SOSH Running Dogs

TallerThanPedroia

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GregHarris said:
Is daily mile pretty much dead?
 
I can't do basic things on here anymore!  It won't let me create routes, or assign routes to workouts.  Also I can;t create a workout for a previous day.  I also have no ability to post on the forums over there.
 
I'll be pretty sad if this site folds.  It's a rather good way to track miles.
 
It's working fine for me, but I never use it for most of that stuff. Did your Pro membership expire?
 

TallerThanPedroia

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I knew demand would be up but I figured much of it would be funneled towards the charity bibs. After all, just because 2014 will be a special race doesn't make it any easier to run a BQ time. This, though, exceeds anything I expected:
 
Runners whose qualifying time for the 2014 Boston Marathon was at least 1:38 faster than their age and gender qualifying standard will receive notice starting today that they're officially registered for next year's race, which will be run on April 21.
 
Just more than 17,000 time-qualifier spots were claimed between September 9 and 13, when registration was open on a rolling basis to the fastest qualifiers, ending with those who had surpassed their age and gender standard by at least 5 minutes. Among the accepted applicants from that week, 4,484 met their qualifying time by 20 or more minutes; 6,866 met their qualifying time by 10 or more minutes, and 5,879 met their qualifying time by 5 or more minutes.
During registration in the fall of 2012 for the 2013 marathon, no cut-off time among qualifiers was necessary. After the initial two-week registration period, approximately 2,500 time-qualifier spots remained available on a first-come, first-served basis. The field of qualifiers didn't fill until after the first weekend of October; this timing allowed runners to use early fall marathons for the following spring's Boston.

During registration in 2011 for the 2012 marathon, there were more applications than spots available during the two-week registration period. That year, it took surpassing one's standard by 1:13 or faster to gain entry. However, qualifying standards for the 2012 marathon were 5 minutes slower in each group than for the 2013 and 2014 marathons.

In addition, for the 2012 marathon, there were approximately 21,600 time-qualifier spots available, compared to the 22,000+ available during open registration for the 2014 marathon. Furthermore, 1,649 runners who were time qualifiers for the 2013 marathon and were prevented from finishing this year's race by the finish line bombing entered the 2014 marathon via a guaranteed entry registration held August 19 and 29. It's likely that the 2014 cut-off time would have been even faster if these runners had participated in September's open registration.
So just to unpack that, here are the cutoff times for the fastest age group:

2011: 3:10:59
2012: 3:08:47
2013: 3:05:00
2014: 3:03:22
 

Jerrygarciaparra

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Jul 31, 2001
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OK ... slightly embarrassing, but I really need to figure out a better stretch for my gluteus maximus.  I get so stiff and sore on my long runs.  I've been stretching before and after.  Maybe I should use my foam roller?  I'd consider a massage, but to be perfectly frank I'd be a little uncomfortable.
 

Kremlin Watcher

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This one works for me: stand next to a chair or a fence or something stable at about waist level. Put one foot over the other. Straighten the back leg, slightly bend the front leg. Then push your hip above the back leg out and to the side, pushing your glute out and back. It looks really awkward, but you should feel your glute pushing out. Works well for me.
 
Foam rollers work OK for the glute, but I find that a rigid ball of some sort is more effective as it focuses pressure better. When at the gym, I roll my glutes on a medicine ball. Works great.
 

Jerrygarciaparra

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1:44:56 for the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon in Waterbury Vermont.
 
Good for 69th overall.  Only 16th in my age group though.  Men 40 - 49 is a tough bracket.  Makes me look forward to turning 50
 

Leather

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I am running my first HM on the 26th, in St. Paul, MN.
 
Prior to this year, I had never run farther than 6.2 miles at any one time, and only did that once (back in 2009).  
 
Yesterday afternoon I ran 11 miles at an 8:37/mile pace.   Oddly, my splits got faster from miles 5 through 10, then slowed down as a hit some sort of wall around mile 10 and really slogged the last mile.  Granted, I was up late the night before drinking, so my body wasn't in the best place for running, so with a proper night's sleep and decent nutrition leading up to the actual race, plus the adrenaline factor of running with a huge crowd, I think I can maintain that pace or even better it.
 
Between now and the race (so, about 2.5 weeks), what should my plan be to maximize time at this point?  My original goal was to finish in under 2 hours, but now I think I want to finish in under 1:50.   Obviously, there's not much drastic I can do in the short time, but any tips would be appreciated.  My typical routine is to run 3x per week, usually 4m fast (7:40 pace); 5m fastish (8:00 pace) and then long at comfort level pace. 
 

