Ran a 10k - Official Thread (7 Viewers)

[bushdocda]

Indy on 11/8 doesn’t appear to be sold out @xulf

 

[xulf]

Indy on 11/8 doesn’t appear to be sold out @xulf

Thanks for thinking of that, it was also the first one I checked on. The only option available is the virtual run.

I signed up for the Marshall University Marathon on 11/2. I'm going to try and use the headphones since it's "discouraged" and the verbiage in the rules sounds like it's more of a liability issue and you are taking it on yourself if you are injured from it. I'll feel it out at the start and see how many people are using them. May just put them on once in the race and deal with whatever happens.

Now I need to figure out what to run this week. I've just tapered and stuffed my face with carbs all week. I'll probably go back a couple of weeks in my training and do some intervals at gmp-10 and then another long run at pace. I'm not sure how this 2 week add-on will disrupt things.

 

[MAC_32]

So speaking of the weather, what’s the worst conditions anyone here has had to race in? I can’t remember if anyone did 2018 Boston but that comes to mind as being up there and way worse than anything I’ve been subjected to.

I’ve been pretty fortunate with my races over the years but can think of two pretty unpleasant ones that stand out. There was a New Year’s 5K that was 15F with 30mph winds as well as a 5 mile trail race in May where a thunderstorm rolled through 30 minutes prior and then the sun came out and the whole forest felt like a steam sauna.

Half marathon 2016 - started in sleet, hail during, followed by a blinding down pour, and finished with a thunder snow storm.

And that's still runner up to the 2021 trail half marathon I did on a sheet of ice in steeply elevated woods.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

And that's still runner up to the 2021 trail half marathon I did on a sheet of ice in steeply elevated woods.

I remember you describing that one on here. Sounded insane.

 

[MAC_32]

And that's still runner up to the 2021 trail half marathon I did on a sheet of ice in steeply elevated woods.

I remember you describing that one on here. Sounded insane.

If I tried doing that race now I'd be in a perpetual loop trying to climb up one of those 150' 20+% grades of thick ice and sliding back down to the bottom. Queue the Benny Hill music

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Not much of a runner these days, but back in the day I used to follow along with this thread and got a ton of good ideas for training. Mostly ran half marathons, Cellcom, Marquette, Canal run, 10k and 5k's for training.

I transitioned to full time mtb biking which suits my strengths better. Short distance power is what I've got after years of plyometrics from hockey, weight lifting, biking, but my steady state efforts have always left a little to be desired.

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts? I'm trying to be efficient in my training for a big race next year, but would like to try and increase my steady state while continuing to improve my power aswell, you know have my cake and eat it too. Just seeing what you long distance guys find the best bang for your buck outside of the obvious really long runs.

 

[beer 30]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

So you're saying stick to zone 2 and it'll work itself out. Pretty much what I've been doing, but i hate it so much .

 

[beer 30]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

So you're saying stick to zone 2 and it'll work itself out. Pretty much what I've been doing, but i hate it so much .

1...2...tomato...tomatoe

 

[MAC_32]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

So you're saying stick to zone 2 and it'll work itself out. Pretty much what I've been doing, but i hate it so much .

My anecdotal experience continues to run counter to general advice. There's been one constant as I've ridden the injury roller coaster- whenever I try to go over an hour, I get injured. First one to 75 minutes this season, bam, knee injury.

Sort of navigating around it, but it's clear I'm going to need a couple weeks off for it to get right again. As we're approaching fattening season, I'm trying to hold off until mother nature and the schedule sync up to short-term diet while I heal. When I do and start again I'm bagging anything over 45-60 minutes indefinitely.

 

[beer 30]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

So you're saying stick to zone 2 and it'll work itself out. Pretty much what I've been doing, but i hate it so much .

My anecdotal experience continues to run counter to general advice. There's been one constant as I've ridden the injury roller coaster- whenever I try to go over an hour, I get injured. First one to 75 minutes this season, bam, knee injury.

Sort of navigating around it, but it's clear I'm going to need a couple weeks off for it to get right again. As we're approaching fattening season, I'm trying to hold off until mother nature and the schedule sync up to short-term diet while I heal. When I do and start again I'm bagging anything over 45-60 minutes indefinitely.

