Ran a 10k - Official Thread (7 Viewers)

[ChiefD]

You also asked the question about running slower to get faster.  I have found the opposite to be true for me. I have gotten faster by running faster.  I think my easy pace was around 9:00 for my first marathon and now it's around 7:40.

It's funny you mention this. With my most recent half training cycle, I made it a concerted effort to run more fast miles during my normal runs. I felt like I ran so many slow miles last year that I wasn't quite prepared for that faster pace on race day. Not sure if that's what contributed to the better race this year, but I gotta believe that's what it was. It was how I used to train before Ned seduced me with the HR monitor. 

 

[ChiefD]

@ChiefD  you have been given some really good answers already, but since you are on Strava and you know everyone's name take some time to lookup some of us on Athlinks to see the kind of progress can be made over the years.

You haven't been on Strava that long so I don't know what kind of training volume you have run in the past, but based on what I saw on Strava and your half time I think you have the talent to BQ. You need to put in the volume over an extended period of time. I think most runners that can handle the mileage without getting hurt can BQ after a year or two of 2,000 miles. 

Well, we are about to find out. This will be the best time to give it a go - coming off a positive result a few weeks ago. 

Thanks to everyone for all the help. 

 

[igbomb]

Yeah, there in lies my biggest concern with increasing mileage. I'm going to have to adjust something to fit the time in for now, since I just don't run that fast yet it's going to take more actual time to complete those mileage jumps.

With summer coming, I think the best way for me to accomplish this is to just start waking up at 4:30 and running before work. That way it doesn't affect my family time, which is really important to me. And them.

This is what I've been doing the last couple of weeks. I hate mornings and have NEVER been a morning runner. But I was running later and later at night just to squeeze it in due to family life (four kids). So I've been getting up at 5-5:30 to get a good run in. Love it. It's not always easy to roll over and get moving, but I haven't missed a run yet and early morning is a great time to be out there.

 

[MAC_32]

It's funny you mention this. With my most recent half training cycle, I made it a concerted effort to run more fast miles during my normal runs. I felt like I ran so many slow miles last year that I wasn't quite prepared for that faster pace on race day. Not sure if that's what contributed to the better race this year, but I gotta believe that's what it was. It was how I used to train before Ned seduced me with the HR monitor. 

I think it's one of those take a step back so you can take two steps forward sort of things.  You need to run slower to allow your body to adjust to the increased mileage, but the trade-off is worse races in the meantime.  Once your body has adapted to the increased miles you start flying.  That's at least what happened with me, although it probably took me longer than most in large part because of my refusal to use a HRM.  The latter part of 2014 and most of 2015 was a challenging period mentally as I was building and trying to figure things out, but the benefits this year have made it all worth it.  You will experience failure as you adjust, you just have to continue to overcome it and learn from your mistakes.  

 

[MAC_32]

Totally unrelated, what does the 55 stand for in the pfitz program?  

 

[ChiefD]

Totally unrelated, what does the 55 stand for in the pfitz program?  

Up to 55 Miles per week.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Good stuff in here.  Not really much I can add as if we all lined up at a marathon start line together, pretty much all of you would be several beers deep at the finish before I got there.  Steve would already be on the flight home, and Tri would be doing lunges.  

The morning runs are the way to go to sneak mileage in without impacting family time.  I call it "invisible training", and now that we're approaching summer I'll be doing more and more of it myself.

I think your plan is a good one - focus on building up base over the near term, and then kick off a program like 18/55.  If I ever do decide to train for a road marathon again, I think that's what I would look to do.  But keep in mind that the volume chooses you, not the other way around.  If you find that those big weeks are too much, or you start to get niggles or actual injuries, then maybe step back into an 18/40 or something for that first cycle, run the race, recover, go back into base building, and then try 18/55 again down the road.

As for calories, if you're struggling to eat enough then go right for the healthy fats - avocados (I really wish I liked those), nuts/seeds (I really wish my daughter wasn't allergic), coconut (my go to), etc.  It's easy to slip in an extra 200-400 calories a day, if that's needed. 

