SOSH Running Dogs

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
The cost seems pretty low (I read $25 per year), so even if it pays for a couple races I'm way ahead of the game. Hopefully, some people here can fill me in on other details I missed pro and con. I'm perfectly fine continuing to train and race on my own, I was just curious to see what clubs offer that I might otherwise be missing. There are some pretty competitive and experienced runners here (past and present) who can hopefully shed some light on this.
My 0.02$:

For me I didn't know jack shit about running so I joined the MRC. It was local, there were runners smarter than me so I was able to pick their brains, and I could go on group runs and do Sunday runs. If you poke through their message board, their Sunday runs are very organized and they (for the most part) get a large turnout with people with varying paces. I am still a member there but because I moved up North and many other reasons I haven't been able to get down there as much as I would like to.

GLRR isn't as big as it once was - I always hear stories of 100+ people showing up for track and for Sunday runs. These days, the Sunday runs aren't as big and the talent is pretty good for the most part. It's not uncommon to have two groups - a sub 7:00 pace and a 8:XX pace group but for the most part we don't have more than 6-8 people. GLRR also isn't as much of a social club as MRC - for the most part you can go sling 2$ beers at the KofC after a Tuesday night run and talk running with others. GLRR is really a long run/workout and then people scatter.

Some other local clubs that seem to be more wellrounded : CMS, MVS, SRR and the good old L Street. If you're looking for people to run with during marathon training - the biggest crowd is L street in Southie. There are always tons of people at varying paces and people from all clubs go down there and run from time to time.

For me, I look to clubs for camaraderie and breaking the monotony of long runs. As you meet people at your own pace - you tend to meet up for other runs. This is what happened to me and some of the Whirlaway guys in the winter - getting me some of the best workouts I've ever had.

If you want a contact for any local clubs let me know and I can get a name/email - overall the whole Greater Boston running community is a pretty close one with everyone knowing everyone ( except for the south shore - they don't count anyways :) )
 

Big Guapo Style

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 8, 2002
748
Hell of a job - you had a few minutes to spare also :) - Will get you a nice # for Boston (if you're running)
Yeah, I was wondering if I'd be able to sneak into the 2nd corral. I'm likely going to do it, but I am also considering doing Vermont City in May. Has anyone done that one? I've heard great things. I guess I could do both, I haven't had much success in the past running a good time at Boston so I could just take it easy as a long run and focus on Burlington.

As for clubs, I have been meaning to join one for a while but I rarely am free to run at the usual group run times. I enjoy the camraderie amongst runners I see at races throughout the summer, so if I did join, that would be the main reason. Also to push myself to get better by training with better runners. One of these days...
 

AusTexSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2005
2,003
Erstwhile North Shore Resident
A rowing marathon is actually the same distance of 26.2 miles. The one I go to every year is in Natchitoches, LA on the Cane River. It was about 80 degrees this year (just this past Saturday) and almost 100% humidity. One kid from UT blacked out 1 mile from the finish and had to be given 4 liters of fluid. Yikes. The biggest killer is that your ass hurts for a day or too. Legs are sore but the upper body is fine.

As for the weather during the Austin Marathon, it can vary. Two years ago it got up to 75 degrees which must have been Hell. Last year it was nice and cool. I'd say on average at the start it is around 45 degrees or so but by the time you are done, it is around 60-65. It is a very fast course. Almost all downhill. I really can't think of there being any hills at all. If there are any, it is in the early miles. They recently charged the course to make it faster to attract more runners.

If anyone decides to come down, let me know.
 

sass a thon

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
2,265
It is great to see some new names pop up in here. Maybe it is a good time to ask this question. In every race I see runners who are members of various running clubs. I've thought about joining one for a couple reasons. First, to attempt to learn from some of the experiences of other runners. Second, for the occasional group runs it might be useful to have someone else control the pace once in a while. Third, the clubs may have other benefits (training programs, race fees, etc)

The idea of doing the weekend long runs occasionally with others does sound appealing, but I'm worried I'll show up and there will be a few people running 6:30-7:00mi/mile pace for their long runs (near my 10k pace) tempo and another group running 10+min/mile pace and I'll be stuck with nobody in my 8:00-8:45 pace. The greater Lowell Road Runners has a blog of the group runs and on some occasions that appeared to be the case. I'm concerned I'm a level or two below the level of the group that joins these clubs.

The cost seems pretty low (I read $25 per year), so even if it pays for a couple races I'm way ahead of the game. Hopefully, some people here can fill me in on other details I missed pro and con. I'm perfectly fine continuing to train and race on my own, I was just curious to see what clubs offer that I might otherwise be missing. There are some pretty competitive and experienced runners here (past and present) who can hopefully shed some light on this.
Unless I'm way off base and the Dallas Running Club is way different than running clubs in New England, I can't imagine you'd be alone in an 8:00-8:45 pace group. Our club has groups for just about everyone, from 5:30 to 12:00. If there is a specific group you are looking at, surely there is someone you can email to ask. I've found that running groups are generally very welcoming and glad to have new people join.