Fattening season - need to trade mark that

You every think about a bike? I feel like you've discussed this before and it isn't your bag but you can get some serious cardio in riding. Not me of course but you could.

 

[MAC_32]

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts?

Being fat, lazy, slow with motivation efforts has always helped my ability to be slow and put in miles in the past. I've successfully transitioned this ability from running to riding so now I can go twice or three times as far and take even more time than when I was running

Think of a work horse vs a race horse, just go light on the work part of that.

So you're saying stick to zone 2 and it'll work itself out. Pretty much what I've been doing, but i hate it so much .

My anecdotal experience continues to run counter to general advice. There's been one constant as I've ridden the injury roller coaster- whenever I try to go over an hour, I get injured. First one to 75 minutes this season, bam, knee injury.

Sort of navigating around it, but it's clear I'm going to need a couple weeks off for it to get right again. As we're approaching fattening season, I'm trying to hold off until mother nature and the schedule sync up to short-term diet while I heal. When I do and start again I'm bagging anything over 45-60 minutes indefinitely.

Fattening season - need to trade mark that

You every think about a bike? I feel like you've discussed this before and it isn't your bag but you can get some serious cardio in riding. Not me of course but you could.

Very short answer- yes.

Long answer- but not right now. Our kids are currently in the peak taxi ages of 10, 13, and 15. Squeezing in any exercise is a chore, so I need efficiency and flexibility (pun unintended). As is I can detour to the woods in between meetings during the week, be on foot within minutes, and get enough cardio to be worth my while - even if it's only 30-35 mins.

I'm not sure if this will change next summer, but I'm confident it will come 2027. I just need to get there still in one piece. I'll still plan for cardio on foot, but I can't be reliant on it like I am now. I am going to install some pool work once this winter hits though.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

My anecdotal experience continues to run counter to general advice. There's been one constant as I've ridden the injury roller coaster- whenever I try to go over an hour, I get injured. First one to 75 minutes this season, bam, knee injury.

I can add my anecdote to yours. I've tried a couple of times to go the all zone 2 route and it's mostly led to injury and if not that I just stagnate. I've had much better luck pushing on the intensity side. Whether that's physiological or due to temperament issues is a chicken/egg argument at this point, as it just seems to hold true for me personally. Of course I'd presumably have better results if I had more time to devote or was willing to be more disciplined in my approach, but like everyone else I'm balancing a lot of stuff and running's just never going to be priority #1 for me at this point in my life.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Long story short for me is that I played sports all my life and hated running, it was punishment. My wife was a runner and got me hooked in the early 00s. I wasn't great, but not terrible, best HM time was around 1:40. Injuries though, first a foot, then a knee, then IT band, hips, the list goes on.

Run immediately upon waking up, or immediately after work. The discipline was there, but i got real sick of always having something nagging, enter mtb biking which is now my primary exercise/hobby, but I could be a lot better at the steady state rides. Whether it's running or biking I think it translates pretty well in that regard. Like I mentioned I've gotten some pretty good ideas from this thread over years which is why as I've aged I figured I'd ask others that have also aged what they find works best to increase/maintain their ability to push into those longer efforts.

And maybe that's where biking is different. Probably not going to get hurt on those long efforts as long as the rubber stays pointing down. I can hammer an hour in the higher zones in a race situation, but when things start getting longer i fade. I know my best days are behind me, but i still think I've got room to improve. The old athlete in me doesn't want to give up just yet.

 

[MAC_32]

My anecdotal experience continues to run counter to general advice. There's been one constant as I've ridden the injury roller coaster- whenever I try to go over an hour, I get injured. First one to 75 minutes this season, bam, knee injury.

I can add my anecdote to yours. I've tried a couple of times to go the all zone 2 route and it's mostly led to injury and if not that I just stagnate. I've had much better luck pushing on the intensity side. Whether that's physiological or due to temperament issues is a chicken/egg argument at this point, as it just seems to hold true for me personally. Of course I'd presumably have better results if I had more time to devote or was willing to be more disciplined in my approach, but like everyone else I'm balancing a lot of stuff and running's just never going to be priority #1 for me at this point in my life.

The accident is a convenient excuse, but I think my injury woes are bigger than just that. When I hit my stride, pun intended this time, I was able to create the space in my schedule to both execute and get my body / mind right in between exercise.