Looking forward to watching your progress.  That improvement you've already made is no joke!

 

[MAC_32]

Up to 55 Miles per week.

I probably found a bad link online.  That's what I figured it was, but the link had mileage anywhere from 50-70 through peak week.

 

[FUBAR]

Yeah, there in lies my biggest concern with increasing mileage. I'm going to have to adjust something to fit the time in for now, since I just don't run that fast yet it's going to take more actual time to complete those mileage jumps.

With summer coming, I think the best way for me to accomplish this is to just start waking up at 4:30 and running before work. That way it doesn't affect my family time, which is really important to me. And them.

Fwiw, I do almost all is my training before 9am, up to 10 on the weekends.  We agree completely on the value of family time. 

 

[Hang 10]

I probably found a bad link online.  That's what I figured it was, but the link had mileage anywhere from 50-70 through peak week.

That was probably Pfitz 70/18

 

[Hang 10]

I've really been struggling lately with running motivation but it's really cool to see Chiefs setting some serious goals. I'm looking forward to seeing him make it happen.  

 

[Hang 10]

@ChiefD - my  

1 - Why are you trying to get into the 130s? Comparing HRs of other runners will just drive you nuts... If you just watched @Juxtatarot on strava, you'd want to toss your HRM in the trash (I swear he's half comatose on his easy runs).  Conversely, we have the hummingbird @Hang 10 who has a 206 max!  I wish we never spoke in terms of bpm and rather spoke in terms of % of max.  There is no magic mileage number or pace to hit to bring your HR down.  Its a simple matter of lots of volume and consistency.  You gotta run a lot and (virtually) all the time.... 

Based on what I've seen from Chief's strava data, he's much closer to me than someone like Juxt. It's pretty rare that I'm ever in the 130's and that would have to be a good recovery run. 

You really need to find your max before you set your HR expectations. When I first bought a monitor I thought my max was 200...2 weeks ago I hit 206. Using the HR monitor properly takes some trial and error. Who knows, you could be 5-10 beats off on your proper training zones.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Based on what I've seen from Chief's strava data, he's much closer to me than someone like Juxt. It's pretty rare that I'm ever in the 130's and that would have to be a good recovery run. 

You really need to find your max before you set your HR expectations. When I first bought a monitor I thought my max was 200...2 weeks ago I hit 206. Using the HR monitor properly takes some trial and error. Who knows, you could be 5-10 beats off on your proper training zones.

This is a good example of why I'm (in general) against runners new to monitoring their heart rate trying to calculate zones mathematically and using them as a training guide.  I think people will be better served backing into their zones.  Perceived effort on all runs as well as performance in races and harder training runs like tempo and race pace efforts are a better guide.  In the end the math should make some sense but there are enough individual differences from the "average runner" for mistakes to be made and unnecessary frustrations to occur.  

 

[Ned]

Yeah, there in lies my biggest concern with increasing mileage. I'm going to have to adjust something to fit the time in for now, since I just don't run that fast yet it's going to take more actual time to complete those mileage jumps.

With summer coming, I think the best way for me to accomplish this is to just start waking up at 4:30 and running before work. That way it doesn't affect my family time, which is really important to me. And them.

This is what I've been doing the last couple of weeks. I hate mornings and have NEVER been a morning runner. But I was running later and later at night just to squeeze it in due to family life (four kids). So I've been getting up at 5-5:30 to get a good run in. Love it. It's not always easy to roll over and get moving, but I haven't missed a run yet and early morning is a great time to be out there.

Running in the AM, especially when its still dark, is awesome.  I love getting a good MLR done before the world wakes up for the day.  

 

[Nigel]

Running and I are friends again. Went out for one early this morning without a plan, felt great and it turned into a 7 miler with 5 @ tempo/7:15. I ran hard but it was somewhat effortless. Finished feeling refreshed and wanting more. 

Anyway, I'm done lamenting last Monday's cluster ####. It happened. Still not sure what I learned from it other than not all races will be good ones, which for me they were for a while. Kind of took for granted that if I put in the work, which I did, a good race would follow. Not the case, time to move on. 

