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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (11 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ned
- Start date
Brony
Footballguy
Congrats?Hung out with a friend who was struggling for about 2 miles so all things considered congratulate me on a job done
Osaurus
Footballguy
Last edited by a moderator:
gruecd
Footballguy
gianmarco
Footballguy
-OZ-
Footballguy
-OZ-
Footballguy
13 seconds from having the fastest Masters bike. Heel and crank duathlon, AG win, 50 seconds from 3rd Masters, 9th overall.. 3/16/3, 20:08/43:23/20:36.
More important, my unicorn princess had been bad off earlier this week but she's doing so much better now.
Last edited by a moderator:
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
Great job guys. Love seeing those PRs. Weather for Boston is turning so I am leaning towards "going for it" on Monday. More details to come tomorrow.
@gruecd - I get the joy of running the BAA 5K with your wife. That being said, I don't understand the appeal of running that 5K for fun if you were alone. Am I missing something?
@gruecd - I get the joy of running the BAA 5K with your wife. That being said, I don't understand the appeal of running that 5K for fun if you were alone. Am I missing something?
Zasada
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Beat the Eagle 5K Race
21:47 (6:56/mi per my watch for 3.14) ..1st in AG
A fundraiser for a Lutheran school, so not a big crowd. Maybe 110-120 runners for the 5K. Weather was ideal for racing - sunny, 40 degrees, light wind. I got a good night's sleep, and I was clearly in race mode ...woke up to pee during the night and saw 3:01 on the clock and thought "they marked it short." Morning routines were fine. Ate some oatmeal, took care of business, dressed and packed up gear, and out the door right on time. I got to the race start just after 7:00 am for the 8:00 am start, and I was one of the first to arrive. Picking up the race packet was a breeze. I dropped stuff back at my car and ran the course (generally) as my warm-up. But it wasn't on the prairie path; instead, it was on the nearby streets. That meant, though, that the course actually had a lot of undulation. Psych! Not a flat course. But also, it turned out, not at all a problem.
Mile 1. 7:02/mi ...HR 152
As per usual for a school event, a big pack of kids started in the front. No timing mat at the start, so I lined up right behind them. We turned a corner 100 yards out, and most of the kids quickly tailed off. A quarter mile in, I was actually running alone. Weird, but again, it was a small race. Soon after was another turn, and I counted 20 runners in front of me. How many would I pass? I picked off several before the first mile mark.
Mile 2. 7:08/mi ..HR 163
Near the start of this mile was a rather long incline (maybe 300 yards). As with all the upslopes, I was pleased that it didn't affect me at all. I just stayed on the balls of my feet and sprang up them comfortably. What goes up, then comes down, and I used the downslope to catch a couple more guys. I finished the mile in 12th place.
Mile 3. 6:49/mi ...HR 165
Final .14 6:00/mi ...HR 172
Nothing dramatic for most of the mile. I just worked a strong pace throughout, knowing we had a pretty good incline near the end, but that was soon followed with a turn to the finish. I had one runner looming in front of me in the 9th spot, so before the final turn I kicked into overdrive. The stride was really smooth and strong, and I passed him, but he decided to return the favor and flew by right at the finish line. Darn 49 year olds.
All in all, a good day. After the race, I had a good chat with my finish line companion, then headed back out to run the course for a third time (!) to cool down and get my weekly mileage above the targeted 30 miles for the week. Caught the end of the kid's mile - fun to cheer on the little ones - and then the awards went quite quickly. The HR didn't get as high as I would have thought. I suppose that tells me I could have pushed harder (I did have enough in the tank for a strong finish). But for the first race of the year, I'll take it.
21:47 (6:56/mi per my watch for 3.14) ..1st in AG
A fundraiser for a Lutheran school, so not a big crowd. Maybe 110-120 runners for the 5K. Weather was ideal for racing - sunny, 40 degrees, light wind. I got a good night's sleep, and I was clearly in race mode ...woke up to pee during the night and saw 3:01 on the clock and thought "they marked it short." Morning routines were fine. Ate some oatmeal, took care of business, dressed and packed up gear, and out the door right on time. I got to the race start just after 7:00 am for the 8:00 am start, and I was one of the first to arrive. Picking up the race packet was a breeze. I dropped stuff back at my car and ran the course (generally) as my warm-up. But it wasn't on the prairie path; instead, it was on the nearby streets. That meant, though, that the course actually had a lot of undulation. Psych! Not a flat course. But also, it turned out, not at all a problem.
Mile 1. 7:02/mi ...HR 152
As per usual for a school event, a big pack of kids started in the front. No timing mat at the start, so I lined up right behind them. We turned a corner 100 yards out, and most of the kids quickly tailed off. A quarter mile in, I was actually running alone. Weird, but again, it was a small race. Soon after was another turn, and I counted 20 runners in front of me. How many would I pass? I picked off several before the first mile mark.
