Road Racing men Training Thread Week Ending 2-11-18

I used to run everything in the Bostons and loved them. Then I started having neuroma issues and they are just too narrow for me anymore. Quite a shame because they are a phenomenal marathon shoe. I'm still undecided what I'll use for a race shoe this time around. Need something with some more room in the toe box, 6-8mm heel is good, light of course. I've been running recently in the Saucony Breakthru 3s and while they are ok, I don't love them and don't want to use them for the marathon.

Side question - opportunity in two weeks to race either a half or a 10k. I'll be at the end of week 3 in this introductory period of my marathon build, but coming off that 5k stretch. Thinking about racing one of them but with a short and steep taper of just a couple days. Good idea? Half or 10k?

If it was me I would go half , But I do dislike the shorter distances. I ran a half in November during a 5k block without that many long runs and it was fun. Felt good to find a rhythm.

Bobo- I also run commute almost everyday (that and/or bike) and it really is an efficient way to get mileage in.

I've also found that Bostons are good for trails up to about 250 miles or so.

I hate that all "ultra" shoes are doing the wide forefoot thing. And that NB has gone wider on their minimalist shoes as well.

statfanatic wrote:

Hey, that's awesome! Hope everything goes smoothly for you, and good luck this weekend. 1:21 at 11 weeks is incredible

I just noticed the typo in the thread title as well lol.

Next for me is a mile the 17th. Not sure after that yet.

Always impressed by your speed, stat. I think it's been 4 years since I cracked 30 for a 200m, and there was probably a 5-6 year gap before that one, too. You look ready for a good mile.

Welcome runguy and bobo. I lurked on these threads for awhile before finally jumping in. It's nice having somewhere to discuss training. I think my wife appreciates the outlet as well. She's very polite about it, but I don't always notice that glazed-over look before I put her to sleep with running talk. Looking forward to seeing your training.

run2death wrote:

I've also found that Bostons are good for trails up to about 250 miles or so.

I hate that all "ultra" shoes are doing the wide forefoot thing. And that NB has gone wider on their minimalist shoes as well.

I've heard the Bostons last a little longer than other trainers -- have y'all found that to be the case? I usually get 600 miles or so out of the Brooks Launch, and I wanted to switch to the Boston after the current pair have bit the dust. Think I'll squeeze out more miles? I'm about 90% on asphalt, for what it's worth.

RRR - Great race and congrats on 2nd overall!

outsiderunner- Love when I hit a PR for a distance in a workout. Just goes to show how great of shape you are in- congrats! Nice week of mileage also just be careful with the knee!

Smoove - Great week of mileage and really strong tempo workout! Amazing how some of you guys can sustain 60+ mpw. I am lucky to get over 50!

Runningforfun - Nice week - I think we follow each other on Strava now. Your Friday workout is secretly what I'm hoping I can do myself in a few months. Don't think I'm quite there.

Pappy - Consistent running; looks great.

Gordon - Nice workout on Tuesday! That sounds very grueling! What's in April, goal half?

Angryjohnny - Nice mileage and nice of you to pace a buddy. I'm sure he really appreciates that.

Runn3rgirl123 - 300s in :53.. wow really fast. Great week!

Allen1959 - Good week; impressive PRs. Here's to some healthy running for you.

AdrianChr - Nice to see you on Strava. Great week of mileage.

SLO - April 14 is my birthday haha - hope you get your 15:3x that day. I'll be pacing a 1:45 half marathon myself. Strong week!

A little background on me:

I was an obese kid; threw shot and disc in middle school/high school. Gained even more weight in college - heaviest was 325 lbs. Started running in 2012 to lose weight; eventually fell in love with it and lost 130 lbs.

Current Stats and PRs

28 y/o, 6'6" 196 lbs.

1 mile- 5:47

5K - 19:55

10K - 41:40 (set during Friday's workout nonetheless haha :D)

Half - 1:31:23

Full - 3:45:59

Week of 2/5/18

Mon - 5 super easy (9:15 avg)

Tues AM 5.06 including 12 x :20 strides (8:25 avg - strides started mid 6:xx down to 4:20 on the last one)

Tues PM - 45 minute boot camp for strength training

Wed- 6.1 medium effort (8:07 avg)

Thur- Complete rest day; walked a mile on lunch

Fri - The big one; dreaded this all week leading up. 10.25 @ 7:05 avg

Workout was : 2 w/u (8:05), 7 @ GHMP (6:52). Ended up averaging 6:42! (6:39-6:44-6:50-6:41-6:43-6:35-6:46 - felt controlled and strong the entire time - it was a HUGE confidence builder), and a 1.25 mi c/d (7:49 avg - way too fast for a CD, was way excited about how the workout went haha) - I genuinely think I can go sub 1:30 in two weeks at Mesa-PHX, just need to pace smart and not get in my head, leading up. I also PRd at the 10K distance, according to Strava (41:40 - previous best was 41:59)

Sat - 13.1 @ 9:08 (Paced a 2 hour half; came in at 1:59:49. Had two runners in my group break 2 hours for the first time in their lives. That was pretty damn cool)

Sat - 5 easy-ish (8:20 avg - legs were pretty tired from the heavier workload in the prior 48 hours but did OK)

46 miles for the week and time to taper and rest up for the Mesa-PHX half marathon on February 24. Excited is an understatement.

