Agreed, 12k is a very odd distance. Good run though.
Agreed, 12k is a very odd distance. Good run though.
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Agreed, 12k is a very odd distance. Good run though.
12 km has been the traditional xc championship distance for as long as I can remember.
Speaking of odd distances, I'm checking in early today because I'm got up at 3:30AM and am drinking coffee because my legs are aching in several muscles from yesterday's XC race. I don't expect XC races to be precisely the advertised distance, but this 10k turned out to be about 10.8k, making it my longest and slowest 10k ever. The course was brutal on the legs, starting with 3 sections of about 200m of steep uphill and then 200m steep downhill. From there it began a steady steep (~15% grade) about 1mi climb to the first peak. The course then rolled a short distance on the ridge line and then did a steep 400m downhill before another steep ~1.5mi climb to the second peak where we turned around and reversed course to the finish. My average pace was 8:59/mi. My other XC races this season all have averaged right around 7:00/mi. I am not sure if I would call the race fun or not. I think interesting is how I would consider it. So, I will end up at 25 miles for the week after I walk 3mi with my son later this morning. I took complete rest days on Tue, Thur and Fri because my resting HR was high early in the week and I wanted fresh legs for the race. It's time for me to get back to a steady diet of good mileage at moderate effort with 7 weeks to our local championship race and 4 weeks to Club XC after that.
Good running to all!
RF reader: Congrats on the race! Good luck on the half marathon coming up!
CM: Congrats! Nice writeup of you at USATF Colorado!
OGII: Congrats on an “interesting” race! When the legs get you up at 3:30am you know you did something.
My week:
7 runs, 19 miles, 106 streak days with one hard day. I signed up for a 5K on Oct 2nd.
Sat I improved over last week’s 7:55 pace with a 7:53 on the same course (8:01, 7:50, 7:46).
This week I achieved a new standard by injuring my neck while using a towel to dry my hair. How do you even categorize “towel injury”? Geez! I need to hermetically seal myself up until race day as I may injure myself brushing my teeth or using a comb….
Have a good ‘ern!
A MOST excellent performance Coyote at the 12K Championships...just looked at those results...calling then 'deep' would be a massive understatement, just wow, wow, wow:
https://www.flipsnack.com/usatf/2021-usatf-masters-12-km-championships-results/full-view.html
I appear to be finally healthy after a year of surgeries (4 screws in my left foot and six months later a rotator cuff surgery). I am entered in my first race in 2 years (almost one year to the day since the foot procedure). It is an 8K race in San Francisco called Statuto. The race is nearly as old and crusty as I and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
One doesn't get the chance to experience '100th annuals' that often. I did attent the 100th Boston Marathon (where I met my wife in 1996) and the 100th Penn Relays in 1994...I finished, (entirely coincidentally) 100th place in the 100th Dipsea race...and regret that I missed both the 100th Millrose Games and 100th Bay to Breakers (a race that I announced for 25 years)...never did the famed Thanksgiving Day 'Run for the Diamonds' in Berwick, PA, but is also 100 plus years old and on my bucket list.
It won't be the first time that I've competed in the upcoming Stauto Race...I last ran it, and finished 2nd back in 1978...at age 22 ;}
Since I've begun this journey, comeback #136 in a 51 year 'career,' I've started having little breakthroughs over the past month...fastest times in 3 - 4 years on stardard courses that I've been training on for a couple of decades...now that my foot is no longer in' bone on bone pain', it almost feels easy. Whether or not it translates into racing times remains to be seen...am just super grateful to get out there and run real hard yet again.
While I've been away from the sport as an active competitor the past year plus, most Sunday mornings I read through the always enlightening and inspiring posts here on this thread...I swear that doing so has enabled me to go from being crippled to perusing racing calendars once again...thanks one and all for your active participation in an old guy's healing and recovery.
Stay well and have a fantastic week of Autumn training and racing.
your pal,
MF
Charlie wrote:
Allen How are you doing?
Charlie, I'm finally catching up with the thread this morning after a few weeks of distractions. The race and TT results being posted by folks here are astounding-- both inspiring and intimidating. Wow, congratulations to all!