I'd recommend a running club to anyone and everyone. I only bought my boyfriend and I a group membership as a gift to him and because I thought getting to run a few free 5Ks would be cool, but it has been a tremendous experience. There's no way I'd ever have run a half marathon without the group training.
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Unless I'm way off base and the Dallas Running Club is way different than running clubs in New England, I can't imagine you'd be alone in an 8:00-8:45 pace group. Our club has groups for just about everyone, from 5:30 to 12:00. If there is a specific group you are looking at, surely there is someone you can email to ask.
You're not completely way off base, but from my experience from talking to other runners in other areas of the country, running clubs (just like running and racing in general) are more dense up here. As an example, I point to the Mill Cities Relay race which is an invitational relay race in December. I think there are 13 clubs alone from Boston north to Southern NH for this race and others have expressed interest in joining. This list doesn't even list some of the bigger clubs like the Cambridge Running Club, the BAA or L Street. Because there are so many clubs, sometimes the clubs aren't as big as others.
 

SoxChick13

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
23
Boston, MA
I had no idea that so many SoSHers are runners. This makes me happy. I also had no idea that lurkers can reply to "General Sports" categories.
This also makes me happy.

I just ran my third marathon in October (the now infamous Chicago Marathon 2007 that was 'called off' due to 90 degree weather). Other than that, I've run NYC Marathon twice (first time in 2004, right after the Sox won it all...I wore my Red Sox hat for the entire race and got booed right through the Bronx, mile 20. It felt great.).

I moved to back to Boston a year ago, and always looking for people to run with (and talk about baseball!), as I am often a lazy bastard and have problems motivating to go by myself. I'd be down for participating in some kind of SoSH marathon effort (fundraising perhaps?) if it were to happen....
 

SoxChick13

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
23
Boston, MA
Were you one of the runners they had to stop in Chi or did you finish before they halted everyone? Must have been chaos.
I finished all 26.2 miles of it...when we were approaching mile 20, there were these dudes that were yelling at us to stop running and they told us that we weren't allowed to finish and it was too dangerous, blah blah blah. I was 20 miles in, and there was NO WAY that I was stopping, considering that I felt really good. I ran with two friends, and we had paced ourselves well (usually run ~4:10, at the time we were probably on pace for 4:30-40ish), on pace for a slower marathon than we wanted, but we didn't want to pass out or anything. We kept ourselves well hydrated and cool, and didn't do anything stupid.

We kept going, and no one stopped us, although at points, the cops were yelling at us to walk, which we did for a little bit, and finally we were told that they were still timing us and were going to be allowed to finish. We ran the last 2 miles straight through and ended up finishing in 5:18, and I still felt pretty good all things considered. I think the official temperature was 88, but we passed two different bank clocks that read 92 and 93...most of the second half of the race was in the blazing sun, which didn't help much.

It was total chaos...somewhere behind us they closed off the course and diverted people to the finish, and thank goodness, we were running fast enough to make the cut. None of the race volunteers/cops had the same information, which made it very difficult to figure out what exactly was going on. Oddly enough, we had a great time and felt pretty badass at the end of it.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
I finished all 26.2 miles of it...when we were approaching mile 20, there were these dudes that were yelling at us to stop running and they told us that we weren't allowed to finish and it was too dangerous, blah blah blah. I was 20 miles in, and there was NO WAY that I was stopping, considering that I felt really good. I ran with two friends, and we had paced ourselves well (usually run ~4:10, at the time we were probably on pace for 4:30-40ish), on pace for a slower marathon than we wanted, but we didn't want to pass out or anything. We kept ourselves well hydrated and cool, and didn't do anything stupid.

We kept going, and no one stopped us, although at points, the cops were yelling at us to walk, which we did for a little bit, and finally we were told that they were still timing us and were going to be allowed to finish. We ran the last 2 miles straight through and ended up finishing in 5:18, and I still felt pretty good all things considered. I think the official temperature was 88, but we passed two different bank clocks that read 92 and 93...most of the second half of the race was in the blazing sun, which didn't help much.

It was total chaos...somewhere behind us they closed off the course and diverted people to the finish, and thank goodness, we were running fast enough to make the cut. None of the race volunteers/cops had the same information, which made it very difficult to figure out what exactly was going on. Oddly enough, we had a great time and felt pretty badass at the end of it.
Every news report and personal account of this race paints a picture out of Max Max and the Thunderdome. Just awful conditions, no order, general chaos. Race directors cant prepare for everything, but someone had to see a weather report and realize what could happen. The two marathons I ran in were between 40 and 50 degrees and I saw people that were in a world of hurt. If you're talking temps over 85 it is not going to be a good scene.