Happy running to you all!

Pappy wrote:

Bobo_UK: Welcome. Wow big week! Nice doubles!

AdrianChr:Don't underestimate yourself. 36:40 May very well be within your reach. Most times PR's are just as much about believing you can as they are about your fitness level.

RunGuy Midwest: Good luck on that one. Looks like you are in the toughest age group. Fast times.

Questions for you Adidas fans. The Adios or Boston which one would be better to race in? And how long will they last? I tried on the Vapor Fly's and really did not like the way they felt.

I usually run my races by feel, I don't even set my watch to beep every km/mile, it just annoys me. Had good results so far. Sub 37 would be fantastic, realistically right now it would be impossible but 10 weeks is 10 weeks and I'm just started more specific training.

I don't have the Adios because I'm 180 lbs, but I run in Boston a lot. I raced my last half in them and I didn't felt like they dragged me down. I would certainly race a marathon in them. They feel just right

Hey man I was 270 lbs once (5'9), I got tired of it at some point, started calorie counting and lifting. I started running when gym closed for holidays and I got bored cause I had to do something or I would eat too much. Glad to see you made it too, life is so much easier now

Wdude- I'll try and keep an eye out for you if I end up running the half.

Pappy, I have the Boston and Adios. I’ve raced a few half marathons in the Adios. It’s a great shoe. The forefoot cushioning is a little thin so I don’t run marathons in the Adios. So I really don’t use it all that much. (It’s also a little too heavy for a really good 8k/10k shoe in my opinion).

The Bostons in my experience are good for 1000+ miles. (And I’m a heavier runner with questionable mechanics). Great marathon shoe. Use them for almost all quality stuff except faster than 5k pace.

The Adios does feel a lot faster despite the less than one oz difference in weight. Not sure about durability, because I don’t have as many miles on the Adios.

If I were in your position I’d get the Bostons.

I love talking to non runners..

Girl at work " you got second by 10 seconds?! Why didnt you just run 10 seconds faster?!"

Good question girl.. I got nothing

Late to the party again.

Last week was tough, I had my first bout of having my two kids for three days in a row with my wife going back to work overnight. I was able to power through a few runs on the treadmill, but the cumulative effect got me yesterday and this morning where I just couldn't run more than a few miles (long run cut to 4 miles on Sunday, today was a mile around the block and I was gassed)

Anyways, I don't have any goal races or training plans, just literally winging it on a day to day basis. I'm gonna see if I am feeling better to run tonight, but we'll see).

Side question to the more serious runners here... Any of you follow professional distance running? I was just reading a thread here where they were asking about how much a pro runner made. I countered that it's not about the difficulty of the run, but the entertainment value. There's a huge gap of interest between the mid packers and the elites for instance. Most runners I know dont even follow the sport, which is sad, as the largest participatory sport in the world is running. You'd imagine you have a nice audience there. I think the problem is marketing to be honest, but just wondering.

Personally, I'm a huge fan (even college leve) and even had FloTrack subscription (cancelled due to not having an Android app and their website is garbage). I currently have NBC Gold.

If you think about it, it's pretty expensive to be a track fan (yearly):

NBC Gold- $75

FloTrack: $130

USATF.TV: $130

RRR- that's the same comment when people say, why didn't that marathoner just sprint pass in the last 100m??!

Great weeks, everyone. I had one of my better weeks thanks to the nice weather and getting lots of sleep.

M - 7.5 easy

T - 6 easy

W - 5.5 on some slick sidewalks, took it real easy

Th - off

F - 6.5 at a moderate pace

S - 4.5, had some stomach issues and had to stop numerous times

Su - 10 long run. I personally like to do my long runs at a moderately quick pace, but nothing strenuous. I managed to set a 10 mile PR during the long run at 1:10:56. Felt incredible and kept all of the splits within 10sec of each other.

40 for the week. Planning on 4-5 more weeks of just mileage and hoping to get up to 50 a week while running all 7 days.

I do love pro running. ESP watching marathon majors.

J - you need the RRR rejuvenation plan. Tonight eat 6 Taco Bell bean burritos fresco style. And drink a 6 pack of beer of choice. Preferably Pabst or natty light. Tomorrow you will be gold.