I worked 8:30 - 4:30 a 5 minute drive from my house. Up until the end of covid, it was generally a low stress job. It was very frustrating at times, but my work didn't travel home with me. I exercised over lunch every day, whether lifting or running. If I lifted, I then usually ran after work. Once I adapted into an endurance runner I could find time to get at least one long run in each week, usually a MLR too. I had side hustles in the evening, but I controlled those hours and wasn't at the mercy of the extra-curricular schedule. Within that structure, I stayed active beyond just running, ate well, got plenty of sleep, and did a good job managing my stress.

That all changed summer 2021. My priorities & more importantly responsibilities since have been different than what they were then. As a result, I'm not moving as much as I used to. I'm driving A LOT more. I generally eat well during the day during the week, but have worsened both at night and the weekend (social life). And bigger than all that, stress overtook me for about 3 years. I think all that has impacted by ability to sleep but especially the stress part. I'm doing a better job managing it now, but it's taking some time to squash those bad habits that developed over the last few years. All that in addition to whatever happened to my body post accident is why I I think I keep running into problems 6-8 weeks after restarting activity. I don't know if I'll ever get right again, but I am hopeful that if I do a better job managing all that then I may be able to sustain exercise for more than 6-8 weeks at a time.

And I decided that reset I alluded to upstream needs to happen now. Part of that is because I lost control of the calendar again, but then mother nature helped reaffirm the decision. We're amidst ~72 hours of dreary 45-50 degrees off-and-on wind / rain and I had already missed 4 days prior (2 intentional) so let's see if 10 days off now is the elixir. Oh, to be young again...

 

[Dr_Zaius]

So my band is partially broken and the battery life has shrunk down to a few days on my 4-year old Forerunner 55. Thinking of buying a 265 whenever they go on sale. What's everybody else rocking these days? Any thoughts on what makes the most sense?

 

[The Iguana]

So speaking of the weather, what’s the worst conditions anyone here has had to race in? I can’t remember if anyone did 2018 Boston but that comes to mind as being up there and way worse than anything I’ve been subjected to.

I’ve been pretty fortunate with my races over the years but can think of two pretty unpleasant ones that stand out. There was a New Year’s 5K that was 15F with 30mph winds as well as a 5 mile trail race in May where a thunderstorm rolled through 30 minutes prior and then the sun came out and the whole forest felt like a steam sauna.

On here somewhere are some race reports I have done from a series of XC style 5ks I have participated in. One of the races in the series was on an actual HS XC course. The others were not actual courses but rather were what I always thought XC races would be like in HS before I ever actually ran one. I always pictured them being almost like an obstacle course with silly amounts of elevation changes and such. That's exactly what 2 of the 4 races in this series was like - all through the woods with downed trees in the way to hurdle, and the course would crisscross a couple creeks in places that you had to leap and/or wade through. There was 1 a month from November to February.

Anyway, the ones in January and February tended to have some pretty nasty weather on the regular. Two of the January races, in particular stand out for being super nasty:

1) Temps were about 20* F and there had been a ton of rain just before things turned cold again. The creeks had flooded big time. You had to wade through water for several hundred yards and then there was about a 1/2 section after that that was just this muddy, slushy, gooey, mess. Legs were screaming by the time that was over.

2) The even worse one was the same course the following year. I had to scrape about a 1/4 inch of ice off my car to even drive there. It was about a 30 or 40 minute drive that I'm not even sure why I bothered but it seemed like something fun to do. It did some combo of sleet/snow/freezing rain on the drive there, during warmups, during the race and afterwards. I was frozen, wet, and miserable the entire time. It was one of the most fun events I have ever done. lol. Took about 3 weeks to thaw out afterwards, I think.

 

[The Iguana]

Indy on 11/8 doesn’t appear to be sold out @xulf

Thanks for thinking of that, it was also the first one I checked on. The only option available is the virtual run.

I signed up for the Marshall University Marathon on 11/2. I'm going to try and use the headphones since it's "discouraged" and the verbiage in the rules sounds like it's more of a liability issue and you are taking it on yourself if you are injured from it. I'll feel it out at the start and see how many people are using them. May just put them on once in the race and deal with whatever happens.

Now I need to figure out what to run this week. I've just tapered and stuffed my face with carbs all week. I'll probably go back a couple of weeks in my training and do some intervals at gmp-10 and then another long run at pace. I'm not sure how this 2 week add-on will disrupt things.

