gruecd
Footballguy
I got my ### outta bed and did it this morning. And it sucked. Literally took me 4 solid miles before my legs woke up.Pretty much this, just get your ### outta bed and do it.
I got my ### outta bed and did it this morning. And it sucked. Literally took me 4 solid miles before my legs woke up.Pretty much this, just get your ### outta bed and do it.
Probably felt like running in Tar.I got my ### outta bed and did it this morning. And it sucked. Literally took me 4 solid miles before my legs woke up.
I'm sure his heels were bothering him.Probably felt like running in Tar.
he has no idea how much its going to suck.Would you like a sticker? If it was easy, fat people would do it.I got my ### outta bed and did it this morning. And it sucked. Literally took me 4 solid miles before my legs woke up.
:slowgolfclap:Probably felt like running in Tar.
You quit on your team at halftime. You are the LAST guy who should be talking #### this morning. Shame on you.Probably felt like running in Tar.
Ironic that the guy from St. Louis is the one who sucked the worst for North Carolina last night...I'm sure his heels were bothering him.
Yeah, I thought the Jayhawks were cooked. Carolina had them beat down physically and emotionally.You quit on your team at halftime. You are the LAST guy who should be talking #### this morning. Shame on you.
You just need to build that mental toughness. It sucks for the first 3 weeks and then it becomes a lot easier.I got my ### outta bed and did it this morning. And it sucked. Literally took me 4 solid miles before my legs woke up.
M- 6:10 (mid-pack)14yo Floppinho has his first track meet today.
They have him doing the 800 and 1600.
he has no idea how much its going to suck.
but excited for him... his first athletic competition of any kind outside of some rec soccer when he was little. hope he finishes ahead of somebody and has fun, not a lot of miles in those legs of his.
T-17 days, officially declaring the hay as in the barn, or at least I am no longer going to be shoveling any more hay into said barn. Can't run this weekend due to family stuff, so had originally wanted to put a lot of mileage in tomorrow, but it's supposed to pour all day, so I extended tonight's run and am calling it complete. Onward to taper and weather watching.
Thanks! Finally got around to adding it to the calendar - local HM on 4/24.You've been packing in a lot of good runs![]()
How are you feeling for the race? I don't see it on the race calendar, but where have you ended up for your goals?
Thanks! Finally got around to adding it to the calendar - local HM on 4/24.
Feeling...conflicted. Training went surprisingly well as my legs acclimated to the increased mileage. Felt strong on most of my long runs, throwing in a few fast finishes along the way. Watch has my VO2 way up (to levels that are definitely wrong, btw). Resting HR and "cruising" HR both noticeably down. But, the few times I ran around ~7:00 pace, it felt pretty hard with a spiking HR, so that has shaken my confidence a bit. Combine that with my distinct lack of PRs in the last few years, and there's definitely some doubt in my mind.
That being said, goal is definitely to beat my PR of 1:32:45 (set on this same course 3 years ago). What I'm waffling on is if I should aim to break that by a few seconds to make it more certain, or try to get closer to 1:30 and risk blowing up and missing it.
So how're you feeling about your race? It seems like you are in good shape to hit your goals. Did you do a long run through Disney while the park was open??
Don't underestimate the race day boost you'll get.Thanks! Finally got around to adding it to the calendar - local HM on 4/24.
Feeling...conflicted. Training went surprisingly well as my legs acclimated to the increased mileage. Felt strong on most of my long runs, throwing in a few fast finishes along the way. Watch has my VO2 way up (to levels that are definitely wrong, btw). Resting HR and "cruising" HR both noticeably down. But, the few times I ran around ~7:00 pace, it felt pretty hard with a spiking HR, so that has shaken my confidence a bit. Combine that with my distinct lack of PRs in the last few years, and there's definitely some doubt in my mind.
That being said, goal is definitely to beat my PR of 1:32:45 (set on this same course 3 years ago). What I'm waffling on is if I should aim to break that by a few seconds to make it more certain, or try to get closer to 1:30 and risk blowing up and missing it.
