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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ned
- Start date
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
Speaking of surviving, my 16 mile run yesterday got pretty rough by the end. I'm not sure how you constant marathoners do it.
On the plus side, my Salomon vest is supposed to ship today and I tried a honey stinger waffle mid-run yesterday with no issues, so pieces are slowly coming into place. Still need to buy some body glide, as I've never had to do anything to prevent chafing before.
On the plus side, my Salomon vest is supposed to ship today and I tried a honey stinger waffle mid-run yesterday with no issues, so pieces are slowly coming into place. Still need to buy some body glide, as I've never had to do anything to prevent chafing before.
bushdocda
Footballguy
Tunnel Light Marathon
TLDR - 1 min 9 second PR 3:22:09. Great trip/crew/northwest visit. BQ swing and miss
Slightly Longer
This one came together in search of a fast course and BQ shot to drop under 3:20 to have a slim shot at a 2025 Boston. Buffer math shifted my A goal lower so most my quality miles were in the 7:25 range and they were on point during workouts. I just needed more of them. Consecutively.
Smooth trip into Seattle and met up with @SteelCurtain and our third crew member in the airport, into the rental and off to our Airbnb. Great company and fun Friday and Saturday. We stayed in North Bend east of Seattle and course starts further east in Sqoqualmie. The midweek prior had record high heat that was fading into the weekend but not what we wanted at all temps.
Before bib pickup, @SteelCurtain and I went to the finish of a Saturday marathon using most of the same course for recon and vibes. We’d run a bit on another portion the day prior to get a sense of the trail/gravel/looseness. We knew it was going to be a factor. Ended up with low 60s* start and 80% humidity vs more typical low 50* and much lower humidity.
Smooth race morning to the start and easy staging setup. I prerace trotted forward on the course to scope the tunnel and it was significantly cooler on approach. It was < 1/2 from start. 2 miles of dark tunnel awaited us before the next 24 miles rolling pretty gently down hill.
The tunnel was about a lane and a half wide with some ruts, juts and puddles. I was pretty anxious with the early bunched crowd and those miles had HR +10 bpm from where I should be even with some race jitters. I settled in behind 3:15 pace group and promptly fell off that pace and retargeted 3:20 and also not being a poosey.
No timing mats but I split right around 1:40 and considered joining the hippy rock climbers to our left that were having what looked like an awesome morning in the mountains. Gels every 30 mins alternating caff / no caff so I rolled on with energy but the loose gravel was sucking it out of each step even with the downhill. I had hoped the 2 would offset a bit more. The last third was hell per the nature of the marathon and I took the last 4 aid stops very seriously with 2 waters and a tailwind at each to keep on to the next one. Lost time but pushed away the total flameout. Lower legs were feeling the surface and decline. Passing people and more walkers as I went was encouraging and a bit depressing.
At 24ish miles I knew I missed 3:20 but had a PR I could chase so i ran that down and am proud of that effort.
Finish line of a marathon is triumph and turmoil and with lots of folks chasing BQs and the conditions this one was pretty messy. I ran through until a lady stopped me (no finish line, sensor was above) and I stumbled into a fence having heard @SteelCurtain call my name off to the left somewhere. We met up a few fuzzy minutes later. He did what BMFs do and got his # with a buffer to monitor. Same with our 3rd member who is about as bad of a BMF as I’ve ever met.
We got ourselves together, hung out a bit at the finish and then rolled back to the vehicle and house. Beers, food, football and a great day.
Travel out was pretty uneventful and my wife picked me up at the airport and asked what’s next.
I was up at 3:30 this morning perhaps still high from caffeine and looking at hotels in Houston in January.
Edit- thought it was a 9 second PR it was actually :69 second PR on a 3:23:18 in Berlin. Nice.
TLDR - 1 min 9 second PR 3:22:09. Great trip/crew/northwest visit. BQ swing and miss
Slightly Longer
This one came together in search of a fast course and BQ shot to drop under 3:20 to have a slim shot at a 2025 Boston. Buffer math shifted my A goal lower so most my quality miles were in the 7:25 range and they were on point during workouts. I just needed more of them. Consecutively.
