SOSH Running Dogs

[Traut]

Go for it. Run it. Seize the day.
 
Many in my running group have run many marathons (30+) they all rave about this one for a fast time: 
 
http://www.viamarathon.org/event_info/marathon/index.php

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

TTP - first off, you should be very proud of your achievements in running to date. Knocking off over two minutes per mile at distance is a very impressive feat. In thinking about going for a BQ, I would offer the following thoughts:
 
- first, with the right race plan and sensible training, there seems little doubt that you can go under 3:05 for your next marathon, if that's next week or next year. Your improvement has been so steady and consistent that you just need the right plan and to stay focused. It's more a matter of making the choice to do it and then focusing properly.
 
- those time calculators have some value in that they kind of project what you should be able to run based on past performance, but come race day, you should forget them and run your own race according to a detailed race plan.
 
- specific training for a specific time in a specific race needs to be, well, very specific. For example, if you want to run under a 3:05 on a specific course on a specific date, you need to train specifically to do that. That means building a long-term training plan (three to four months minimum) that includes the appropriate amount of aerobic base work, mixed in with speed work, high-intensity intervals, hills, course-specific work, hard weeks, easy weeks, simulated races, etc., all aimed at getting you to a peak of fitness about ten days before the race.
 
There's no question based on your results to date that you can do it. I guess the questions in my mind are: 1) do you have a specific race in mind that would be an ideal BQer (you seem to have eliminated Bay State)? and 2) do you have the resources to put together a really detailed and comprehensive training and racing plan?
 
You are at the margin of very high performance; the faster you are, the harder it is to ge faster, so you'll need a training and racing plan that now involves more than just getting out there and running.
 
Am happy to help out if you'd like some more specific advice.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

TTP - first off, you should be very proud of your achievements in running to date. Knocking off over two minutes per mile at distance is a very impressive feat. In thinking about going for a BQ, I would offer the following thoughts:

 
Thanks! I do have to stare at the numbers in disbelief for a while occasionally before the progress sinks in.
 

first, with the right race plan and sensible training, there seems little doubt that you can go under 3:05 for your next marathon, if that's next week or next year. Your improvement has been so steady and consistent that you just need the right plan and to stay focused. It's more a matter of making the choice to do it and then focusing properly.

 
Even before the R2R, I suspected that I was basically at BQ-level fitness already. Even after the R2R though, where I held a pace significantly below the 7:03 or so I need to do over the twice the distance, there's still a part of my brain that finds that utterly daunting. Apart from swimming, my athletic prowess never rose above "decent" even in my best sports.
 

There's no question based on your results to date that you can do it. I guess the questions in my mind are: 1) do you have a specific race in mind that would be an ideal BQer (you seem to have eliminated Bay State)? and 2) do you have the resources to put together a really detailed and comprehensive training and racing plan?

 
I didn't write that very clearly: Baystate is my only option. It's unfortunate that, with all the changes the BAA have made, that a BQ at Baystate means you have to wait more than a year to get a Boston bib, but that's life. My original challenge to myself, back when I started running at age 26, was "qualify for the Boston Marathon by age 30." Of course I'm 33 now, but see above re: three years of injury.
 
But anyway: Baystate is the only marathon I've run before that will be logistically feasible, both in terms of my own prep and also getting my family and friends to come watch (although that adds to the pressure). It's why I ran it in the first place, as my first marathon. The only question has been which particular year I'd go for it.
 
Though, the question has been answered: I'm signed up for October. This Is The Year, and all that.
 
Right now I'm just waiting to get back to a regular running schedule. Historically I never recover well from long races, and this year I tried many many things to shorten that time, which helped a little. But the R2R is always one week before my hometown 5k, so that always causes a bit of backslide. Here's the punchline from that, btw:
 
Corrib 5k
2012: 60 degrees, cloudy and drizzly. 20:57, 6:45 min/mi, 52nd overall, 11th in M3039.
2013: 90 degrees, sunny and very windy. 20:11, 6:31 min/mi, 26th overall, 6th in M3039.
 
Pretty happy with those numbers too. I'm always too sore to get a PR (currently 19:45) but I felt better this year than I usually do. If the weather had been milder I might have beaten my 5k PR.
 