I think many races have similar verbiage in them that isn't enforced. I am pretty sure the Monumental has some stuff about them being "discouraged" but not sure there is anything officially banning them.

 

[xulf]

So my band is partially broken and the battery life has shrunk down to a few days on my 4-year old Forerunner 55. Thinking of buying a 265 whenever they go on sale. What's everybody else rocking these days? Any thoughts on what makes the most sense?

I'm using the Forerunner 945M after having the 245M for awhile. I mainly switched for the longer battery life and it has a bigger watchface (not a determining factor, but I like it better).

Another reason I switched was that I felt like the 245 was tracking my cadence instead of HR. I found the same issue with the 945, so I have the armband HR monitor now.

My wife had the Garmin 645M, but it crapped out, so she now uses my old 245.

Long story short, I think most of these are going to be pretty similar if you are mainly just using it for GPS on runs or other activities. If you are doing marathons or longer races/runs, I would just make sure to have one with a long enough battery life.

 

[bushdocda]

So my band is partially broken and the battery life has shrunk down to a few days on my 4-year old Forerunner 55. Thinking of buying a 265 whenever they go on sale. What's everybody else rocking these days? Any thoughts on what makes the most sense?

I love the 965 I picked up after the 265. Battery life is beautiful for like a week at a time. Coros watches I have not tried but they seem to be real deal and worth considering.

 

[-OZ-]

So my band is partially broken and the battery life has shrunk down to a few days on my 4-year old Forerunner 55. Thinking of buying a 265 whenever they go on sale. What's everybody else rocking these days? Any thoughts on what makes the most sense?

I love the 965 I picked up after the 265. Battery life is beautiful for like a week at a time. Coros watches I have not tried but they seem to be real deal and worth considering.

Same. I like my 965 and while the battery hasn’t lasted me a week lately, that’s just due to volume and keeping Bluetooth on.
I have no fear of it lasting through next week’s Ironman.

 

[SteelCurtain]

So speaking of the weather, what’s the worst conditions anyone here has had to race in? I can’t remember if anyone did 2018 Boston but that comes to mind as being up there and way worse than anything I’ve been subjected to.

I’ve been pretty fortunate with my races over the years but can think of two pretty unpleasant ones that stand out. There was a New Year’s 5K that was 15F with 30mph winds as well as a 5 mile trail race in May where a thunderstorm rolled through 30 minutes prior and then the sun came out and the whole forest felt like a steam sauna.

I ran 2018 Boston and it has legit scarred me. I don't run in the rain anymore unless its a big race for me. I won't run training runs or local 5K races in the rain. If it rains every day for a week, then I take a week off from running.

That day in Boston was nothing I've ever experienced. If you aren't familiar, it was 35-40 degrees, 2 inches of rain fell that day and 30-40 mph headwinds. It was brutal.

But it was Boston....and my first one at that. So I had to do it.

 

[-OZ-]

So speaking of the weather, what’s the worst conditions anyone here has had to race in? I can’t remember if anyone did 2018 Boston but that comes to mind as being up there and way worse than anything I’ve been subjected to.

I’ve been pretty fortunate with my races over the years but can think of two pretty unpleasant ones that stand out. There was a New Year’s 5K that was 15F with 30mph winds as well as a 5 mile trail race in May where a thunderstorm rolled through 30 minutes prior and then the sun came out and the whole forest felt like a steam sauna.

I ran 2018 Boston and it has legit scarred me. I don't run in the rain anymore unless its a big race for me. I won't run training runs or local 5K races in the rain. If it rains every day for a week, then I take a week off from running.

That day in Boston was nothing I've ever experienced. If you aren't familiar, it was 35-40 degrees, 2 inches of rain fell that day and 30-40 mph headwinds. It was brutal.

But it was Boston....and my first one at that. So I had to do it.

There’s rain, and then there’s RAIN

I try to not bike in the rain but if it’s not storming, running or even open water swimming is kinda fun in most rain. Not that though, that was brutal for y’all.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

I ran 2018 Boston and it has legit scarred me. I don't run in the rain anymore unless its a big race for me. I won't run training runs or local 5K races in the rain. If it rains every day for a week, then I take a week off from running.

