Runner's Forum: The Official: Training Summary Start Up Thread

Gfinkelde - that's just too competitive for words!!

Yay 2001

pappypage - i agree with KDogg, get out for a couple miles everyday if things feel alright, don't resign yourself to a whole week of no running because yesterday you felt a little off; reevaluate the next day if you should run and if the running is awkward, stop, if it feels natural, albeit slow as is to be expected, keep going for a couple miles. i usually take one full day off after a marathon then start running easy with no regard to time or distance, just feel. listen to your body before you try to get back to full intensity; if you feel like you are consistently sluggish or winded, you still need more time to recover. . . . . . . so yesterday i didn't run, as promised; shin feels a WHOLE LOT BETTER :) but not 100%. probly will Xtrain today also and then easy weekend (trails! if the weather is nice) and then i'm thinking of jumping into a legit training plan for Boston starting next week. . . . . . . Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! have a blast!!

Got up early this morning (4.30!), and ran 8k time trial at marathon pace on the course. Finished in 45:13 (as against target pace of 45:30), so happy with pacing. Knee felt good for first time in ages. Long slow run tomorrow.

6.9 miles this AM.  Hip is still bothering me a bit - time to make an appt. with the doc and with the masseuse. Ran at about a 9:30 pace including a brief stop for stretching.  Gotta get this hip thing resolved.

i decided to take Gillys advice and make sure i did something yesterday and today.  So, i rode my bike to work yesterday afternoon  (7 miles)  worked a double at the hospital, then rode home.  It was actually a nice winddown to the long shift except that the way home was very uphill.  Today, ill head over to the course and walk half of it to get ready for tommorrow......i have such prerace jitters that ive never had before.  It seems quite sillie.   But i keep wondering...too much, too soon?   nah......lol

Thanks pappypage for being so encouraging!  good luck to anyone else racing this weekend!

so I raced today at my undergrad school's XC meet. Its a super fast course and there was decent competition, so I was gonna try and run 25:30 or faster for an 8k. Well, this was the biggest meet ever held on this course and it turns out the course couldn't accommodate that many runners. Here's my story:

I got tripped in the first 100 meters of the race, so now I am pretty much in last. I can't pass anyone for 1500-2000 meters because the course was too narrow for that many runners. Also, at the 1k mark I got tripped and bit it again. I got through 2 miles at 10:26 (and still at the back), so I was already slow for what I needed. Then about a quarter mile later I got tripped and fell AGAIN, so I dropped out. I figure eating dirt three times in less than 2.5 miles has got to be some kind of sign. I wasn't too beat up about it though, because I felt good and know I would have achieved my goal, at least it would seem that way based on how I was feeling, how people who I normally beat/finish around did, and the overall times for the day. 

I can't end my season on that note though, so I am pretty sure I'm gonna recoup and race a 5k next weekend. We'll see how this week before I make a final determination on that though. 

15 mile long run today.  Due to time contraints and having to do some work on the house, I couldn't do a 20+ mile LR.  So I did a 15 at a little faster pace.  2hrs and 15min which is good for me.  Felt great! My first marathon is 3 weeks away.  I still need to do a 20+ miler next week.  I know you're suppoed to start tapering starting 3 weeks prior but I just need to feel a little more confident about 3 1/2 hr+ of running. 

I've got a week of training (work training that is) in Pittsburgh this week.  Hopefully I will find some good places to run. 

Great races Gilly/Steve! There's nothing like reaching that goal is there.
Kdogg i dont know what to say, that is crazy falling 3 times! 
Tranquil, keep those nerves in check and just have fun with it. Good luck!

Ok now about my race this morning. I ran the chile pepper 10k at the U. of Arkansas and i have to say i am pretty pleased with my race. I ran 31:10 which is a pretty big pr for me. Given the course is flat and fast but who cares! Many people claim that it is short of an actual 10k due to the fast times ran there every year, and some say they have measured it and its not. 
Anyway back to the race. The first mile was in 5:00 and i was in decent position, the 2nd mile i came through at 10:00 and was still feeling good.
Splits after that were:
3mile- 15:10 (5:10)
4mile- 20:08 (4:58) probably a little short
5mile- 25:27 (5:19) probably a little long
6mile- 30:17 (4:50)
10k- 31:10

So I'm pretty happy with it and cant wait till conference in a couple weeks!

