Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 4/12

Hereford wrote:

Paul - nice fast finish. What's your goal race? Oh, and good luck with the taper.

My first marathon is May 3, it the's The Tacoma City Marathon, I'm hoping to qualify for Boston in Portland in October. My qualifying time is 3:30, 50 year old male. My last HM was 1:39 in a strong rainy wind and I had a chest cold, should have been 1:35:00 or so. I:m a bit nervous but it should be fun. I have never done a taper before :-).

Hello at all... My week was really easy after the last hard weeks. It's time to rest up and race. My tune up race went very well, so I'm happy! Two weeks till the marathon.

Monday - 9.3 miles without watch. Pikachu's intern speedometer says 7:10ish. Beautiful day and just floated along. Surprisingly good legs after the 26+ miler yesterday.

Tuesday - 9.5 miles (7:16) + gym session.

Wednesday - 10.8 miles with 5 x 1k in 2:59, 2:58, 2:56, 2:57, 2:53 off 600 jog. It didn't feel really fast but I tried to keep it really low key as there are no bonus points for killing it in training and I was feeling strange. Typical marathon legs. Better to do some business on Sunday and on April 26th. Time to go hard. Soon.

Thursday - 9.3 miles (7:06)

Friday - 5.9 miles (7:08) with 4 x 150s uphill + core.

Saturday - 3.7 miles (7:12).

Sunday - 18.6 miles with half marathon race in 1:06:xx. I finished 6th and was very pleased. The course and the weather (up to 40 mph wind gusts – I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong, as the running gods seem to send wind to my big races...) were really crap, but it was national championship so I wanted to run it, even if the time would be slow. Almost all good road runners of my country were toeing the line, so it was a loaded field for sure and a tactical affair. I can't argue with the place. GPS measured 21.4 – 21.5k on everybodies watch... We hit 10k right on 65:xx-pace and without feeling a slow down and a big kick we pretty much all ran 66 – 67' in the group. Uhm, what was that? Found that pretty strange as normally my GPS is pretty much dead on or perhaps 100 meters long on half courses. Best race at nationals ever for me and finished great (2:49 last k). I beat some pretty good guys and felt amazing. If I would have been pushing a hard from 5k out I guess I could have placed a bit higher but that's coulda/shoulda/blabla... I feel good, legs even today are ok. I guess I get in shape at the right time. Could have gone a good piece longer if I didn't kick so I'll take it. Being in the top 6 in my country is like... really good. I hope I will be even better in the marathon, but really: I just will give it my best and then the rest will take care of itself!

Totalled 67 miles, call me lazy. Yeah, pretty low. I didn't wanted to go into the race banged up so that I would feel good afterwards to not risk my marathon. Next week will be higher (I shoot for 85 - 95ish). Then the last week will be really chill again. Will comment later... Already some good stuff here!

Pikachu

Hey Hereford,

Hope you have a great last taper week too.

I am loosely following the mileage from the Pfitzinger 18/70 plan but weeks 14-16 were about 10 miles more than the plan called for. My workouts come from Hal Higdon's plans, which have worked well for me in the past.

I am hoping for 2:55, which seems crazy when I read that we have similar goals and I read the workouts you are doing (which are a lot faster than mine). But I ran 2:59 last time out on less mileage and slower workouts and I ran 1:22 5 weeks ago, so I am optimistic. I am planning on a very conservative start (6:40-6:45 pace with no miles faster than 6:35 - which I am realizing is going to be quite the challenge with the downhills).

Best of luck to you an Odysseus.

Josiah. Great Race!! Congrats. That's a big one.

Congrats pikachu. Hope that gives you a lot of confidence going into the marathon. All of your work is paying off!

Cool. What corral are you in? Not sure if you're already running with a group. Maybe we can pace each other. I'm in corral 3.

Hi, everybody!

I used to post in this thread pretty regularly back in 2012-2013 and kind of fell away from the sport. I switched jobs and got hurt and then a layoff turned into a stayoff, etc etc. That old story. I never really quit running- even at my lowest, I was running 4-5 days a week, 30ish miles, and would occasionally spurt up to 50-60 with a workout or an off-the-cuff road race or something. Mostly I was just working too much, partying too much, enjoying being something of a hedonist after a very ascetic college life and a rough breakup shortly after graduation.

Late this fall I was pretty good about getting in 50/wk with some ad hoc workouts and ran a few pretty decent races indoors (sub-9 3k, ~15:20 5k). These were well off my PRs set back in college, but encouraging enough to get me back into more serious training. About two months ago I decided to start from scratch and put in an old-school base phase where the goal was to just get in 2 hrs of running a day, in as many sessions as I wanted, at whatever pace I wanted, wherever work allowed.