Kremlin Watcher

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Jerrygarciaparra said:
Thanks Kremlin.  I'll give that a try.
 
Are you running again?
Good luck and that was a nice run.
 
Just got back from the orthopedist. Spotted some bone spurs toward the top of the femur; arthrogram scheduled soon. Looks likely to be more surgery. Bah. So no running for now.
 

SydneySox

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SydneySox said:
I run, just for me, I deliberately don't time it but its basically around 14k, every second night - I run home from work.

Last week I injured my Achilles at home, stepping on my kid's toy. Sort of rolled my ankle forward, felt a little funny but not bad. That was in the morning. Anyway, I ran that night, the run was fine, but the next day, a Saturday, the Achilles was agony. I haven't run since.

A week later, it's sore if I extend it but there's little pain in normal walking. I figure it's a little thing, made worse by my run.

I wondered if anyone had any experience or advice w similar injuries? Anything I can do? (Note, I'm pretty sure the answer for Achilles is 'no'). Any guesses at how long I should rest it?

I miss running.
 
FYI update - I waited 6 weeks, went for another run and tore it again because I forgot I am in my mid thirties now and my body doesn't magically heal.
 
Pretty fucked.
 
I'm going to see a chiropractor to get it sorted for next time but this shit is getting harder every year unfortunately and all the good condition I was in after running so much is basically gone.
 

Marceline

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SydneySox said:
 
FYI update - I waited 6 weeks, went for another run and tore it again because I forgot I am in my mid thirties now and my body doesn't magically heal.
 
Pretty fucked.
 
I'm going to see a chiropractor to get it sorted for next time but this shit is getting harder every year unfortunately and all the good condition I was in after running so much is basically gone.
 
How far did you try to run after 6 weeks?
 
The issue I've always had when trying to come back after an injury is trying to do too much, too soon. I've reinjured myself plenty of times doing exactly that.
 
Sorry to hear about the achilles.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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Sorry KW, and you too, Sydney. That's my nightmare injury.

Meanwhile twelve days from my BQ attempt and I've aggravated/strained my left calf. I had the same issue last April before my last half and it didn't bother me much during the race so I'm staying positive.
 

underhandtofirst

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TallerThanPedroia said:
Sorry KW, and you too, Sydney. That's my nightmare injury.

Meanwhile twelve days from my BQ attempt and I've aggravated/strained my left calf. I had the same issue last April before my last half and it didn't bother me much during the race so I'm staying positive.
Hang in there and let it heal.  10 days before my BQ I had to walk home from a tempo run because my hip was so bad.  I took a few days off and just came back easy banking on my training carrying me through.  I thought DNF was a very legit possibility even through the 3 mile mark, but everything loosened up and the training took over.  I still get chills reliving that race.
 
You've done so much good work preparing to put yourself in a great position to run very well.  The only thing that can stop you is not getting to the starting line.  It has been inspirational to watch you go from nearly a 4:20 marathoner to someone ready to tackle 3:10.  It won't be long before you're turning onto the Aiken St bridge with less than a mile to go knowing your goal is just ahead.
 

Jerrygarciaparra

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I'm sorry to hear it Kremlin.  What a drag!
 
Anyone out there run the Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth?  I'm getting conflicting reports on how tough the hills are.  I run a lot here so I'm not too worried.
 
I'd love to run a 3:45 there.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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underhandtofirst said:
You've done so much good work preparing to put yourself in a great position to run very well.  The only thing that can stop you is not getting to the starting line.  It has been inspirational to watch you go from nearly a 4:20 marathoner to someone ready to tackle 3:10.  It won't be long before you're turning onto the Aiken St bridge with less than a mile to go knowing your goal is just ahead.
3:05, but who's counting?

I'm glad I have you to be optimistic for me :D
 

underhandtofirst

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TallerThanPedroia said:
You've done so much good work preparing to put yourself in a great position to run very well.  The only thing that can stop you is not getting to the starting line.  It has been inspirational to watch you go from nearly a 4:20 marathoner to someone ready to tackle 3:10.  It won't be long before you're turning onto the Aiken St bridge with less than a mile to go knowing your goal is just ahead.[/xquote]

3:05, but who's counting?

I'm glad I have you to be optimistic for me :D
3:05, sorry....you need to get older  :)  Just roll out a steady diet out 7 min miles and you'll coast in with a couple mins to spare.  Easy for me to say.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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2015 marathon is the last year I'm in this age group. It'd be a bit disappointing just to age in, but when I started this venture the goal was 3:10:59 so I won't feel too bad.
 