Hi all. That is massive chiggy - that time is on fire! As for me, completed my long slow run early this morning - 33.5kms in 3:20. It was a make or break run, with the Auckland Marathon now only 2 weeks away, I was going to pull out of the race if I couldn't completed today's run, so I am elated that I got there (and still felt I could keep on running at the end). Beginning taper next week, although I may have to squeeze in one more 20km time trial before the big day. Best of luck to all those running on Sunday in the US. Its 10 to 9 on Sunday night here, and I am heading off to catch up on some sleep...

I do believe the 10k is my new favorite race!!   I had so much fun!!   The course was very nice....there was a great crowd.....it was cold, but not unbarable.....I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I hoped to run sub 53:00..but that was with the understanding that it was a completely flat course.  It was not.  There was a huge, long hill in the 3rd mile...and another in the 5th  (why would they do that??  lol)  After I saw the first, i thought to myself.."okay...sub 55:00 and ill still be happy"  

Well...i finished 53:46 and so super happy with that time...considering i had not yet done any official training...no speed workouts, no hills, nada...so...its just a starting point and i love it!

Again, i did make the mistake of going out too fast......I wanted to mainstain 8:30 pace....but...here are my splits:

mile 1:  7:49, mile 2:  no idea, mile 3:  25.22, mile 4:  34:00, mile 5:  43:12, mile 6:  i think i was at 52:00 or something...then finally...i sprinted it in for a 53:49.

My legs are screaming at me rght now......i think ill do an easy 3 mile recovery tommorrow....I cant wait til my next race!!!

MarkRTC:  congrats on finishing that run!!  im so glad to know you dont have to pull out now..:)  I look forward to watching your posts through the next two weeks of taper....

Chiggy:  THAT is crazy..lol..The fastest time on today's course overall was 34:00...and that person finished ahead of second place by .5mile....so...your time was amazing!  Congrats!

nice job chiggy, thats what you were waiting for right man? blazing fast time

As for my race - the reason I got knocked down so many times is because the course was not wide enough for that many runners. I was trapped on the inside at the beginning of the race and got knocked down early (50 meters in) so then I was stuck at the back. The course was only 10-15 feet wide from the 300 meter mark to just a little past the mile mark. So I had to try and weave through the slower runners and I just got abused the whole time. Once I finally got free, I was so far back. I went through the first mile around 5:20 and the leaders had ran 4:42. 

Sometime a little after two miles, I was passing some slower pack and just caught a pothole and fell again and knew it was time to call it quits. 

To give you an idea of what it was like for me after the start of the race. Imagine you are trying to run a big marathon and you start in a pace group thats WAY too slow for you, but you are boxed in because you are surrounded by so many others. That was the story of the first mile of my race. Then add to the fact that if I didn't pass them, the result of my race was going to be very very ugly. So I had to try and pass even if it meant getting pushed around some, and I just ended up getting pushed around a little too much. 

you win some you lose some I guess - these are the joys of being an unattached runner

sounds like everyone else raced well though - congrats on your PRs Steve, chiggy, and tranquil (I'm assuming your 10k is a PR anyway)

Went to a fun 5K / 10K race on Saturday in Loomis, CA. I look forward to the day I can attempt the 10K! A lot more hills than I expected, but actually improved my time a tiny, tiny bit. The best thing about finding this site has been the mapping of my run, because I could never figure out how much further to go to build up my mileage. Now I've improved already (okay by 30 seconds, but still!) Envious of all of you running 4-mile, 5-mile and 6-miles at a time. I'll get there yet!

Thanks for the photo ex kiwi - you got a relly good one of my running buddy Mel as well!

congrats Tanquil21 - a great time for your 10kms. you must be feeling really encouraged by that!

Still no training for me - starting to feel like a sloth now - I will be out tomorrow morning for sure. I can't bear another day of nothing to report on this thread!

KDogg - any reason why that darn course is so narrow?

Not running nearly as hard as the rest of you im still new yet to the running game and i kinda had to take a break. I have a 5k trail run coming up this weekend Ive been running about a 8 min\mile on the road any tips for the trail. oh and it was freaking cold this morning running 34 deg.....

Belated congrats to all the racers from the last week or so.

Dan, I was in Chicago with a friend who was there to run the marathon last year.  What a day.  Flew home with a doc from GA who was running next to the officer when he collapsed.  You were on my mind during this year's race and it sounds like it was a great tribute to him. 