That day in Boston was nothing I've ever experienced. If you aren't familiar, it was 35-40 degrees, 2 inches of rain fell that day and 30-40 mph headwinds. It was brutal.

I was following along a bit because I had an old friend who was running it. He DNFed somewhere around the middle. He had done Boston a couple times already, so he maybe felt less compelled to continue than you, but it's certainly one of the most explainable DNFs one could have outside of an injury.

In my HM training block last year I went for an 11-miler when the weather was supposed to be 40 and overcast with maybe some drizzle, but a steady rain started 2 miles in and just continued the whole time. I was too stubborn to call it early, but the last 5 miles once everything was soaked through were just miserable. Kudos to you for grinding through 3+ hours of that plus a vicious headwind - that's some major fortitude.

 

[Intston]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

 

[Juxtatarot]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

30? . Yep, you are doomed to the consequences of old age!

Seriously, though, you might be stretching wrong and aggravating the injury but who knows. Best bet is to see a physical therapist. There will be some combo of strengthening or stretching that should help. If you don't want to do that, I'd recommend having a long conversation with Chat GPT or other AI. One thing that I always remind myself is just because you have an injury to one part of the body doesn't mean that is the root problem. Everything is connected and the hamstring issue can be a symptom of a problem elsewhere that you may not initially realize.

 

[Intston]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

30? . Yep, you are doomed to the consequences of old age!

Seriously, though, you might be stretching wrong and aggravating the injury but who knows. Best bet is to see a physical therapist. There will be some combo of strengthening or stretching that should help. If you don't want to do that, I'd recommend having a long conversation with Chat GPT or other AI. One thing that I always remind myself is just because you have an injury to one part of the body doesn't mean that is the root problem. Everything is connected and the hamstring issue can be a symptom of a problem elsewhere that you may not initially realize.

Thank you. Yeah I know 30 has been a long while ago for many here, makes for valuable experience I don't have yet

 

[ChiefD]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

If you are getting injured playing table tennis you need to drink more beer.

 

[gianmarco]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

If you are getting injured playing table tennis you need to drink more beer.

Or less.

 

[gianmarco]

Welp, on our way to NYC.

Feel free to track me and the Mrs.

No idea how this will go, "training" has been non-existent, but at least I can go out and run a few miles somewhat comfortably. Did one long run that at least I finished even though it wasn't easy at the end. That said, I was kinda sick, it was warmish (80 at end), and ran out of water and no fuel, so can only be better, right?

If I can do 16 miles like I did in 3 hours with run/walk, then I'll finish the last 10 mostly walking, at worst, and hopefully get in by 6 hours. I really don't have a time goal, but the Mrs. is giving up her starting corral to run/walk this with me so we can finish together too. No pressure, right?

Hoping to somewhat enjoy this and not die before the finish.

Looking forward to seeing GB @SteelCurtain.

 

[ChiefD]

Welp, on our way to NYC.

Feel free to track me and the Mrs.

No idea how this will go, "training" has been non-existent, but at least I can go out and run a few miles somewhat comfortably. Did one long run that at least I finished even though it wasn't easy at the end. That said, I was kinda sick, it was warmish (80 at end), and ran out of water and no fuel, so can only be better, right?

If I can do 16 miles like I did in 3 hours with run/walk, then I'll finish the last 10 mostly walking, at worst, and hopefully get in by 6 hours. I really don't have a time goal, but the Mrs. is giving up her starting corral to run/walk this with me so we can finish together too. No pressure, right?

Hoping to somewhat enjoy this and not die before the finish.

Looking forward to seeing GB @SteelCurtain.

The only way you die is if Mrs. G kills you because you are going too slow.

 

[ChiefD]

Oh, and good luck. You got this!

 

[-OZ-]

Need some good vibes And energy from y’all. We had 23 from Team Rocket tri club register, 2 postponed for medical reasons leaving 21 of us.

Hoping for a 90 minute swim, 6 hour ride, 5 hour marathon add transitions and I’m hoping to beat my number, 1258. Sub 13 seems possible if the hamstring holds up. It has given me fits for the last 7 weeks. 5 weeks ago I wasn’t sure I’d start the race. The rides have been decent but my running has sucked as a result. The good thing is the biggest limiter has been pushing fast which isn’t an option.

