SOSH Running Dogs

Marceline

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Sep 9, 2002
6,441
Canton, MA
Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to hear others' stories of Boston. Sorry you didn't have a great experience. But you still finished with an impressive time!
A lot of people I talked to who ran this year said they were slowed by the heat, so only 11 minutes behind your qualifying run is really good.
 

sonofgodcf

Guest
Jul 17, 2005
1,646
The toilet.
I'll add my Boston story:

Qualified at the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon with a 3:06:54. I took training a bit more seriously for this race and thought sub 3 was a possibility, but the heat and hills got me. Still PR'd with a 3:06:15 but didn't feel like it was my best day.

I had a plan to go out quick and bank time on all of the downhills (despite advice from many), settle into goal pace until mile 16 and pull back a touch on the climb up Heartbreak. The goal was to get to mile 22 in 2:34 or better and hope adrenaline and the few remaining downhills would get me there.

What I hadn't planned for was the heat, but also the crowds. I was in one of the last corrals of Wave 1 and had about 7000 runners in front of me to start. I wasted a ton of energy - physical and mental, trying to dodge runners and find my pace. Water stations were a battle and instead of my usual alternating Gatorade/water each mile I was taking both at each stop. I started to overheat at mile 8 but fortunately a bit of cloud cover came in and I was able to fight it off.

I was just a little off my goal pace getting to the hills but was struggling to maintain. Heartbreak Hill was exactly that; exhaustion and self-doubt crept in and to make things worse I felt my hamstring bite me. I had to walk the top third of the hill as I tried to rally myself, but I could never get back to goal pace.

Doing the math I realized breaking 3 was out, but I had enough time to still PR. I walked two other hills to give my hamstring a break before finishing the last mile strong. When I turned onto Boylston street I was grinning like a madman. I noticed a fellow runner stumble and started to make my way over to help him out, but two others came to his assistance before I could get close. Solely focused on finishing now, I think I sprinted the last 800 yards as I soaked in the crowd.

Despite the (somewhat) disappointing time, the race was amazing. Everything from BAA's pre-race dinner to the after party at Fenway (just missed getting my picture with the Sox Trophies - had to settle for one with Wally) was extremely well organized. The crowd support was awesome and I was saved from dehydration by the kind souls handing out bottles of water or food on their own.

Last note: I think the bombing has changed the atmosphere of the race a bit (obviously) and there's a kind of no-man-left-behind mentality at the finish. I saw a lot of runners supporting each other to finish, despite hurting their own times. I may have been a bit too locked in, as I missed one of the better moments of the race. Fortunately I've had a dozen different friends forward me the story:

 
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rbeaud

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
348
Orange, CT
Fantastic work to PR in that atmosphere! My wife, waiting at the finish, relayed that the support for failing runners was fantastic. One or two required relays as the tired finishers themselves could no longer support the runners.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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Jul 19, 2005
25,532
Boston
Great job both of you. I knew right away, having run last year (and this year was worse), that I wouldn't not break three hours and I've already qualified for 2018 at NY, so I took it pretty easy with a 3:17 and even stopped twice to say hi to people I knew, something I've never done during a race, even the bad ones.
 

GreenMountain

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Nov 4, 2007
122
Maine
Love the Boston stories. It was tough again this year with the heat as everyone has said. It sucks when your good training runs are 35-45 degrees and race day is in the 70's. I made a strong push in my training this year, starting to get serious about it in December and peaking with almost 300 miles in March. Best training cycle I have ever done and I was shooting for 2:55 or better on race day.

I carb-loaded like a madman for three days beforehand (I never want to see another bowl of rice). I decided the night before to carry a small bottle with me with Tailwind energy mix. I can't stand gatorade and gel packs eventually give me gut bombs if I have too many. I figured I would go down hard late in the race if I didn't have something to replace electrolytes. I gave a second pre-loaded bottle to my uncle who always watches the race in Natick at mile 11. The plan was to switch out the empty bottle there, with a fallback plan to just go with the gatorade at the stops if I missed seeing him.

Started in corral 5 in wave 1 and I was already sweating in the corral, which was disconcerting. Pace was good at the start, though I struggled right away to keep my own cadence and not fall into the rhythm of everyone around me. By mile 6 at Framingham it was pretty clear that I was going to be lucky to come close to my goal time. I hit every water stop after mile 2, mostly to dump water over my head and face, but I was also supplementing what I was carrying. Water bottle handoff at Natick went perfectly and I was able to hold the pace through the halfway point at Wellesley. The scream tunnel was in full effect, which is always good for a boost. The heat really kicked in at that point though and I started to flag a bit even before the hills. By the second and third hill I was well off the pace, though my legs and stomach still felt OK. I just couldn't generate the leg speed I needed at that point. I managed to grab an ice pack from someone on the second hill, which made a huge difference when I put it under my hat. Heartbreak Hill was appropriately soul-crushing. I happened to reach the top of Heartbreak with a runner wearing a BC jersey. The next few miles were a wave of sound and screams as the BC crowd amped up the volume as we passed through. It was a nice boost even though they were cheering for the guy next to me. Maybe I'll pick up some BC gear for next year :). Probably helped that the guy was in his 50's and just crushing it. Carb-loading and electrolyte water really paid off in the final five miles. After the hills I was able to bring my pace back to something close to where I needed to be to PR, though 2:55 was out the window by that point. I didn't get that drained hit-the-wall feeling until after mile 24 (usually hits me around mile 21) and with only 2 left to go I was able to hold on. As I crossed the painted line on the road saying one mile to go I got an unexpected adrenaline burst and rode that to Hereford. At that point it was a flat sprint to save a PR. I crossed the line at 2:58:38, just beating my 2015 time of 2:59:23.

