Road racing and training thread - week ending 4.28

Went to the Doctor today. No ear infection or bug, but I do have LRP. Which is similar to acid reflux. So, it's Prilosec and a very dull diet for me. The tinnitus is still there. The doctor thinks it's from a minor case of TMJ. I can deal with that.

Comments:

Numbersguy - thanks for posting your blog. I will read it tonight.

Xenonscreams - Great race. You earned it with some smart training this winter. Keep up the progress this spring and summer.

Slatzio - Good race. Look forward to some other good times from you soon.

Reg Fields - Great work. I would love to get back to that kind of running. For me, that was 1995.

Edgemont Dave - I wish I could be ready to run again for Vermont. It looks like a nice race.

YuriG - Nice 5k.

John Berryman - No worries. As one of the older guys here. Running will be there when you're ready.

Pablo - Rest up and rebuild. I look forward to some nice race reports down the road from you.

Another - The races will be there when you're ready. Now, clean up that yard.

CTA - I'm glad Tigerrunner stopped posting that weekly mileage spreadsheet. We'd be on the bottom.

Grizz - Great week.

SteveinAlaska - Thanks for your nice words.

Cyhawk - Good luck with the cycling.

Bonham - Welcome.

StephenJ - Good luck in the tri relay.

Sorry if I missed anyone. I'll do better next week.

has been - thanks for getting us started this week.

cmm268 - good luck pacing your buddy this weekend. Hope the Achilles heals up soon.

VF Runner - You are playing your un-taper wisely. Little mix of speed, little bit of recovery, little bit of distance.

Rushed - nice 2x5k workout! I would be thrilled with one of those. :)

Yuri_G - great rebound race! You destroyed 18:00! Well done after the hard effort in your 10 miler.

Slartzio - congrats on the PR!

Gmuze - so far you are accomplishing your goal of staying healthy.

Pikachu - fanstastic 10k in lousy conditions!

NP1112 - 100 mile week already and an upcoming 5k, half, and another full in 7 weeks? Damn.

Edgemont Dave - sounds like you still got the itch...why not give 3 hrs another shot? You could always back off the pace and coast it in if you are not feeling it.

printer - I think you are making a good move on shutting it down for awhile. I plan on taking a full two weeks off myself after Gettysburg. I think the extended rest does your body more good in the long run. Hope your other symptoms clear up for you - I know it was a tough winter for you.

Team Bartowksi - sounds like an odd week. Here's to a better one this week. :)

nick83 - some nice race performances you put together, but be careful with the foot. While it sucks to miss out on championship season, it sucks even more to miss out on a whole summer. That happened to me last year and I could have avoided it if I didn't push the envelope too far.

Renewed Marathoner - solid week of running there.

NJ Truth - nice base week a couple weeks after Boston.

John Berryman - I would start with building a base, throwing in some hill repeats, fartleks, and/or "effort" tempos and then jumping in some shorter races (5k, 10k) to get a baseline of fitness. That should give you a starting point for half-marathon or marathon training.

xenonscreams - you gave yourself a fantastic reward by playing it safe and smart this winter with your Achilles injury and subsequent rehab program. Congrats on a job very well-done! Sounds like you guys knew how to celebrate. :)

pablo - you are smart to give yourself a little extra downtime too. You did two marathons within a relatively short span (4 months), and you blew away a bunch of 5ks in between. Your body is probably just telling you to be patient while it recovers.

Reg Fields - I can't believe how fast you ran in OC - that is insane! We knew you had sub-1:25 in the bag, but that is just truly remarkable. Having myself weighed 196 lbs just over five years ago on my 30th birthday, I have tons of respect for what you are able to accomplish. Keep up the great work - you are an inspiration for the rest of us.

Darwinian - I go back and forth between the night owl routine and the early bird routine most days of the week. It's a shame everyday isn't Saturday! :)

Another - in a former life, I used to move 10 yards a mulch five days a week. I can attest from experience that Sunday was by no means an "off" day for you. :)

CTA - the Hanson's actually recommend doing long runs at a moderate pace (~90% MP). However, they only have you doing one every other week. My coach and I adjusted my "down" week by making either the strength session or MP run a longer effort with an extended warmup/cooldown, which is probably why you overlooked them. Either way, I was very happy with the structure and I will definitely be using it whenever I do another marathon.

dcrunner - good luck in Bristol! For what it's worth, there was a part of me about 10 days out from Gettysburg that just wanted everything to be over. I re-found the inner desire during the taper week and everything just came together on race day. Hope something similar happens for you.

grizz - that's one helluva week, especially the 37 miles in two days!