Results

www.ironman.com

 

[tri-man 47]

Not much of a runner these days, but back in the day I used to follow along with this thread and got a ton of good ideas for training. Mostly ran half marathons, Cellcom, Marquette, Canal run, 10k and 5k's for training.

I transitioned to full time mtb biking which suits my strengths better. Short distance power is what I've got after years of plyometrics from hockey, weight lifting, biking, but my steady state efforts have always left a little to be desired.

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts? I'm trying to be efficient in my training for a big race next year, but would like to try and increase my steady state while continuing to improve my power aswell, you know have my cake and eat it too. Just seeing what you long distance guys find the best bang for your buck outside of the obvious really long runs.

You talking running or biking? You mention both. I’d say the key is muscle strength, and for that, I’d suggest short accelerations …short surges.

 

[tri-man 47]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

I’d say that’s not the new normal. It might just be a minor change that you need to address or adapt to. You could try the heel drops while standing on a stair. More generally, I have a few minute routine to stretch and maintain flexibility. I do one routine in the morning before I get out of bed and a similar routine before going to sleep (see Kristie Ennis on YouTube).

 

[xulf]

Welp, on our way to NYC.

Feel free to track me and the Mrs.

No idea how this will go, "training" has been non-existent, but at least I can go out and run a few miles somewhat comfortably. Did one long run that at least I finished even though it wasn't easy at the end. That said, I was kinda sick, it was warmish (80 at end), and ran out of water and no fuel, so can only be better, right?

If I can do 16 miles like I did in 3 hours with run/walk, then I'll finish the last 10 mostly walking, at worst, and hopefully get in by 6 hours. I really don't have a time goal, but the Mrs. is giving up her starting corral to run/walk this with me so we can finish together too. No pressure, right?

Hoping to somewhat enjoy this and not die before the finish.

Looking forward to seeing GB @SteelCurtain.

Good luck!

Your long run looked good. This will obviously be a different experience than you have had with marathons in the past, but you know the distance and the pain. You got this!

 

[xulf]

Need some good vibes And energy from y’all. We had 23 from Team Rocket tri club register, 2 postponed for medical reasons leaving 21 of us.

Hoping for a 90 minute swim, 6 hour ride, 5 hour marathon add transitions and I’m hoping to beat my number, 1258. Sub 13 seems possible if the hamstring holds up. It has given me fits for the last 7 weeks. 5 weeks ago I wasn’t sure I’d start the race. The rides have been decent but my running has sucked as a result. The good thing is the biggest limiter has been pushing fast which isn’t an option.

Results

www.ironman.com

You Ironman folks are such another level of badassery. Best of luck for a good and healthy race!

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Not much of a runner these days, but back in the day I used to follow along with this thread and got a ton of good ideas for training. Mostly ran half marathons, Cellcom, Marquette, Canal run, 10k and 5k's for training.

I transitioned to full time mtb biking which suits my strengths better. Short distance power is what I've got after years of plyometrics from hockey, weight lifting, biking, but my steady state efforts have always left a little to be desired.

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts? I'm trying to be efficient in my training for a big race next year, but would like to try and increase my steady state while continuing to improve my power aswell, you know have my cake and eat it too. Just seeing what you long distance guys find the best bang for your buck outside of the obvious really long runs.

You talking running or biking? You mention both. I’d say the key is muscle strength, and for that, I’d suggest short accelerations …short surges.

Sorry if that was confusing, I meant biking. I'm talking biking in the running thread in the hopes it kind of relates to running when it comes to building steady state long distance efforts. It's something i need to work on over the winter so i was curious what kind of training the guys in here find works best vs generic advice off the internet. Like i mention above I'm not a novice looking to get started, but since a lot of guys in this thread sound like pretty talented runners I was interested in what seems to help the most build and maintain long distance efforts.

I'm glad you mention strength and short bursts of high effort and not lots and lots of zone 2 (I'll be doing plenty of that the next few months aswell I'm sure). Zone 2 junk miles help i think, but it seems better for maintaining than improving for me.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

Consider me a sort of last minute addition to the racers this weekend. Last night I signed up for a local “rundown” event this afternoon. There’s a 1.6 mile cyclocross course in a grass field. You have 20 minutes to run a lap. Then 19:40 to run the next lap, 19:20 after that, etc. until there’s one person left.