Marceline

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TTP, I'm hoping to follow in your footsteps. My best marathon is 4:10 and my half marathon is 1:42. By the time I can qualify for Boston I'll be in the 35-39 age group (I'm 33 now).  Hoping to get to at least 3:05 so I'll have a few minutes to spare. 
 
Doing the Cape Cod Half this weekend and hoping for 1:40 or better.  
 

TallerThanPedroia

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Joe Sixpack said:
TTP, I'm hoping to follow in your footsteps. My best marathon is 4:10 and my half marathon is 1:42. By the time I can qualify for Boston I'll be in the 35-39 age group (I'm 33 now).  Hoping to get to at least 3:05 so I'll have a few minutes to spare. 
 
Doing the Cape Cod Half this weekend and hoping for 1:40 or better.
Good luck!!

Well, the marathon kicked my ass. Skipping most of the taper didn't do much for my leg, but it obliterated all of my conditioning. I haven't had the energy to look at the numbers yet (I haven't even uploaded the data from my watch) but the whole race my HRs were way, way too high. I did manage BQ pace for the first half but then ran about a 9 min/mi after that.

Now granted, that gave me 3:29:49 which is objectively a great marathon, no doubt, a 47-minute gain on my PR. Once I can walk again I'll probably be pretty happy about it. But it was an ugly way to get there.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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bosoxgrl said:
Anyone else get word about their charity bibs?
Not yet. I ran Baystate for DF and got a nice note from someone there before the race and I just told them how I did and how much love I got from the crowd for my DF singlet (which is largely what carried me the last six miles) so maybe that'll give my application a nudge.
 

Marceline

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Jerrygarciaparra said:
1:44:56 for the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon in Waterbury Vermont.
 
Good for 69th overall.  Only 16th in my age group though.  Men 40 - 49 is a tough bracket.  Makes me look forward to turning 50
 
Just saw this one...what did you think of the course? I ran that one in 2012 and thought it was fantastic.  One of the better half marathons that I have done.
 

Marceline

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TallerThanPedroia said:
Good luck!!

Well, the marathon kicked my ass. Skipping most of the taper didn't do much for my leg, but it obliterated all of my conditioning. I haven't had the energy to look at the numbers yet (I haven't even uploaded the data from my watch) but the whole race my HRs were way, way too high. I did manage BQ pace for the first half but then ran about a 9 min/mi after that.

Now granted, that gave me 3:29:49 which is objectively a great marathon, no doubt, a 47-minute gain on my PR. Once I can walk again I'll probably be pretty happy about it. But it was an ugly way to get there.
 
Sorry you didn't get the result you were hoping for, but under 3:30 is still an awesome improvement nonetheless.
 
Was your calf still bothering you during the race? I'm surprised that 12 days off would impact your conditioning very much, given your training history up to that point.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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My calf had improved from the worst that it felt, but it still hurt with my first stride and never let up. I'm sure some of the elevated HR came from that pain and it's hard to separate that out from the loss in conditioning. I'll have to crunch the numbers.

But I know this much: just a month ago, on Sept 21 I ran 20 miles at 7:54 pace with 162 average HR in 75 degree weather, at the end of a 66-mile week. On Sunday in 55 degree weather, I ran 26.2 miles at 8:01 pace and my average HR was probably over 180. That ain't right.
 

knuck

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bosoxgrl said:
Anyone else get word about their charity bibs?
I was told today that I did not get accepted for a charity bib, but I could go on the wait list. I applied to the MS charity for family reasons.
 

Marceline

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TallerThanPedroia said:
My calf had improved from the worst that it felt, but it still hurt with my first stride and never let up. I'm sure some of the elevated HR came from that pain and it's hard to separate that out from the loss in conditioning. I'll have to crunch the numbers.

But I know this much: just a month ago, on Sept 21 I ran 20 miles at 7:54 pace with 162 average HR in 75 degree weather, at the end of a 66-mile week. On Sunday in 55 degree weather, I ran 26.2 miles at 8:01 pace and my average HR was probably over 180. That ain't right.
 
I could have sworn I had read somewhere that 2 weeks off from an extended period of training would not result in loss of fitness. My memory may have been off though because I did some research on it just now and most of the stuff I found says you would lose about 5-6% of your VO2max after 2 weeks off.
 