Any of you follow professional distance running? I was just reading a thread here where they were asking about how much a pro runner made. I countered that it's not about the difficulty of the run, but the entertainment value. There's a huge gap of interest between the mid packers and the elites for instance. Most runners I know dont even follow the sport, which is sad, as the largest participatory sport in the world is running. You'd imagine you have a nice audience there. I think the problem is marketing to be honest, but just wondering.

Personally, I'm a huge fan (even college leve) and even had FloTrack subscription (cancelled due to not having an Android app and their website is garbage). I currently have NBC Gold.

If you think about it, it's pretty expensive to be a track fan (yearly):

NBC Gold- $75

FloTrack: $130

USATF.TV: $130

I'm too cheap to pay for the subscription services, and I'm bitter at Flotrack for grabbing up most of the races I want to watch. End result is I follow the sport mostly through recaps.

My opinion is that racing is generally boring to watch. I have no interest in watching NASCAR or cycling because it just doesn't appeal to me. The Olympic sports are great, but every 4 years is about right for watching speed skating. Or swimming. Or luge. Etc etc. Most people probably feel that way about running, too. I only like running because I get it. I'm part of it, have experienced it, and I know the athletes.

I'm new to this thread, but here it goes:

Started running November 2016, age 31. I ran a 28:30 5k (*gulp*). Didn't get above 25 mpw until all April 2017. Now I oscillate between 55-70, usually 65 with a 55ish down week every 3rd. My body seems to like this mileage so I'll stay here a while. Most of my running had been 30-50 mpw since April. Increased it to 55-70 last October-November and have maintained that since. My last hobby jogger race was mid-December (5k @ just under 22 min). I've got about 20 pounds to lose before a half marathon in late April.

This week was a cutback/easy effort week following some 60-70 mile weeks

Mon: 6 mi easy 9:20/mi

Tue: 6 mi easy 9:23/mi

Wed: 7.5 mi 4 mi tempo run 7:45;7:43;7:44;7:15 (was feeling good the last half mile)

Thur: 6 mi 9:45/mi (icy) easy

Fri: 6.5 mi 9:20/mi (less ice) easy

Sat: 11 mi 4 mi progression miles 5-8 8:00; 8:01; 7:45; 7:25

Sun: 9 mi 9:15/mi easy

Please critique for improvement. I've been doing very little interval training, aside from 3 min fast,3 min slow x8 once every other week. I plan to ratchet up short VO2 sessions in two weeks to get ready for the half marathon. I'm slow by the standards here, but would love any advice.

wdude: Thanks. Next PR attempt race is a half at the end of March actually. April is when I can reliably start to expect snow to be done till next winter. I think part of my problem is a couple weeks ago I was in CA for work and remembered what it's like to run in shorts and a t-shirt and it's made me saltier than usual about returning to winter. That and I think the local cities are starting to wear through their salt reserves so the roads don't seem as great as they were a month ago.

Nice goal pace run. Sounds like you're ready to go for it.

Jewbacca: My shoes are usually retired after I wear through the outsole under the pads of my forefoot first, then all of the sudden I realize the midsole feels super dead and they head to the back of the closet for lawn mowing duty. Since I'm usually running in the 180-190lb weight class this happened at about 300 miles the last time I owned the Launch (Launch 2) instead of the 600miles you get...which is pretty typical for most of my shoes. I'm now at 200 miles on my leading pair of Bostons (I have 2 pairs with miles on them) and they still feel great. Even though the outsole lugs seem thinner than on the old Launches and the stack height's a little lower they still have plenty of life in them for now and the midsole doesn't feel like it's changed (though maybe I should get the 100 mile pair out to confirm.). Wouldn't be surprised to have these go much longer than my Launches did, but as I keep typing I think my Supernova Glides (also Boost) didn't make it much longer than 300 miles, so maybe the end is nearer than I think.

Pappy: What do you run in usually? Wanted to echo what others said about Adidas as my experience is similar. Weight difference Adios vs. Boston isn't huge, but the Bostons have more protection and maybe don't feel quite as fast. Also I do not like the glove like fit Smoove prefers so the Adios were a little snug for my liking. Bostons half size up from regular are great for me because they are on the narrow side for some. I'd recommend the Bostons for now, and save the Adios for the faster days you have ahead of you.

Working Harder: You mentioned building 80-100 over the next 3 weeks, then sounds like you want to race at the end of that block? What was your mileage during the 5k block you just finished, or how recently were you running in the 90s for a week? You know you best, but if I was bumping my mileage 25% I'm not sure I'd be ready for a race effort immediately following it. I think the usual technique is to build for 3 weeks then rest for a week, not race. Then again, I'm the wimp that always gets sick the week after a mid-training block race...

RRR: Always interesting that you hate the shorter distances but you haven't taken a shot at a marathon yet. What's holding you back? You've certainly got plenty of volume...you could probably just hop in one at random and have a good time.