Tiger_runner - at least you haven't lost your sense of humor. :)

The Angel of Death - fishing sounds perfect right about now. You are a man who truly knows how to recover. :)

cyhawk - thanks so much for the taper strategy! Mine was a slightly abbreviated version compared to yours(2mi, 1.5mi, 1mi, .5mi, strides) but it had the intended effect nonetheless.

SteveinAlaska - sounds like classic IT band pain. It happened to me also after not giving myself much recovery after Philly 2011. Some forced rest and ART helped mine out, but I figure NJ Truth has gotta be the expert on this topic! :)

Bonham - welcome! It's nice to hit the season goal so early, isn't it?

StevenJ - even with the aborted long run, you got a lot of volume in with the amount of intesity thrown in there.

xenonscreams - great race report, thanks for sharing!

NJ Truth and NP1112 - I am glad to know I am not the only sucker for ice cream! The couple of pints of Ben & Jerry's left in our freezer didn't stand a chance after the marathon this week! :)

Numbers: My roommate bought some ben and jerrys yougurt ice cream stuff that was on sale. Ended up not liking it...yea I am making sure it all doesnt go to waste haha

height/weight: 5'10/155

last summer after doing a few 100-110 mile weeks at 9000 ft, i weighed 144.

i was 162 at christmas break at the height of my sloth

I'm 5'8.5, and currently as of this morning I was 147 lb. I'm constantly trying to diet, but have a problem losing weight. Some of it is cheating on the weekends and the other part of it is having never had a natural fast metabolism. I'm the classic runner guy who was a fat kid (heavy, not huge) when I was younger. When I ran my PR in the marathon last November I was around ~142. At Boston I was around ~151. My goal has always been to get down to 137 (two pounds per each inch of height), but I don't know if that will ever realistically happen.

Like many of us, I have a weight issue; even though I shouldn't. I'm "skinny", but not runner skinny. My co-workers, as I'm sure many of us have to deal with, can't fathom why I watch what I eat...

Numbersguy wrote:

NJ Truth and NP1112 - I am glad to know I am not the only sucker for ice cream! The couple of pints of Ben & Jerry's left in our freezer didn't stand a chance after the marathon this week! :)

This was my dinner the night after Eugene:

Ummm... AWESOME!

Numbersguy wrote:

SteveinAlaska - sounds like classic IT band pain. It happened to me also after not giving myself much recovery after Philly 2011. Some forced rest and ART helped mine out, but I figure NJ Truth has gotta be the expert on this topic! :)

Funny how you just mentioned this, I think if my IT band doesn't get better soon and/or if my doctor doesn't figure it out at my next appointment NJ is going to unfriend me on FB for spamming his inbox with ITBS-related questions.

NP1112 - so I gotta ask...what B&J flavor could your roommate possibly not like?! Even their vanilla is a cup of heaven! :)

xenonscreams - not THAT'S what I am talking about!

NJ Truth - Meeting you in Boston, I was struck by how you looked more like a mainstream fit guy than a distance runner. In the eyes of my wife and many other women, that ain't such a bad thing. And yet you still put up a 2:28! Insane! I wouldn't change a thing, dude. On another note, I'll send your regards to my teammate M.S. when I see him next.

Numbersguy - I think I will try for sub-3 at Shires of VT if conditions permit. No rain, temps below 65 throughout the race are what I'll need. My goal will be a negative split, given that the course gains a few hundred feet in the first half and loses them in the second.

printer - Sorry about the health issue. Consider this the off season and take a well earned break.

xenonscreams That's a great way to celebrate, that desert looks delicious! Congrats again on your fantastic race!

printer - Sorry to hear about the health issue, hope you heal up soon. It sounds like it wont impact your training too much if I read correctly?

Regarding the weight--just another reason why I love this thread :) Sounds like everyone struggles with the same issues. Every non-runner calls me super skinny but no runner would mistake me for a distance runner. The trouble I have is I can keep my calories in check for most of the time but I go on epic benders where I'll consume anything and everything in my house. Junk food, boxes of cereal, anything I can get my hands on basically. I think it's a function of not eating enough during the day but even when I eat plenty during the day I find myself eating the same at night. Just need more will power I guess:) Fortunately my wife abides by my request not to buy any snacks for 2-3 weeks leading into a big race so I can keep my diet in check.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and good luck to those racing. Looks like we should have some fantastic weather for the NJ Marathon.