2:35 female trying to run 2:30

A chronology is listed below:

Apr-May 1976 (age 23): Patti takes up running

Oct 1976: 2:53:40 Marathon

Oct 1977: 2:47:20 Marathon

Oct 1978: 2:44:11 Marathon

Dec 1978: 2:43:10 Marathon

Sept 1979: 1:14:03 Half Marathon (WR)

Oct 1979: 2:40:28 Marathon

Dec 1979: 2:40:07 Marathon

Apr 1980: 2:38 Marathon (injured foot)

May 1980: 1:08:36 20K (WR)

Aug 1980: 53:40 10M (AR)

Sept 1980: 2:30:57 Marathon

Oct 1980: 2:29:33 Marathon

Dec 1980: 2:35:26 Marathon

Feb 1981: 1:44:25 30K (WR)

Mar 1981: 49:34 15K (AR)

Mar 1981: 25:48 5M (WR)

Apr 1981: 32:09 10K (AR)

Apr 1981: 2:27:52 Marathon (AR)

This above list is not complete:

Between April 1980 and april 1981, she ran 48 races, winning 44 of them: losing only to Jaqueline Gareau and Allison Roe in the 1980 and 1981 Boston Marathons, and to Greta Waitz in the 1980 New York City Marathon and L'eggs Mini Marathon.

A (corrected) chronology is listed below:

Apr-May 1976 (age 23): Patti takes up running

~Jun 1976: 28:56 5M (in Earth shoes)

Peaks at 40 miles/week training in Earth shoes.

Buys running shoes week before Ocean State Marathon.

Oct 1976: 2:53:40 Ocean State Marathon*

Oct 1977: 2:47:20 Marathon

Spring 1978: Quits smoking

Spring 1978: 1:16:53 Half-Marathon (AR) (wins a TV)

Oct 1978: 2:44:11 Marathon

Dec 1978: 2:43:10 Marathon

Apr 1979: 2:38 Marathon (on injured foot)

Sept 1979: 1:14:03 Half-Marathon (WR)

Nov 5, 1979: 2:40:28 Marathon

Dec 1979: 2:40:07 Marathon

Apr 1980: 2:35:08 Marathon

May 1980: 1:08:36 20K (WR)

Aug 1980: 53:40 10M (AR)

Sept 1980: 2:30:57 Marathon

Oct 1980: 2:29:33 Marathon

Dec 1980: 2:35:26 Marathon

Jan 1981: 2:35:28 Marathon

Feb 1981: 1:44:25 30K (WR)

Mar 1981: 49:34 15K (AR)

Mar 1981: 25:48 5M (WR)

Apr 1981: 32:09 10K (AR)

Apr 1981: 2:27:52 Marathon (AR)

This above list is not complete:

Between April 1980 and april 1981, she ran 48 races, winning 44 of them: losing only to Jaqueline Gareau and Allison Roe in the 1980 and 1981 Boston Marathons, and to Greta Waitz in the 1980 New York City Marathon and L'eggs Mini Marathon.

*her plan was to run harder if she started hurting.

http://m.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/a-new-woman-a-new-record

A chronology (corrected, as i uncover more info) is listed below:

Apr-May 1976 (age 23): Patti takes up running

~Jun 1976: 28:56 5M (in Earth shoes)

Peaks at 40 miles/week training in Earth shoes.

Buys running shoes week before Ocean State Marathon.