Here is one reference:
http://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/losing-running-fitness/
 
 
 
Let’s use an example of a 20 minute 5k runner. A 20 minute 5k runner has a VO2max of roughly 49.81 ml/kg/min (estimated using a formula). After 2 weeks of no running, the 5k runner would lose 6% of his VO2 max, which would be 46.83 and would now be in 21:05 shape, according to most estimates.
 

pedro1918

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Nice work TTP.  I realize you were shooting for more, but that is an impressive leap for your PR.
 
Assuming mother nature doesn't screw me again this year, I am running NYC in 11 days.  My fourth marathon and first NYC.  I am hoping for 3:45, but have other unspoken goals that will remain unspoken. 
 
I ran the Army 10 Miler this past weekend and PR'd at 1:14 flat.  I feel like I'm in good shape.  What I really need to do is control my adrenaline at the start.  Fast starts have always been a problem.  Hopefully the crowd will keep me under control without driving me crazy.
 
Look for me on ESPN2!
 

Jerrygarciaparra

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I'm only a novice marathoner, and am loathe to rock the boat on the conventional wisdom on tapering, but I do agree with you, TPP.  It really does seem like too long of a layoff before a marathon makes me lose some of my edge (such as it is).
 
Of course with all of three marathons under my belt I'm not really an expert.
 

underhandtofirst

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In my first 3 marathons I always felt like I could run the race 2 weeks into my taper. The last week I felt somewhat stale. I could never hit my pace/hr combos I did on my best training days. For Boston this year I tried a 2 week taper and it was a disaster. Looking back the last week is probably helpful in getting a little extra rest to allow you to continue to push the last 6 miles.

TTP, you should be proud of your race. With better health you would have been so much faster. It is the tough part of marathoning, so many things have to line up to get your best possible performance. I felt terrible for you when I saw you at 14. You still looked good, but you already knew it wasn't your day. It is an awful feeling in any competition.
You know you can handle the training and I have no doubt you can use this cycle to find a way to.improve.
After 2 months off you may have motivated me to get back out there.
 

triniSox

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drleather2001 said:
I am running my first HM on the 26th, in St. Paul, MN.
 
Prior to this year, I had never run farther than 6.2 miles at any one time, and only did that once (back in 2009).  
 
Yesterday afternoon I ran 11 miles at an 8:37/mile pace.   Oddly, my splits got faster from miles 5 through 10, then slowed down as a hit some sort of wall around mile 10 and really slogged the last mile.  Granted, I was up late the night before drinking, so my body wasn't in the best place for running, so with a proper night's sleep and decent nutrition leading up to the actual race, plus the adrenaline factor of running with a huge crowd, I think I can maintain that pace or even better it.
 
Between now and the race (so, about 2.5 weeks), what should my plan be to maximize time at this point?  My original goal was to finish in under 2 hours, but now I think I want to finish in under 1:50.   Obviously, there's not much drastic I can do in the short time, but any tips would be appreciated.  My typical routine is to run 3x per week, usually 4m fast (7:40 pace); 5m fastish (8:00 pace) and then long at comfort level pace. 
Good luck! I ran my first half 2 weekends ago. I was aiming for under 2 which was a little faster than my training pace. I finished in 1:54:18 so I was thrilled.
 
My plan was ease into the first 5 miles then from mile 5 to 10, turn it on, then last 3.1 miles see what happened. On race day, I eased into the first 3 miles then started going faster. Miles 3 through 8 were good. From mile 8 to 10 was tough - I felt like my legs were getting pretty tired. At mile 10, I had a few friends cheering me on and that really helped my last 3.1 miles which somehow were my fastest miles. In retrospect, I'm really glad I went out relatively slowly - I was anxious at first seeing so many people pass me but trust me the satisfaction of picking them off one by one on the back stretch is great. I wasn't completely dead at the end which made me think I could have done the last 0.5 miles a little faster but overall I was thrilled.
 
My advice is to come up with a plan based on how your training went and be confident in your execution. And be proud as you run of all your training and hard work even if it's not your day. 
 

SydneySox

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Sorry, was too depressed to check this thread. Thanks for the kind words.

Joe - did 15k on the run back. Injury became an issue around 9km. I know now it was too crazy.
 

bosoxgrl

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SydneySox said:
Sorry, was too depressed to check this thread. Thanks for the kind words.

Joe - did 15k on the run back. Injury became an issue around 9km. I know now it was too crazy.
 