 

[tri-man 47]

@Nigel - good to hear!  Looking back, I'd say that for 4 of my 11 marathons, I have positive memories of the final few miles.  The others were all some degree of pure suffer-fest.  That's the nature of marathons, I suppose!

Late to the @ChiefD party here.  Chief, I didn't start marathoning until after the kids were grown.  It is a difficult balance with the family commitments (also, I didn't have an online community that set this high performance bar to tempt me!).  A number of comments already about volume, and that is important.  Let me raise different questions.  First, how about your stride?  I would say much of my progress occurred after I changed to a fore/midfoot stride vs. a big heel strike.  Second, do you do any track work?  As @Juxtatarot states, while the slow miles are useful, a lot of benefits come from running fast.  Slow running works, especially if you're putting up the massive miles of Steve, but speed work can be very effective.  I believe much of my training success for this marathon cycle was due to the significant amount of track (interval) work and hard tempo runs.  And two final comments: A beautiful thing about Boston is the age-adjusted qualifying times.  So it would be fine to be patient and let the years move on.  You'll gain more free time, and the qualifying gets a bit easier.  That relates to a final comment: I believe there's a cumulative, beneficial effect of marathon training.  One training cycle is good.  Several is even better.  So keep plugging ..enjoy the races you can ..and let the improvements happen.  

 

[ChiefD]

First, how about your stride? Actually, I would say my stride is good. As a matter of fact, one of the first things I picked up by coming to this forum was proper foot striking and turns. I am definitely a fore/midfoot striker and am very conscious of that.  

Second, do you do any track work?  I do zero track work, But I do mix in intervals once in a while. I have a couple of stretches near my house where I can get 400's and 800's on a straight line. If these would be better done on an actual track, I may try that this cycle. The problem is the closest track to my house is 4 miles, so its borderline if I should run there, do track work, and run back. I just hate the idea of driving to go run. But then again, the track is close to my office and on the way home, so I could stop there on the way home and do it sometimes.

Edit to add: and you are right about this community. There is NO WAY I'm even having this conversation about this next step without the support of all of you along the way. (and the pressure)

 

[igbomb]

So I've started wearing my HR strap on my morning runs just to gather data. Since I don't have an idea what my max HR or LT is yet, I'm just collecting while I run at effort. 

This morning, I had that momentary terror of seeing a dog running right at me. Of course it was behind a fence but that didn't stop me from giving one of those embarrassing yelps. First thought after I checked my shorts was curiosity about how that would look on the HR data. Pretty noticeable spike, jumped about ten beats.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Ugh!  Forecast looked different a few days ago.

 

[tri-man 47]

@ChiefD - if you've got road stretches for 400s and 800s, I wouldn't worry about the track.  In some ways, the road is probably better ...tracks are arguably too smooth and flat, which might distort the time comparison to running on roads that aren't perfectly flat and have blemishes (potholes; cracks)  that force minor adjustments to the stride.

 

[pbm107]

Ugh!  Forecast looked different a few days ago.

Yeah I am not too happy about it, but it is better than it being too warm.  Typically I like to get to this race early, but I'd prefer not to be standing around in the rain.  I guess we can finalize our race day plan on Sat night.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Yeah I am not too happy about it, but it is better than it being too warm.  Typically I like to get to this race early, but I'd prefer not to be standing around in the rain.  I guess we can finalize our race day plan on Sat night.

Headwind instead of a crosswind now too.  (Although only 7 mph.)

 

[worrierking]

You guys probably are tired of hearing about this, but I finally went to the doctor about my arch and I got some more bad news.  Arthritis in my big toe.  My last three doctor visits have resulted in Arthritis diagnoses in different joints.  So, let this be a lesson to you...never go to the doctor!

My running career at this point has all the promise of a civil war leg wound.

 

[ChiefD]

Good luck pbm and juxt this weekend. And anyone else who might be racing. 