Smooth trip into Seattle and met up with @SteelCurtain and our third crew member in the airport, into the rental and off to our Airbnb. Great company and fun Friday and Saturday. We stayed in North Bend east of Seattle and course starts further east in Sqoqualmie. The midweek prior had record high heat that was fading into the weekend but not what we wanted at all temps.
Before bib pickup, @SteelCurtain and I went to the finish of a Saturday marathon using most of the same course for recon and vibes. We’d run a bit on another portion the day prior to get a sense of the trail/gravel/looseness. We knew it was going to be a factor. Ended up with low 60s* start and 80% humidity vs more typical low 50* and much lower humidity.
Smooth race morning to the start and easy staging setup. I prerace trotted forward on the course to scope the tunnel and it was significantly cooler on approach. It was < 1/2 from start. 2 miles of dark tunnel awaited us before the next 24 miles rolling pretty gently down hill.
The tunnel was about a lane and a half wide with some ruts, juts and puddles. I was pretty anxious with the early bunched crowd and those miles had HR +10 bpm from where I should be even with some race jitters. I settled in behind 3:15 pace group and promptly fell off that pace and retargeted 3:20 and also not being a poosey.
No timing mats but I split right around 1:40 and considered joining the hippy rock climbers to our left that were having what looked like an awesome morning in the mountains. Gels every 30 mins alternating caff / no caff so I rolled on with energy but the loose gravel was sucking it out of each step even with the downhill. I had hoped the 2 would offset a bit more. The last third was hell per the nature of the marathon and I took the last 4 aid stops very seriously with 2 waters and a tailwind at each to keep on to the next one. Lost time but pushed away the total flameout. Lower legs were feeling the surface and decline. Passing people and more walkers as I went was encouraging and a bit depressing.
At 24ish miles I knew I missed 3:20 but had a PR I could chase so i ran that down and am proud of that effort.
Finish line of a marathon is triumph and turmoil and with lots of folks chasing BQs and the conditions this one was pretty messy. I ran through until a lady stopped me (no finish line, sensor was above) and I stumbled into a fence having heard @SteelCurtain call my name off to the left somewhere. We met up a few fuzzy minutes later. He did what BMFs do and got his # with a buffer to monitor. Same with our 3rd member who is about as bad of a BMF as I’ve ever met.
We got ourselves together, hung out a bit at the finish and then rolled back to the vehicle and house. Beers, food, football and a great day.
Travel out was pretty uneventful and my wife picked me up at the airport and asked what’s next.
I was up at 3:30 this morning perhaps still high from caffeine and looking at hotels in Houston in January.
Edit- thought it was a 9 second PR it was actually :69 second PR on a 3:23:18 in Berlin. Nice.
Last edited:
Zasada
Footballguy
Good choice on the Salomon vest. Really well-made and versatile. I use Squirrel's Nut Butter for my ultras. Been good thus far.
Zasada
Footballguy
Great work sticking with a PR pace even though you knew 3:20 wasn't in the cards.
I've run Houston twice. It's a great race, and where I got my BQ. Flat, well-organized, and active crowds. You're rolling the dice a little on heat/humidity, but that's probably true anywhere. But a number of the pros target that race for (half-)marathon PRs and records.
If you're willing to pay a premium, the Hilton Americas is perfectly situated to the conference center and finish line.
xulf
Footballguy
Congrats on the PR!
