keep this brief because I'm hungover and tired but I'm pretty proud of the results yesterday. This is the 3rd year I've ran this race (and one year I'm going actually train properly) and each year I've made some significant improvement. Two years ago I finished in 5:25, last year 4:45 and this year 4:34 (8:49 pace). Fell a little short of my "A" goal but that's okay...I really just wanted to not fade so hard on the second 15 mile loop. For the most part, I didn't...I think I ran around a 8:30 pace for the first half and probably a solid 9 minute pace second lap. I'll take it. My legs we starting to spasm around mile 25 and I just knew they would lock up...but they never did. It did cause me to shorten my stride though. I definitely need some more quality long runs going into next year. My longest training run was only 2 hours 25 minutes. 50K is just a brutal distance for me.

But hey, I still had a great time and my good friends PR'd as well. Good way to cap off the year and looking forward to recovering and get back into training for a marathon in March.

Overall time was 4:34:08 which was 22/234 (300 people signed up).

 

[FUBAR]

Seashore Nature Trail 50K

I'll keep this brief because I'm hungover and tired but I'm pretty proud of the results yesterday. This is the 3rd year I've ran this race (and one year I'm going actually train properly) and each year I've made some significant improvement. Two years ago I finished in 5:25, last year 4:45 and this year 4:34 (8:49 pace). Fell a little short of my "A" goal but that's okay...I really just wanted to not fade so hard on the second 15 mile loop. For the most part, I didn't...I think I ran around a 8:30 pace for the first half and probably a solid 9 minute pace second lap. I'll take it. My legs we starting to spasm around mile 25 and I just knew they would lock up...but they never did. It did cause me to shorten my stride though. I definitely need some more quality long runs going into next year. My longest training run was only 2 hours 25 minutes. 50K is just a brutal distance for me.

But hey, I still had a great time and my good friends PR'd as well. Good way to cap off the year and looking forward to recovering and get back into training for a marathon in March.

Overall time was 4:34:08 which was 22/234 (300 people signed up).

Great time!

Pretty sure 50k is a brutal distance for anyone.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Seashore Nature Trail 50K

I'll keep this brief because I'm hungover and tired but I'm pretty proud of the results yesterday. This is the 3rd year I've ran this race (and one year I'm going actually train properly) and each year I've made some significant improvement. Two years ago I finished in 5:25, last year 4:45 and this year 4:34 (8:49 pace). Fell a little short of my "A" goal but that's okay...I really just wanted to not fade so hard on the second 15 mile loop. For the most part, I didn't...I think I ran around a 8:30 pace for the first half and probably a solid 9 minute pace second lap. I'll take it. My legs we starting to spasm around mile 25 and I just knew they would lock up...but they never did. It did cause me to shorten my stride though. I definitely need some more quality long runs going into next year. My longest training run was only 2 hours 25 minutes. 50K is just a brutal distance for me.

But hey, I still had a great time and my good friends PR'd as well. Good way to cap off the year and looking forward to recovering and get back into training for a marathon in March.

Overall time was 4:34:08 which was 22/234 (300 people signed up).

Sub-9:00 pace for a 50K, wow. Congrats!