Slow and easy.  I've been injured so many times, but listening to your doc and coming back slow/easy (start with some run/walk intervals) will get you back there.  Chin up.
 

underhandtofirst

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Jerrygarciaparra said:
3:49:46 at the Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth.
 
Was on pace to get the 3:45 I wanted and just hit the wall at mile 23
 
Man, that is a really scenic course
Congrats, that's a great effort.  Not too bad pushing the wall to mile 23.  Just wait until you put it all together and can carry the pace to the end.
 

Marceline

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Question for some of the more experienced marathoners in this group.
 
How does one avoid hitting the wall at mile 23 (or thereabouts) of a marathon? Is it just a matter of doing more long training runs, or learning how to fuel during the race, or what?
 
I've only done 2 marathons and hit the wall pretty dramatically both times.  I've never gone beyond 20 miles in a training run, though. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to have 2 or 3 runs in the 22-23 mile range in training.
 

pedro1918

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Jerrygarciaparra said:
I'm a little disappointed, I really wanted that 3:45.  But my legs just turned to Jello at mile 23
 
Next time for sure.  
 
I did the same thing at Harrisburg last year, except it was mile 22.  I was shooting for 3:45 and I was sure I had it until bam!  I rallied a bit and finished in 3:47 and change.
 
I know I complained about it here and Kremlin Watcher helped me put it in perspective.  It was still a great effort and result for me.  I would bet the same is true for you.  I make my attempt for 3:45 this Sunday in NYC.
 

Jerrygarciaparra

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Good luck Pedro!
 
You are right, this was still a PR for me.  I felt for the first time I really knew what I was doing.
 
I didn't get the time I wantred but I really can build off this race for sure.
 

underhandtofirst

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Joe Sixpack said:
Question for some of the more experienced marathoners in this group.
 
How does one avoid hitting the wall at mile 23 (or thereabouts) of a marathon? Is it just a matter of doing more long training runs, or learning how to fuel during the race, or what?
 
I've only done 2 marathons and hit the wall pretty dramatically both times.  I've never gone beyond 20 miles in a training run, though. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to have 2 or 3 runs in the 22-23 mile range in training.
The only one I didn't hit the wall in I did a TON of tempo work using the Jack Daniels plan.  This entailed a lot of 5 min reps of tempo pace with 1 minute slower jog.  For example, I was targeting about 7:30 MP and my tempo pace was around 6:50, with slow jog in the 9:00-9:15 range.  His book is terrific and has a lot of great info to determine what pace you should be running all workouts at based on race times from a ton of different distances.  The plan did the best job of making you run at different paces to ensure the training didn't get stale.  An example that you build up to with 5 weeks before the race was 2 mile warmup, 8x 5 min tempo with 1 min jog, then 80 min easy long run pace (8:30), then 8x 5min tempo with 1 min jog and then 2 miles easy.  That ended up being a 20 miler and when I could hit tempo pace I had the confidence I could handle the last few miles.  Running so many tempo miles makes MP seem pretty easy.  I still closed slightly slower (7:45 vs 7:35 overall pace) over the last 4 miles, but it was enough to BQ by 35 seconds.  The tempo miles also were a huge help to mentally be able to handle the pain.  His plan also has some MP runs for confidence builders every few weeks.
 
My longest training run ever was 21 miles.  Remember while training you're running a ton during the week so when you do 20+ at the end of a 40-60 mile week you're not exactly fresh.
 

Marceline

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I've never done tempo work as part of a long run before. That sounds like it probably helps a lot. I've always done my long runs at slow pace.
 

Traut

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Great runs, all. I'm excited to start gearing up for 2014. This stupid run streak sucks. Too many days of just doing a mile to do a mile. Next year, it's focused marathon training for me. I'm not running on January 1, 2014.
 

Marceline

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Trautwein's Degree said:
Great runs, all. I'm excited to start gearing up for 2014. This stupid run streak sucks. Too many days of just doing a mile to do a mile. Next year, it's focused marathon training for me. I'm not running on January 1, 2014.
 
I started a running streak at the end of August (63 days and counting) and it's been the best thing that I've done for myself as a runner.  I try to do at least 3 or 4 miles at a minimum, although there have been a couple of 1-2 mile runs in there.  
 
It's really helped me focus and maintain consistency. When I was running 3-4x a week it was too easy for me to skip workouts and just tell myself things like "I'm too tired today, I'll just run tomorrow instead." Next thing you know I've missed too many runs to catch up and messed up my training plan.
 
Thanks to the running streak I've been feeling better and training better than ever -- it's made a huge difference for me. 
 