Overall a good race under the conditions, but it would have been nice to see what I could have done in cooler weather. I need to find a winter marathon somewhere.

Also, @sonofgodcf I would definitely frame that photo. That's amazing and hilarious.
 

rbeaud

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
348
Orange, CT
Great job @GreenMountain & @TallerThanPedroia. All these Boston tales make me feel better about my impression of the heat. Guess I still sound like a grumpy old man regarding the race. Many runners/friends have asked and I always sheepishly provide an abbreviated summary of my tale. I feel bad expressing my opinion knowing that many people won't qualify for Boston...

Anywho, a prologue of sorts. This weekend signed up for a half marathon. My body was hardly stressed from Boston, so it didn't seem too crazy running 13 days later! I approached it as having nothing to loose. Ran hard through the first 8 miles...average was under 6:30 mpm pace. As this distance/pace was consistent with some of my Boston tempo runs, I knew the finish could be a challenge. Lost some time in the rolling hills of Cheshire, CT (closer to 7 mpm pace). It was a conscious decision not to race up the hills given how hard I ran through the flat front part. By mile 13, I was nearly spent. Overall finished 1:27:10 which is less than 2 minutes from my PR on a super flat course.

This raced showed me that all the training worked. Boston just happened to be a bad race day for me. I'm sore as all get-out these past two days, so it was a solid or "honest" race (as my son says).

According to my wife, this is a Run-iversary Year for us. She has a multi faceted running/traveling schedule on tap: Golden Gate Half in Nov, Bahamas full in Jan, and LA full in March. I'll work to keep this fitness and hopefully improve. My goal is still to beat 3 hours one day...and I want my conch shell for age group award in Bahamas.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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Jul 19, 2005
25,532
Boston
As I crossed the painted line on the road saying one mile to go I got an unexpected adrenaline burst and rode that to Hereford. At that point it was a flat sprint to save a PR. I crossed the line at 2:58:38, just beating my 2015 time of 2:59:23.

Overall a good race under the conditions, but it would have been nice to see what I could have done in cooler weather. I need to find a winter marathon somewhere.
I knew you'd kick my ass from watching your training on Strava. You're clearly in 2:55 or better shape in decent weather conditions. I ran 3:00:24 in 2015 and 3:17 this year by comparison.

Anywho, a prologue of sorts. This weekend signed up for a half marathon. My body was hardly stressed from Boston, so it didn't seem too crazy running 13 days later! I approached it as having nothing to loose. Ran hard through the first 8 miles...average was under 6:30 mpm pace. As this distance/pace was consistent with some of my Boston tempo runs, I knew the finish could be a challenge. Lost some time in the rolling hills of Cheshire, CT (closer to 7 mpm pace). It was a conscious decision not to race up the hills given how hard I ran through the flat front part. By mile 13, I was nearly spent. Overall finished 1:27:10 which is less than 2 minutes from my PR on a super flat course.

This raced showed me that all the training worked. Boston just happened to be a bad race day for me. I'm sore as all get-out these past two days, so it was a solid or "honest" race (as my son says).
Nice work on the half. I'm not surprised at your conclusion - that Boston was no way to judge your conditioning. I've got five races in the next five weeks to figure out where I really am, and then it's on to training for Chicago.
 

CSteinhardt

"Steiny"
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Dec 18, 2003
3,201
Cambridge
Thought I'd see if some of the more experienced runners had any advice. Did my second marathon today - I had done one a few years ago on basically no prep, and this time decided to actually try and train a little more properly. Unfortunately, I really don't have the time to devote to running mid-week (although I play cricket, with two serious practices and one match per week including fitness designed for sprint intervals rather than distance). It's also too cold/rainy in Denmark to do a lot of outdoor training until the last month or so before the race.

So, my training plan was to do a progressively longer run on weekends over about three months, working my way from 10k once to 16k + 8k two consecutive days on a treadmill over two months, then moving outside. I ran a 1:56 half marathon at a local race four weeks out with even splits. 8 days later, I planned to run for three hours at a very slow pace (being happy with whatever distance that ended up as, with about 30k in mind as a rough target) as my long run, but because it was a hot day and I didn't have the chance to bring food/water with me, I cut it off at 26k and 2:40. After both runs, I felt reasonably good the next day. A week and a half out, I did a 10k race in 52 minutes, and then I did a very easy 15k the weekend before the race.

Based on this, I thought that a reasonable time to aim for was around 4:20-4:25 (online calculators suggested more like 4:10, but I had less training than they probably assume). Since I knew I would be stretching myself in terms of distance, I decided to make sure to start out very slowly and really only push it in the last 10k, with the goal of ending up with a negative split and then being prepared to back off if things didn't go well. I ran a 1:02 first 10k and 2:11 half (I was aiming for 2:15), and at that point was generally feeling pretty good. It was hard to keep myself from speeding up even more around the halfway point, but I was trying very hard not to do so until about 30k.