So how're you feeling about your race? It seems like you are in good shape to hit your goals. Did you do a long run through Disney while the park was open??
I personally think you'll regret setting a PR and feeling like you left something out there vs going for 1:29:59 and missing both. But that's a question for you to answer for yourself.
Do you know where you should be heart-rate wise during a HM? To me that's the tie-breaker. If you go for sub 1:30 and your HR is in that zone and stays there, you proceed. If you start to see a bad creep you back off and go for the PR.I agree with your goal analysis but disagree with the bolded. This is a group decision (new here?). We choose 1:29:58 (we will leave you a little buffer for error).
Running sub 1:30 is definitely more important, but I honestly worry it may be a pipe dream.Don't underestimate the race day boost you'll get.
What's more important to you? Setting a PR or running sub 1:30?
It seems like you know you're in better shape than when you raced 3 years ago. Your training is better. I personally think you'll regret setting a PR and feeling like you left something out there vs going for 1:29:59 and missing both. But that's a question for you to answer for yourself.
x on 22 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months, ran 1:34
x on 25 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months, ran 1:32
x on 26 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months. Outside of those blocks I was running ~20 miles/wk, so I was seeing steady improvement over this time. Then I proceeded to average ~26 mi/wk for 24 months and set no PRs, despite having my biggest mileage years. So, there are some serious plateau concerns in the back of my mind. I've successfully upped the mileage in this block, but will I reap the rewards? Hopefully. I guess time will tell. Worrying about it won't help, so I guess it's HTFU time.Exactly! It's like this guy's new here or something! I like the extra second! Especially since based on past running of this race, myI agree with your goal analysis but disagree with the bolded. This is a group decision (new here?). We choose 1:29:58 (we will leave you a little buffer for error).
tangent running skills may allow me to somehow measure at like 13.06. Be careful, though - it's your turn next and based on your runs you might not like the group's collective target.Unfortunately, no. My old watch had such crappy unreliable HR readings that none of it can be trusted, so I really don't know anything for sure accurately prior to this past Christmas. Also makes it impossible to really measure the build-up to this HM vs. previous ones, as I have crap like 103 HR on a tempo run in the historical data. The only real data point I have in HMs is my HR was ~185 in mile 6 at the HM last year and that was a bad timeDo you know where you should be heart-rate wise during a HM? To me that's the tie-breaker. If you go for sub 1:30 and your HR is in that zone and stays there, you proceed. If you start to see a bad creep you back off and go for the PR.
. So, 180s = bad. I'm not, never have been, and never will be at your level of running, but I do think the principle still holds true because the guys here who are say it matters for them.Thanks for the feedback guys, it's very much appreciated.
Running sub 1:30 is definitely more important, but I honestly worry it may be a pipe dream.
To try to flesh out the main concern: I ran 1:36x on 22 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months, ran 1:34
x on 25 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months, ran 1:32
x on 26 mi/wk in the preceding 3 months. Outside of those blocks I was running ~20 miles/wk, so I was seeing steady improvement over this time. Then I proceeded to average ~26 mi/wk for 24 months and set no PRs, despite having my biggest mileage years. So, there are some serious plateau concerns in the back of my mind. I've successfully upped the mileage in this block, but will I reap the rewards? Hopefully. I guess time will tell. Worrying about it won't help, so I guess it's HTFU time.
Exactly! It's like this guy's new here or something! I like the extra second! Especially since based on past running of this race, mytangent running skills may allow me to somehow measure at like 13.06. Be careful, though - it's your turn next and based on your runs you might not like the group's collective target.
Unfortunately, no. My old watch had such crappy unreliable HR readings that none of it can be trusted, so I really don't know anything for sure accurately prior to this past Christmas. Also makes it impossible to really measure the build-up to this HM vs. previous ones, as I have crap like 103 HR on a tempo run in the historical data. The only real data point I have in HMs is my HR was ~185 in mile 6 at the HM last year and that was a bad time. So, 180s = bad.
But, with that not insignificant bump in mileage to a level that historically makes a difference, I think you're going to be surprised about what you can do out there.