Did a 5K as an easy run on Sat. a.m. and have 3 on tap for this afternoon.  My 5K time was VERY slow (27:58), but I still ended up 2nd in my age group.  Guess we were just slow old women.....

 I'm experiencing a lot of knee pain after each run the last 2 weeks - the most I've had after surgery for a torn meniscus in Jan.  So I'm focusing on leg strength exercises and taking it 1 run/recovery at a time.

Missed by final long run yesterday.  Tried to make up grounds (if that's possible this morning) and ran 6.5 miles.  Planning on slipping in an additional 3 miles at midday.  The marathon running schedule has me tapering down to 4 - 6 miles over the next two weeks before the marathon.

teecue - from what I have learned 5-6 times per week is too much. The golden number seems to be four times per week - any more than that is overdoing it. You should cross train a couple of times a week but you need to give your body a rest from running, ESPECIALLY in the early days. Take it slow, don't push it too hard, and mix up the running workouts so you do some speed and some longer distance slower runs. Try doing some weights sessions / strength training to improve your core and upper body strength and balance out muscle development in your legs. Plus, never underestimate the importance of stretching.

Good luck and welcome aboard!

 

I LOVE running on a day like today.  It was about 10-12 C out and sunny.  I wore full spandex because of the cooler wind (and a rule I try to follow about cold air on warm muscles).  I did 5 miles in a record (for me) 38:53.  There are some pretty good hills in there and two major street crossings that I have to look out for.  I think my concentration on running faster by running a fartlek one day a week and breaking up one run into two shorter faster ones is making a difference.

awesome chiggy,.you and kdogg never cease to amaze me. i cant imagine what its like to glide that fast,.

tranquil i was thinkin the whole day on how you were doing ...congrats!!!!....i am glad you enjoyed it so much,. you definetly worked hard to there,.

and congrats to all the other racers this weekend.

easy 6 mile today for me ,.8:36 pace., ligaments still a little loose so i will continue the easy pace runs this week and work them back slowly..recovery seems to be as sucky as taper,. i am so looking forward to getting back to high mileage--high intensity workouts,.

simmoT:  that sounds like a cool idea,. as long as you remember i am an old fart when you see mine..lol

And tranquil and junkie, congrats on your races.  Fantastic efforts.

Ex Kiwi - thanks for the pic. I dont know how I missed you, although at that distance your camera probably wouyld have blocked out the MCG!!! I am surprised how freshed I looked in my photos. I felt horrible. last year was the opposite.

Sunday was Around the Bay in a Day. A 210km ride around Port Phillip Bay. I decdied to ride to soemwhere near the official start where I was going to meet 7 guys from work. I have heard horror stories, about strong winds, long waits for the ferry etc, but we had a dream run. So much so that I rode to the official finish, ratehr than pull up my streeet when we rode past. So I did 230km in 7hrs 45 min (moving time, not riding or actual time) at just under 30kmh average. Given we spent 20 minutes walking on to and off the ferry my average was probably over the 30 mark, whci hI am stoekd with for a 230km ride, my longest by about double. Very easy to ride in a pack!!!

May be quiet from me for a while, but I will keep reading all your posts. Good luck with future races guys

Tough yet good practice today.  Went up to Garrett mountain.  1/2 mile warm up, then Had to do the 5k course at 1min-1 1/2min off race pace.  Did it around 19:40.  Then we went down to the "800m to go" mark which is the start of the hill all the way to the finish.  We had to run up, then run back down 4 times in total so 4 miles (didnt time the downs just the ups) times were 3:12,3:09,3:07,3:02.  Then a 1/2mile cool down.  8.1 miles on the day.  pretty tired right now.  Then tomorrow 25-30 200m's with shorter breaks every five.

great job this weekend guys!..........Managed 8 miles on saturday on a dirt road, shin was decent, not great. Then 12 miles sunday on a fairly easy trail; had hoped to do more, but the shin was still acting up though with ice and advil it seems to slowly be getting better. 7.5miles easy with 6 x 50m hill sprints towards the end; iced the shin after that and i'm thinking about going out again for an easy 45mins or so.

Switched from my planned city streets route to 3 on the "dreadmill" this evening to ease up on my knee a bit.  28:40.  We'll see how I'm walking tomorrow.  I have mostly run 3-4x/week; now I need to lean more on XT and keep the runs to 3.