Instead, somewhere around 28k, I started getting bad cramps in both calves, and eventually my right calf cramped badly enough that I just had to stop for about 5 minutes and get it stretched out. I tried a few times to get going again,but it would quickly cramp up if I ran for more than about 200m, even slowly, and I finally committed to powerwalking the last 10k or because I was worried that otherwise I wouldn't be able to finish. I pretty much was only able to run the last 1k or so, mainly because I was too embarrassed not to in front of the large crowds at the finish, and did some sort of a hobbling sprint to finish in 5:11. It's really frustrating to end up walking for the last 2 hours of a marathon when from a cardio point of view you can easily be running, especially when the bib has your name on it and so everybody feels that you need special encouragement to keep going.

What I'm trying to figure out is basically what went wrong. They had aid stations about every 2 miles, and at every single aid station I would get two cups of energy drink. They also had bananas about every 4 miles (I'd get half a banana at each) and I ended up taking about 800 calories of gu energy chews as well, 80 calories about 10 minutes prior to the start and another 80 calories every 30 minutes. So, if I understand correctly, I probably didn't run out of calories or electrolytes. But maybe I got something wrong there instead?

Anyway, I'd love to hear suggestions, because having put in the training effort and then only run about 2/3 of a marathon, I'd like to sign up for another one at the end of the summer. So all ideas would be greatly appreciated!
 

sonofgodcf

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Jul 17, 2005
1,646
The toilet.
Congrats on the race! Bummer about the leg cramps, but still finishing is awesome - you wouldn't have been the first to say screw it and quit when you start cramping. It sounds like you were hydrating and fueling pretty well (although maybe mixing in some water instead of going all sports drink may help), but what did you do to prep? The week leading up to the race is just as important, you can't just drink a lot on the course to avoid cramping.

Personally I cheat a bit and drink a bottle of Pedialyte (in a 1:4 mix with water) the day or two leading up to a marathon. It's worked pretty well, as I've never experienced any cramping during my races (knock on wood). I'd also challenge you to try and run more outside. I think people take shorter strides on treadmills, so the change in gait may contribute a bit to the calf issue. If you have the right apparel you can still get out there on the cold and rainy days and be fine. It's miserable at first, but I think there's something fun about training in crappy conditions. At the least, you're better prepared if the weather during the race isn't ideal.

Hope that helps and congrats again! It's great that you're already looking for your next race, I hate running by the end of most marathons and wonder why the hell I do them. It usually takes me a while to forget the misery and sign up for another (and that's when I finish without any problems).
 

CSteinhardt

"Steiny"
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Dec 18, 2003
3,201
Cambridge
Congrats on the race! Bummer about the leg cramps, but still finishing is awesome - you wouldn't have been the first to say screw it and quit when you start cramping. It sounds like you were hydrating and fueling pretty well (although maybe mixing in some water instead of going all sports drink may help), but what did you do to prep? The week leading up to the race is just as important, you can't just drink a lot on the course to avoid cramping.

Personally I cheat a bit and drink a bottle of Pedialyte (in a 1:4 mix with water) the day or two leading up to a marathon. It's worked pretty well, as I've never experienced any cramping during my races (knock on wood). I'd also challenge you to try and run more outside. I think people take shorter strides on treadmills, so the change in gait may contribute a bit to the calf issue. If you have the right apparel you can still get out there on the cold and rainy days and be fine. It's miserable at first, but I think there's something fun about training in crappy conditions. At the least, you're better prepared if the weather during the race isn't ideal.

Hope that helps and congrats again! It's great that you're already looking for your next race, I hate running by the end of most marathons and wonder why the hell I do them. It usually takes me a while to forget the misery and sign up for another (and that's when I finish without any problems).
Thanks - I haven't run enough to actually know where my limits are, so maybe if I were a bit smarter about it I could have recognized there was a problem before I actually couldn't continue. In the week leading up to the race I mainly ate the same things I normally would, with the exception of eating an extra, carb-heavy meal the night before. Most of what I drink tends to be carbonated (flavored seltzer, things like that - it's Europe), so maybe that's a bad idea?

I'll also think more about doing more outside runs. I guess part of the problem is that I'm not all that motivated to run alone when training - it's too easy to just decide that you don't really need to go the extra mile or two because it's already been a good workout. Races are fun because there's a big group, even for shorter races held in the city there are crowds, etc., and of course once you start you're kinda committed to running that distance, so I've tried to use those for prep instead. But that doesn't always work well for a training schedule, especially when this isn't my primary sport and I have to schedule accordingly.

One final thing I'll mention - Copenhagen is a wonderful marathon, and I'd really recommend it to anybody who's thinking about doing one in Europe. Not only is it well organized, it's cheap (under $100 even if you sign up the night before the race) and it's almost dead flat. It's also entirely urban, so you get to see the whole city. The same group also organizes a half marathon on a similarly fast course in September (the winning time last year was 59:07, second fastest in 2016), and if anybody thinks about making the trip, I'd be happy to answer any questions about the city.
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
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Sep 19, 2005
15,605
The Eastern Suburbs
I finished my first Ultra on the weekend, completing the Ultra-Trail Australia 50km in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Truly stunning geography.