I "progressed" from little running to none in recent weeks, and gained back every pound I had lost this year. I had envisioned periodic 1-mile time trials as motivation, but that didn't happen. Time to schedule some real races, and get back at it. Maybe aim for spring 2022.
Meanwhile, I'll be following DenverDave's progress, and try to keep up. My knees limit mileage to maybe 15-20 per week; judicious use of ibuprophen might allow an occassional bump.
Regarding other health issues, I'm not looking forward to a urologist appointment in Nov -- I've been suffering with all the symptoms of prostatitis, plus high PSA, a brother currently living with prostate cancer and an uncle who succumbed to it at a relatively young age (my mother's brother). I've been procrastinating facing the music for a couple years. My primary calls me personally every time he gets my latest blood test results!
Be well!
'mopac wrote:
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Agreed, 12k is a very odd distance. Good run though.
12 km has been the traditional xc championship distance for as long as I can remember.
You’re spot on mo pac. Forgot international stage. I liked the period where they had two races at the championship meets. what was that shorter distance?
Stealing a MF phrase, a solid week. Weather very nice, with morning runs in the 50s, afternoons mid-80s. Looks like things will begin to cool off tomorrow. I grabbed a truck load of firewood Thursday, buried the senior member of our cat family Jingles Friday, began shampooing the carpets Saturday. As a result, running took a breather toward the end of the week.
Sunday: 60:00 spin
Monday: 2 miles easy; 8 x 150m repetition pace @ 39 / 50m easy; 400m easy; 6 x 200m interval pace @ 58 / 100m easy; 400m easy; 8 x 150m repetition pace @ 37 / 50m easy; mile easy; 2 sets free weights; core exercises
Tuesday: 60: 00 spin
Wednesday: 2 miles easy; 4 x 800m tempo pace @ 4:23 / 2:00 rest; mile easy; 2 sets free weights; core exercises
Thursday: Off
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: 7 miles in Boise Foothills with 600 feet elevation gain
Have a good week.
Igy
42.5 miles in 6 days
Couldn’t run today. Feet hurt so bad that I froze 8 bottles of water and they are laying across my feet now.
I’ll get it next week though guaranteed.
Only quality work I’ll do is 100 meter strides and a couple of fartleks.
October 17 race was canceled because of course road construction so the next race is the ole Turkey Trot 10k.
I got my Covid booster yesterday and I’m feverish with a full headache so that made my decision easier not to get out there this morning. I turn 66 on Tuesday... me and Ed Sullivan share a birthday ha
It would have been my 25th wedding anniversary too but my wife died of brain cancer in 2014.
I always thought time heals all wounds... but it doesn’t.
The break to help my feet shouldn’t hurt me mileage wise. I didn’t go over 1500 miles until Octover 6th last year and I’m 20 miles from that now.
Bought my first training shoes over 100 bucks.
For years, I bought Brooks Launch.. couldn’t find em again so. I splurged
Hoka Clifton and Brooks Ghost
Who knows maybe that’ll help my feet pain
You’re spot on mo pac. Forgot international stage. I liked the period where they had two races at the championship meets. what was that shorter distance?
They added the short race to World Cross in 1998...it's 4 kilometers.
I accompanied the US Team to Worlds when held in Amorbieta Spain (1993)...what a competition to witness in person.
Lots going on here on the board. Congrats to those that are sticking to it as well as those that are fighting through problems.
CM Though you wanted to run faster in that 12k you did fine. I was all set to go and run it but came down with an ishial problem so had to cancel. Was ready to roll but oh well. Probably will wait until early next year to race when some of those championship races are on the West Coast.
So after resting for a couple of weeks got in 50 miles last week as well as some time on my new toy; an elliptigo. I tell you what. I live in a hilly area, and riding that up the hills taxes my body to no end. And all with no pounding on my body.
Keep at it folks. I have a poster on my wall at home that reads, "You don't stop running when you get old, you get old when you stop running."
Stay young!
wow, I need to cut back on my complaining about hills -- 15% grade for a mile climb? that sounds brutal.
lots of great races and inspiring comebacks on the thread this week -- great to hear as we get into Fall.