Mile 2. 7:08/mi ..HR 163
Near the start of this mile was a rather long incline (maybe 300 yards). As with all the upslopes, I was pleased that it didn't affect me at all. I just stayed on the balls of my feet and sprang up them comfortably. What goes up, then comes down, and I used the downslope to catch a couple more guys. I finished the mile in 12th place.
Mile 3. 6:49/mi ...HR 165
Final .14 6:00/mi ...HR 172
Nothing dramatic for most of the mile. I just worked a strong pace throughout, knowing we had a pretty good incline near the end, but that was soon followed with a turn to the finish. I had one runner looming in front of me in the 9th spot, so before the final turn I kicked into overdrive. The stride was really smooth and strong, and I passed him, but he decided to return the favor and flew by right at the finish line. Darn 49 year olds.
All in all, a good day. After the race, I had a good chat with my finish line companion, then headed back out to run the course for a third time (!) to cool down and get my weekly mileage above the targeted 30 miles for the week. Caught the end of the kid's mile - fun to cheer on the little ones - and then the awards went quite quickly. The HR didn't get as high as I would have thought. I suppose that tells me I could have pushed harder (I did have enough in the tank for a strong finish). But for the first race of the year, I'll take it.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
A buncha bad asses up in here! @ChiefD knocking down PRs like bowling pins. @tri-man 47 getting ready to rent a storage unit for all his medals. @-OZ- collecting medals and, more importantly, sharing some great news. Even Mrs @gruecd getting it done.
I got my ### handed to me by the aptly named Mt. Diablo. But l learned some lessons and got it done, 7:26ish.
I got my ### handed to me by the aptly named Mt. Diablo. But l learned some lessons and got it done, 7:26ish.
-OZ-
Footballguy
Zasada
Footballguy
Last edited by a moderator:
ChiefD
Footballguy
2019 Rock The Parkway Race Report
So this is the race I didn't really expect to run. This race was the site of my first ever half marathon in 2013, and I have run it every year since. This year was in jeopardy because of the marathon, so I figured this was the year I was going to skip it.
After the marathon and the PR there, I started to think about this race probably the Tuesday after the marathon. Mainly just to run it and just have fun with it. This race will always have that special place in my heart.
As that week after the marathon went on, I was feeling pretty good, and a thought came into my head that "How cool would it be to set PR's in my marathon AND half marathon back to back?"
By the time last weekend came along, I started to mentally prepare for that idea. But, it would have to be the perfect day. I wasn't running this race if it was raining and cold and overall sheeeeity - so basically if it was Carmel it wasn't going to happen.
But on Monday of this week, the weather looked glorious. So it was going to happen. Signed up on Wednesday of this week. I mentioned on my post this morning that I didn't really have a plan.
I lied. I had a plan. The plan was to PR or bust. I wanted to come here and post this race report as a #BMF and pull this off only two weeks after my marathon PR. That would be an epic accomplishment for me. And I felt I was fit.
But a PR was not only the plan. As with the marathon, I had another ghost to chase. For whatever reason, I have been wanting to run a 1:45 in the half. It was some weird arbitrary number, but I felt this could be a breakthrough time for me. So that was the goal. Not just a PR, but 1:45.
Race Day
Slept pretty good last night, so woke up and had my normal toast and peanut butter. Took two fantastic dumps and made my way to the race. Got an awesome spot near the start line, so I was able to sit in the car and listen to tunes and just chill.
I decided to wear my Carmel Marathon shirt to the race? Why? Cause that's what bad mother####ers do. I strutted to the starting line like a peacock, and several folks saw my shirt and I'm sure thought to themselves: "That, my friends, is a bad mother####er."
I basked in my glory.
Temp was 39 degrees at the gun, barely any breeze, and sunny. Seriously...perfection. In the corral was the 1:45 pacer, so my plan was to hang with this guy as long as I could and just see what happens. A little background - my normal sweet spot for heart rate in a half was between 170-180. I decided I was going to track heart rate on my watch and let the pacer do the pacing work (duh!!) If I saw my heart rate get weird I could adjust from there.
Miles 1-3
This stretch is basically uphill, so this is not the time to blow up your race.
Mile 1: 8:08 pace, HR 159
Mile 2: 8:11 pace, HR 178
Mile 3: 8:17 pace, HR 180
Was running a little hot here right outta the gate, but felt fine.
Miles 4-7
This is pretty much a downhill stretch. Go time.
Mile 4: 7:49 pace. HR 178
Mile 5: 7:45 pace. HR 179
Mile 6: 7:55 pace. HR 179
Mile 7: 7:51 pace. HR 181
No worries here, other than that heart rate range worried me. I hadn't really been that high for this long of a stretch in a half, but I still felt good. Was really just cruising here.
Miles 8-11
This part of the course ends the long downhill and basically goes somewhat uphill until mile 12. Coming down the hill in mile 7, some lady had a dog on one of those retractable leashes on one side of the road. All of a sudden, this dog sees another dog on the other side of the road, so this dog beelines across the road right in the path of our 1:45 pacer and about 10 people, including me. Imagine the dog going across the road, and the leash on the opposite side of the road attached to this old lady's hand.
