Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 4/14/19 (Boston Edition)

35km

Stone- 2:54:43

Urban Diesel- 3:10:25

It wasn't your day today, OR. Easier said than done, but don't beat yourself up too much over this.

Short report from me, more later but lovely crash and burn.

Split halfway at exactly 1:19:59, ended up in the porta-john for with really bad stomach problems, marched it on to the finish. Still a 50 second PR but nowhere near where I hoped to be! Thanks to all for the incredible support and for following along. Still have to read through the threads but congrats to all!

Damn OR, the two guys shooting for around the same time in the same wave and corral not getting what we wanted :\. It's ok let's keep after it... next time even stronger

It has been fun doing updates and following the race, on multiple sites, while writing an assignment for a 9am class tomorrow. As it is 3 am local time, I should probably hit the sack. Great job to all the runners today, and a tip of the hat to Sub 6 for that fantastic finish.

outsiderunner wrote:

DNF.

OR -- No shame there. You hung tough for a lot of miles. Hope you're feeling better at this point, and can make the best of your time in Boston. The marathon is a fickle beast. Be well, friend!

I feel awful.

Need to get something to eat.

OR: Sometimes things just don't work out. Marathons are tough, tough races where lots of bad things can happen. Don't be too hard on yourself over this and focus on recovering from the marathon and training for your next race to continue to improve. With your training, you will get to your goals sooner than later.

Jot Quill: Really strong race... it's tough to even split Boston just with the nature of the course but congratulations on running a PR in a tough marathon in suboptimal weather conditions. Great job once again.

Sorry to hear things didn't work out, OR. Definitely understandable that you would feel down, but like others have said, try not to beat yourself up too much. Remember, even Bill Rodgers DNFed at Boston a time or two.

Also an epic crash and burn here! Wooooohooooo. But a HM PR (I think I finally went sub 90!!!) and marathon PR of 3:12:57 unofficial. OR? I need to go back and read...

I thought of you guys for a lot of the race, but the last 10 miles were pretty brutal. Put a happy face on it all. Full debriefing to come.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. It was a good race. I really thought I got out too hard (legs felt shaky by 8), and I didn’t feel like I was holding back much when I hit the half. I started passing a few people again on the Newton Hills (short strides), including a guy I hadn’t beat in ten years on Heartbreak. Then I just let it rip on the downhills. Only one person passed me in the last ~10k, and that was in the last 200m. Quads were wrecked, but felt fine aerobically. And one of these toenails isn’t long for this world. Now in PJs, sipping a Harpoon-Dunkin’ Coffee Pale Ale. Ah.

SI - Nice job breaking 3!

JQ - These things happen. I think you’ll get that 2:40 this fall. I think you might have that fitness now.

Jeff - Sorry to hear that it wasn’t your day.

OR - No shame in the DNF. Really. On the plus side, your legs only took 13.1 miles of bashing today, not 26.2.

Looking forward to seeing some of y’all this evening!

Nice job at Boston everybody, will dive into the results some on the coming days (reminds me I need to go thru the 2018 stats for everybody). OR - sorry about the DNF. I signed up for Philly 26.2 this weekend, it can be redemption for you. Unless you choose to sign up for another marathon this spring of course.

Male, 25, 6’4”, 153lbs

PRs: 4:54 (mile), 16:56, 1:18:00, 28:01 (8k 2015), 2:47:14 (all 2018 but 8k)

Goal: acquire fitness (Sub 19 5k on 4/27/19)

Mn - 2AM wakeup for work (off)

Tu - 3x1600 + WU/WD = 8.5

Wd - 7 @ 7:35s

Th - OFF (lazy)

Fr - 6 @ 8:10s

Sa - 7.5 @ 7:50s

Su - 13 @ 8:05s

Total - 42

Tu - 6:04 6:07 6:07 w/ 400rec

All with fiancee except Tu, she went 51mi in 6 runs with 7:50s ave, Long of 13.5, one workout of 10x300

Double workout week for me incoming, reps on tuesday and tempo thursday ("race")

Having my beer and dinner/lunch with the family. I will report back later. I had a rough time out there today, but managed to gut it out to maintain a sub 3 finish.