Here's a stupid long race diary I wrote for my running circle guys. Spoilered as long and probably a bit too intense!

It was a crazy day. It hasn't rained here in a while but it was sheeting rain on all friday, the day before the race, and unfortunately the sheer volume of rain triggered the National Parks and Wildlife to shut down the key back end of the race in the Kedumba valley. Sent some shockwaves through the scene. The coach/physio who helped get me to the start line was plugged into the brainstrust and I got work pretty early Friday there'd be a course change; friday night about 8pm the word came through we'd be running an entirely different 50km then we trained for.

I trained for six months specifically on and for the course I was going to run, with a full hydration and fuelling strategy mapped out, as well knowing where to run, where to ease off, where I was going to hit snags etc. The course was the second half of the 100km event. Instead, now, we'd be doing the first half of the 100km event. The poor 100km event people had to do 3/4 of their event and then double back on the last quarter, through the Leura Cascades, the toughest part of the course for many as you go up and down the escarpment on stairs three or four times. The problem for me and almost everyone else is the first half of the 50km course ran out and through some very isolated terrain in the Megalong Valley and much of it was private or off-limits so, unless you had previously run the 100km course, you'd never ever have been out there. I hadn't.

But we were all in the same boat. We had to trust our fitness. The night before, many people were asking if we should still use our poles; the last 15km of the origional course in Kedumba was all uphill and poles a major tactical advantage; most people told us there was no such clear area in the Megalong Valley and not to carry them. I followed advice and left them. A repeated mantra as the hours and hills rolled by on race day was "I want to punch every single fucker who told me to leave my poles at home right in the fucking face". I should have brought my poles.

My run was very strong. Unfortunately I, and half the running community it seemed, got hit by a cold bug in taper and I was running with a slight fever and a cough but it really only got me a little at the end.

Running without knowing what was ahead apart from vague things was pretty freeing. I cruised the first 8km on single track, held up by some slower runners and slowed to a walk at the Landslide section, then hit the Golden Staircase up the cliffs which I'd only ever run once at the end of a 4 hour training run. I was strong there and passed many people without using too much effort. Fuelled the whole way, still eating Shotz Choc-Mint bars and Green Tea Tailwind.

Up top, we ran 10km along Narrowneck which is a stunning ridge between two valleys. Ran easy on the flats and hiked the hills. Ran hard without trying to brake on the hills, barely controlled chaos as they call it, feet landing underneath me and not heel-striking, not applying the quad brakes.

Then at the 20k hit the Taros Ladders. There's a section of cliff that has permanent, terrifying climbers spikes and for this event they rig temporary ladders you can climb down; you can also take an 800m slippery descent detour. It's a bottleneck there but the rule of thumb is 20 people or more, take the detour, otherwise it'll be faster to wait and climb. However, talk on the trails was we were all excited as, unless you do the 100km run, you won't ever get to climb the ladders. I got there, fifteen people ahead of me and happily waited, fuelled and took my turn. Incredibly fun stuff. Here's the people ahead of me getting on the ladders, and the photo looking down.





Down the bottom, ran well for another 5 or so, and then hit a massive hill none of us, on this track for the first time, knew was coming. It kept going and going and we knew the next checkpoint was at the top. We dubbed it 'The Fucked Hill' and it was there I regretted my lack of poles. It was there I also hit the wall hard. Never thought of quitting but it all started to hurt. I found a friend in a nice guy who kept me perked up and strong, we shared some good stories and at some point I felt strong enough to run on with new energy. He stayed behind, one of many friends I made for a few KM and lost; Unfortunately I looked him up later and found he DNF'd at the top of that hill.

We heard the sound of a didgeridoo rolling down the top of that hill and ruight at the crest some men from the local Mob were playing in the bush. It was magic, and what I needed and right there I got my second wind and took off.

I rolled into CP3 and refilled now-empty bladders. I'd followed a lifehack tip and used empty Gu/NuuN tablet things and filled them with Tailwind powder. At the CP it was easy to fill a flask with powder and then water. I tried instant noodles; people rave about them. I'm not so sure. I haven't had soft drink in almost fifteen years but the Coke looked amazing. I stayed strong. I rolled out, 31km down, and then we met up with the 100k runners who'd started a few hours earlier, our paths joining. I was surprised to see a friend on poles walking along; she was a strong runner who I expected to finish easily. She'd rolled her ankle at 7km on Golden and had been hobbling for 30KM (they were a little ahead of us). I walked with her for a KM uphill and we both knew and didn't say that there was no way she was going to finish. I left her there; later I found she DNF but made it to the 60km checkpoint, which is incredible.

A downhill presented itself to my tired legs at 32km and I put my head up, smiled and started to fly. I ran easy and well for the next 5km, down and flat, at 4.30km pace. It was a lot of energy to use up but I made amazing time and it mentally kickstarted me and when I finally slowed up at another huge hill around 39km it was like I was at the start line of a new race. Tired, with ITB now threatening both knees, and the cold really clamping on me, but alive.

I passed a 5 foot long red-bellied-black snake (pretty poisonous but not so bad, you probably won't die unless you're running an ultra marathon and a long way from help) dead on the track; its head crushed by a rock mere hours earlier, and wondered at the runner or runners who did that deed.