All of us are like: WTF!!!
This dog literally about takes out 10 runners, and I had to stop in the middle of the road on this downhill. Almost pulled a hammy. But I didn't, and we kept going. But then came the uphill. I knew this section was coming, and our pacer was very aggressive in this stretch. I decided to let him go and conserve energy here. At this point I'm thinking 1:45 is out of the question, but my average pace was holding steady so I decided to just try and PR under 1:46:55.
Mile 8: 8:17 pace. HR 181
Mile 9: 8:12 pace. HR 181
Mile 10: 8:03 pace. HR 180
Mile 11: 8:28 pace. HR 179
I'm breathing hard coming out of this stretch, and I'm worried my heart rate is astronomical. But it wasn't - it was holding steady right around 180. And once again, for those who question heart rate training - knowing your zones pays off BIG TIME. I knew based off past experience I wasn't red-lining, so I caught my breath at the top of the hill and got back to business. It was here where the mental strength from the marathon paid off - I HAD THIS RACE!!!!
Mile 12 - 13.1
This race was over. I looked at my watch and did the mental math and knew I was going to PR. So I went.
Mile 12: 7:59 pace. 181 HR
It was here I saw the 1:45 pacer. I had lost him awhile ago, but this is where I decided to catch that beautiful brawny bassturd. I dropped the hammer.
Mile 13: 7:33 pace. 181 HR. Caught him.
Mile .1: 7:07 pace. 184 HR
Chip Time: 1:45:14 (so right on my watch)
I crossed the finish line, and actually celebrated with myself, which I have never really done. I just clapped hard 3 or 4 times and just took it in. I was really pumped.
The Aftermath
This was HUGE. Like....really HUGE. I put this result on par with the marathon - maybe even more. Only two weeks after a marathon, on tired legs, I crushed this race. In one calendar year, I have obliterated two incredibly enormous goals for myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined results like this.
You guys know - my mental game over the last 6 years has been awful. But this thread helped me overcome that. Every little bit of information matters - every tip, every word of encouragement, every suggestion...
The Hanson Plan clearly has the mojo - so thanks to everyone who has used that plan and trumpeted it's success. It works.
After the marathon, I thought I might be done with this running thing. After today, I've only just begun.
So this is the race I didn't really expect to run. This race was the site of my first ever half marathon in 2013, and I have run it every year since. This year was in jeopardy because of the marathon, so I figured this was the year I was going to skip it.
After the marathon and the PR there, I started to think about this race probably the Tuesday after the marathon. Mainly just to run it and just have fun with it. This race will always have that special place in my heart.
As that week after the marathon went on, I was feeling pretty good, and a thought came into my head that "How cool would it be to set PR's in my marathon AND half marathon back to back?"
By the time last weekend came along, I started to mentally prepare for that idea. But, it would have to be the perfect day. I wasn't running this race if it was raining and cold and overall sheeeeity - so basically if it was Carmel it wasn't going to happen.
But on Monday of this week, the weather looked glorious. So it was going to happen. Signed up on Wednesday of this week. I mentioned on my post this morning that I didn't really have a plan.
I lied. I had a plan. The plan was to PR or bust. I wanted to come here and post this race report as a #BMF and pull this off only two weeks after my marathon PR. That would be an epic accomplishment for me. And I felt I was fit.
But a PR was not only the plan. As with the marathon, I had another ghost to chase. For whatever reason, I have been wanting to run a 1:45 in the half. It was some weird arbitrary number, but I felt this could be a breakthrough time for me. So that was the goal. Not just a PR, but 1:45.
Race Day
Slept pretty good last night, so woke up and had my normal toast and peanut butter. Took two fantastic dumps and made my way to the race. Got an awesome spot near the start line, so I was able to sit in the car and listen to tunes and just chill.
I decided to wear my Carmel Marathon shirt to the race? Why? Cause that's what bad mother####ers do. I strutted to the starting line like a peacock, and several folks saw my shirt and I'm sure thought to themselves: "That, my friends, is a bad mother####er."
I basked in my glory.
Temp was 39 degrees at the gun, barely any breeze, and sunny. Seriously...perfection. In the corral was the 1:45 pacer, so my plan was to hang with this guy as long as I could and just see what happens. A little background - my normal sweet spot for heart rate in a half was between 170-180. I decided I was going to track heart rate on my watch and let the pacer do the pacing work (duh!!) If I saw my heart rate get weird I could adjust from there.
Miles 1-3
This stretch is basically uphill, so this is not the time to blow up your race.
Mile 1: 8:08 pace, HR 159
Mile 2: 8:11 pace, HR 178
Mile 3: 8:17 pace, HR 180
Was running a little hot here right outta the gate, but felt fine.