I had a good week also and easily hit my (admittedly conservative) time goal in half-marathon this morning
M 1:00
Tu 1:30 double with drills/strides
W 1:30
Th 55:00
F 40:00
Sa 20:00
Su parks half-marathon in 1:26:3x [results with chip time not up yet, but 1:26:34 when i stopped watch]. At start of 12 X 9-day cycle I set goal at 1:28:29 (6:45/mile)
not sure, but I think I may have won M60-64. The one guy in our club over 60 who's markedly better than I am (Jeff Duyn) I didn't see. You never know, though -- some runners who look 45 to me turn out to be 60.
great day for racing -- mid-50's at start, no rain, wind if anything from the side or behind us [point to point course, somewhat hilly but net downhill overall -- I've run it a bunch of times and course PR just 1 minute off life PR, so it's pretty fast]. almost a minute faster than my time (on an awful rainy day, tho) 3 years ago, the last time I ran it fully healthy.
I ran with a pack of 6 or so for first 10 miles -- a couple of whom were doing it as a marathon-pace training run so able to tell stories etc., which helped the time seem to go more quickly. We all went on our own for last 5k, and I was able to pick it up some. Slight regret that I didn't go sooner, but then again I might have just strained hamstring or otherwise flamed out. It's not as though I had a lot left at the end.
have a great week,
Dave
Congrats to all great racing from the mile to the half marathon
MF, man I was just wondering how you were progressing
Allen thanks for the update health is a precious thing
Cross is like Braveheart without the carnage
https://youtu.be/1NJO0jxBtMo?t=127
So I am ready to race a mile on the track next Sunday
Can't wait.
Greetings to all!
Congrats to CM and dhaaga on great performance!
Best wishes to those who are fighting health/injury issues.
Half of my week was still vacation mountain running.
Mon
62 min incl. 3 short interval-hard climbs (dH 80+ m each) at 5:51, 5:46, 5:53 (seemed similar to 1500 m interval effort). dH subtotal approx. 250 m.
Tue
68 min incl. 11:47 min hard uphill in the middle with dH about 220 m (720 ft). Subtotal dH=250 m. 10 days ago this segment took 12:30 to climb.
Wed
54 min, incl. 10:05 at LT pace uphill in the middle. dH about 220 m (720 ft). Subtotal dH=200 m.
Thu
58 min, incl. 2 short intensive climbs (dH 80+m each) at 5:43 and 5:35 (12 days ago started at 5:57/5:54). DH subtotal approx. 200 m.
Fri
Day off. Flight back home.
Sat
6 miles with 3 test intervals (my regular flat trail loop in the forest) @ 4:38, 4:31 and 4:35.
After two weeks of mountain running switching to flat takes some time. Legs feel stronger, cardiovascular system works fine, but the time remains the same. I recall from my youth that it takes 1-2 weeks to get the effort translated to some increase of speed and endurance. Will be interesting to see how it works at 63 :-)
Sun
Unexpected day off – too many family issues, snowed under them.
Great running and XC season to all!
The weeks was
Mo 8.5 miles easy, 3x200m with 30 sec recovery
Tu 30 min jumps&drills uphill, 5x40m uphill (95%)
We 7 miles easy, 5x100m with jog back
Th 12km Zone 2 in 59 min
Fr 7 miles easy, 5x100m with jog back
Sa WU, 3x(3x200m in 34s with 200m jog in 90sec), 5 min walk recovery after series, CD
Su 90 min very easy in the hills
Have fun amd stay/get healthy.
Cheers
'mopac wrote:
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Agreed, 12k is a very odd distance. Good run though.
12 km has been the traditional xc championship distance for as long as I can remember.
Not to be pedantic but it depends on your perspective and how you define odd. First, I have been racing for 44 years now and the last time I ran the 12k/7 mile distance was 1980, when I happened to run two of them: a 12K in Wisco, and Bix 7 in Iowa. Moreover, it is a distance that is not run frequently on the roads. There are a few big races (Bix, Bloomsday, Falmouth--sort of Bay to Breakers (not as big as it used to be as a pro race, still has big numbers)), but the vast majority of road races are 5K, HM, and marathon, probably followed by 10K and 8K. And one more thing, physiologically it's at an 'different' place than common distances. 3K-5K are at V02, 8K-10K CV, and 15K-HM at LT efforts. We practices those and the paces feel right. Run a 12K and indeed (esp. if you don't run them frequently) the pacing and strategy feel a little odd. As our friend Cush would say, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Catching up after a week’s hiatus. Some amazing racing from this group! ATP’s sub-40 10K and sub-5:30 mile as M70 are indeed fantastic. Very good xc races for ogII, even the “interesting” hilly one. Good for NDJY for getting under 6 min at nearly age 65. Nice HM under tough conditions for RF reader. Fine 12K race by Coyote and HM by dhaaga.