My goal for the other course was 7 hours dream finish, 8 hours ideal finish. At 41km I was at 6 hours and started to dream, but I knew ahead of me was one more challenge; people had been muttering 'Nellies Glen' ominously for the last while. None of us knew what it was, just that it was supposed to be hard.

It was hard.

It was winding single trail with steps and no hand rails that dipped and rose for 3.5km out of the Valley up the cliff to the top of the escarpment and it killed me. About 2km my left quad seized; the huge steps, three foot high, meant a spasm every time it lifted and i was reduced from taking single steps to slowly double footing every step. I lost a lot of time. Everyone was cramping. No one was talking; it was a single file of agony. We couldn't see where we were going. Every now and again someone would scream in agony as a calf or quad or, most agonisingly, a hammy, would explode in cramp. And we'd all stop and help.

I got to the top on my own in a dark place after an hour and a bit. An hour for just over three k. And I was cramping bad. And my right kneee, my GOOD knee, was crippled by ITB as I'd definitely been overusing it to save my left, bad knee. A chinese runner screamed and feel from cramps at the top of the stairs, right at the top, and I caught her. Her calf was cramping but she wouldn't listen to me and straighten it to touch her toes, she was lettnig the pain beat her and she was holding my arm so hard it has bruises today still. A volunteer - they're angels - waiting up the top, like 50m away, came running down and took her because I was barely alive. I hope she made it, I didn't catch her name.

From that point I knew the last CP was ahead somewhere, with 2 km after that to the finish. My goal was to beat the sun home and it was dipping over my back. I was cramping and it was three km of single trail gentle, stuff I'd have flown across six hours earlier but I was out of water and I couldn't bend my legs; if I did I cramped; so I was straight leggedly sort of bouncing down the stairs. I made it to the CP and they were making us put on High-Vis vests. I felt like night was going to beat me.

I looked at my watch and it said 49.5 and the Volunteers at the last CP were saying 'only 3 to go!' and my dead brain was going... 'that shit doesn't add up' but of course the new course meant the 50 - and this is always the case with ultra trail runs - wasn't ACTUALLY 50, that's always just a ballpark.

My ITB in the right was destroying me but I was running through the streets of Katoomba now closing on Scenic World and the finish line. I cried a bit; I was talking to myself, saying dumb things like "SHUT UP AND RUN YOU FUCKING LOSER".

I got in and the crowds lining the lead to the finish turn were calling my name - they're on our bibs - and I started to smile like a moron and then I saw my wife put my four year old over the fence up ahead. He looked like a deer int he headlights. I was on my own, no other runners around me, and people were saying "Go Adam!" and my poor boy wouldn't take my hand at first and I slowed but in my head I was thinking "this is your one chance, kid, I'm fucking leaving you here if you don't come right now" and he took it and we ran home and crossed the line.

In the five minutes it took the rest of the family to get over to us I sort of sat there with my four year old and almost cried/was a zombie. I'm sure it's going to fuck him up forever.

I did 7:40 and beat official sunset by 6 minutes. Next year on the real course, I'll do 70. I need to do even MORE glute stuff even though I did so fucking much glute stuff but apart from that, I didn't really do anything wrong, I'm pretty good with it all. Nellie's Glen killed me.

And that was my first Ultra - can't wait for the next one!
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
SoSH Member
Sep 19, 2005
15,605
The Eastern Suburbs
Thanks mate. I enjoyed it. And I've already signed up for next year. I'll do that fucking course I trained for or die trying.

Also trying to convince my wife we want to go to NZ so I can do Tarawera 100km in Feb.
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
SoSH Member
Sep 19, 2005
15,605
The Eastern Suburbs
Man, the ITB that killed me in my last few KMs really had me good, post-race. Only in the last week have I managed to get back into a routine, after almost a month of stretching, physio and foam rolling. I managed a nice trail 8km on the weekend and remembered why I loved trail running so much - being out in the bush on your own is just the best.

How's your running going? Anyone have any races coming up? I live vicariously through other people's runs.
 

fiskful of dollars

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Jul 14, 2005
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Charlottesville, VA
I'm into triathlon season but sprinkling in a few half marathons...did the Marine Corps Historic Half (course PR, so that was cool) in May. Doing Rock and Roll Virginia Beach 13.1 in September. Right now my focus is on IM NC 70.3 and IM Mt Tremblant. It's been HOT in Va. the past week or so. I did a 9 mile speed workout on the TM this weekend. It was as awful as it sounds. At least it was cool indoors. Hope everyone's training is going well.

Glad you IT rehab is coming along Syd, that's a tough injury to deal with. Hope you're able to train/race this season injury free.
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
SoSH Member
Sep 19, 2005
15,605
The Eastern Suburbs
Good luck with it. I just signed up to do the run leg, half marathon distance, of a team tri. I hate swimming and riding bikes but most of my tri mates hate running so it worked out well.

re the ITB, it's my second time and I'm sort of all over it. It happened during the trail race I recently did, with massive steep downhills, so I know the specific origin and it's thankfully a result of the geography, not symptomatic. The only real good part about it is I wasn't in full on training when I took three weeks off. I did 10 yesterday at a stupid pace but it just felt good to go fast and no pain, so I'm sorting it.
 

fiskful of dollars

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Jul 14, 2005
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Charlottesville, VA
Has anyone tried the Halo Neuroscience training headphones? I saw these yesterday for the first time. At first blush, I thought it sounded like BS but the science is pretty compelling. Not sure how to metric real correlation v. placebo v. traditional training gains but it makes for an interesting topic.
 

fiskful of dollars

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Jul 14, 2005
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There's a triathlon thread. I know this because I started it and I'm the only one who ever posts in it.