Miles 4-7
This is pretty much a downhill stretch. Go time.
Mile 4: 7:49 pace. HR 178
Mile 5: 7:45 pace. HR 179
Mile 6: 7:55 pace. HR 179
Mile 7: 7:51 pace. HR 181
No worries here, other than that heart rate range worried me. I hadn't really been that high for this long of a stretch in a half, but I still felt good. Was really just cruising here.
Miles 8-11
This part of the course ends the long downhill and basically goes somewhat uphill until mile 12. Coming down the hill in mile 7, some lady had a dog on one of those retractable leashes on one side of the road. All of a sudden, this dog sees another dog on the other side of the road, so this dog beelines across the road right in the path of our 1:45 pacer and about 10 people, including me. Imagine the dog going across the road, and the leash on the opposite side of the road attached to this old lady's hand.
All of us are like: WTF!!!
This dog literally about takes out 10 runners, and I had to stop in the middle of the road on this downhill. Almost pulled a hammy. But I didn't, and we kept going. But then came the uphill. I knew this section was coming, and our pacer was very aggressive in this stretch. I decided to let him go and conserve energy here. At this point I'm thinking 1:45 is out of the question, but my average pace was holding steady so I decided to just try and PR under 1:46:55.
Mile 8: 8:17 pace. HR 181
Mile 9: 8:12 pace. HR 181
Mile 10: 8:03 pace. HR 180
Mile 11: 8:28 pace. HR 179
I'm breathing hard coming out of this stretch, and I'm worried my heart rate is astronomical. But it wasn't - it was holding steady right around 180. And once again, for those who question heart rate training - knowing your zones pays off BIG TIME. I knew based off past experience I wasn't red-lining, so I caught my breath at the top of the hill and got back to business. It was here where the mental strength from the marathon paid off - I HAD THIS RACE!!!!
Mile 12 - 13.1
This race was over. I looked at my watch and did the mental math and knew I was going to PR. So I went.
Mile 12: 7:59 pace. 181 HR
It was here I saw the 1:45 pacer. I had lost him awhile ago, but this is where I decided to catch that beautiful brawny bassturd. I dropped the hammer.
Mile 13: 7:33 pace. 181 HR. Caught him.
Mile .1: 7:07 pace. 184 HR
Chip Time: 1:45:14 (so right on my watch)
I crossed the finish line, and actually celebrated with myself, which I have never really done. I just clapped hard 3 or 4 times and just took it in. I was really pumped.
The Aftermath
This was HUGE. Like....really HUGE. I put this result on par with the marathon - maybe even more. Only two weeks after a marathon, on tired legs, I crushed this race. In one calendar year, I have obliterated two incredibly enormous goals for myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined results like this.
You guys know - my mental game over the last 6 years has been awful. But this thread helped me overcome that. Every little bit of information matters - every tip, every word of encouragement, every suggestion...
The Hanson Plan clearly has the mojo - so thanks to everyone who has used that plan and trumpeted it's success. It works.
After the marathon, I thought I might be done with this running thing. After today, I've only just begun.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Congrats on the PR! I’m so glad you have seemed to figure things out. If you really want to take it to the next level, I think you should consider being an early a.m. runner considering your summer heat and family obligations. It will make everything smoother. Just something to think about.The Aftermath
This was HUGE. Like....really HUGE. I put this result on par with the marathon - maybe even more. Only two weeks after a marathon, on tired legs, I crushed this race. In one calendar year, I have obliterated two incredibly enormous goals for myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined results like this.
You guys know - my mental game over the last 6 years has been awful. But this thread helped me overcome that. Every little bit of information matters - every tip, every word of encouragement, every suggestion...
The Hanson Plan clearly has the mojo - so thanks to everyone who has used that plan and trumpeted it's success. It works.
After the marathon, I thought I might be done with this running thing. After today, I've only just begun.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Awesome ...just awesome.Mile 13: 7:33 pace. 181 HR.
Mile .1: 7:07 pace. 184 HR
Chip Time: 1:45:14 (so right on my watch)
I crossed the finish line, and actually celebrated with myself, which I have never really done. I just clapped hard 3 or 4 times and just took it in. I was really pumped.
ChiefD
Footballguy
Yeah, you were definitely paying attention to my wife when we were having drinks after Carmel.
And you are right - I will have to change training tactics this summer. I can get away with evening running for the next month or so since I take one of the kids to a soccer practice.
But my plan is to shoot for Chicago next year, so morning training will have to be the new reality. May as well use this summer to start prepping my body for early morning runs.
ChiefD
Footballguy
On to @gruecd and @SteelCurtain pumped to watch you guys on Monday. Now that the amateurs are out of the way, kick some major #BMF ### on Monday.
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ChiefD
Footballguy
This just cracked me up reading this report.
Another great race by you. So consistently good. It is clear that out of all of us you are the most comfortable in your own skin. You know yourself and your capabilities and seem to ALWAYS execute.