And ugh worrier....that sucks.  :(

 

[SteveC702]

You guys probably are tired of hearing about this, but I finally went to the doctor about my arch and I got some more bad news.  Arthritis in my big toe.  My last three doctor visits have resulted in Arthritis diagnoses in different joints.  So, let this be a lesson to you...never go to the doctor!

My running career at this point has all the promise of a civil war leg wound.

 

[SFBayDuck]

You guys probably are tired of hearing about this, but I finally went to the doctor about my arch and I got some more bad news.  Arthritis in my big toe.  My last three doctor visits have resulted in Arthritis diagnoses in different joints.  So, let this be a lesson to you...never go to the doctor!

My running career at this point has all the promise of a civil war leg wound.

Amazing analogy, terrible news. :(

 

[SFBayDuck]

Get some @Juxtatarot and @pbm107!

 

[tri-man 47]

Sorry about that diagnosis, worrierking.

Hot Springs 5K: 21:54 on a very hilly course.  4th of only about 70 in this new, little race.  1st in a broad 51-65 age group.  Medal mongering at its finest!

 

[worrierking]

Nice run Tri!  You've got more medals than Omar Bradley!

I am afraid to have my colonoscopy.  I am worried they will find arthritis up there too!  Thanks for the thoughts guys. 

 

[Hang 10]

Great job, @pbm107 and @Juxtatarot! Smokin fast 10 miler!

 

[tri-man 47]

 

[igbomb]

Running the morning after a huge taco dinner is like playing with fire. Barely escaped with my life.

 

[pbm107]

Great job, @pbm107 and @Juxtatarot! Smokin fast 10 miler!

Thanks it was a lot of fun hanging out with Ned and Juxt.  I wish Juxt didn't have to slow down due to a side stitch, but I have to give him a lot of credit for getting through that tough patch and getting a PR anyway.

 

[tri-man 47]

Hot Springs Quad 150 5K

21:54, HR 169 avg, 4th of only 58 participants, 1st (of 4) in 51-65 age bracket

I found this inaugural race as something to do while visiting the area for a niece's wedding.  By the way, the Ozarks (southern Missouri/central Arkansas) is a beautiful area - lush, green, rolling hills and forest.  We drove in on state highways, particularly 'Scenic 7' (route 7) from south of Branson, MO right into Hot Springs.  Never been there before, but I'd like to go back.  We spent one night in Branson and caught a show, but we could do without that schtick.  My wife and I really enjoy traveling on the state roads and seeing more of the country and the local idiosyncrasies.  

The weather for our trip was generally heavy, even dangerous, storms overnight, but nice during the day.  Race morning was wet from recent rains, but not raining.  Temp in the 60s.  Woke up at 6 a.m. in the hotel, ate a bit, and took care of business.  I had to drive about 20 minutes into a nearby state park (Lake Catherine), and that too was a nice drive.  Found my way to the race site and got checked in.  I quickly realized two things.  First, this was a really small race (some registrants didn't show up).  Second, this was a really hilly course.  I jogged maybe a mile and a half to warm up and scope out parts of the course.  The course was essentially two loops with a finish that was a short but extremely steep incline to the finish.  It was hard to even find some semblance of flat ground to get warmed up without expending energy on the hills.   

We all lined up around 8 a.m.  Someone opened with a prayer (fine with me), then they played the anthem (always nice), then they played some Rocky music (?), then a sponsor spoke (!), then another sponsor spoke (!!!).  Finally we were ready to run.  I lined up right at the front next to a group of teenagers and a couple of women.

Mile 1, 7:05, HR 158

The first 1/3 of a mile was downhill - too steep, actually, as I found myself braking a bit.  The four young bucks took off hard, and I found myself next to a 45 year old guy.  We were side by side through some rollers, but then we hit a flat stretch through a campground and I strided away from him.  Soon after, I caught two of the kids, but another guy caught and passed me, putting me in 4th.  That order would remain unchanged as he finished 30 seconds in front of me. 

Mile 2, 7:20, HR 172

As we passed the halfway point, we started a long hill climb.  Not too extreme, but it took some effort.  We then rolled back down the steep grade from the start of the race before hitting a stretch that was only slightly downhill.