Several of my athletes had very tough days out there today. I can tell you that it makes me feel really guilty, as if I have let them down. I know that's orrational, but that's just the way it is.

So allow yourself to feel a little guilty, to acknowledge that emotional discomfort, but then package it up and put it away.

Sometimes big goals produce big failures. The only real shame is in not aspiring to big things.

Smoove wrote:

Several of my athletes had very tough days out there today. I can tell you that it makes me feel really guilty, as if I have let them down. I know that's orrational, but that's just the way it is.

So allow yourself to feel a little guilty, to acknowledge that emotional discomfort, but then package it up and put it away.

Sometimes big goals produce big failures. The only real shame is in not aspiring to big things.

This. Also, the tough days are what make the magic days so awesome.

I appreciate the consolation but I PRd at 2 distances today. Head held high. Never hurt worse than today and that counts for something. My little hotel is feasting us right now. Free BBQ AND FREE BEEER. Living the life and heading to Fenway to meet up wit some RR&T brethren. Be happy peeps

Short recap. 3:32:11. Mrs. Stone’s second best marathon. (3:31:58 PR).

I cautioned her at the start that we should adjust the goal because of the possibility of 70F temps during the race. She said she didn’t come to adjust the goal, she came to go for it. One of the many reasons I love that woman.

The first half of the race was actually rather comfortable, with completely overcast skies, some crosswind and tailwind, and tons of people to run with. We split halfway right where we wanted. 1:42:40.

But because of our much later start time (close to 11:00am), the full sun came out with a vengeance the second half of the race and helped change the game completely. Mrs. Stone buckled a few times in Newton, but she is a fighter and came back and rallied at the end.

She has zero regrets going for it. Sometimes you just have to know. And we both know now what I already knew long ago. She is strong, and amazing, and I am so proud of her.

Big PR for her will come...

darkwave wrote:

Smoove wrote:

Several of my athletes had very tough days out there today. I can tell you that it makes me feel really guilty, as if I have let them down. I know that's orrational, but that's just the way it is.

So allow yourself to feel a little guilty, to acknowledge that emotional discomfort, but then package it up and put it away.

Sometimes big goals produce big failures. The only real shame is in not aspiring to big things.

This. Also, the tough days are what make the magic days so awesome.

Agreed, Darkwave. Had a tough cycle last Spring. Was thinking sub-3 beforehand, but got hurt and missed a chunk of training. Decided to throw a Hail Mary with my race and give it what I had, thinking 3:15- 3:20. Weather was hot. My legs felt heavy from the word go. Came through the half right at 1:40. Imploded to a 3:31:34.

Made the fall 2:59 that much sweeter.

Couldn’t agree more with Smoove’s sentiment though. Big things, which are personal to each of us, is what makes this worth doing.

Congrats to all you who toed the line today!

OR - the greatest thing that ever happened to my running was getting a stress fracture in 2012. At the time, I was a 2:59:50 guy. I pushed hard in training wanting to become better, and I wanted it so bad that I pushed myself over the edge.

Why was that great? It forced me to re-evaluate my running. To change how I trained. On my return from injury, I ran a 2:55 marathon. Then a 1:19 half. Then a 16:53 5k. Then a 2:49 marathon. Etc. Etc.

Sometimes, runners require “stress” fractures before they can get better. Sometimes the stress fracture isn’t a physical one.

But the amazing thing about physical stress fractures is that the bone matrix heals in such a way that it is stronger than before the injury. Non-physical “stress” fractures, I find, work the same way.

I have never doubted your talent. You are a talented, talented runner. I am proud to be your coach. Today was just not your day. Not everyday will be. But that time in your mind, that “secret” time you had hoped to run, will happen. It will come.

It just means you were meant to do it somewhere else...

Shake it off. I am so proud of how far you have come. Tomorrow is another day. Happy Running, friend.