Incredible.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Old skin will do that to a guy.This just cracked me up reading this report.
Another great race by you. So consistently good. It is clear that out of all of us you are the most comfortable in your own skin. You know yourself and your capabilities and seem to ALWAYS execute.
Incredible.
Thanks!
2019 Rock The Parkway Race Report
So this is the race I didn't really expect to run. This race was the site of my first ever half marathon in 2013, and I have run it every year since. This year was in jeopardy because of the marathon, so I figured this was the year I was going to skip it.
After the marathon and the PR there, I started to think about this race probably the Tuesday after the marathon. Mainly just to run it and just have fun with it. This race will always have that special place in my heart.
As that week after the marathon went on, I was feeling pretty good, and a thought came into my head that "How cool would it be to set PR's in my marathon AND half marathon back to back?"
By the time last weekend came along, I started to mentally prepare for that idea. But, it would have to be the perfect day. I wasn't running this race if it was raining and cold and overall sheeeeity - so basically if it was Carmel it wasn't going to happen.
But on Monday of this week, the weather looked glorious. So it was going to happen. Signed up on Wednesday of this week. I mentioned on my post this morning that I didn't really have a plan.
I lied. I had a plan. The plan was to PR or bust. I wanted to come here and post this race report as a #BMF and pull this off only two weeks after my marathon PR. That would be an epic accomplishment for me. And I felt I was fit.
But a PR was not only the plan. As with the marathon, I had another ghost to chase. For whatever reason, I have been wanting to run a 1:45 in the half. It was some weird arbitrary number, but I felt this could be a breakthrough time for me. So that was the goal. Not just a PR, but 1:45.
Race Day
Slept pretty good last night, so woke up and had my normal toast and peanut butter. Took two fantastic dumps and made my way to the race. Got an awesome spot near the start line, so I was able to sit in the car and listen to tunes and just chill.
I decided to wear my Carmel Marathon shirt to the race? Why? Cause that's what bad mother####ers do. I strutted to the starting line like a peacock, and several folks saw my shirt and I'm sure thought to themselves: "That, my friends, is a bad mother####er."
I basked in my glory.
Temp was 39 degrees at the gun, barely any breeze, and sunny. Seriously...perfection. In the corral was the 1:45 pacer, so my plan was to hang with this guy as long as I could and just see what happens. A little background - my normal sweet spot for heart rate in a half was between 170-180. I decided I was going to track heart rate on my watch and let the pacer do the pacing work (duh!!) If I saw my heart rate get weird I could adjust from there.
Miles 1-3
This stretch is basically uphill, so this is not the time to blow up your race.
Mile 1: 8:08 pace, HR 159
Mile 2: 8:11 pace, HR 178
Mile 3: 8:17 pace, HR 180
Was running a little hot here right outta the gate, but felt fine.
Miles 4-7
This is pretty much a downhill stretch. Go time.
Mile 4: 7:49 pace. HR 178
Mile 5: 7:45 pace. HR 179
Mile 6: 7:55 pace. HR 179
Mile 7: 7:51 pace. HR 181
No worries here, other than that heart rate range worried me. I hadn't really been that high for this long of a stretch in a half, but I still felt good. Was really just cruising here.
Miles 8-11
This part of the course ends the long downhill and basically goes somewhat uphill until mile 12. Coming down the hill in mile 7, some lady had a dog on one of those retractable leashes on one side of the road. All of a sudden, this dog sees another dog on the other side of the road, so this dog beelines across the road right in the path of our 1:45 pacer and about 10 people, including me. Imagine the dog going across the road, and the leash on the opposite side of the road attached to this old lady's hand.
All of us are like: WTF!!!
This dog literally about takes out 10 runners, and I had to stop in the middle of the road on this downhill. Almost pulled a hammy. But I didn't, and we kept going. But then came the uphill. I knew this section was coming, and our pacer was very aggressive in this stretch. I decided to let him go and conserve energy here. At this point I'm thinking 1:45 is out of the question, but my average pace was holding steady so I decided to just try and PR under 1:46:55.
Mile 8: 8:17 pace. HR 181
Mile 9: 8:12 pace. HR 181
Mile 10: 8:03 pace. HR 180
Mile 11: 8:28 pace. HR 179
I'm breathing hard coming out of this stretch, and I'm worried my heart rate is astronomical. But it wasn't - it was holding steady right around 180. And once again, for those who question heart rate training - knowing your zones pays off BIG TIME. I knew based off past experience I wasn't red-lining, so I caught my breath at the top of the hill and got back to business. It was here where the mental strength from the marathon paid off - I HAD THIS RACE!!!!
Mile 12 - 13.1
This race was over. I looked at my watch and did the mental math and knew I was going to PR. So I went.
Mile 12: 7:59 pace. 181 HR
It was here I saw the 1:45 pacer. I had lost him awhile ago, but this is where I decided to catch that beautiful brawny bassturd. I dropped the hammer.