Happy to see MF back and healthy, and wishing the best for Allen1959.
After popping that calf 16 days ago I figured I wouldn’t be jogging again for a month, but it healed faster than I expected and I was back to some tentative jogging after 12 days.
Week before last: 185 miles in 7 days on bike, 6 days at gym
Last week: 133 miles in 5 days on bike, 2.5 hours in 2 days on bike trainer, 6 days at gym, and 5.1 miles of jogging in 5 days, including 1.5 miles this morning.
I still can’t walk normally for more than 100 yards or so because my left leg loses coordination. I can jog for 1.5 miles feeling mechanically OK, but after about the first half-mile I feel exhausted and I just can’t find any jogging pace that feels sustainable for miles. I’m still trying to figure out what is going on and how to fix it.
I enjoyed watching the recorded replay of the Berlin Marathon this morning and am looking forward to the rest of the fall majors!
Random thoughts. I never raced a 12k unless a poorly measured 10k. As a younger man 10 mile races were more common than half marathon. My first Big Eight Cross Country Championships in 1970 was a 4 mile race. We ran a six mile dual race with Kansas University that year, plus the NCAA meet; seemed pretty far back then for a 20 year old. I would have freaked out racing 12k. Training was generally not geared for those distances ; that would change within the year. Largely in this country through Jack Batchelor. Of course the Old Man looses track that was 51 years ago. Far more National Meet racing opportunities today, for sure.
Greetings, fellow 50+ers! Autumn is upon us and the running weather is expected to be the best of the year for the coming weeks. Let’s take advantage of it!
I was finally able to shake the tired legs and schedule challenges to get back to a 20 mile week of actual running. Hopefully I can keep things going on this positive path.
I’ve gone back to my last pair of Nike Free shoes after experimenting with a couple of other pairs of shoes. This current pair is just about worn out, but they feel light years better than other shoes I’ve tried recently. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a new pair that is similar to what I am wearing now. Unfortunately it seems shoe companies tend to discontinue the models that I like the most. What’s up with that?
Sun: 53’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine
Mon: off
Tues: 54’ CR w/ utility pole fartlek (6 x 2 on/off); body wt ex + med ball routine
Wed: off
Thu: 44’ running (3); 16 oz curls
Fri: off
Sat: 58’ CR; body wt ex + med ball routine
Best to most!
Great quote, CDB!
Mon. Windy 41 min kayak session.
Steep 8 km single track run 310 m elevation gain. 63 mins.
Tue. 6 km running on short steep hills 170 m elev. 46 mins.
20 km mtn bike ride in 70 mins. Wild winds.
Wed. 41 min kayak session. Tough slog in strong winds.
Slow 8.6 km jog in the forest 51 min.
Thu. 21 km mtn bike in 64 mins.
Slow 5 km steep single track run 260 m elev. 45 min.
Feeling the effects of a mild dose of food poisoning.
Fri. 40 min kayak and yep howling winds again.
7 km steep single track run 230 m elev. 49 min.
Sat. 22 km mtn bike 77 mins.
6.6 km forest run 38 mins. the plan was 4 x800 1x 400 efforts but they were pretty feeble efforts.
Sun. 24 km mtn bike ride 64 mins with 2 x 10 km circuit in 27 and 26.
Felt a bit flat all week more so after being a bit crook wednesday night.
12 km. seemed to be a good distance for me both on road and country. Road PB is 39.55 which compares well with my 33.09 10 km. Also ran 42.40 for 8 miles.
We ran the State XC champs over the 12 km usually at Bundoora Park which gave us a home ground advantage. I ran my first one back in 1980 and I last ran there in 2011 and had a good day on a boggy course.