So we'll see what kind of training plan I come up with. Every time I ever try to do speed work, I injure myself, usually giving myself the mild but persistent tendinitis I'm currently dealing with. I do want to build up a big mileage base, but since I'll be training in the summer, I think that'll mean more but relatively shorter runs. 16 miles max, I think, if that, for a while, but six days a week instead of my usual four.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Long-distance training is very tricky on the injury front; I still haven't recovered properly from my my Ironman last November. But I feel pretty certain that you'll make it just fine. Keep doing what you're doing but make sure to give yourself ample recovery time during training.
 
Maybe instead of speed work you can do hills? I also seem to injure myself when doing flat-surface speed work, so I have substituted that with hard hill running, which gets the job done nicely.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

I've been doing hills regularly since moving to Southie. One of the first things that made me feel like an advanced runner was when we'd hit a hill in a race and I'd start passing everyone.
 
Anyway, if you're curious, or just really bored, you can follow along! There's a few of us on there.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

I saw a question earlier about shoes, so hopefully other wearable items are fair game: Anyone have a recommendation for good running underwear. I've tried boxers, boxer-briefs (my standard), and tighties, but all of them are causing chafing at one seam or another. It's literally keeping me from pushing past more than about three miles a day.

What do the pros wear?

 

[MB's Hidden Ball]

I saw a question earlier about shoes, so hopefully other wearable items are fair game: Anyone have a recommendation for good running underwear. I've tried boxers, boxer-briefs (my standard), and tighties, but all of them are causing chafing at one seam or another. It's literally keeping me from pushing past more than about three miles a day.

What do the pros wear?

Not a pro, but I never wear anything under my running shorts. I always assumed that that's why they have a liner.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Maybe that's my problem. I'm just wearing some soccer shorts.

 

[MB's Hidden Ball]

I'd pick up a pair or two and see what you think.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Try some compression shorts. They fill all the nooks and crannies down there, keep the package nice and secure, minimizing chafing and such.

 

[sonofgodcf]

I second compression shorts if you want to keep running in what you have.  Otherwise, definitely gets some true running shorts - a lot of styles now have a compression liner built right in, which is what I prefer.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Thanks guys - clearly, I need to go shopping.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Go all the way and get 2-inch splits. Embrace the lifestyle. Flash the quads.

 

[KiltedFool]

Not a full blown badass runner, but this may be the thread to ask.  Started running last July with a couch to 5k app, went to Road Runner Sports for the custom inserts and real running shoes (which cleared up some ankle pain) and adjusted my stride slightly to address calf pain (had been running up on my toes enough my L heel didn't even hit).  Ran first 5k last year right after my 40th, settled in to running 5k for my normal run over the winter, slowly has tapered down to twice a week and nowadays once a week.  I run about a 29 minute 5k when running by myself.
 
Ran the Hillsborough Hop 5k on June 1st, was the first really hot run day thus far this season, ran like a 28:35.  My times have basically plateaued.
 
Have been getting pain in my left knee on the outside of the knee, seems to be located well for a pissed off ligament.  Thing is it's setting in earlier in my run these days, originally it would set in after I was done, this last saturday morning it set in about 1.5 miles in.  By dinner time I could barely walk, loaded in some Tylenol (I can't take ibuprofen), and stairs were teeth gritting pain or taking one step at a time.  It settled in and was less bitchy yesterday but I still had to minimize stairs. Still slightly aware and slightly sore quads today.
 
Kind of torn about how to address, am I running not enough, too much, do I need to bike a while or do something else that doesn't strain that part of the knee?  Biking i could do, swimming is an option but could be hard with the instability in my reconstructed shoulder.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

Is the pain worse going up a hill?  It sounds a lot like iliotibial band syndrome.
 
There are some great stretches you can do to loosen it up and run pain free
 
I like to lie on my back, bring my right knee up to my chest, and then bring it down to the floor on the left side and hold for 30 seconds.  Do it twice for each side.
 
A foam roller can help, and so can a massage.
 
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/kneepainandinjuries/a/IT_Band_Pain.htm

 

[KiltedFool]

My overall local subdivision based course is pretty flat overall, total elevation change for the whole thing is likely 40 feet or less.  A fast read that seems plausible, and I recall that stretch from my younger athletic days.  Just have to be careful about overdoing stretching too, I had a couple cases where I did the "lie on your back, one hand under knee one under ankle and hug your shin towards your chest" and overdid it, resultant pain felt like I'd been rabbit punched in the taint.  One thing I can and probably should do is reverse the course I run so I'm not dealing with too much one sided crown slope. I have a 6" foam roller and one of those knobby broomstick type rollers, I can use both of those, but that area of the knee is mostly bone.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