I decided a lifestyle change like this one (cutting way back on the drinking and smoking, being a good man to my girlfriend, angling a way into a more satisfying position than my current job) required a Big Goal for proper motivation. I decided that I want to see how close to 65:00 for a half-marathon I can get by January of 2016, with the aim of dipping under and lining up at the Olympic Trials Marathon in Feb of 2016.

This is pretty unrealistic. I'm 10 lbs heavier than I was in college, when I was an 800m/miler. I was quick enough, in terms of basic speed, for a 65:00 half, and handle mileage pretty well, but I have very little experience racing longer distances. I did hobble a injured 2:35 marathon a few years ago after being on for ~2:30, and I did once run a 52:lo 10-miler in a road race in college, but I have my work cut out for me.

The last 7 weeks have been ~mid-90s, mostly just jogging around. I've had a few runs with the back half moderate, but am holding off on sessions for another few weeks. I've been good about stashing dress clothes at work and commuting by foot, which is a great way to get in 2x1hr runs, rather than take public transit for 45min each way and still have to make time to run.

All this is a very long winded and ego-centric way to say Grizz is back, and he's very happy to be here. For the first time in a couple of years, here was my week:

Long Term Goal: Stayin' golden, Ponyboy

Specific Goal: 65:00 Half by Jan 2016

Next Race: 10 miler in two weeks

Race Goal: Check fitness, use to set workout paces

M: AM 4 easy to work PM 12 home, moderate (78', last 8mi avg 6:19), felt great

T: AM 3 easy to work, left late PM 10 easy/slow, felt awful

W: AM 5 easy to work PM 10mi including 20min of ~20 sec strides, ~40 second jogs on a grass field. Howling winds/rain

Th: AM 4 easy, completely dead PM off

F: Day off work since I'm working Sat/Sun. PM 16 with 4 easy (28') 4 mod (27') 4 hard (~current MP effort, 24'), 4 mod (25:30) 1:44:30 total

Sat: AM 3 easy to work PM 11 easy

Sun: PM 14 easy home from work (7:22)

Tot 92

I don't usually time my jogs to work, nor do I always put a watch on my easy days. Every so often I do to get an idea of where I'm at.

I promise this will be the longest and most ME ME ME post I write. Comments to follow- but StoneCutter, I think I remember you back from when you were NumbersGuy! Love the new name and the shift in attitude it suggests.

Stone Cutter - nice well rounded week to get into the faster stuff.

Forcerunner - good luck with the half this week! The tempo session looks great.

Slartzio - solid week, really and good, that you came around that tightness quite fast.

back into it - yeah, each week gets more really much better.

RunnersFix - right call on the session. Ease into those paces. Work with the body, not against it. I'm sure in 4 weeks you're on a roll.

pewow - you did a good job holding it together IMO.

paul061 - that 20 looks good!

reed - haha, that spike soreness reminds me of my days on the track :D

KBXC - solid week, really nice tempo.

tortoise - thanks! I really feel I start to come around. But you look in a good spot for Boston, too!

Odysseus - just trust your training. "The hay is in the barn".

Hereford - for you, too: Good luck in Boston!

Josiah - that 2 miler is sick. Good luck with the mile!

grizz - nice to have you back! Sub 65 is a great goal. Nice to see you shooting for that!

Nice work everyone. Looking forward to seeing some times next Monday. Pikachu- awesome stuff and congrats!

Week two of ramping back up after 6.5 weeks off.

Goal - Silver Rush Trail 50mile

M- 5 + strides

T- 5am, 2pm

W- 3.5 + strides

T- 5 w/ 10' easy tempo

F- 5

S- hilly 8 on trails

S- 2

Total 35.5

Starting to feel some strength returning and the legs are beginning to turn over a bit better. Plan on taking the next couple weeks by feel but should continue bringing the mileage back up to pre-time off volume.

Goal Race: Comrades Up run 87km 31/5/2015

Next Race: Loskop 50km Ultra 18/04/2015 - Training run

Mon: 35.3km @ 4:56/km

Tue: 26.1km @ 4:58/km

Wed: 15 x 400m between 80s - 85s total 13km

Thur: 25.1km @ 4:50/km

Fri: 4km tempo in 16:23 total of 10.6km

Sat: 40.3km @ 4:54/km

Weeks total mileage was 150.7km or 93.65miles for the week. Felt really good this week, only managed to have 2 gym sessions though. Need to get in three this coming week but finding it tough to make time for them. Another 2 weeks ahead of bumping mileage up to 170km before sharpening up and tapering begins.

Good luck everyone hope you all stay injury free!

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted in 3 or 4 weeks, partly because I was lazy and partly because I was dissatified with my running - so I didn't really want to read about everyone else having great weeks. I'm a terrible person, I know.