Marathon's have become pretty popular, but some people just are woefully unprepared. I remember reading a story that the Boston Marathon used to turn off the clocks at the finish after 3 hourd and 30 mins! I think that's extreme. By prepared I mean the athlete should have done at least a couple long runs (> 16 miles, preferable more) just to prepare the body.

SoxChick sounds like one of the smart ones, she had a goal and adjusted it based upon the conditions. I think back to Baystate and Steve had a goal in realistic goal in mind and prepared well and beat it. I guess I'm a knucklehead, I had a goal and finished 10 mins short :lol:
 

SoxChick13

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
23
Boston, MA
SoxChick sounds like one of the smart ones, she had a goal and adjusted it based upon the conditions.
While training, I was definitely gunning for ~ 4:00 marathon, Chicago is pretty flat. I think I'm capable of it and probably more, and can run a half in a ~1:48...I just haven't put a good marathon together....yet. I was well prepared for Chicago and the weather ruined it! But that's how it goes. Good thing I'm addicted.
 

ichirob4ichiro

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 30, 2006
1,987
Hopkinton, NH
Speaking of Baystate, I heard through the grapevine that they received the bid this past Monday for the USATF-NE 08' marathon championship. Between the Hilly-as-hell BoF 10k, the incredible hot Newburyport 10M, and the notoriously long Ollie, looks like a tough year.

March 16 New Bedford Half Marathon
May 11 Medical Center 6K, Nashua NH (wild card race)
June 1 Rhody 5K, Lincoln RI
July 29 (Tues) Newburyport MA 10 mi.
Aug 9 (Sat) Bridge of Flowers 10K Shelburne Falls, MA
Sept 6 (Sat) Ollie 5 mi. Boston MA
Oct 19 Baystate Marathon, Lowell MA
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Speaking of Baystate, I heard through the grapevine that they received the bid this past Monday for the USATF-NE 08' marathon championship. Between the Hilly-as-hell BoF 10k, the incredible hot Newburyport 10M, and the notoriously long Ollie, looks like a tough year.
March 16 New Bedford Half Marathon
May 11 Medical Center 6K, Nashua NH (wild card race)
June 1 Rhody 5K, Lincoln RI
July 29 (Tues) Newburyport MA 10 mi.
Aug 9 (Sat) Bridge of Flowers 10K Shelburne Falls, MA
Sept 6 (Sat) Ollie 5 mi. Boston MA
Oct 19 Baystate Marathon, Lowell MA
I did hear about Baystate - good for Mark - he's done a lot to clean it up. Ironically he was up against the guy who he took over Baystate from... (no comment)

Some thoughts on the other selections:

* Interesting that they got away from the quick GP races after April - this year it was Westford, Groton and Bedford right after Boston - Nice to see some spacing now between Boston and the later races.
* That stretch of 10 days between Newburyport and Shelbourne will be tough - both are tough courses.
* I might have to do Baystate next year ironically - since I'm tentatively skipping Boston in 08
* Looks like I'll be traveling - this year I had Westford,Groton and to some extend, Bedford right in my backyard - this sucks
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Anyone have a GPS watch recommendation?
I hear good things about the Garmin 301s and mixed reviews about the 301. Hopefully the 301 will dip in price a little bit for the holiday season.

I have the Timex bodylink system - it's OK but it's 3 years old and occasionally misses coverage in clouds.
 

Frisbetarian

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 3, 2003
5,261
Off the beaten track
It is great to see some new names pop up in here. Maybe it is a good time to ask this question. In every race I see runners who are members of various running clubs. I've thought about joining one for a couple reasons. First, to attempt to learn from some of the experiences of other runners. Second, for the occasional group runs it might be useful to have someone else control the pace once in a while. Third, the clubs may have other benefits (training programs, race fees, etc)

The idea of doing the weekend long runs occasionally with others does sound appealing, but I'm worried I'll show up and there will be a few people running 6:30-7:00mi/mile pace for their long runs (near my 10k pace) tempo and another group running 10+min/mile pace and I'll be stuck with nobody in my 8:00-8:45 pace. The greater Lowell Road Runners has a blog of the group runs and on some occasions that appeared to be the case. I'm concerned I'm a level or two below the level of the group that joins these clubs.