I have never ran any sort of course like this, but it obviously brings challenges with it...To a casual observer the net downhill would seem like an easy peasy race, but that has to thrash the legs and I had never really considered the full impact of gravel since I've rarely gone off streets/paths
With all these nuances (and weather), it sounds like you managed this race as well as you could have. This one had the "blow up" potential written all over it, but the fact you adjusted and held strong says a lot about you, your abilities, and your running IQ
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
I've never seen a real convincing data set where they did apples to apples comparisons, but with a little googling you can find people arguing that the big net downhill marathons often don't end up yielding faster times. I believe the main arguments against are the lower O2 levels in the early portion of the race (since you obviously can't start near sea level and get big net downhill), and of course the strain that downhill running can put on the leg muscles themselves.I have never ran any sort of course like this, but it obviously brings challenges with it...To a casual observer the net downhill would seem like an easy peasy race, but that has to thrash the legs and I had never really considered the full impact of gravel since I've rarely gone off streets/paths
On gravel, my local half marathon has 2-3 miles of gravel a little after halfway, and I ran the FBG 10K on a gravel path with a net downhill. I do not like racing on gravel as I feel I have to work harder. It's not so bad nearer marathon paces, but somewhere between 10K and 5K pace I personally feel like I get significant slippage during the push off phase. Even for the slower paces, you can definitely feel it now and then when you try to push off a bit more firmly to try to pick up the pace. At least for me. It's probably a very individual thing though, as I imagine the reaction to a long downhill race is as well.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
...and @Brony dropping a 100 miler bike trek this a.m. in increasingly hot conditions. BMF
pbm107
Footballguy
Thanks, I'm not in racing shape yet so I had a lot of fun pacing my buddy to sub 1:30, he killed it. I'm pleased with the progress that I have made over the past 6 weeks, we'll see what I can do in the next 10 ahead of the Philly marathon.
xulf
Footballguy
Never feel bad about tacos and tequila.
MAC_32
Footballguy
I had to make a pit stop at Sheetz (pun intended) en route to evacuate round 5 or so, but as it turns out that was the last needed tango with the porcelain gods. Wasn't expecting to still have sub 20 in me given my lack of volume and increased waist line, but I was positioned to do that if I embraced some red lining suffering and I endured. The post race guiness was welcomed, but my achilles weren't too thrilled with my decision to coach two different sports the rest of the day.
Brony
Footballguy
Thanks GB. Heat was never really a problem yesterday. Probably was sweating more than I'm used to, but never felt affected by the temps. Joined up with a few other people and we worked the last 50 together pretty nicely.
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
Boston gets record number of applicants. I sit with a 7:10 buffer and feeling like I'll be on the outside looking in this year. :-(
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
Looks like they also adjusted the standards down by 5 minutes for (I think) everyone under 60 for 2026. Which I guess is better than letting the buffer you need get insane again, but still sucks for people on the cusp. I'm rethinking trying to try for a BQ next fall as I think my odds just dropped a lot.
xulf
Footballguy
I don't know how this will impact things for me for 2026. I was already assuming I needed more than a 5 minute buffer and was shooting for 7 mins. Maybe it all washes out anyway since it was very likely not going to be less than 5.
And it's not like I can change my goal now anyway
tri-man 47
Footballguy
In related news, I’ll be running the Fox Valley Marathon on Sunday as my BQ for 2026. Qualifying time is 4:20 for 70-74 (!) bracket. Barring an in-race injury, I should be good.
bushdocda
Footballguy
Stoked for you GB
Zasada
Footballguy
Barkley Fall Classic You Do Not Want to Do this Race.
Part of me is "Eff that stuff" and another part of me wants to try. I really hate bushwhacking though. And it seems like there is a lot of that.
Zasada
Footballguy
I don't know how this will impact things for me for 2026. I was already assuming I needed more than a 5 minute buffer and was shooting for 7 mins. Maybe it all washes out anyway since it was very likely not going to be less than 5.
And it's not like I can change my goal now anyway
I don't think raising the qualifying times really means anything in the end. It just reduces the buffer you're going to need, and manages expectations better.
I'm interested in what's driving the recent surge in applications. Did the pandemic create a bunch of runners who are just now getting to the point that they can BQ? Or is it just more existing runners are now looking to get the Boston experience (like I wanted to)? Is the democratization of super shoes speeding-up runners to qualify more easily now than in the past?