Anyway:

Next race: maybe a 10k road race on 2015-04-24 (goal: 35-ish?)

Mon: 22k easy

Tue: 9k easy

Wed: 8k/9k easy

Thu: 16k - 6x1k in about 3:15, 400m recovery

Fri: 16k easy

Sat: 5k/10k easy

Sun: 6k easy

Total: 100k

YTD: 1260k (MAT: 4250k)

Felt fine until Sunday, when my achilles tendon started hurting slightly. Several of these small problems have shown up lately in pretty quick succession, always gone after a couple of days, and always followed by some other ache elsewhere. Obviously there's something I am not doing correctly. So I am thinking maybe I have been too obsessed with hitting 90-110km a week; I will try throwing in lower volume weeks every 3 or 4 weeks, maybe 70-80km or so, and see if that works for me ...

Hereford

I am in corral 4 and would be worried that I might hold you up. If that's not a problem, I am just not sure how to arrange meeting w/out giving out info on here. Do you have an anonymous-like email address (mine all have my name in them)? Also if you don't want to be held up, I totally understand.

Hey all,

M - 4/5 with weights and circuits

T - 8.5 with circuits

W - 4/6 with circuits

T - 8.75ish

F - 5x(400,300,200) with 65s,55s, 2:30 recovery

72,68,66,66,64 47,47,46,48,48 32,31,30,32,30

Sa - 15 with middle 5 @ 5:26. Average pace of 6:18

Su - rest

Total - 61 miles

A down week after last week's race. Feeling much more fresh and recovered now. Had a slight calf strain until Thursday so I put off the workout, and skipped one all together, but that's OK in my books. Legs were super heavy during the tempo and I felt slow, put the pace was good for feeling slow. Will be running a 5k on Saturday, hoping for 15:10 regardless of competition. The poster Cubism Cubed will be running with me, he's going for 15:30ish and has had some really good training.

Sorry, but I won't write out full comments

Congrats to Pikachu on his race, looking good for the marathon!!

by the way, yes, my name is a combination of Jason Rexing and Oedipus Rex

Welcome to grizz and Josiah(and nice 2mile)

Good luck to those in Boston (Odysseus and Hereford and Tortoise?)

Get well to all sick/injured

and happy training

Hey Tortoise, yeah, I'll probably stick with corral 3. With the packed start at Boston I normally lose 1-2 min in the first few miles. This year I can use all the help I can get with getting ahead of some of the crowd! :)

Sorry to be late posting, travel for work. But I do get to run in Houston which is a nice change - finally some flat ground.

OK week for me. About 39 miles in 5 days. 13 mile long run ~8:25 and the rest of the week between 8:20-8:35. Kinda sluggish still.

11 mile trail race Saturday. Hopefully the weather (big creek) cooperates.

Nice racing Pikachu. It does suck when the weather doesn't cooperate when you're feeling fit.

Sorry for the late reply.

Mon 193.2 lbs ran 22:35 2.76 miles 8:10 pace

Tue 191.4 lbs ran 25:38 3.3 miles 7:46 pace (fastest solo run)

Wed 190.4 lbs ran 17:35 1.59 miles 11:03 pace (start of flu)

Thu 188.4 lbs ran 15:24 1.35 miles 11:24 pace (flu continues)

Fri 188.0 lbs didnt get out of bed all day (flu) slept 30 out of 36 hours

Sat 187.8 lbs didnt run (flu)

Sun 188.2 lbs didnt run (flu)

Mileage was awful this week, but weight loss was great!

@runnersfix thanks for the encouragement! you are right, I will make my final decision in 3/4 weeks..

RunnersFix wrote:

Slartzio- Not too bad of a race but I do think you can run faster. 4 weeks is enough time to get things going again. Just be smart and not force anything. I wouldn't completely toss 1:20 out the window. Just see how things go in 4 weeks. You may surprise yourself. I know it's smart to play the conservative roll but you just never know what could happen.

Josiah - Beastly run at Arcadia! A long time ago, I was half as fast as you (you essentially ran my high school mile PR back to back, hah). Keep up the good work.

Pikachu - Perfect result. Great race, great place. Sounds like you judged everything perfectly. Now for the big show. The countdown begins...

Grizz - Big-time welcome back! Nice to see you are hungry again and back at it. Noble goal you've got there. Hope to see you make that big-time jump. And yeah, I used to be Numbersguy, haha. :)

All the Boston runners looked primed and ready to go. Get some rest and some sleep this week. I see good times on the horizon for all of you.

Happy Running.

Pikachu wrote:

paul061 - that 20 looks good!

Thanks Pikachu, I wish I could borrow 10% of your speed for my up coming marathon. I think I'm going to be about 10 minutes short of a Boston Qualifier time. This is my first marathon and I'm a bit nervous :-)