At the start line, at least.Weather is going to be perfect for the race tomorrow. About 30 at the gun with a very light breeze and sunny. Warming up to 45 by the time I'll be done.
Amazing how the thought of doing this tomorrow has actually stirred the juices a bit. I think my plan is to pretty much run this as an easy run and keep my heart rate down to try and delay the sore legs as long as possible. This will definitely be a run/walk combo.
Will probably take me three hours but it's gonna be a beautiful day here and maybe this will jumpstart some fitness. At the least I'll get to look at the honeys in their tight race clothes once again.![]()
I was thinking about your statements about swan songs and not having the burn, etc. I have a relative who has run fairly regularly for years, but I'm not sure how much training she really does. At any rate, she does marathons around the country to see places, interacting with the crowd and other runners and just having a good time without really any time goals to my knowledge. And she seems perfectly happy with this. That's not for everyone, obviously, but it's not like there's necessarily one "right" way to go about participating in running.Weather is going to be perfect for the race tomorrow. About 30 at the gun with a very light breeze and sunny. Warming up to 45 by the time I'll be done.
Amazing how the thought of doing this tomorrow has actually stirred the juices a bit. I think my plan is to pretty much run this as an easy run and keep my heart rate down to try and delay the sore legs as long as possible. This will definitely be a run/walk combo.
Will probably take me three hours but it's gonna be a beautiful day here and maybe this will jumpstart some fitness. At the least I'll get to look at the honeys in their tight race clothes once again.![]()
I’m not sure there is a training plan for getting COVID 8 days before the Boston Marathon. But that’s what I’m dealing with right now.
@gruecd and I had talked about trying sub 3:30, but that’s out the window for me. Just want to get rid of these symptoms, get healthy and finish.
So this will not be written as The Final Countdown. But as of right now that's my intention.
)2022 Rock The Parkway Race Report
I've been thinking of what to write for the last few days for this report. I don't want to say it was a swan song because I've tried that before and ended up racing again.So this will not be written as The Final Countdown. But as of right now that's my intention.
I'm going to go backwards a couple of years when the pandemic hit. At the time I was coming off the greatest running year of my life with the marathon and half marathon PR's back to back. I had some real goals in mind then, and that spring I was training to break 1:40 in the half. I was in Florida when the news came down that the race was canceled.
At the time I remember being disappointed, but my thoughts soon turned to "how the hell am I gonna get my family home". Luckily we were scheduled to fly out pretty quickly, so we got home without too much of a hitch. But I had to quarantine for two weeks just because we had come from Florida.
Those two weeks at home were pretty awesome. Got to work on my yard, really hang out with the kids, and just be with my family. I did a lot of soul-searching during that time. And came to the realization that my little hobby here had taken away so much time from them. A lot of answers to my kids when they asked to do things came with this answer "well, I have to run today. maybe when I'm done."
And looking back, that's a crushing answer for a kid. Shame on me for putting THAT in front of THEM so many times. So that had to change. And so I didn't run as much. And it was great.
Fast forward to last fall, and I decided to sign up for this race hoping it would jump start me into regular fitness again. But this time, my decisions to train were based off what was best for me and my family. Now, I understand that training does require a sacrifice, but when faced with a choice I chose them over running every time. I certainly could have carved out some time by waking up early or whatever, but I didn't. That's on me.
So I was clearly not trained at all for this. My strava profile screams that loud and clear. So I'm not going to bore you with pace and heart rate details for this race. It's pointless. But there are some lessons in there for me and maybe some for others here.
The night before the race my kids asked me "why are you going this. you didn't even run much". And my answer was:
"Because I committed to it."
The Race
So when I signed up for this I chose corral A. This is where I usually line up to stay away from traffic and have a clean line coming out of the gate. I certainly could have still done this based on my bib, but I went back into corral E so I wouldn't slow anyone up.
The day was absolute perfection. No wind. Sunny. 30 degrees at the gun and warmed up to 45 when I was done.