Oh, don't roll your knee!  As I understand it, you feel  it in the knee but the issue is elsewhere.  Roll the outside of your thigh above the knee that hurts. I'd do both legs just to be sure
 
Sorry, I should have been clearer on that 

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

So, here's how my schedule is shaping up. First, here's what I was doing before the Run to Remember, which is fairly typical of my training for the last few years:
 
Sun: Swim (1 mile), Weight Lifting, Elliptical (1 hour, about 750 calories)
Mon: Rest
Tue: Short (5 miles), Hills
Wed: Medium (10 miles), Flat
Thu: Short (5 miles), Hills
Fri: Swim, Elliptical
Sat: Long (20 miles), Flat
 
The mileage there represents my peak mileage. The general rule, which I probably got from Hal Higdon's basic training, is Long = 2 Medium, Medium = 2 Short. So an early week might be 3-5-2-10. This year, I tried to build up the shorter runs first, so I'd get to say 5-10-5-16 before adding mileage to the Long run. I've been reading a lot about the Hanson method, which talks about how your Long run shouldn't be 50% of your weekly mileage, more like 30%.
 
The Weight Lifting mainly focuses on secondary muscles: hamstrings, ab/adductor, hip flexor, and then a bunch of core stuff. I've phased out anything I did with quads and calves. The Elliptical is something I started doing again only recently. I used to do it a lot early in my running career. I added it back in to help with the weight loss I've been trying to achieve (more on that in a bit) but I think it may also be helping fight my various aches and pains. Still, I'll probably phase it out as the weekly mileage increases. Even I can only eat so much, and my Sunday gym trip is already exceeding three hours. Throughout the week I also do pullups, pushups, and abs.
 
Here's what I'm thinking now, based on the Hanson schedule but modified to fit my schedule (with peak distances):
 
Sun: Swim, Weight Lifting, (Elliptical), Medium (10 miles), Hills?
Mon: Speed (10x Yasso 800s)
Tue: Short (5 miles), Hills
Wed: Medium (8 miles), Flat
Thu: Tempo (10 miles), Hills (in the warmup; flat for the speed)
Fri: Swim, (Elliptical)
Sat: Long (16 miles), Flat
 
That'd be like 60 miles at peak, which might be a tad much, but I can cut back on Sun, Tue, Wed if I need to.
 
I've done intervals and tempo runs a few time each this year. The Yasso 800s are the latest manifestation of my obsession with rules of thumb. The idea being, if you can run 10 x 800 in 185 seconds each, you can run a marathon in 185 minutes. I generally never do speedwork, though, because every time I do I get tendinitis or worse (including this spring, when I did some interval and tempo work as a test), so we'll see how that goes. I did two tempo miles on Thurdsay and 3x800 on Monday and felt good after each. So I'll add one mile/rep per week, at most. Even that would get me peaking around August, so I have plenty of time.
 
As for the weight loss, the rule I always hear there is 2 seconds per pound per mile. That seems a little high, but even one second would be a great help. I'm 5'8", and had settled into a range around 147, with the occasionally dips down to 142 or so after a really long run, but also the occasional cross over 150. According to my fancy electronic scale, that put me around 18% body fat. I've long wanted to get down 10%, and after hitting 152 over Easter I decided it was finally time. Since then I've gotten carefully down to around 133-135, which has me around 11%. Now, I doubt that alone will let me run 20 seconds faster per mile, but even five would be a big help.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Progress report: for context, I've only run 40-mile weeks twice, both this spring, spread over four days (5-10-5-20).
 
Week 1:
Mon: 3x800 intervals: 183s, 178s, 180s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 8:15 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:58
Thu: 3 miles tempo: 7:00, 7:03, 7:02 (7:03 target) (hills in warmup)
Sat: 16 miles at 7:55
Sun: 3 miles at 8:28
Total: 42.5
 
Week 2:
Mon: 4x800 intervals: 179s, 179s, 180s, 179s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:59 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:58
Thu: 4 miles tempo: 7:03, 7:00, 6:59, 6:56 (7:03 target) (hills in warmup)
Sat: 14 miles at 7:57
Sun: 5 miles at 8:14
Total: 44.5
 
I also ran 147 miles in June, breaking my old record of 113 from March. And I feel pretty good overall, with only a few mild complaints in my legs.
 