The cost seems pretty low (I read $25 per year), so even if it pays for a couple races I'm way ahead of the game. Hopefully, some people here can fill me in on other details I missed pro and con. I'm perfectly fine continuing to train and race on my own, I was just curious to see what clubs offer that I might otherwise be missing. There are some pretty competitive and experienced runners here (past and present) who can hopefully shed some light on this.
I did not join a running club when I was racing, but wish I had. I ran with a group of friends on a regular basis, and that was fine, but other pals that joined clubs got professional advice and different/better runners to train with. They also had regular track workouts, something that I found hard to do - it was so much easier to just run. There was more competition among the club members, while my group had a pretty defined hierarchy that rarely changed. The people I knew who joined clubs and actually attended the track workouts/long runs on a weekly basis all had huge improvements in their times.

My suggestion would be to join one.
 

AusTexSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2005
2,003
Erstwhile North Shore Resident
I'm opting to not join a running club while I'm preparing for my first marathon. My reason being that my long runs will be done on Sunday and I have a couple friends lined up who have agreed to join me on those or at least join me on part of them. Plus since I already row a couple times a week, it is common to have others join me on the smaller runs during the week since I do most of them on Austin's Hike & Bike Trail which surrounds Town Lake.

I ran cross-country back in high school and my training runs during the Summer would sometimes be 10-12 mile runs by myself. No walkman/Discman/IPod. Just my thoughts and general surroundings... and irrational Red Sox trade prospects! :rolling:
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
OK, I finally broke down and decided to run the Hyannis Half Marathon on 2/24. I've found I do a much better job getting up in the morning to run when I have a specific race goal. Now I have my motivation. I've set a goal of 1:36 (about 7:20 miles) which I should be able to do as I went through the half in my last marathon at 1:41 and I felt great. I just need to get rid of this minor soreness in the back of my leg behind my right knee and I'll be golden.

Two years ago I ran this race in 1:46:24 and at the time 13.1 miles was the longest I had ever run by almost 2 miles. Now I have 2 marathons and a few more races under my belt. Using 5k times and improved fitness I might be able to go as low as 1:34, but that might be asking a bit much with the winter conditions.

I'm probably going to modify Hal Higdon's Advanced plan for the Half by making sure it has 2 rest days per week. I might use Runner's World program or another. I think I'm going to pick up a Pete Pfitzinger's book because that is supposed to have some plans as well.
 

Big Guapo Style

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 8, 2002
748
I'm probably going to modify Hal Higdon's Advanced plan for the Half by making sure it has 2 rest days per week. I might use Runner's World program or another. I think I'm going to pick up a Pete Pfitzinger's book because that is supposed to have some plans as well.
My unsolicited opinion: go with Pfitzinger. I love how he works in the recovery 5-6 mile days in between longer days. He utilizes the midweek medium-long run, of which I am a big fan, and also likes to go medium-long on Fridays. A 60 mile week with Pfitzinger would look something like: Tues - 5 recover, Wed - 15, Thurs - 5 recovery Friday - 12, Sat - 5, Sun - 18. In contrast I find runners world tends toward more equally distributed miles, something like 8-10-9-9-7-18. I prefer to mix in true easy recovery days.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
My unsolicited opinion: go with Pfitzinger. I love how he works in the recovery 5-6 mile days in between longer days. He utilizes the midweek medium-long run, of which I am a big fan, and also likes to go medium-long on Fridays. A 60 mile week with Pfitzinger would look something like: Tues - 5 recover, Wed - 15, Thurs - 5 recovery Friday - 12, Sat - 5, Sun - 18. In contrast I find runners world tends toward more equally distributed miles, something like 8-10-9-9-7-18. I prefer to mix in true easy recovery days.
I was sort of soliciting opinions when I put it out there. I like the model you lay out with the long/short back and forth. IMO that is easier to plan too. Some days I have more time than others so I can schedule workouts based on time available. The more I read on various boards the more I look forward to reading his books. I'm actually off to get a couple now. Thanks for the feedback.
 

Big Guapo Style

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 8, 2002
748
Going to be down in Myrtle Beach for the holiday and I've signed up for the inaugural Grand Strand Turkey Trot, a 5 miler. Age groups are every 5 years so they must be expecting a big turnout.

Good luck to all runners on Turkey day
 

TallerThanPedroia

Civilly Disobedient
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
25,546
Boston
No races for me until the marathon in January, but I ran in the snow today for the first time ever. It was fine except that I couldn't see all the uneven parts of the ground, so my joints are not happy.
 

AusTexSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2005
2,003
Erstwhile North Shore Resident
The good ol' Austin Turkey Trot is a 5 miler and kicks off tomorrow morning at 9am. We're actually getting a cold front and it's suppose to be in the 30s and windy as hell. Get to bust out the Red Sox wool hat for the first time this year. Also need to pick up some gloves today. It's 83 right now. Front arrives this evening so I squeezed today's workout in earlier.
 

AusTexSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2005
2,003
Erstwhile North Shore Resident
So how were everyone's Turkey Trots?