No idea what to expect. Course has a bunch of serpentines and switchbacks so it’ll be super slow. Seems like there are usually only a couple dozen people or so that do this. I’m going to head over with water and some snacks to consume at the end of laps and just see what happens.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

@xulf how are you feeling for your delayed marathon attempt? Looks likely you should have virtually zero wind in sharp contrast to your originally scheduled day.

 

[bushdocda]

Consider me a sort of last minute addition to the racers this weekend. Last night I signed up for a local “rundown” event this afternoon. There’s a 1.6 mile cyclocross course in a grass field. You have 20 minutes to run a lap. Then 19:40 to run the next lap, 19:20 after that, etc. until there’s one person left.

No idea what to expect. Course has a bunch of serpentines and switchbacks so it’ll be super slow. Seems like there are usually only a couple dozen people or so that do this. I’m going to head over with water and some snacks to consume at the end of laps and just see what happens.

Bring a lot of snacks, you are going to be there for awhile

 

[xulf]

@xulf how are you feeling for your delayed marathon attempt? Looks likely you should have virtually zero wind in sharp contrast to your originally scheduled day.

Weather is looking good (for now). 45 degrees at start, and will probably get up to ~53 by the end. As you mentioned, essentially no wind. Chance of rain has been bouncing between 15% and 40% the last few days, and hopefully we don't get any, even over night to avoid slippery leaves.

I'm not sure how this will go. I am completely unfamiliar with the course and it's a double loop. Not a huge field, so there likely won't be a lot of runners around, especially on the 2nd lap...the fastest pacer they have is 3:30, which doesn't help a whole lot. Also, no clue what the crowd will look like.

I'm heading down shortly. Bringing the family, so will have at least some people cheering me on!

Fitness-wise, during my cycle I had to have a pullback week because my body was not working right. Then had like 2 weeks before the taper. Now I have added 1 more hard week and another taper. No clue how this will translate into race performance, but we will see

 

[MAC_32]

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I was wondering if anyone here has some advice for me:
As of the last month or so either one of my hamstrings gets slightly strained from moderate exercise (table tennis or stretching) and feels bad for 1-4 days after, how can I alleviate that?
I'm turning 30 this year, is this just my new normal now?

I’d say that’s not the new normal. It might just be a minor change that you need to address or adapt to. You could try the heel drops while standing on a stair. More generally, I have a few minute routine to stretch and maintain flexibility. I do one routine in the morning before I get out of bed and a similar routine before going to sleep (see Kristie Ennis on YouTube).

Not sure why this didn't resonate with me when I first read, but I also had some problematic hamstrings ~age 30. I tried to work my way through them for years before finally going to see a sports chiro. I had significant adhesions in both legs and the types in each one were both wildly different - in one it was a singular MASSIVE knot and in the other were many, many smaller ones, both in different spots on the hammy. IIRC the singular knot was lower (a good thing) and the one with many were higher, which could've been more problematic is left untreated.

Obviously no idea if what you're experiencing is something similar, but it may be worth getting checked out. Could be a simple fix. For me, this was the game changer. I was able to unlock that next level and get over that injury hump that kept stopping me before then with work went from a good runner to local elite in less than a year.

 

[MAC_32]

Not much of a runner these days, but back in the day I used to follow along with this thread and got a ton of good ideas for training. Mostly ran half marathons, Cellcom, Marquette, Canal run, 10k and 5k's for training.

I transitioned to full time mtb biking which suits my strengths better. Short distance power is what I've got after years of plyometrics from hockey, weight lifting, biking, but my steady state efforts have always left a little to be desired.

So what do you guys do these days to improve those long distance efforts? I'm trying to be efficient in my training for a big race next year, but would like to try and increase my steady state while continuing to improve my power aswell, you know have my cake and eat it too. Just seeing what you long distance guys find the best bang for your buck outside of the obvious really long runs.

You talking running or biking? You mention both. I’d say the key is muscle strength, and for that, I’d suggest short accelerations …short surges.

Sorry if that was confusing, I meant biking. I'm talking biking in the running thread in the hopes it kind of relates to running when it comes to building steady state long distance efforts. It's something i need to work on over the winter so i was curious what kind of training the guys in here find works best vs generic advice off the internet. Like i mention above I'm not a novice looking to get started, but since a lot of guys in this thread sound like pretty talented runners I was interested in what seems to help the most build and maintain long distance efforts.