This week I'm going to bring both the interval and tempo runs up to 5 reps/miles, but then alternating after that, adding either a rep or a mile every week. That will still bring me to 10/10 and 60 miles per week with more than a month to go before the marathon in October, giving me plenty of time for off weeks from minor injuries or other calamities.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

Damn ... you're killing it!  Nice week

 

[KiltedFool]

Two weeks since a run, 93 degree heat, so I wasn't aiming to kill any pace.  Used the little hard plastic roller on the muscles of both legs ankle to top of thigh before running.  Babied the ankles and Achilles, didn't push, first real scorching temp run I've done in a while.  Reversed my typical course to shift at least some of the cross grade slant the other way.
 
Seems to have done the trick, last few times I've run the pain started by the beginning of the second mile, pretty intense pain within a few hours, and climbing stairs is a grit teeth and swear or do one step at a time event by nightfall.
 
This time?  Normal soreness in my calves and feet since I hadn't run.  A little annoying but manageable and reasonable result of the layoff.
 
So thanks.

 

[24JoshuaPoint]

I haven't been around these parts in a while as i've been trying to recover from an injury about a year ago last month. Maybe Matt Inman of the oatmeal will be the kick in the ass that i need.
 
Beat the Blerch

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Glad you're feeling better, KF. The hardest thing I've found about being a runner is learning which pains are the ones you should run through and which you shouldn't.
 
 
BQ training update!
 
Week 3:

Mon: 5x800 intervals: 183s, 180s, 181s, 179s, 180s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 8:19 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:58
Thu: 5 miles tempo: 7:03, 7:06, 7:04, 7:04, 6:58 (7:03 target) (done on mostly-flat but unfamiliar territory on vacation in Pittsburgh)
Sat: 14.5 miles at 7:57 (Pittsburgh again, lots of hills and even some stairs)
Sun: 5.5 miles at 8:52 (Pittsburgh hills again)
Total: 48!
 
Week 4:
Mon: 6x800 intervals: 182s, 181s, 179s, 182s, 182s, 181s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:57 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:55
Thu: Off
Sat: 5k race - 18:26 official time (5:56 pace), 14th overall, 5th in M3039
Sun: 5 miles at 8:21
Total: 28
 
I had this 5k planned so I skipped the tempo run and moved my swim/elliptical day to Thursday and took Friday off. The official time was 18:26 but my watch read 3.04 miles at the finish, with a 6:03 pace, so my adjusted time would probably be around 18:45. Either way, it was an amazing race considering my 5k PR from last December was 19:45! And I wasn't exactly going all out since I'm in the midst of marathon training and all.
 
I have another 5k Thursday night which will sub in for my tempo run again, so it'll be a little while before I hit 50 weekly miles. But this speed work has already paid dividends, and on both the intervals and the tempo I haven't yet felt like I am hitting a wall when I add a rep or a mile.
 
My alleged VDOT after this 5k has risen from 51 to either 54 or 53 (if you use my adjusted time) and anything over 52 predicts a BQ. As always, I'm treating that as encouragement only, not a guarantee. In fact, I'd rather not get the notion in my head that I could break three hours. Give me a nice 3:03:40 or something.

 

[Traut]

Run streak currently at 200 days.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Week 5:

Mon: 6x800 intervals: 185s, 181s, 183s, 182s, 180s, 180s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:57 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:53
Thu: 5k race - 18:53 official time (6:05 pace), 27th overall, 14th in M25-34
Sat: 16 miles at 7:57
Sun: 8 miles at 7:58
Total: 49

Week 6:

Mon: 7x800 intervals: 184s, 184s, 184s, 184s, 181s, 185s, 183s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:58 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:56
Thu: 6 miles tempo: 7:01, 6:58, 6:58, 7:01, 6:58, 6:56 (7:03 target)(hills in warmup)
Sat: 14 miles at 7:55 (very, very hilly)
Sun: 8 miles at 8:03 (very hilly)
Total: 52!

My watch read 3.13 miles after that 5k, so we'll call 18:53 my official PR for now, not the 18:26. Still not bad given that I'm not exactly training for 5ks....