Oct 1976: 2:53:40 Ocean State Marathon*

Oct 1977: 2:47:20 Marathon

Spring 1978: Quits smoking

Spring 1978: 1:16:53 Half-Marathon (AR) (wins a TV)

Oct 1978: 2:44:11 Marathon

Dec 1978: 2:43:10 Marathon

Apr 1979: 2:38 Marathon (on injured foot)

Sept 1979: 1:14:03 Half-Marathon (WR)

Nov 5, 1979: 2:40:28 Marathon

Dec 1979: 2:40:07 Marathon

Apr 21, 1980: 2:35:08 Marathon

May 4, 1980: wins 15K Midland Run

May 17, 1980: marries Joe Catalano

May 18, 1980: 26:14 5M (AR)

May 25, 1980: 1:08:36.7 20K (WR)

May 31, 1980: 33:03 10K (L'eggs Mini Marathon)

Jun 1980: 49:42 15K (AR)

Aug 1980: 53:40 10M (AR)

Sept 6, 1980: 2:30:57 Marathon

Sept 6, 1980: 1:45:24 30K (WR)

Oct 13, 1980: 32:24 10K (AR)

Oct 1980: 2:29:33 Marathon

Dec 1980: 2:35:26 Marathon

Jan 1981: 2:35:28 Marathon

Feb 1981: 1:44:25 30K (WR)

Mar 1981: 49:34 15K (AR)

Mar 1981: 25:48 5M (WR)

Apr 1981: 32:09 10K (AR)

Apr 1981: 2:27:52 Marathon (AR)

This above list is not complete:

Between April 1980 and april 1981, she ran 48 races, winning 44 of them: losing only to Jaqueline Gareau and Allison Roe in the 1980 and 1981 Boston Marathons, and to Greta Waitz in the 1980 New York City Marathon and L'eggs Mini Marathon.

*her plan was to run harder if she started hurting.

http://m.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/a-new-woman-a-new-record

[/quote]

http://www.si.com/vault/1980/10/27/825061/no1-is-no2--and-closing-an-unhappy-childhood-had-patti-catalano-running-from-the-world-now-shes-the-best-us-marathoner-and-running-after-grete-waitz

What level of arrogance or self importance makes someone post 8 of the last 9 posts on a thread and all about something else other than the topic of the thread?

Hanite wrote:

Michigan Proud wrote:

HANSONS.

Didn't Hilborn (on that list) only improve after leaving Hanson?

Plus she is not American and Hansons only work with Americans. Latvia? Really, Latvia?????

UnAmerican wrote:

Hanite wrote:

Didn't Hilborn (on that list) only improve after leaving Hanson?

Plus she is not American and Hansons only work with Americans. Latvia? Really, Latvia?????

Have you not heard of dual citizenship?

Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and Tom Kloos had a coaching service in the Bay Area called Run Tam (or something similar) that you could look into.

She was American when she was with Hansons, She just wants to run in Olympics and that means she needs to be Latvian.

Hansons is a great training group for runners at your level on the men's side, but I don't know whether they have a lot of women in the 2:30s to train with. If you've just gotten to this level and not stagnated, you may just want to continue the program you're on.

come on man wrote:

What level of arrogance or self importance makes someone post 8 of the last 9 posts on a thread and all about something else other than the topic of the thread?

What level of stupidity would make someone ask such a ridiculous question on this forum?!?

The trajectory of Patti Dillon breaking 2:30, which was the original topic of this thread, is an excellent case study. (But it took me a few tries to get it right from many disparate sources.)

Actually, thanks for the question, since it may help anyone else having trouble following along.

Sciatica Road you're fun and funny! LOL! goodness where did you get all the stuff. Too funny.

I see where you are going with it for "2:35 female". I think she can do it...go under 2:30. And who cares if she's American or not. I think it would be lovely to chat with her and perhaps help her with her achieve her goal.

The running community is a community after all.

Patti, I knew you had a fascinating story, but as I turned over more info, and then attempted to list it chronologically, I repeated to myself more than once, "you gotta be kidding me", lol. If made into a movie, folks would have trouble believing it.

Just looking at the chronology raises some interesting training-related questions.

(The chronology could be edited for further clarification. Most of the listings are separate races (I think); there was only one listing where one of the records was set within another race.)

The chronology could be edited for further clarification. Most of the listings are separate races (I think); there was only one listing where one of the records was set within another race.)