TallerThanPedroia

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I ran my final tempo run on Thursday, September 26th, three weeks before Baystate. I did two miles of warmup, ten miles at an average of 10 seconds below BQ pace, and then a cool down mile. The weather was 55, sunny, and breezy, almost exactly like the weather for the marathon, which was slightly windier. Then again, the tempo run was in the middle of a 60-mile week, coming off a 66-mile week. Here are the splits, compared to my two marathon halves:




So 14-15 BPM too high right from the start, until I couldn't hold it anymore, and then I ran at expected effort, albeit much slower pace, for the second half. I guess that's promising?

Stupid leg.

Oh, and I ran the last .53 (yep, total 26.53 on the Garmin) at 8:04 with a kick near the finish to beat 3:30, even on the gun clock.
 

Traut

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TallerThanPedroia said:
I ran my final tempo run on Thursday, September 26th, three weeks before Baystate. I did two miles of warmup, ten miles at an average of 10 seconds below BQ pace, and then a cool down mile. The weather was 55, sunny, and breezy, almost exactly like the weather for the marathon, which was slightly windier. Then again, the tempo run was in the middle of a 60-mile week, coming off a 66-mile week. Here are the splits, compared to my two marathon halves:




So 14-15 BPM too high right from the start, until I couldn't hold it anymore, and then I ran at expected effort, albeit much slower pace, for the second half. I guess that's promising?

Stupid leg.

Oh, and I ran the last .53 (yep, total 26.53 on the Garmin) at 8:04 with a kick near the finish to beat 3:30, even on the gun clock.
Great effort. How are you fueling your race? Is it possible you are underfueling during the race? 
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
TallerThanPedroia said:
I ran my final tempo run on Thursday, September 26th, three weeks before Baystate. I did two miles of warmup, ten miles at an average of 10 seconds below BQ pace, and then a cool down mile. The weather was 55, sunny, and breezy, almost exactly like the weather for the marathon, which was slightly windier. Then again, the tempo run was in the middle of a 60-mile week, coming off a 66-mile week. Here are the splits, compared to my two marathon halves:




So 14-15 BPM too high right from the start, until I couldn't hold it anymore, and then I ran at expected effort, albeit much slower pace, for the second half. I guess that's promising?

Stupid leg.

Oh, and I ran the last .53 (yep, total 26.53 on the Garmin) at 8:04 with a kick near the finish to beat 3:30, even on the gun clock.
I have the same issue with HR being high during races.  Maybe not hydrated enough?  An injury could cause the HR to be higher too.  I know you dont like to warmup prior to a marathon, but maybe even a light jog just to get the legs moving would help loosen everything up.
 

TallerThanPedroia

Civilly Disobedient
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
25,546
Boston
Here's the whole and very long recap if anyone is interested:

2013 Baystate Marathon - Lowell, MA

Official: 26.2 miles, 3:29:47, 8:01 min/mi. 329th overall, 96/211 in M3039
Garmin: 26.53 miles, 3:29:57, 7:55 min/mi, 175 avg HR, 191 max HR

54, cool, sunny, windy. Blue Bikilas. My leg felt better when I woke up, but not healed. I used the foam roller and warmed up on an exercise bike a bit and tried not to aggravate it. I got to the start line early and tried to stay warm pacing around. There seemed to be no point in trying to do a warmup run (not sure I would for a marathon anyway). I did a quick little few steps of jogging and right away I felt my calf seize up. At this point I had no idea what to do or think or expect. I figured I either would DNF, or it would suddenly loosen or at least dull after maybe 10 miles and I'd tough out a BQ, or anything in between. I wasn't in a good mood, though, and kinda didn't even want to be there. It's been almost six years since I've run a marathon and occasionally during training the distance struck me as a lot, as it used to as a novice, and now I found it particularly daunting.