Mile 3, 7:19, HR 177

Another runner closed on me during the downslope, but after we passed the 2 mile mark, we reversed course with a slight incline.  I was able to again stride away and open a gap.  We repeated the rollers before a short, flat stretch and then the steep, wind-sucking finish.

Last .1, 7:35, HR 182

A tough hill, but I got on the balls of my feet and attacked it well and finished strong.

Overall, I was pleased with the effort, in particular due to the hilly course and being just two weeks removed from Boston.  Also, I now realize this was my first 5K in a year and a half ...just one in fall, 2014, and the prior 5K being fall, 2013.  Weird how that happened.  The 169 avg HR was consistent with my last 5K, but a bit off from earlier 5Ks in 2012-13.  It felt great to be back at this distance, though ...to be racing the course and other runners and pushing hard the whole way.  I plan to train hard for two weeks and then catch another 5K on 5/21 (before a month-long trip to Europe that will interrupt serious training).  Juxt, et al, let me know if you have interest for the 21st (a good looking race (longstanding fund raiser) up in Northbrook with a decent-sized field).  I hope to get the time back to the mid/low 20 minute range in prep for a fall assault on sub-20.

 

[worrierking]

Nice Job, Tri.  I know that State Park and Highway 7 very well.  Nice country.

I can imagine that it was a very hilly course.

 

[FUBAR]

You guys probably are tired of hearing about this, but I finally went to the doctor about my arch and I got some more bad news.  Arthritis in my big toe.  My last three doctor visits have resulted in Arthritis diagnoses in different joints.  So, let this be a lesson to you...never go to the doctor!

My running career at this point has all the promise of a civil war leg wound.

:(  

 

[FUBAR]

YTD:

B: 25x / 27.5 hrs / 550.7 miles

R: 56x / 63 hours / 450.3 miles

S: 15x / 13 hrs /  43,800 yds

ST: 16x

March was somewhat of a down month for bike and run (slight uptick for swimming and strength training) but I did get in just over 1,000 miles for the year.

After the April 10 HM I'll increase my riding time.

April:

B: 9x / 15 hrs / 293.9 miles

R: 21x / 12.5 hrs /  89.6 miles   

S: 13x / 11 hrs / 35,950 yards   

ST: 3x  

YTD:

B: 34x / 42.5 hrs / 844.6 miles

R: 77x / 75.5 hours / 539.9 miles

S: 28x / 24 hrs /  79,750 yds

ST: 19x

so a good month for swimming, pretty decent for cycling, running took a big hit as planned.  Strength training though... I'll have to make that a priority going forward. 

 

[Juxtatarot]

 I plan to train hard for two weeks and then catch another 5K on 5/21 (before a month-long trip to Europe that will interrupt serious training).  Juxt, et al, let me know if you have interest for the 21st (a good looking race (longstanding fund raiser) up in Northbrook with a decent-sized field).  I hope to get the time back to the mid/low 20 minute range in prep for a fall assault on sub-20.

Congrats on another strong showing @tri-man 47! 

I'm taking a break from 5Ks so I'll pass on the Northbrook one.  I'm excited that you've decided to go for sub 20 again.  I remember you being so close a few years ago and it would be awesome if the high volume cycles you've been doing since then pay off for the 5K distance!

 

[ChiefD]

Nice job tri-man. Way to pick on those hillbillies down in the Ozarks. 

 

[Ned]

@worrierking -  pbm, juxt and I talked about you and your perseverance on Saturday.  The way you just roll with the punches is admirable.  

@tri-man 47 - Nice job!  Looking forward to you breaking 20 this year.  