Mile 13: 7:33 pace. 181 HR. Caught him.
Mile .1: 7:07 pace. 184 HR
Chip Time: 1:45:14 (so right on my watch)
I crossed the finish line, and actually celebrated with myself, which I have never really done. I just clapped hard 3 or 4 times and just took it in. I was really pumped.
The Aftermath
This was HUGE. Like....really HUGE. I put this result on par with the marathon - maybe even more. Only two weeks after a marathon, on tired legs, I crushed this race. In one calendar year, I have obliterated two incredibly enormous goals for myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined results like this.
You guys know - my mental game over the last 6 years has been awful. But this thread helped me overcome that. Every little bit of information matters - every tip, every word of encouragement, every suggestion...
The Hanson Plan clearly has the mojo - so thanks to everyone who has used that plan and trumpeted it's success. It works.
After the marathon, I thought I might be done with this running thing. After today, I've only just begun.
Congrats BMF
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
One of the nice parts about being between training cycles is to be able to take a off day when it decides to snow while having high winds in April.
gianmarco
Footballguy
We have some nasty weather today too.
This is my step back week and I opted not to run yesterday (broke the streak at 34 days in a row). I could have, but it was listed as an optional rest day and I figured it might be smarter to rest (and not push on a day to keep the streak just to do that).
Unfortunately, getting out today will be tricky but I'll get it done. 30's, rain, and winds up to 30mph will be fun!
Zasada
Footballguy
All of this is gold. I love it. It's exactly the kind of stuff I would think of/do. Or hope to do. What a fantastic race report.
It's amazing how much HR can vary between individuals (makes me think the standard formulas of XYZ-age are BS). I think you and I are roughly the same age and almost the same fitness level (I'm a little behind you). But if/when I get to 170, I am seconds away from barfing. Like a 60-120 second expiry where I will be forced to walk. My running sweet spot has been declining over time (WTF is up with that?) and I ran my 10K around 150. 160 and things are really getting rough.
@ChiefD I am so happy for you. Big smile as I type this on my laptop. You've trained really hard, had your doubts, but went out and destroyed two tough races. One in incredibly harsh conditions. Take a victory lap (or two!) -- you deserve it.
And thanks for writing this. As I noted above, we're close to the same fitness level and I'm training on a custom Hanson's plan too. Gives me energy and hope for achieving my goals.
Zasada
Footballguy
Good run this morning. 2C (35F). 12kph (9mph) headwind for the first half or so. Was supposed to be 15K (9mi) tempo, bookended by 3km WU/CDs. I'm still having trouble controlling my pace so instead of running the prescribed 5:20/km (8:34/mi), I ran 16K at ~5:08/km (8:15/mi). Even then it wasn't terribly demanding and I still had gas at the end.
Uploaded to Strava, had a shower, and then took a look at the achievements and noted that I effectively ran a HM in 1:51:28, which is just 4 minutes off my PR set in November. And I wasn't really even trying. HR was ~140, which is still Zone 3 and pretty low for me.
Hard to believe that just six months ago I had a goal to run a HM in <2hrs and now that's routine training.
I'm still concerned about my overall endurance and ability to run 30km+ (20mi+), but at distances shorter than that I can definitely see the training start to pay off.
Just completed W9 of the training. Six weeks to go.
Uploaded to Strava, had a shower, and then took a look at the achievements and noted that I effectively ran a HM in 1:51:28, which is just 4 minutes off my PR set in November. And I wasn't really even trying. HR was ~140, which is still Zone 3 and pretty low for me.
Hard to believe that just six months ago I had a goal to run a HM in <2hrs and now that's routine training.
I'm still concerned about my overall endurance and ability to run 30km+ (20mi+), but at distances shorter than that I can definitely see the training start to pay off.
Just completed W9 of the training. Six weeks to go.
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Zasada
Footballguy
@SteelCurtain & @gruecd, good luck on Monday! Do you have specific goals or are you still waiting for the weather forecast to crystallize?
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Zasada
Footballguy
They say in sports you should never be looking ahead to the following game, but even though the Calgary marathon is just six weeks away I find myself on the Slay the Dragon 50K website more often than not...
bushdocda
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
My "sweet spot" becomes lower the better shape I'm in. When I've been taking time off and fitness declines, I can run at a higher heart rate at a similar perceived effort. My guess is you are in better shape since you've been so consistent in training and are experiencing things like I do.
Zasada
Footballguy
Ah cool, then I'm not crazy for noticing this. 150 now feels much harder than 150 used to. I'm not even sure I could get to 170 anymore.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
I'm going to hit some bullet points on this one, a mix of race report and some notes on lessons to be learned I can read later to remind myself not to be an idiot.
Diablo 50K
Or I finished in 7:27:16, 5th out of 13 in AG and 52nd out of 151 total finishers.