That huge cold front rolled in here the night before so I had to bust out the wool hat and gloves. The run felt great. It took me 5:20 just to cross the starting line. Supposedly there were about 7000 runners. My time at the mile 1 marker was 15:35 which was a combo of warming up and dealing with fat people and walkers who block the way and make you feel like a slalom skier on a damn street. Crossed Mile 2 with the clock reading 23:00, mile 3 at 31:00, mile 4 at 38:00 and the finish line reading 45:50 so my overall time was 40:30. I was pretty hacked off that in the last 1/2 mile they had the people who did the 1 mile fun walk funneled onto the running course so you had people with strollers and dogs basically taking up the last half mile so you really couldn't get much of a strong finish.

Anyhow, knocked out my other marathon training runs over the weekend including the 12 miler on Sunday. Really starting to get into the groove of maarthon training and enjoying it.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
That huge cold front rolled in here the night before so I had to bust out the wool hat and gloves. The run felt great. It took me 5:20 just to cross the starting line. Supposedly there were about 7000 runners. My time at the mile 1 marker was 15:35 which was a combo of warming up and dealing with fat people and walkers who block the way and make you feel like a slalom skier on a damn street. Crossed Mile 2 with the clock reading 23:00, mile 3 at 31:00, mile 4 at 38:00 and the finish line reading 45:50 so my overall time was 40:30. I was pretty hacked off that in the last 1/2 mile they had the people who did the 1 mile fun walk funneled onto the running course so you had people with strollers and dogs basically taking up the last half mile so you really couldn't get much of a strong finish.
That sounds like a pretty frustrating run. Were you number 6999 at the starting line? You'd think they'd try and order the start somewhat. Walkers in this line and runners in another one.

Yikes, there were people still trying to finish the 1 mile walk after 40 mins? :) Anyway, it looks like you got a few good miles in during the middle of the "race".

Anyhow, knocked out my other marathon training runs over the weekend including the 12 miler on Sunday. Really starting to get into the groove of maarthon training and enjoying it.
I miss my marathon training. I felt in terrific shape during my training. And then during the taper all the sore and heavy legs went away and I felt like a million bucks. Every run felt so easy, my form felt great.

Contrast that with this morning doing some tempo intervals when I felt like crap even at a slower pace. I cant wait to get back into good shape! :rolleyes:
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
So how were everyone's Turkey Trots?

Anyhow, knocked out my other marathon training runs over the weekend including the 12 miler on Sunday. Really starting to get into the groove of maarthon training and enjoying it.
Excellent that's the important part - if you enjoy the training you'll love the marathon....

I ran a "5k" on Thanksgiving - ended up being a 3.2 mile course because of a snafu on the roads. I ended up 2nd in 16:30 - kinda pissed because I had a solid chance of getting a nice sub-16 PR. I was within a couple of steps towards the end of the leader but he put on a nice burst of speed and set me back a few seconds.
 

AusTexSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2005
2,003
Erstwhile North Shore Resident
Excellent that's the important part - if you enjoy the training you'll love the marathon....

I ran a "5k" on Thanksgiving - ended up being a 3.2 mile course because of a snafu on the roads. I ended up 2nd in 16:30 - kinda pissed because I had a solid chance of getting a nice sub-16 PR. I was within a couple of steps towards the end of the leader but he put on a nice burst of speed and set me back a few seconds.
16:30??? Holy Jesus that's fast. Closest I ever got to a sub 17:00 5k was my senior year in high school when I ran a 17:13. That was 14 years and 40 lbs ago. Good for you!

I think with the marathon training I'm finding my most important run is the 4 mile run I do the morning after my long distance day. I do it on a track and grind it out but have found it really takes away alot of the soreness that one can feel after a long run.
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
16:30??? Holy Jesus that's fast. Closest I ever got to a sub 17:00 5k was my senior year in high school when I ran a 17:13. That was 14 years and 40 lbs ago. Good for you!

I think with the marathon training I'm finding my most important run is the 4 mile run I do the morning after my long distance day. I do it on a track and grind it out but have found it really takes away alot of the soreness that one can feel after a long run.

Yes, that would be the lactic acid flushing itself out - definitely a good thing after a nice long run. For me tomorrow is the Mill Cities Relay - ending with a great post-race party at the Claddagh in Lawrence. I made the A team with local studs Casey and Benjamin along with a 1500 meter specialist from Umass Lowell and a Masters legend. If I have the lead going into the final leg I can't let it get away - I'm obviously the weakest link in the chain. I'm hoping I can get some nice buffer room by the time it gets to me :rolling:
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
Yes, that would be the lactic acid flushing itself out - definitely a good thing after a nice long run. For me tomorrow is the Mill Cities Relay - ending with a great post-race party at the Claddagh in Lawrence. I made the A team with local studs Casey and Benjamin along with a 1500 meter specialist from Umass Lowell and a Masters legend. If I have the lead going into the final leg I can't let it get away - I'm obviously the weakest link in the chain. I'm hoping I can get some nice buffer room by the time it gets to me :rolling:
Doesnt that race have different length legs that arent exactly standard distances or am I thinking of a different relay? Didnt that team have Nate Jenkins on it last year? If so, does that mean you're replacing the guy that finished 7th in the OT marathon? Wow, no pressure :)

In all seriousness good luck!