@pbm107 & @Juxtatarot - I was glad I was able to slip away and come hang out for the night on Saturday!  Looking forward to reading the RR's.  I was thinking about you guys while I was moving foam critters around in the rain on Sunday AM. :X  

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

I had a super busy weekend.  I ran the Trail Dawgs HM with @comfortably numb on Saturday.  He came down Friday night to spend the night and then we hit the trails on Saturday AM.  We didn't race it - just ran it for fun.  The weather was perfect, trails were perfect..... just a great morning for a run.  We finished in 2:23 and had a friggin' blast.  I felt fantastic and was marveling at comfortably numb's grinding abilities.  Dude never trains, but can lace up and run a HM whenever he wants.  

I had to turn right around and head to the archery club since I stupidly signed myself up for a HM and a 10 miler on the same weekend as our club's state championship was running.  Since I'm the tournament director, I couldn't cut out on it for the entire weekend.  With that, I unfortunately had to bail on the Broad Street 10 miler with pbm and Juxt on Sunday.  I still wanted to hang out with pbm and meet Juxt, so I met them at some fancy pants Italian place for dinner on Saturday night.  It turned out being really nice and some good food (good call pbm!).  It was cool to hang out with the guys and get to know Juxt a bit.  

 

[pbm107]

Broad Street Run Race Report

The plan for this spring was to have this as my goal race and once I found out Juxt was running the race became significantly more important to me.  There probably aren't two more evenly matched runners in this thread and based on the intensity of his racing and training I was confident he was going push me out of my comfort level on race day.  Earlier this year we decided on a goal of sub 60, knowing that this would be an aggressive goal.  I was confident I could run about 7 miles at that pace, and I was hoping that attempting to keep up with Juxt would get me through the last 3. About a week before the race he mentioned that 6:10 pace would be a more realistic goal, so we decided to start with that and he was right.

It was in the upper 40s and raining, and this first impacted us with the gear check.  More people than usual checked gear and overwhelmed the buses.  We waited so long in line that our two mile warm-up was cut short to 1 mile.

Miles 1-3 (6:09, 6:07,6:09)

The plan was to run at 6:10 pace and we did a good job with that with all our miles slightly under 6:10.  I was feeling pretty good, my only complaint was that the road was kind of slick and I felt like I was kind of spinning my wheels.

Mile 4 (6:17)

During mile 4 I start to hear Juxt struggling and he said he had a side stitch.  I said something about trying relax once we got to the next downhill and he told me to go run your own race. 

Miles 5-8 (6:05, 6:08, 6:05, 6:07)

Mile 5 was spent trying to process what happened in mile 4 and feeling bad that Juxt flew all the way out here and I didn't know if he'd finish the race.  Around mile 6 I start running with this tall girl and that helped me a lot as this is typically the toughest part of the race for me. 

Miles 9-10 (6:05 and 6:01) 1:01:19 Overall

This point in the race I really wanted to hammer it home and run sub 6 minute miles.  I wasn’t truly suffering, but I couldn’t go any faster either.  My legs just didn’t have any juice in them. 

Post Race

Immediately after the race I puked twice which is kind of special, usually I get it all out on one puke.  I then headed over to get my gear from the buses and saw that they hadn’t arrived yet.  Shortly later I saw Juxt and found out that he was able to get through that tough stretch and still earn a PR.  After about 10 minutes of shivering in the rain the buses arrived and I got my bag only to find out that my running jacket with my wallet, phone, and cars keys was missing.  Luckily when I went back to the bus they were able to find my jacket or that would have ruined a really good day.  We then showered at Juxt’s hotel room and meet some of my friends for some beers.  Unfortunately Juxt had an early flight and could only stay for a beer.

I am happy with the race and am ready for a little break.  The plan is to run 150 miles in the month of May and then start my summer base building in June for a Fall marathon.

 

[Nigel]

Good read pbm, congrats to you and Juxt on a great race and successful cornhole, with a sprinkling of Ned in there for good measure. 

 

[Hang 10]

Excellent race, PBM! You've definitely earned a little break for sure.

 

[tri-man 47]

Broad Street Run Race Report

Immediately after the race I puked twice which is kind of special, usually I get it all out on one puke. 

:jealous:  I can't remember the last time I puked after a race.  I'll need to work on that.

Got to the track yesterday for 8 x 400m ...:88 down to :83 (5:32/mi) for the last one. 