Feeling pretty good today, sore feet and quads but not too bad. I took the dog for a 3 mile walk to work things out this morning. I don't normally log dog walks in the neighborhood on Strava (just when I take him to the trails), but this one had a training purpose so I went with it. The fact that I was at 49.5 miles for the week might have had something to do with it, too.
Diablo 50K
- Race morning went fine with coffee, UCAN bar, and an easy hour drive over to the East Bay. I arrived at 5:30 AM to give myself an hour to check in, hit the bathrooms, etc. And of course I had the thought that I should grab a headlamp for that hour (sunrise was 6:35) but forgot, so like a newb I'm walking around using my iPhone flashlight. It was about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the registration area, so I headed down there, got my bib, hit the bathroom, then went back to my car for 15 minutes or so to chill before walking back down and doing my dynamic warmups. A quick talk from the RD, and the 150 or so of us doing the 50K were off. Lesson: Think through your gear not just for the race but for before...and do it before race morning.
- About 1/2 mile in we hit a creek crossing. People are starting to do the rock hop to get across without getting wet feet, and I figured I'd do the same. Luckily someone who knew the course said there were 10 more just like them coming, so we might as well get wet. So I just started plowing through the 6"-2' crossings. After about the 7th or 8th one I had so much sand and little rocks in my shoes I had to stop to empty them out. Lesson: You bought them for a reason so just wear your gaiters for an ultra, even if they don't look cool!
- Otherwise the first 12 miles or so were going fine. Other than all of the water crossings this section wasn't very technical with mostly doubletrack, and then right after the first aid station dumping us onto a section of really nice and shaded singletrack. Of course this is where the poison oak was, and I hadn't replenished my supply of poison oak wipes in my trunk gear box before the race. I cleaned off the best I could post race, but I'll find out in the next 24 hours or so if it was enough. Lesson: Keep your car stocked with the damned wipes!
- Right after aid station 2 we start the long climb to the summit - 2,836' over 6 miles. It starts off fairly mellow, but then just goes straight up the damned mountain. I had changed my Garmin to show just time, distance, and average pace, as current pace is really irrelevant. But I don't normally have it that way in training, and at one point I kept looking down thinking I wasn't getting anywhere because I keep seeing 13
x, and I was thinking that was the distance. I knew I was going slow but come on! But of course that was my average pace 
. Lesson: Practice everything in training that you're going to do on race day, including Garmin settings.
- Klimat shows the temp at the start of the run (51), which isn't too accurate as a data point when you're out there for 7+ hours. The high yesterday was 80 degrees and while there was some breeze most of the time, it was starting to warm up as I climbed. I was working hard, and my stomach started to go a bit. I also ran out of fluid, but I knew there was an aid station at the top. So when I finally got there I took a few minutes to drink, refill the bottles, and used the sponge bucket and filled my arm sleeves with ice. This was something I did right, throwing in my cooling arm sleeves pretty much last minute that morning. We drop down for a bit, and then head back up to the other summit. It's an out and back and as we approach the top we hit a section that was at least 30% grade, and gravelly and rocky. People coming down were sliding, falling, and it was really tough getting up the thing. It was only a tenth of a mile or two, but damn was it tough. I remember thinking that some of the beginners in the back of the pack just weren't going to be able to handle this at all. As I slipped my way back down, I passed one of several runners with trekking poles, and thought about how much of a difference they would make for a section like that. Lesson: Diablo is really steep (bring your poles) and it gets hot out there.
- I obviously signed up last minute for this one and while I read over the website, course description, elevation profile, aid stations, etc, I didn't really internalize it. So we come off that second peak and go through a gnarly, rocky, overgrown section with lots of branches grabbing you. It was really warm now, and I had gone through a lot of my fluid already on the climb and recovery coming down from that peak. It was slow going as even the downhills were too steep and technical to move very quickly (15-17 minute pace). About an hour into this section my bottles were dry, and I did remember that there was one more climb coming, which turned out to be about 1000' over two miles. With no fluid, I can't take a gel. So now I'm getting both dehydrated and bonking as I slowly worked up this hot, totally exposed fire road. Forty-five minutes after running out of fluid I finally stumbled into the aid station at the top and drank a whole bottle of GU Brew, filled up both bottles again, doused myself with water, and headed back down the trail. Lesson: Always figure out how long it might take to get from aid station to aid station and plan water capacity accordingly. And bring S-caps, not every race has them!
- From there it was another really steep descent, 2,300' over 3 1/2 miles. My quads were getting tired by then, and it's just too steep in sections to really run. Again, poles would have helped here as they're as important for the steep downs as they are the ups. But I knew I was in the last 6 mile stretch and was going to get this thing done. I did get passed by a few people through here that had been behind me the entire race, which shows I'm still better climbing than I am descending. Then we were back to the initial 2 miles of multiple creek crossings, which at this point were great as I was able to dip my hat and arm sleeves to help keep cool, and ran it in for the finish. Lesson: You have to specifically train the downhills more.
Or I finished in 7:27:16, 5th out of 13 in AG and 52nd out of 151 total finishers.