Overall I still feel really good. I feel strong and fast, and I still have 13 weeks to go. From here out I'm only really adding a mile per week (back and forth to the tempo or the interval run) with a permanent jump from 14 to 16 on Saturdays at some point. That should get me a nice even 60 with four or five weeks to spare.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Week 7:

Mon: 7x800 intervals: 183s, 183s, 181s, 183s, 183s, 184s, 177s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:55 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 7:50
Thu: 7 miles tempo: 7:00, 6:58, 6:58, 6:59, 6:57, 6:59, 6:54 (7:03 target)(hills in warmup)
Sat: 14 miles at 7:48
Sun: 8 miles at 7:57
Total: 53

Week 8:

Mon: 8x800 intervals: 185s, 183s, 181s, 184s, 183s, 181s, 182s, 181s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 8:41 (hills)
Wed: 8 miles at 8:19
Thu: 7 miles tempo: 7:00, 6:56, 6:59, 6:58, 6:54, 6:59, 6:58 (7:03 target)(hills in warmup)
Sat: 14 miles at 7:56
Sun: 8 miles at 8:14
Total: 55

Before the Run to Remember in May, I was having a lot of nagging issues in my lower legs, especially the left one. But since that race I've felt nigh-invulnerable, especially given the big leaps I made in weekly distance and doing real speed work for the first time. The only issue I've had is that my right heel is usually tight to start every run, but it always fades within the first two miles.

But that only lasted until the end of Week 7 here, where I ran a bit too fast on Saturday, and then entirely overdid it on Sunday (swimming, biking, elliptical, running, while fueling rather poorly). I felt twinges in my left soleus on that run, and then it was tight throughout the 8x800 on Monday. I was expecting the worst on Tuesday, but while it was still tight, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, and I took it easy that day and Wednesday, and it was fine again for the tempo run.

Overall, I'm still feeling a lot of fatigue (especially around my hips), but I also feel strong, and I seem to be well above the bare minimum of where I need to be to BQ, given that I have ten weeks to go.

 

[SydneySox]

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

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

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

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

I miss running.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

My unprofessional understanding from having nearly-constant-but-mild Achilles tendinitis is that the Achilles had pretty low blood flow even for a tendon, so takes its time healing. So my recommendation is to figure out what you can do to get it moving and active and warmed up without aggravating it. Eccentric heel drops seem to be the popular method if you can't run. 
 
Then again, since it was an acute injury, it might be best to take it completely easy for a bit.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Week 9:
 
Mon: 8x800 intervals: 183s, 179s, 179s, 181s, 183s, 180s, 181s, 179s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 7:57 (hills)
Thu: 8 miles tempo: 6:57, 6:57, 6:55, 7:00, 6:57, 6:57, 6:54, 6:52 (7:03 target)(hills in warmup)
Fri: 8 miles at 7:51
Sat: 14 miles at 7:57
Sun: 9 miles at 8:13
Total: 56

Week 10:

Mon: 9x800 intervals: 184s, 183s, 182s, 183s, 182s, 185s, 185s, 182s, 179s (185s target)
Tue: 5 miles at 8:24 (hills)
Thu: 8 miles tempo: 6:57, 6:57, 6:55, 7:00, 6:57, 6:57, 6:54, 6:52 (7:03 target)(hills in warmup)
Fri: 8 miles at 8:08
Sat: 16 miles at 7:57
Sun: 9 miles at 8:14
Total: 59

I decided to switch my Friday swim/gym day to Wednesday, which spaces it out better (the other is Sunday) and also lines up with the Hanson Method schedule. I like it a LOT better. I still feel shockingly good overall, though there's plenty of fatigue here and there, and I wish my right Achilles felt better. It takes 1.5-2 miles to loosen at the start of every run, but is usually fine after that. But I don't think I can do a two-mile warmup before a marathon, nor do I want to have to make up a two-minute deficit if I have to wait for it to warm up from the start. Hopefully it settles down when I taper. That's a different pickle: if all stays well, I peak (or plateau, I hope) at week 13 of 18, at 62 miles per week (at this point I only plan to add to the two speed days; the other four days are now maxed out). Not sure what to do for those final 18 weeks (the marathon is the Sunday of Week 18). I don't think I need three weeks of taper, but the Hansons have barely any at all.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

Which marathon are you running?

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Which marathon are you running?

 
Baystate in Lowell. October 20th.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

I've heard it's a fast course

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

I've heard it's a fast course

 
Yeah, and I've run it before, so it was the obvious choice. Except with the new rules, specifically the earlier registration date, a BQ won't get me into the 2014 marathon. I've known that for ages, and I would have been content to wait, but under the circumstances I might try to run in April for Dana Farber or the Ollie.
 
Can't wait for the biweekly update. Whatever good Yasso 800s are supposed to do, I've gotten it: 183s, 177s, 179s, 181s, 182s, 182s, 182s, 184s, 183s, 176s. Average 180.9s. BQ pace is 185.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

I'm intrigued.  So if I'm shooting for a 3:45 marathon at Cape Cod in October I should be doing 3:45 800s?
 