Also, I see that the Super 5k has been moved to the Lowell Elks on Feb 3rd just as you thought could happen. There are flat races and then there's where this race starts. This is right before the 23 mile mark in the Baystate Marathon. It is going to be like running on a track without the turns.
 

BleacherFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Doesnt that race have different length legs that arent exactly standard distances or am I thinking of a different relay? Didnt that team have Nate Jenkins on it last year? If so, does that mean you're replacing the guy that finished 7th in the OT marathon? Wow, no pressure :rolling:

In all seriousness good luck!

Also, I see that the Super 5k has been moved to the Lowell Elks on Feb 3rd just as you thought could happen. There are flat races and then there's where this race starts. This is right before the 23 mile mark in the Baystate Marathon. It is going to be like running on a track without the turns.
Thanks! Actually, if you look at the results from last year, Nate, Casey and Ben were listed but none of them ran - they backed out for some reason or another. It was patched the last second from other teams including the dismantling of a really strong masters one. Casey and Nate ran in 05 and won by a LOT if I remember correctly in a blizzard....

Yes, the legs are 5.6,4.75,2.5,9.5 and 4.75. I've run the 9.5 the last two years so this shorter leg will be nice for a change.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
I'm in the process of reading two Pete Pfitzinger/Scott Douglas books, Road Racing for Serious Runners and Advanced Marathoning. They really go into which workouts improve lactate threshold, VO2max, speed, and endurance as well has how to run the workouts to get maximum benefit.

The Road Racing book has chapters on the 5k, 8-10k, 15k-Half, Marathon even cross country. They about nutrition, type of training most important for each race, race strategy and there are 3 different level plans for each race. Some of the info I already basically knew, but the explanations will help me train smarter next year. For example, I'm pretty sure I ran the cruise intervals too fast when preparing for the marathon last year.

The Marathoning book was written 2 years later (99 vs 01) and has some of the same information, but it is dedicated to the marathon. There's more detail about how to train for your best performance. They have chapters on recovering and even doing mulitple marathons from 4-12 weeks apart if you have to (um, no thanks!). For the record, he doesnt recommend it.
 

BleacherFan

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Tewksbury, MA
Doesnt that race have different length legs that arent exactly standard distances or am I thinking of a different relay? Didnt that team have Nate Jenkins on it last year? If so, does that mean you're replacing the guy that finished 7th in the OT marathon? Wow, no pressure :(

In all seriousness good luck!

Also, I see that the Super 5k has been moved to the Lowell Elks on Feb 3rd just as you thought could happen. There are flat races and then there's where this race starts. This is right before the 23 mile mark in the Baystate Marathon. It is going to be like running on a track without the turns.
Wow, what a long day....


We're at the 3rd exchange and 3 runners pass us - then our 3rd leg runner comes in and hands to Ben and boom, he's off. Turns out Casey was sucking wind from his 9M warmup at 6:35 pace into a brutal wind - go figure. Kudo's to our 2nd and 3rd leg runners for keeping it close.....

9.4 miles later....


Ben after dusting the other 3 guys gives me about a minute lead going into the last leg - something I feared from the start. There's a reason why they call the last leg in a relay the 'Glory Leg' - either you got it or you don't at the end... I banged out of the gate with a 5:04 mile - I wanted to make sure I didn't show any weakness and hopefully get one of them to maybe get the idea to settle with 2nd - damn that didn't happen. During this leg I found the air so dry it was tough to breathe in -- the next couple of miles were tough including a nice long hill smack down in the middle of my course. After dodging a couple of cars, I settled in and tried to go as hard as I could on the downhill. When getting to Mile 4, I come up to a support vehicle of the 2nd place runner - after passing them, I hear a couple of them start screaming at their runner - time to kick it up a notch.

I try my damnest to kick it up a notch and I did so - I ended up finishing up about 50 seconds ahead of the 2nd place guy.