BassNBrew
Footballguy
Race reports last year were filled with people getting stung by hornets. Weather forecast for this year is upper 80s.
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
Sucks that the timing isn't right for you, as it would have been an epic follow and race report. I assume with Laz there are no deferrals.
If I had to guess I'd think Zasada's right in that the impact will be marginal. It probably will eventually drive times further lower but that'll probably take a few years as one can't just will oneself to getting faster to stay ahead of standards.And it's not like I can change my goal now anyway
Are you feeling any more optimistic about your race? From afar it looks like you've had some real solid runs, but I know you were feeling beaten up and slow a few weeks back.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
The Iguana
Footballguy
In 2024 I have gone out to run 13 times for a total of 33 1/2 miles. Last night was the first time in about 3 months... but I'm going to try to get back into this thing. I'm a long, long, long ways from trying to make this any kind of a habit but first days are for being hopeful!
xulf
Footballguy
I've had successful 18 and 20 miles, which has boosted my confidence. The thing I'm worried about, is my HR/pace indicates I'm not in the same shape I was when I ran my 3:16 marathon...and my v02max agrees (I'm 2 below where I had been).
The weather still needs to come down and I'm going to guess I will at least get 1 tick up prior to the race.
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
I spoke with Dave McGilviray (Boston race director) at a race I was pacing last year and he said this past year's application jump was a significant increase in International runners. My guess is that has continued.
I don't know how this will impact things for me for 2026. I was already assuming I needed more than a 5 minute buffer and was shooting for 7 mins. Maybe it all washes out anyway since it was very likely not going to be less than 5.
And it's not like I can change my goal now anyway
I don't think raising the qualifying times really means anything in the end. It just reduces the buffer you're going to need, and manages expectations better.
I'm interested in what's driving the recent surge in applications. Did the pandemic create a bunch of runners who are just now getting to the point that they can BQ? Or is it just more existing runners are now looking to get the Boston experience (like I wanted to)? Is the democratization of super shoes speeding-up runners to qualify more easily now than in the past?
Boston used to be a heavy North American race with some Europe and Asia sprinkled in. It sounds like more of the world is wanting to run Boston which is raising the standards.
I've decided to blame everyone from Canada if I don't make it in 2025 field.
Zasada
Footballguy
Can't blame me! No BQs in my future, I'm pretty sure. Once-in-a-lifetime thing for me.
The Iguana
Footballguy
2 "runs" in one week... I think I'm officially back! 
The Iguana
Footballguy
Also... You guys know I'm not a smart man, right? Part of getting out here now is that a couple of months ago, a friend of mine talked me into signing up for a trail half marathon. Smart move would have been too start running back then. Well, it is a month from tomorrow. Plan will be to hike it as much as run it but I'm still going to regret it, I'm sure.
Zasada
Footballguy
Anything that gets one off the couch is a good thing. Take that win for now. Worry about how fast you run some other day.
The Iguana
Footballguy
Very much so. 2 runs in I've had just a taste to remind me why this stuff can be fun. But I'm seriously hurting out there. The first 2 miles haven't been too bad. That last mile has been a serious struggle. Totally just a lack of fitness and carrying around far too much weight. But one run at a time, one step at a time, and I know things will get better/funner.
ChiefD
Footballguy
You can do it. If everyone here recalls, I ran that half marathon a couple of years ago with literally zero training.
I would just recommend not having your wife take a video of you mowing your lawn afterward and then posting it here.
The Iguana
Footballguy
sounds like I need a link... And for the record, I did this exact same thing when I initially joined this thread - except it was the monumental 1/2 marathon rather than a trail version. I actually went back and was looking at my first posts here the other day for a little inspiration. It was all kind of stupid and you guys were most gracious to a guy that was a bumbling buffoon. I'm back to bumble my way around some more!
ChiefD
Footballguy
The Iguana
Footballguy
We need to get you back out here with me! How you doing these days?!?