Except for Kremlin Watcher.

Musselman is supposed to be a cool race. I'm thinking about Savageman next year. I'm not a huge fan of WTC taking over all the venues.
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
SoSH Member
Sep 19, 2005
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The Eastern Suburbs
I have been sort of training for a marathon. Since the ultra in May, I had to take 5 weeks off for ITB and then I got back into it. Have picked up my k's and am still in great shape though I've been careful not to overload. I have a fun run, the City to Surf, in two weeks, it's from Sydney to Bondi Beach and though it's only 14km I know I'll go fast. Week after that a trail 32km run. Then four weeks after that is the Sydney Marathon (Blackmores Running Festival). I've been going back and forth about signing up... it's been my goal to at least tick off a road marathon even though I'm definitely focusing most of my training on trail and ultra distance, but I definitely don't think I'm ready. But really I don't think I'm ready to post a good time. I'm sure, barring injury (the C2S is a worry), I'll finish. But it won't be a a good solid run, I'm sure there'll be some pained walk/running after 30 or 35km.

Anyway, the cut off for entry was yesterday so I just fucking bit the bullet and signed up. Heading into a marathon sure I'm not ready isn't the best feeling, and totally different to the 50 I did a couple months ago which I was dead certain I was ready for.

None of the above really matters, I was just sort of posting my stream of consciousness to get it all out.

Here's to not getting hurt!
 

rbeaud

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Jul 15, 2005
348
Orange, CT
Anyway, the cut off for entry was yesterday so I just fucking bit the bullet and signed up. Heading into a marathon sure I'm not ready isn't the best feeling, and totally different to the 50 I did a couple months ago which I was dead certain I was ready for.

None of the above really matters, I was just sort of posting my stream of consciousness to get it all out.

Here's to not getting hurt!
Syd, you are in much better shape than my initial foray into marathoning. It's probably in this thread somewhere...lost 8 weeks in the prime of training, picked up 2 weeks before the race with a 20k, and hoped for the best. The last 10k were torture though I got it done with only walking the water stops. Just be sure to have a realistic plan about performance so you can be properly ready your target race(s).

Me, I'm paying the penalty for resting (slacking) after Boston. I felt so good the next day, not sure rest was necessary. Then came work travel, vacation, more travel. It's easy to say, just one more rest day. Now trying to ramp up all over again for the races planned in the fall/spring. I hate knowing the early ones won't be my best effort...it's all about the plan, man! Next stop, New Haven Road Race Half with my ankle and chemistry correct for the first time.
 

SydneySox

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Sep 19, 2005
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Hah, good to know. It'll be interesting looking around at that marathon crowd and trying to work out who is ready and who is like me, toeing the line just hoping to finish.

Yeah this yeah, though I took a few weeks off for the injury, I was really big about booking events, just little ones to start, to participate in going forward, stuff to train for. I'm hoping to always have a plan, like you say, so there's always something else.
 

Schnerres

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Apr 28, 2009
1,554
Germany
I have some questions.

1) What is your size/weight?
2) How many km do you run in the longest training runs?
3) Do you run on your own feeling/experience or go by training plans?
4) When do you run (before / after work)?
5) How is your running affected by weather/seasons?

I´m a teacher, so there´s time to train. I´m too big (180cm, 90kg), so I have to drop a lot of weight, but running is good for me and maybe I´m doing a halfmarathon, if I see the full distance is too much. So far, 10km is no problem with up to 4-5 times running per week and already 7kg dropped. But it´s summer break and school will start soon, again. And the weather will get worse and it´ll get dark earlier again, that´s my problem.
Right now, I run early in the day (like 10am), like 2 hours after breakfast. I run in the woods, up and down. If it´s raining, I also run the streets (I don´t like meeting people everywhere), also up and down. I never do specific speed trainings, but I have lots of experience with this stuff (football player), but would hate doing this for preparation. I like the rain and hate running at 20+°C on a sunny day, it´s too warm and I can´t breathe.

I´m dreaming of a Marathon, so I don´t know how long to train and in which season to run. Maybe there´s help out there. Thank you for listening.
 

SydneySox

A dash of cool to add the heat
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Sep 19, 2005
15,605
The Eastern Suburbs
I work to a plan, yeah, gradually increasing long runs and mixing in speed and stairs every week. I mostly train for trails so I do more hills and stairs than you might for pure road running. Most of my running is after work, running home, and I run in all conditions. It doesn't really get cold here but last summer many of my runs were in close to 40c days. Good training.
 