I also got stuck on the outside of the chute and had to crawl through a barrier to get inside. Unlike the last few races I've done, they seemed determined to start at 8am sharp. I did meet the volunteer leading the 3:05 group and said hello, and told him I hoped I didn't seem him until the finishing area. We started and I did end up behind the pace group, but the distance between us was steady so I didn't let it bother me too much. The crowd up front was a lot thicker than I was expecting. A BQ in last year's race would have put me around 75th overall, but it felt like a couple of hundred people were around me, even after a couple of miles, and the 3:05 group was about 20 guys at least. My calf was hurting but not terrible, but everything else felt okay for the first mile, so I felt a little hopeful. I could see that my HR was way too high though, maybe not untenably high, but worrisome. Sometimes the monitor gives bad readings early on (you have to wet it, and sometimes when I put it on early before a race, it dries out until I get sweaty). Then after about a mile or so, suddenly my stomach clenched up and started hurting. I think it was my abs, in fact, not my actual stomach, and not a stitch. I had done one last ab workout on Friday after skipping them for a while, so I guess that was it? I didn't think I had gone that hard. Anyway, that really worried me, but it faded just before we got to Mile 4. I was planning on GUs every four miles, and we were coming up on some hills, and you know I love passing people on hills, so I took my shot and passed the whole pace group right before the big hill, and then made the GU my treat for running up it.

I was starting to feel more confident. My Garmin distance was more or less matching the mile markers, and I was on pace with the cushion I wanted. But it seemed like the pace group was going too fast, and I had trouble staying in front of them. We made it to the Tyngsborough bridge and I was still ahead of them, and I was thrilled to see that the renovation that happened in the interim had gotten rid of the awful cage-like pedestrian crossing, and replaced it with an actual sidewalk. That was horrible and scary when I ran in 2007 and I couldn't confirm whether it had been renovated. Then again, it turned out not to matter, because this year they closed the northbound side of the bridge to traffic anyway, so we were out in the road.

On the north side of the river, though, the pace group started to catch me, and then before I knew it, had engulfed me. And it soon became a nightmare.

I'm not exactly a people person. I'm an introvert, for one thing. I'm not a shut-in or anything and I can have a perfectly good time in a crowded bar (or a World Series victory parade!). But I'm definitely a lone wolf when it comes to running, and I can count the number of times I've run with another person on one hand. I've certainly never run in a tight group, like I'd see them do in cross country practice.

So I wasn't used to it, even under good conditions, and these were not good conditions. It was the 3:05 group so it was entirely men, and men are gross. These men, I noticed early on before I passed them the first time, were particularly gross. I've never seen so much spitting and so many snot rockets in a race before, and I've run races in the snow.

I felt very hemmed in, and unable to run the way I run. At one point, I almost bought it on a fallen tree branch that I couldn't see coming. And in general, I tend to speed up on hills and slow going downhill, which is backwards from what most people do (it's mostly a consequence the VFFs and forefoot striking). I was also stuck over on the right side, and I had told my parents to look for me on the left side after the Rourke bridge, right around the halfway point, so they could hand me a bottle of chia fresca I'd made.

And finally, the other guys were chatting with the pacer, and they asked how exactly he was pacing himself, and he said that he was aiming for 3:04. And then suddenly he said, hey let's go for 3:03, and everyone seemed fine with that. That was the last straw. If I'd been healthy, I had been thinking I could go closer to 3:00 than 3:05, but there was no way I could do even 3:03 on this leg. I had to get out of this situation.

So with all that in mind, I started trying to make my way to the left, but the only way to do that was to let the scrum pass me. Finally they did, after I lost a lot of side-to-side distance, and now my watch and the mile markers were parting ways.

And now I was running just a little slower than BQ pace, by a few seconds only, but it seemed a little early for that, since now the westerly wind was at my back, and the north side of the river is mostly a gentle downhill slope. Finally we got to the Rourke bridge, where we'd start the second loop, and it turned out to be this bridge that I should have been worried about, because it just killed me. Instead of my left calf loosening or dulling like I'd hoped, my right calf now joined it, probably tired of compensating for the other. I got to the end, and the crowd was probably ten times the size that I remembered from 2007 (which is why I told my parents to met me here, as they'd stood her last time, and were easy to spot). I did see my father, and he saw me, so I kept to the left as the road turned right, leaving the pace group well in front of me, when some asshole started running along the crowd towards me, perfectly timed to pass my father just as he was trying to hand off the bottle to me. I think I screamed at the guy, and somehow did grab the bottle without breaking stride. But it wasn't what I needed just then.

I saw the rest of my family in a blur, and started sucking citrus and honey and chia seeds, hoping they'd help. They did, but not enough. I made it to 13.1 and my legs were screaming and my HR was bumping 190. And those hills were coming up again.

I thought about stopping, quite a lot. There didn't seem to be much point, after all, especially after the 3:10 group passed me, so I wouldn't even be able to beat my original BQ goal (3:10:59). Then again, I didn't have a cell phone on me, though I did at least think to write my mom's and my sister's numbers inside my bib (a trick I picked up at the Phoenix marathon, and I'm shocked all races don't do that). Given the road closures, there was no way they'd be able to get me once I crossed the river again, even if I did find someone with a phone. And I had no idea what the official Aid situation was. I didn't remember seeing Aid stations at the water stops, but I hadn't been looking for them. I've never needed one before.