ChiefD
Footballguy
Doing all right. Living in Northern Wisconsin enjoying the peace and quiet. And agree, I've been wanting to get back out there but been really sore and tired lately. One of these days.....
We need to get you back out here with me! How you doing these days?!?
The Iguana
Footballguy
I made my first ever trip to Wisconsin this summer - actually been there twice now - once for a very, very short trip. My youngest now lives in Milwaukee. Spent Labor Day weekend invading @gruecd 's town for my first real visit.Doing all right. Living in Northern Wisconsin enjoying the peace and quiet. And agree, I've been wanting to get back out there but been really sore and tired lately. One of these days.....
We need to get you back out here with me! How you doing these days?!?
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Alright ..."go" time in the morning for the Fox Valley Marathon! I've essentially been waiting three years for this BQ race after finishing Boston in the fall, 2021. My base from 2023 was strong ...a huge increase in elevation for the year, plus the benefits of @-OZ- 's monthly challenges (continued into 2024). Training through the hot summer was generally very good. I used a 10-day timeframe to get in three SOS (something of substance) workouts each cycle. I had three comfortable long runs (21.2, 22.7, and 21.2 miles). I did have to deal with some issues, primarily a painful protrusion (Haglund's Deformity?) on the back of my right heel that ultimately limited me to every second or third day over the final six weeks. It was actually OK while running, and with extra rest here at the end, it seems fine heading into the race.
Forecast was looking to still be rather warm, though a 7 a.m. start will help. But then the forecast changed and it's now forecasted to be a 70 degree, humid, rainy day. 50% chance of rain at the start and a growing likelihood from there. I guess I'll be getting wet.
Primary goals are a BQ (the standard, as mentioned before, is just 4:20) and an AG win (none of the four AGers last year ran a BQ).
"A" goal is a PR of sub-3:28:30. With my new Mizuno Neo Vista super shoes, I've been comfortably running around this pace, but I'm unsure if I can bank some time or generally hold that pace. The weather conditions make this rather unlikely.
"B" goal is a course goal of sub-3:33:30, having run this race eleven years ago.
Tracking: https://register.chronotrack.com/event/tracking/eventID/81771
Forecast was looking to still be rather warm, though a 7 a.m. start will help. But then the forecast changed and it's now forecasted to be a 70 degree, humid, rainy day. 50% chance of rain at the start and a growing likelihood from there. I guess I'll be getting wet.
Primary goals are a BQ (the standard, as mentioned before, is just 4:20) and an AG win (none of the four AGers last year ran a BQ).
"A" goal is a PR of sub-3:28:30. With my new Mizuno Neo Vista super shoes, I've been comfortably running around this pace, but I'm unsure if I can bank some time or generally hold that pace. The weather conditions make this rather unlikely.
"B" goal is a course goal of sub-3:33:30, having run this race eleven years ago.
Tracking: https://register.chronotrack.com/event/tracking/eventID/81771
-OZ-
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Went fine.
Temp around 70 with 90% humidity. Ugh. Rain forecasted to start about an hour into the race. I’ll run by HR and see what the day gives me.
pbm107
Footballguy
@tri-man 47 got to the 21 mile marker in 3:20:27, looks like a tough day with tough conditions. Bring it home, I hope you come out of this healthy.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Yeah, I DNFed right at that point. Discretion is the better part of valor. Cost/benefit of slugging through 5 more miles wasn’t worth it. The heat and humidity won the day. Too bad …I kept careful control over my HR through the first half.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Are you wanting to qualify for Boston 26? If so, you should consider that BQ2 marathon that I ran in the Spring.
The Iguana
Footballguy
I signed up for a spring HM. It's the HM I always thought I would run if I ever did one way back when I was a lot younger but never actual did. No idea what kind of goal I will have but figured I might as well get some carrot to dangle out there and hopefully stay motivated over the winter.
-OZ-
Footballguy
Smart move. No doubt disappointing but there will be more races!