Ben did the work in getting the lead with an incredible pace on a hard day to race (5:12 pace over 9.4). I ended up with a 5:22 pace over 4.75 - over my goal pace but still 1st overall

Full results - MCR
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
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Jul 25, 2005
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Chelmsford, MA
Wow, what a long day....
We're at the 3rd exchange and 3 runners pass us - then our 3rd leg runner comes in and hands to Ben and boom, he's off. Turns out Casey was sucking wind from his 9M warmup at 6:35 pace into a brutal wind - go figure. Kudo's to our 2nd and 3rd leg runners for keeping it close.....
a warmup? Did he run hard before the race and then could only manage 6:35 over 9M? That's a pretty easy pace for him, probably even with a strong headwind.
Ben did the work in getting the lead with an incredible pace on a hard day to race (5:12 pace over 9.4). I ended up with a 5:22 pace over 4.75 - over my goal pace but still 1st overall
That's quite a run for Ben. Now I see why he cleans up in the Lowell 5k series over the summer!

Nice job bringing home the win! It sounds like going out so hard may have killed your chance at a fast time, but sounds like a decent strategy.

Enjoy running in the snow this week. Its already coming down now.
 

BleacherFan

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a warmup? Did he run hard before the race and then could only manage 6:35 over 9M? That's a pretty easy pace for him, probably even with a strong headwind.
That was his warmup before his leg :( - I think he did his 5.7 in 29:50 or something like that...
That's quite a run for Ben. Now I see why he cleans up in the Lowell 5k series over the summer!
Yah, Ben has had a great 2007 - he's been tearing up the races lately.

Nice job bringing home the win! It sounds like going out so hard may have killed your chance at a fast time, but sounds like a decent strategy.
Yah, yesterday was for the team - I didn't want to be selfish and whatever I could do to separate myself the pack I think the better my chances were
Enjoy running in the snow this week. Its already coming down now.
Oh, I just got back in - I really needed snoeshoes. I could get no traction and as the run went on it turned to more slush and rain.. I was about 20/30 seconds a mile off my normal pace but it was a workout!
 

AusTexSoxFan

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I'll never forget some of the runs I did in the snow while at prep school up in Mass. Granted they were cross-country runs in the snow but man oh man, I would be dead after running 3 miles. That was one helluva workout.
 

sass a thon

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Ok, so I'm supposed to run my second half marathon on Sunday. It's known as the best one in Dallas, and I've been looking forward to this for months.

As of right now, the predicted weather is a record high of 80, high humidity, and wind. Race starts at 9am.

What do I do?
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
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Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
Ok, so I'm supposed to run my second half marathon on Sunday. It's known as the best one in Dallas, and I've been looking forward to this for months.

As of right now, the predicted weather is a record high of 80, high humidity, and wind. Race starts at 9am.

What do I do?
Pray the forecasters are wrong and its 10 degrees cooler? :c070:

Have you trained in those conditions at all?

If you'll be happy just running the race you may be ok just modifying your original goal and not trying to push the envelope. After 7 or 8 miles you can reevaluate how you feel and either stay at your current pace or try and pick it up a notch. You may enjoy the feeling of passing lots of people who didnt adjust for the conditions.
 

sass a thon

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I ran here all summer, when it was very warm. But because passing out isn't my idea of fun, I always ran after the sun went down or at 7am.

I'm mainly worried about being able to breathe. I have asthma, but with an inhaler, I've always been able to maintain it. But humidity is my kryptonite.
 

ReadySetTiant

New Member
Jul 21, 2005
69
Canton, CT via Worcester
Ok, so I'm supposed to run my second half marathon on Sunday. It's known as the best one in Dallas, and I've been looking forward to this for months.

As of right now, the predicted weather is a record high of 80, high humidity, and wind. Race starts at 9am.

What do I do?
You have to reduce your speed to adjust for the heat and humidity especially if you are not habituated to it.
Saturday should be a no exercise day (the day before your long event). Good luck. Courage.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
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Jul 25, 2005
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Chelmsford, MA
I ran here all summer, when it was very warm. But because passing out isn't my idea of fun, I always ran after the sun went down or at 7am.

I'm mainly worried about being able to breathe. I have asthma, but with an inhaler, I've always been able to maintain it. But humidity is my kryptonite.
I hear you re: the humidity. Can you handle turning the race into just a long training run?

I have a water bottle/belt system what holds a 22oz bottle of water I wear anytime I run longer than 30 mins. Something like that may help you. It doesnt directly help you breathe, but the extra water/gatorade in between water stations could help keep you cooler reducing the strain on your body, and by extension allow you to breathe easier. You may even be able to refill it at some water stops.

I always wear a heart rate monitor when I run to help with assessing intensity level and how my body is reacting. It allows me to adjust if I appear to be heading to overheating before it happens. I sometimes use it for pacing in races so I dont get caught going to fast or slow. Although one of these days I'm going to breakdown and get one of those GPS watches that give instantaneous pace feedback. I'm a big stats nerd so I cant wait :c070:

Good luck with the heat/humidity. Send some of the extra heat this way as I'm about to go out for a run in 20-25 degrees with wind. I still think I prefer the cold to heat and humidity.
 

AusTexSoxFan

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Yeah... It's suppose to be muggy heat all this week down here in Texas.