SydneySox

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Sep 19, 2005
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Finished the C2S 14k fun run, went hard and PB'd by 8 minutes in 61 minutes. Was trying hard to do 60 minutes and my time management was about 1 minute out which was mildly annoying! Was super tight but toed the line for the Bilpin 32km bush run on Saturday and smashed that too. Flew the last 10k after taking it pretty easy for the first 20. The good thing was I felt like I could have kept going forever at the end and it makes me really confident that I'll be ok in the marathon in a couple weeks. I won't post a great time but I'll get there and that's all I want, really.
 

sonofgodcf

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Jul 17, 2005
1,646
The toilet.
Just returned from a trip to Ireland (don't know why I came back) where I mixed in a bit of torture with the Dingle Marathon. Awesome course - easily the prettiest road race I've ever been on (think NZ/ Shotover still beats it, although that course also almost killed me...) but we got smacked with some miserable weather. It was the first time it rained on race day, and more than that were some nasty winds. At times I couldn't tell if it was rain or sleet that was coming down, it was hitting me so hard. Needless to say I enjoyed much of the views through one eye.

I planned on using this as a training run for NYC especially where the course elevation promised (about 1800 ft in ascent/decent) to be tough. Mix in the weather and lack of aid stations (8 total) and I figured I'd take this one easy and just listen to my body and run comfortable. Apparently a week of binge drinking is a great prep though, as I ended up with a PR by 1:30 and my first (and likely only) top ten finish (10th, but still)! A massive downhill at the end of the course coupled with a crazy Irish runner swearing at me to run harder were great boosts to finishing strong. Super pumped for NYC now, although my ultimate goal time still feels daunting.

This was also my first road marathon I've run without music. After years of training/racing with music I decided to ditch it this spring and I think it's been a game changer for me. I feel much more aware of my body and have been able to enjoy my runs more. It's a bit surprising as I've always though music helped me escape some of the discomfort and help set a pace or me.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Dingle Marathon/Half Marathon to anyone able to get out there. You certainly don't get cheated by the half - it's the harder section of the race and also has the best views. They try to keep the whole field relatively small, so don't hesitate to sign up if you think you can make it. The best part is you finish in a great town to recover the right way, by drinking an excessive amount of beer.
 

SydneySox

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Sep 19, 2005
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You're a pretty fast runner so I'd be keen to hear what that time turned out to be mate.

I ditched music late last year too, and it's been part of my better running. Like you, I feel more in tune with my rhythm. I also keep doing my internal checklists more, and I can stay on the right cadence. With music I'd invariably alter my strides, even with songs that theoretically had the right cadence, and I'd get lost and realise I'd dropped my cadence and was overstriding, or going too fast/etc.
 

sonofgodcf

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Jul 17, 2005
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The toilet.
Ran a 3:04:34 - pretty pumped, but still a ways off from my ultimate goal to go sub-3. My conditioning feels good, so I think for the next seven weeks I'm going to focus more on speed work (which I never do). At least one interval/hill/fartlek a week to try and build some strength and finishing speed. My challenge is I have a labral tear in my hip (and I suspect the same the other) and speed workouts aggravate it the most. I rarely do track workouts because they kill me, but I'd love to find a way to manage my hip and do more.
 

GreenMountain

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Nov 4, 2007
122
Maine
Nice time, especially with injuries. If you have access to a rail trail or similar straight dirt path without roots or obstacles you could try doing speedwork there. You won't see the same pace as you would on a track, but it will help your form and lung capacity in the same way. Alternatively you could mix in more tempo runs. Not as hard on the body as all-out intervals and may be more helpful for marathon distance anyway. I dealt with labral tear/hip issues for most of last year and the thing that ultimately helped the most was doing a ton of squats and hamstring work for a couple of moths.
 

SydneySox

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First marathon out of the way on Sunday, in Sydney. Started well. Was aiming to run anywhere around 5km/m, whatever seemed comfortable, without really trying for a time too much. 3.30 was the 'dream' outcome in that I had set it as a target.

Ran very well without any exertion and was interested to see that was consistently around 4.40, so ahead of my 'happy' pace. Kept it up for a long time, even holding myself back a lot. Noted I'd done a PB half marathon as I passed 21km of 1:37 by about 9 minutes though it's worth noting I stopped running road halves a while ago and the increased shape and training means I'd have expected that. If I was trying for a 1/2 PB of 1:30 it's pretty clear I could do it.

Had a weird Garmin fuckup as I hit the 25km mark where I've consistently hit my second wind. We were passing through the city and my watch showed I was running closer to 6. It seemed a bit wrong though I guessed I must be flagging so I picked it up, and put in some effort. Then it all jumped back in about 2km later when my watch told me I was now running sub 4. I wasted some energy there.

It all got hard at 30 but I expected that. Then it got terrible at 35 with 7 to go. Those last 5kms were dreadful and I was in a very rough place physically. I just couldn't get my body going. I was nauseous and my left hammy was quivering with that 'I'm about to cramp on you, motherfucker' feeling.

I got to the end but did it was some walking which I'm really unhappy about. At the time I just couldn't eke it out. I basically walked the drink station table... they'd be 100m and I'd get a drink from the first person and walk it to the end and then when I finished I'd run. It was shit. I knew I'd finish but it was just shit.

I got to the last 500m and decided to put it all in to the Opera House steps. But as soon as I tried to sprint my hamstring exploded into a bad cramp, like it was just saying "hey fuckhead, I was going to get you there, you didn't have to kick me" and that sucked. I got across the line but it was hard work. Then I couldn't walk, the cramp was so bad. So I just stood there trying to stretch it out for like 8 minutes.