I've been doing 4 7 minutes miles as my speedwork but maybe this weekend I'll try some of those.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

I've seen as many people say it was a good benchmark for them, as say it's complete hogwash.

 

[pedro1918]

Pigment Dispersion Syndrome.
 
Apparently I have it.  The pigment inside of my eyeballs is peeling off.   The pieces of pigment clog some duct in my eyeball and can lead to glaucoma.  Eventually loss of sight. I'm getting a second opinion.  Participating in high impact activities increases the amount of pigment falling off.
 
I'm supposed to stop running.  And I am depressed.  I am running NYC on November 3 and that might be my last race..or even run...or whatever.
 
Fuck me.  I guess I need to think about swimming.  Or biking.  Or something.
 
Fuck.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

So basically the doctors told you to stop, or you'll go blind, huh?
 
(My actual sympathies for your condition - but it was just sitting there on a tee, I had to swing. And yes, just take this opportunity to explore a new, lower-impact sport...ten years from now, you will probably enjoy cycling or swimming as much as you liked running)

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

That's a real drag ... sorry to hear it, Pedro.
 
I have a co-worker who took up rowing after she could no longer run due to knee problems and she is really coming to love it, although yeah, she still misses running

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Sorry, Pedro. I hope the second opinion goes better. A friend of mine had Keratoconus and the initial prognosis was pretty bad but then a new procedure came along and he's fine now.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Last April there was some talk of organizing a SoSH team to raise money and run the Boston marathon next year:
 
http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/77134-sosh-boston-marathon-charity/
 
Anyone still interested? I think I have a decent shot of getting a Dana Farber bib. I've raised money for them three years in a row now, and I was a volunteer for the marathon team last April. But it'd be easier if we had 2-4 people all tapping the mighty power of SoSH, even if we divvied up the fundraising across different marathon teams if people want to run for other charities.
 
Thoughts? Marathon registration is open now and Dana Farber, for one, is already accepting applications, as is Tedy's Team. The South Boston Neighborhood House usually gets some bibs too but I don't see anything on their website yet.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

In principle I would like to do this but cannot make any commitment until I have a firm diagnosis on my hip. Will be seeing a doctor soon so my answer is maybe with a firm desire to do so.

 

[bosoxgrl]

I'm just getting back up after labrum surgery in late Spring. I doubt I have a marathon in me that early. Happy to donate to any other runners that want to do it, though. And I'll be at the 40K mark with the rest of the heathens cheering this coming year.

 

[Jerrygarciaparra]

I can't seem to get the pace right for my long runs.  8:30 was too fast, and 9 minute miles was too slow, but after about six miles I was sort of stuck in a rut and couldn't get my pace up to where I wanted.
 
Well, I guess 8:45 next week.  I've got some time before my next big race.

 

[steveluck7]

Our 12 man team (well, there were 3 women) ran Reach the Beach this past weekend up in NH.  Started at Cannon Mt. and finished at Hampton beach.  205 miles.  Our team averaged just over 9 min / mile which is about what we thought but the 6 person van i was in averaged ~8:30, which we were pumped about.
This was our 2nd time running and it is a ridiculous amount of fun and i would highly suggest running one of these (or Ragnar) if you have the opportunity.

 

[pedro1918]

Good news!  The ophthalmologist I saw thinks my eyes are very healthy.  He confirmed what the optometrist said, I have pigment dispersion syndrome, but he thinks it isn't a major problem.  My eye pressure is excellent and the optic nerve (or nerves?) is great.  He recommends that I have my eyes checked for PDS related glaucoma regularly, 3 times a year, but that I can run until I have more symptoms. 
 
And that day may never come.
 
Here I come NYC!!

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Great news! Have an awesome race!

 

[someoneanywhere]

TTP, if you get a team together for the marathon I'll run and raise with you. 

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

TTP, if you get a team together for the marathon I'll run and raise with you. 


Two makes a team! I was just in the middle of filling out my DFMC application.

 

[TallerThanPedroia]

Well, my application is in, along with probably eleventy thousand others.

 

[GregHarris]

Is daily mile pretty much dead?
 
I can't do basic things on here anymore!  It won't let me create routes, or assign routes to workouts.  Also I can;t create a workout for a previous day.  I also have no ability to post on the forums over there.
 
I'll be pretty sad if this site folds.  It's a rather good way to track miles.