Feeling pretty good today, sore feet and quads but not too bad. I took the dog for a 3 mile walk to work things out this morning. I don't normally log dog walks in the neighborhood on Strava (just when I take him to the trails), but this one had a training purpose so I went with it. The fact that I was at 49.5 miles for the week might have had something to do with it, too.
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SFBayDuck
Footballguy
I know this part is silly, but it had me looking back at my recent training and how the arbitrary focus on the calendar week can be a little deceiving. If I look at the 9 days of training from last Friday through yesterday:
1:17/6.7 miles/853' (with 6 x 30s hill strides)
1:37/7.5/1,506'
3:55/18.2/2,487'
:59/4.4/30'
Rest
2:01/10/1,152'
1:07/4.9/1,033'
Rest
7:27/30.2/7,264'
So in eight days that's 18:23, 81.9 miles, and 14,325' of elevation gain. That's a nice peak for my training block, so I've got to feel pretty good about that.
gruecd
Footballguy
It's gonna be warm...low to mid 60s and humid. Rain before and after the race. Wearing a pace band for 3:07 (and little else), and I'll be satisfied if I can do that.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Well, just did 6:40 for 0.7 miles. Freezing rain and wind and almost slipped twice so I cut it short because it was slick and I didn't want to get hurt. But, while it wasn't "easy", I could have made it for the mile for sure and who knows how much longer. No beet juice today.
I'm pretty sure I can get below 7:00 on race day for a mile and a half.
MAC_32
Footballguy
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Corrected.
As I watched the end of the Masters, and Tiger walking off the green to a chorus of cheers, it made me think of the support along the Boston course. The Boston crowds are like that ...through the small towns west of Boston, the college girls as Wellesley, and the steady roar through the city itself. It's just incredible.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Not sure if that's facetious or not, but: I have two curtain rods over a couple of basement windows with bunches of medals on each as well as a couple of wall-mounted racks for the marathon and triathlon medals. Various other awards are sitting on shelves nearby. I haven't figured out where to put/hang the medals from the last three years. I have a wooden rack on the wall in the office for the current year supply, which is why it's nice to start a new season and clear out last year's supply. Gotta love AGs!
As they say, those medals and $5 will get you a cup of joe at Starbucks.
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
Just in case, tracking has been posted. If missed, download the BAA app or text RUNNER to 234567. It will ask for a bib number, mine is 10304.
It will be warm tomorrow, however, I will not let that stop me from going for it. My PR is 3:15:00.
A Goal -- Go 3:09
xB Goal -- Finish around 3:12-3:13.
C Goal -- Go get that PR.
I'll admit that if I don't PR, I'll be disappointed. I am focused on improved nutrition and smart pacing.
My thinking is:
-I want to be smart in the early sections....don't bank time!
-Steadily give myself calories through Shotblocks and Maurten gels. Mix in water and gatorade as appropriate
-Be smart on the hills. Be willing to give up some time on the uphills....try to keep it even effort.
-Push beyond my comfort zone in the last 10K. Don't hold anything back. Be a true BMF.
My plan is to follow a 3:10-3:11 pace and see how it feels. I'll only speed up from Mile 21-26.
Guys -- thanks for all the support throughout this training cycle. I wish I could post more often but my work is crazy this time of year. I appreciate your good thoughts.
Finally, I met @gruecd today for a bit. Another good dude I've met from this site. We talked running, sports, weather, more sports, how we manage running with our wives, training plans, etc. It was fun and hopefully we can meet up for a post race beer tomorrow.
gruecd
Footballguy
Great meeting you today...really enjoyed our conversation! Good luck tomorrow, and hopefully see you afterwards!Just in case, tracking has been posted. If missed, download the BAA app or text RUNNER to 234567. It will ask for a bib number, mine is 10304.
It will be warm tomorrow, however, I will not let that stop me from going for it. My PR is 3:15:00.
A Goal -- Go 3:09
B Goal -- Finish around 3:12-3:13.
C Goal -- Go get that PR.
I'll admit that if I don't PR, I'll be disappointed. I am focused on improved nutrition and smart pacing.
My thinking is:
-I want to be smart in the early sections....don't bank time!
-Steadily give myself calories through Shotblocks and Maurten gels. Mix in water and gatorade as appropriate
-Be smart on the hills. Be willing to give up some time on the uphills....try to keep it even effort.
-Push beyond my comfort zone in the last 10K. Don't hold anything back. Be a true BMF.
My plan is to follow a 3:10-3:11 pace and see how it feels. I'll only speed up from Mile 21-26.
Guys -- thanks for all the support throughout this training cycle. I wish I could post more often but my work is crazy this time of year. I appreciate your good thoughts.
Finally, I met @gruecd today for a bit. Another good dude I've met from this site. We talked running, sports, weather, more sports, how we manage running with our wives, training plans, etc. It was fun and hopefully we can meet up for a post race beer tomorrow.