My "goal" I guess was to finish in under 2.5 hours. I decided to tuck in with the 2:25 pacers and see how long I could hang with them. I pretty much stayed with them for the entire race. I got out in front the first 10 miles or so, but only because they walked the aid stations. But when they caught me I stayed with them the rest of the way.
Lesson time: I ran this race strictly by heart rate. And this is where it is so important to know your zones when training and racing. I know it's not the end-all, be-all - everyone has their methods. But in a race situation, it's a hell of an indicator of what your body is capable of. I knew from past half marathons my sweet spot is 170-180 bpm, and I never strayed from this all day. So I know I shouldn't totally blow up if I just kept moving. And whatever my legs were capable in that range was what it was going to be.
I made it ten miles before I had to take a walk break. I consider this a major victory in that going in I just wanted to try and go as long as possible without walking. The pacers caught up to me at around 11 miles, and they went with a run/walk strategy for the rest of the way.
Hanging with them the last two miles brought be some great energy for a couple of reasons:
Guy 1: was running his first half marathon, and to see the excitement on his face as he was coming down the stretch was incredible. At the finish line I let him go ahead so his photo would be just him crossing the line without some random goof wearing a BEER stocking cap.
Guy 2: talk about inspiring. This guy had let himself go during the pandemic and gained 40 pounds. He decided to do something about it, and in December started training. He has lost 30 pounds since January by exercising and completely revamping his diet. With a mile left to go he turned to the pacer and said "thanks for your help, but I'm gonna run hard the rest of the way and finish strong."![]()
We ran the rest of the way in with a finish time of 2:28:49. I finished right with the pacer, so not sure what was going on there, but she was awesome and smoking hot.
The Prologue
I missed that. I missed the race chute excitement. I missed the silly signs. I missed the mental game and the physical pain and the excitement of others and talking to people on the course.
I missed the accomplishment and the feeling of when you are done and thinking "I just did that!".
And I got that. I am damn proud of myself for going out there and doing it. I have never missed a race I signed up for and I've never DNF'd.
So while that 2:28:49 will be my worst race time ever, I was able to get it done. And go into that pain cave one more time and come out the other side. (yes, there still is a pain cave, sort of, at those slow paces)
And come home to my kids and look them in the eye with that medal around my neck and tell them "not bad for an old guy".
It was a great day.
It was a great day.
I missed that. I missed the race chute excitement. I missed the silly signs. I missed the mental game and the physical pain and the excitement of others and talking to people on the course.
I ran this race strictly by heart rate. And this is where it is so important to know your zones when training and racing. I know it's not the end-all, be-all - everyone has their methods. But in a race situation, it's a hell of an indicator of what your body is capable of. I knew from past half marathons my sweet spot is 170-180 bpm, and I never strayed from this all day. So I know I shouldn't totally blow up if I just kept moving. And whatever my legs were capable in that range was what it was going to be.
Forecast holding, now showing high temperature of 50 degrees and single-digit wind out of the west. Seems pretty fitting that it'll probably be the best year I've ever had there weather-wise, and yet I'm in no shape to really race.Forecast for Boston looking not terrible with temps in the upper 40s to low 50s with a 25% chance of rain. Wind 10mph out of the NNW, which will (kind of) be a headwind, as the course runs NE. Given some of the super hot, humid days that I've had there, I'll take it.
Yeah. I compost 100% of my yard waste - leaves and grass. My compost pile is huge with leaves right now - need the green to start working it's magic.You bag your grass?
I'm jealous that you're actually able to mow your lawn. We're at least a week away from it being dry enough. Looking at the forecast, probably more. Although give your current speed + form you'll probably still be out there cutting round 1 whenever my numbers gets called.Yeah. I compost 100% of my yard waste - leaves and grass. My compost pile is huge with leaves right now - need the green to start working it's magic.![]()
Plus I hate grass clumps all over the place and thatch in my yard.
I'm jealous that you're actually able to mow your lawn. We're at least a week away from it being dry enough. Looking at the forecast, probably more. Although give your current speed + form you'll probably still be out there cutting round 1 whenever my numbers gets called.