My time was 3:39 which I am objectively very happy about, but I was on pace for sub 3:20 until around the last 7 k's or so where I dropped close to 20 minutes. Even if I could have shuffled I'd have gone close to 3:30. I'm very very very happy I finished and my time is great, for me, but I have a lot to work on if I want to do this on road again. Next up the Tarawera 100km in NZ in February.
 

Schnerres

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Apr 28, 2009
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I ran a 12km race last weekend. It was about 500m height m + and -. It was only a fun and family race in a tiny competition with no official time keeping. The trail was called "hill and valley" and for me, it was really tough.
When I´m in vacation, I run 4-5 times a week for 5-9km. So, since 6 weeks, I´m working and only run once per week for either 4 or 6km. I´m totally out of shape (especially if you add the 90kg).
There were passages where most (not every) competitor had to walk up the hill, including me. It was really fun, but me legs were burning. The last 3km were tough, but that was my "house trail", so I knew what was coming and that there was a steep climb back home. I still made it without walking. I had two women and a guy running about 200m in front of me and set the goal to catch them on the final hill, but they were gone. He was pumping when we met and talked in the finish with a cold beer. He was really much faster downhill, but couldn´t run uphill (bigger guy), where he walked and I jogged slowly and caught up. I still couldn´t catch him on the final mountain.
Based on my training times I set the goal of 1:30:00 for the 12km. I easily beat it and ran 1:20:30. For me, I´m happy for that day, but when I saw some of the other results (fastest guy:51minutes, fastest woman 1:02), I thought I have to train harder.

I had sore legs on monday and tuesday, but right now i´m going for a short 6km training run and want to run this again on next weekend, if I find that trail (deep in the woods, but starts basically in front of my door).
 

pedro1918

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Mar 5, 2004
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I did! It was at the top of all of the "best first marathon" lists I could find, so I'm really excited! Here's hoping the weather holds out!
Are you ready to go dixie? I ran the Army 10 Miler on a similar course a couple weeks back and the weather was brutal. The humidity was unbearable. It's looking much better for this weekend, thank goodness.

Good luck! Let's us know how it goes.
 

SydneySox

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Sep 19, 2005
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The Eastern Suburbs
I did my first 'race' since the marathon - one month later - yesterday. A trail 11km. Really tough course where you have to climb up natrual/carved a rocky 'staircase' for 400m right at the end on your hands and knees. Because it was a shorter distance, and there was a 24km on at the same time, which I'd normally do, I decided 'fuck it' and raced it instead of just used it as a training run. Went out hard for the first time - normally I just run with the pack for a good training time. It was pretty crazy out front with the big kids. There was an Olympian there and a big name in local trail running and they just fucking vanished out of sight within two hundred metres down a rocky single trail. Lost them in the bush literally immediately. It was an amazing reality check! I hung on with another guy and the young lady who went on to win the ladies race for about 8km but I've currently got a cold and on this course we ended up having to climb that escarpment twice (did two mini laps!) and on the second time I just couldn't run up it. Finished 11th in the end, got passed by several people on that staircase. But if I manipulate the categories enough, I finished third in my age group! I got a bag of Tailwind as a prize and everything.

The closest I'll ever get to greatness was watching those guys vanish ;)
 

SydneySox

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Sep 19, 2005
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I benefited from most of the more serious runners doing the 24km, but I'll take it ;) How's your guys running going? I'm still feeling lingering effects from the marathon.

One of the things I'm doing to re-set after the marathon is trying to take the next step (ha) in form correction. Last year I made the big move to change cadence and stop overstriding, which I have done. It took about 40 seconds off my km time just by engaging the glutes and quads more effectively, which is great, and I feel like I'm naturally hitting 180bpm now. However I've sort of known, and recently had it confirmed by my running coach/physio on a casual run we did together (a free one, but he couldn't help working) that I'm not getting my leg kick up high enough behind me and am still shuffling and slightly overstriding. I didn't think I was still heel-striking, but recent runs have proved to me that I am. All that means I'm letting my hamstrings get away without doing any work. So I'm now committing to getting the back leg up, really getting the hammies going, and lifting my knee. It's now also taken a further 30 seconds off my KM time; in order to get my leg back, knee lifted and still hit 180 I'm just naturally going faster. It's hard fucking work, this running shit. But the injuries are going away, and I'm getting quicker. Never stop trying to get better, I guess.
 

fiskful of dollars

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Jul 14, 2005
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One thing I try to focus on is extending my leg kick and consciously feeling my hamstring recoil as I turn my stride over. That helps with my cadence, keeps me running tall and that all helps me land on my forefoot. That being said, it's really hard to do (for me anyway) consistently and my form is always a work in progress.

I had a really fun season. PR's in my 10K and half marathon runs and in Sprint, Olympic and Half Ironman triathlon distances. Had a few injuries which hampered my Half Ironman run a bit but still managed a 30 minute PR. Still trying to get faster and fitter. But you're right Syd - shit is hard.

I'm recovering now after the season but doing a half marathon in Dec. What do you guys do in the winter? I usually run through the winter and do Shamrock (26.2 or 13.1-depending on my tri race schedule) but I think that comes back to bite me later in the season...too many miles on this tired frame. I was gonna do more swimming/indoor biking this winter, less running and a bit more core stuff. I tend to ignore weight training and core training once the season starts but I think I should change it up this season.