 

[ChiefD]

Nice report pbm. Congrats to you and juxt for a couple of great races. 

 

[Juxtatarot]

Broad Street 10-Mile Run Race Report

So, I think most of you already read and saw how this went for me so I'll just try to elaborate a bit.

As pbm mentioned, we had originally hoped to run this race at 6:00 pace.   During training, I had some great treadmill runs.  Two of the best were 4.5 miles @ 6:00 then .5 @ 5:45 on March 2 and 7.33 @ 6:00 on March 22.  However, things were much different outside.  I don't think I ever managed over 3 miles outside at 6:00 pace and the effort for those runs felt like races.  The most worrisome sign came in the 10K I ran  a few weeks ago.  That made me realize that 6:00 pace was out of the question.  I mentioned this to pbm and he also wasn't sure about 6:00.  We agreed to both attempt to run at 6:10.  He was quite confident of success at that pace.  I wasn't as confident but wanted to give it a shot.

We ran together at the target pace for the first three miles.  I have us at 6:09, 6:05 and 6:09.  However, during mile 2 I knew I was in trouble. Although this course is know to be "flat" it's not literally flat.  Although there were no hills, virtually the whole course is a series of slight inclines and slight declines.  I noticed my legs wanting to slow on those inclines and it was just much tougher than I wanted it to be so early.  There was no way I could keep that up for the 10.   

During mile 4, I developed an extremely bad side stitch, one of the more painful ones I've ever felt.  I've read that this is caused by poor breathing and I recall getting these a few other times when I've tried to run fast in the cold.  The pain had me slow down and I concentrated on deep breaths.  Pbm wanted to stay with me to ride it out but I encouraged him to go ahead and run his own race.  In retrospect, I guess it's good this happened to me because looking at his splits, I would have slowed him down.  

The stitch finally started fading and was probably gone in about 1/2 mile.  I ended mile 4 at 6:40 pace.

Oddly, I didn't feel defeated or upset after this.  In some ways it felt like a relief.  I then just concentrated on running at a pace that seemed natural and sustainable for the remaining distance.  That ended up being in the 6:20s.  

Ended up finishing in 1:03:52.  Averaged 6:23 pace.  443/43,361 overall.  21/1,382 in AG.  Although this is a technically a PR in a 10-mile race (I ran a 1:05:52 in 2013) it's not a PR for the 10-mile distance.  I averaged 6:18 pace in a half marathon last fall during marathon training.  Still, this is my second fastest time over that distance.  

I guess it's not surprising that I'm not in the shape I was last fall.  I was running long tempos (outside!) on many weeks as well as a number of fast-finish long runs that I think my body responds well to.  Higher weekly mileage then too.  Next, I plan on racing a 10K and a 5-miler in June.  I'll keep this in mind as I shift my training to those.  I'd really like to have "real" PRs for those distances.  

And, last but not least, I just wanted to mentioned that a enjoyed my weekend in Philadelphia even if the race didn't go as well as I hoped.  It was great meeting pbm and Ned in the flesh.  I'm sure this won't be a surprise to any of you, but they are truly great guys!

 

[Hang 10]

Great work none the less, @Juxtatarot! Glad you were able to hold it together and gut it out. 

 

[ChiefD]

Great work none the less, @Juxtatarot! Glad you were able to hold it together and gut it out. 

This. Great job juxt. Love reading the report. 

 

[phatdawg]

So I am running in the Indy Mini Marathon on Saturday (last year's event was my first half marathon). Meb Keflezighi is running the race, but he is starting at the back of the field, so he will pass me at some point during the event.

Meb will pass about 35,000 people on Saturday

 

[ChiefD]

So I am running in the Indy Mini Marathon on Saturday (last year's event was my first half marathon). Meb Keflezighi is running the race, but he is starting at the back of the field, so he will pass me at some point during the event.

Meb will pass about 35,000 people on Saturday

That's cool. When he runs past you, try and keep up for a 1/2 mile and report back. 

Good luck. Can't wait to read the report.