I'm glad you mention strength and short bursts of high effort and not lots and lots of zone 2 (I'll be doing plenty of that the next few months aswell I'm sure). Zone 2 junk miles help i think, but it seems better for maintaining than improving for me.

Maybe proponent of strides, whether on a bike or on foot - fast finishes too. Breaks up the monotony of the longer duration workouts without increasing the recovery time on the back-end. Back in the day I wouldn't do many of these during the building phase, but once my weekly volume steadied I'd be more liberal mixing these in when I felt good and I didn't have SoS scheduled the next day, which generally one does not have if they're doing distance.

The one exception would be the Higdon back-to-back, which I'm also a major proponent of, once fit enough. It's a SoS workout the day before a long workout, but because you're doing the long workout the day after the SoS you're not going AS far in the long run vs fresh. The idea behind this is you're already starting the long workout fatigued, so to achieve similar benefits you shorten the distance. Just need to make sure that distance is still getting you time in LT.

 

[bushdocda]

@xulf how are you feeling for your delayed marathon attempt? Looks likely you should have virtually zero wind in sharp contrast to your originally scheduled day.

Weather is looking good (for now). 45 degrees at start, and will probably get up to ~53 by the end. As you mentioned, essentially no wind. Chance of rain has been bouncing between 15% and 40% the last few days, and hopefully we don't get any, even over night to avoid slippery leaves.

I'm not sure how this will go. I am completely unfamiliar with the course and it's a double loop. Not a huge field, so there likely won't be a lot of runners around, especially on the 2nd lap...the fastest pacer they have is 3:30, which doesn't help a whole lot. Also, no clue what the crowd will look like.

I'm heading down shortly. Bringing the family, so will have at least some people cheering me on!

Fitness-wise, during my cycle I had to have a pullback week because my body was not working right. Then had like 2 weeks before the taper. Now I have added 1 more hard week and another taper. No clue how this will translate into race performance, but we will see

You are in really good shape GB. Make that first loop boring AF as possible and you’ll know what to do the second loop when it gets hard.
Winner ran 2:25 last year. Course looks cool and finish onto campus and in the stadium will be awesome.

https://racerecord.com/race/leaderboard/16805/2024_Marshall_University_Marathon-Marathon

 

[xulf]

@xulf how are you feeling for your delayed marathon attempt? Looks likely you should have virtually zero wind in sharp contrast to your originally scheduled day.

Weather is looking good (for now). 45 degrees at start, and will probably get up to ~53 by the end. As you mentioned, essentially no wind. Chance of rain has been bouncing between 15% and 40% the last few days, and hopefully we don't get any, even over night to avoid slippery leaves.

I'm not sure how this will go. I am completely unfamiliar with the course and it's a double loop. Not a huge field, so there likely won't be a lot of runners around, especially on the 2nd lap...the fastest pacer they have is 3:30, which doesn't help a whole lot. Also, no clue what the crowd will look like.

I'm heading down shortly. Bringing the family, so will have at least some people cheering me on!

Fitness-wise, during my cycle I had to have a pullback week because my body was not working right. Then had like 2 weeks before the taper. Now I have added 1 more hard week and another taper. No clue how this will translate into race performance, but we will see

You are in really good shape GB. Make that first loop boring AF as possible and you’ll know what to do the second loop when it gets hard.
Winner ran 2:25 last year. Course looks cool and finish onto campus and in the stadium will awesome.

https://racerecord.com/race/leaderboard/16805/2024_Marshall_University_Marathon-Marathon

The Toledo Marathon I ran a couple years ago finished in the stadium too. This one, you can carry a football across the finish line

 

[xulf]

Lol, rain

 

[Dr_Zaius]

Xulf crushed the first lap at 1:34:34. If timing mats can be trusted he’s given back a bit of time the last 2 or 3 miles. Less than 4 to go.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

@xulf hangs on for 3:15:59! Great race!

 

[xulf]

After mile 10, I knew I was going to be in some trouble to make it the full distance at pace. But, I didn't drive 2hrs and 45 mins to do a fun run, so I wanted to go for it.

Rain ended up not being bad, but wet shoes the whole race sucked.

All in all, I'm just glad I "ran" the whole thing because I REALLY wanted to shut it down the last 4 miles when I knew things weren't going to go my way.