Hydrate! I know in the hot runs that I've done down here that I always drink water/powerade at every water stop just in case. Better to do that and be a little slower than be bonking (or even worse) with a couple miles left.
 

SoxChick13

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
23
Boston, MA
I also think that putting water over your head can be just as important as the water that gets in you. In my experience, keeping my head/body cool helps just as much as staying hydrated. Just make sure you don't get your shoes wet in the process...because that's certainly not fun.
 

sass a thon

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Ok, thanks for the good advice/reminders. The weather has now changed to rain and 78. Bottom line is that I need to wait until Friday or Saturday before freaking out, because this forecast changes every 30 minutes.

Question for everyone that I've always been curious about for a while: if you'd be training for a marathon (half or full), what kind of weather would it take for you to decide not to run? Is there any weather condition that would keep you from running? My biggest fear is that someday, I'll make a stupid decision because of my desire to finish something I'd worked so hard for. Given the competitive nature of runners, I'm sure I'm not the only one.
 

underhandtofirst

stud who hits bombs
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
1,575
Chelmsford, MA
Ok, thanks for the good advice/reminders. The weather has now changed to rain and 78. Bottom line is that I need to wait until Friday or Saturday before freaking out, because this forecast changes every 30 minutes.

Question for everyone that I've always been curious about for a while: if you'd be training for a marathon (half or full), what kind of weather would it take for you to decide not to run? Is there any weather condition that would keep you from running? My biggest fear is that someday, I'll make a stupid decision because of my desire to finish something I'd worked so hard for. Given the competitive nature of runners, I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Tornados would force me not to run. I've run a 2 mile race in 90 degree heat (July 4th) and I ran in 20 degree weather with strong winds with part of the course along the ocean. I guess the 2 mile wasn't a big deal since its a short race. If I've put in the time to train I feel I owe myself to run. I dont run a lot of races (3-5 per year) so I really gear up for them. I try and be sure to run in whatever kind of weather I could see on race day (rain, wind, heat, cold). So far I've been fortunate that my marathons I've run have been in the upper 40s to 50s so I havent had to think about really bad conditions for a long race.

For training I wont run in a snowstorm, too dangerous on the roads. Maybe torrential downpours I'll try and juggle my schedule.
 

BleacherFan

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Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Ok, so I'm supposed to run my second half marathon on Sunday. It's known as the best one in Dallas, and I've been looking forward to this for months.

As of right now, the predicted weather is a record high of 80, high humidity, and wind. Race starts at 9am.

What do I do?
Adjust your goal pace by 15 sec a mile - you can always go faster if you're feeling up to it later in the race. Take something at every water stop - even if it's a few sips - but only take non-water if you've trained with it before.

And as the others have said - Have fun!
 

BleacherFan

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Jan 28, 2003
468
Tewksbury, MA
Question for everyone that I've always been curious about for a while: if you'd be training for a marathon (half or full), what kind of weather would it take for you to decide not to run? Is there any weather condition that would keep you from running? My biggest fear is that someday, I'll make a stupid decision because of my desire to finish something I'd worked so hard for. Given the competitive nature of runners, I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Us runners aren't the smartest people - I do know of a few women who had the smarts to bail at this years Chicago - I don't think I would have been able to. Like underhand, I've done the Newburyport 10M w/ a 105 degree heat index and done the Boston Prep in single digits before the windchill factor. My rule of thumb is if I can't safety get to the race and back in my car I won't race. If it's too hot, you can always go slower (to a degree - my adrenaline usually is my achilles during all races) and if it's too cold you can always layer up.
 

SoxChick13

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
23
Boston, MA
It turns out that I'm the type that runs no matter what, but I think I'm smart enough to know when to at least slow down...if you go a few pages back, I commented on my Chicago this year. Needless to say, not running at all would have been smart, but we ran anyway and slowed down a lot right from the start and finished the whole damn thing, albeit slooowwwly.

I've definitely been known to do dumb things like this though, because I think I can.

I agree with snowstorm running-- that's a no-go for me. I ran a four miler in absolutely pouring rain once, beginning to end, and it was really challenging, but a lot of fun...you realize very quickly that it's not going to be a PR day...
 

BleacherFan

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Tewksbury, MA
It turns out that I'm the type that runs no matter what, but I think I'm smart enough to know when to at least slow down...if you go a few pages back, I commented on my Chicago this year. Needless to say, not running at all would have been smart, but we ran anyway and slowed down a lot right from the start and finished the whole damn thing, albeit slooowwwly.
Excellent - something I can't seem to do. Occasionally I will jump into a race as a tempo run but it's tough for me to hold back. If I enter a race I somehow manage to go all out unless I'm with someone to help with the pacing. This is the same reason I can't do track workouts by myself.