I slogged on until about Mile 14, when I saw Underhandtofirst standing all by himself, waiting to cheer me on. As soon as I saw him I started shaking my head, and yelled out "it's not happening, Joe. Sorry." I have no idea why I felt apologetic at that point, and I doubt Joe did either, but it seemed to be the thing to say. I shook his hand as I went by and probably almost tore it off, or at least got his hand all snotty. Sorry again, Joe :)

It was the friendly face I needed, though, right when I needed it most. This is where I broke down in the 2007 race, after all, so at least it all felt familiar. This time, though, I never stopped or even walked. I kept running, and watched as more and more people passed me. Then again, some of them were breaking down too, and I didn't feel so lonely.

I crossed the bridge again, the point of no return. On the other side, I started to feel a bit better. Maybe the chia was kicking in, or the endorphins could finally dull the pain a bit, though my hips were now barking too. I charged through the wall at any rate with a growl and my head held high. I did math in my head (my favorite pastime when running) and decided that an easy 9-min mile could let me break 3:30. That seemed good enough. That's still faster than most of my BQing lady friends!

So I felt better probably through 23 miles, with zero incentive to push much past 8:45, because why risk the DNF after going that far? And at about 22 miles the crowd returned, and I drew a lot of energy from them, especially all the love I got for my Dana Farber singlet. I started counting the minutes until I could rest, singing songs under my breath to distract myself.

But then my other old worry resurfaced: my hamstrings. Back in my heel striking days, my hamstrings would always go on long runs. At Phoenix, I was having a great race until the 25th mile, until my left hamstring tried to secede from my body. I had to stop completely, and then jogged at about 12:00 to the finish. I haven't had problems with them since switching to forefoot striking, but then, I also hadn't gone over 20 miles.

So I went past 23 miles, and maybe it was the last couple of rolling hills, but damn, I don't even know how to describe it, they just felt *wrong*. I had to cut back, again preferring to finish at any speed than really injuring myself.

They didn't get worse, and sort of went in and out. I got to the last mile and the last bridge, and crossing it was the strangest thing, they were like resonating with each other, one after the other, threatening to bounce right off my bones. But without pain, really. Or maybe a lot of pain. It was hard to tell. And then the 3:30 pacer passed me.

That sucked. Granted, he too seemed to be running a bit ahead of pace, but it wasn't the image I needed just then, and once again I couldn't put on any speed because of my hamstrings. Oh, and I had to make FIVE ninety degree turns over the last mile. You remember that thing about VFFs and uphill/downhill? Yeah, I don't really corner well either.

I banged them out, and made the penultimate turn, onto the main street, and a big crowd greeted me. Then several things happened simultaneously. I saw my sister and her kids on my left and heard them cheer for me. At the same time, I could hear the announcer at the finish line, and he was telling us we had about 30 seconds to beat 3:30. And then another runner bumped into me on my right as he tried to kick, and turned to apologize. I grinned and told him GO FOR IT and gave him a friendly push on the back.

I'm not sure what came over me at that point, but looked at the crowd and started raising my arms like Tom Fucking Brady trying to get them to make some noise, and they responded with a roar. I made the final turn, saw the clock, and bolted across with three seconds to spare on the gun time.

I usually slow down after a finish line, but I feel like I stopped on a dime this time, though I didn't fall. Someone with a blanket saw me immediately and walked me as far as the lady handing out medals, and I joked that it would probably pull me to the ground it was so big (only Phoenix had a bigger one). I was a limpy mess, but I had my wits about me. I got my bag, grabbed some food, and found my family.

First half: 1:31:57
Second half: 1:57:52

Positives:
1) I finished.
2) I hadn't run a marathon in almost six years, or more than 20 miles since then.
3) I'd never run more than 20 miles in VFFs ever.
4) I didn't stop.
5) I didn't walk.
6) I broke 3:30
7) With a 47-minute PR.
8) I don't think I ever actually bonked. I think my fueling plan worked: GU every 4 miles, water and gatorade when I could grab it, that bottle of chia fresca at the half, and a few salt pills. I weighed the same after the race as before, and I had gained a couple of pounds during the taper as planned. I felt tired, sure, mentally and physically, but I think only from the pain. But I never felt spent or lightheaded.