I think you are correct. All are single race records. Hmm, Which race had a double record? Ah, doesn't matter..

Sooo, what are we to do with 2:35 ...? She hasn't responded. Or did she an I have to read again..did I miss her reply?

I truly think she can/will do it!!!

patti wrote:

..All are single race records. Hmm, Which race had a double record? Ah, doesn't matter..

Sept 6, 1980, when you set a 30K WR within a marathon.

I originally cut out specific dates (and locations, and name of races) for brevity, but then listed some dates to try and clarify they were (or were not) separate races.

Just the turnaround time on some of these races is fascinating. Moreso when the different locations of the races are considered. Questions like how you trained thru the Boston winters popped up, while continuing to race.

Sooo, what are we to do with 2:35 ...? She hasn't responded. Or did she an I have to read again..did I miss her reply?

I don't think she replied. Maybe she actually was in that posted list guessing her identity, and got a little shy. It does kind of put her under the spotlight.

But it is an excellent and pertinent topic (one of few that makes it to this forum now).

Using altitude training to improve physiologically is one of the first things an aspiring runner considers, but you showed it is possible through hard work to break through training (I think, correct me if wrong) at sea level with hypoxic aid. Nonetheless, Bill Rodgers, not having that benefit back-in-the-day, commends the benefits of altitude.

Edit (ugggh): *without* hypoxic aid.

Sciatica--

What did you get Patti for Valentines Day?

LOL!!!!!!!

oh be nice... :)

A box of chocolates, of course!

"Life is like a box of chocolate" Forrest Gump

And I didn't know about the 30km time run in Montreal. Nice course by the way.

patti wrote:

And I didn't know about the 30km time run in Montreal. Nice course by the way.

Your pace up to 23 miles in that race was faster than Waitz's pace when she ran 2:27:33 the year before in New York (according to this article:

).

ohhhhh, reallyyy..hmmm.

Well. I do know what happened.

I wanted to run sub 2:30, which was unheard of..only Greta had run it...and for somebody else to even think about running sub 2:30, let alone somebody like me..well, it put my coach (at the time) on edge. ANd me too. I thought I had no business even to think about such a thing. But I did think about ...all the time. Always second guessing myself...depended on the day , moment if you'd ask if I knew if I could do it..lol!!

For days leading up the race, there were words shooting back and forth..lol!!

My coach wanted me to just run the race.

I thought about it and felt for sure and I was so positive that I would break 2:30 that I was not in the least worried after my final talk with myself...lol!!

I thought I knew everything about the course. Turned out I didn't. My down fall...I didn't make sure I knew the last bit as well as I should have. But I cast no tears.

Around 20 miles or so, maybe 22, I realized there weren't any spectators around, just water stations and clocks. I couldn't figure out what was wrong...did I miss a turn or lean on the wrong side of a fork. By the time I got my head wrapped around that I was alone, the race was almost over. I ran for miles alone, nobody in front of me that I could see and nobody behind me that I could hear. Spectators help in that way, cheering. I would count the seconds of the cheers to let me know the distance of the woman behind me.

Not so this race.

I won. And I was pleased to bits.

But didn't break 2:30. I had the fitness level and the competition to do it. Ah, but I needed the spectators.

When I went back to Boston. I was bummed that I had to wait until Boston to try again.

That was until I went to Norway for xc racing.

At every xc race the talk was New York. New York was/is big over in Europe. I got to thinking about my fitness and recovery of Montreal. I felt fine...just fine.

Ran a second or two off my AR for the half marathon a couple of weeks after Montreal. I ran several xc races in Europe finishing second to Greta, ran a new 10k record in Boston. So I thought I'd do New York after I finished the Tufts 10. My coach was livid. LOL!

More words shot back and forth. Bing, bang, bingo!

I called Fred Lebow myself and TOLD him I was going to run. All he could offer was a closet at the Mayflower Hotel.

I took it and I ran New York.

And I had spectators!!!