2024 Advanced Training and Racing Thread (still competitive jerks) (Read 211 times)

Well, hello there.

Let's start by saying that I sure hope to be able to run this year, start to finish.  So, my goal for 2024 is to be able to post on this thread on December 31st with the comment "I did it."  If I can that, then the year will have been a success!

Who am I, and what's my history?  You sure you wanna know?  (for those who already know, you can just skip the rest of this post)

I am a 58 year old dude that picked up running later in life.  I started smoking at 15 and then quit at 35.  My only running was when I was in the US Army in the late 80s.  By the time I quit smoking I couldn't run for 2 minutes on a treadmill without holding the handrails.  It pissed me off!  I took up 'casual' running as a way to reinforce my decision to not smoke.

One day, while running on a treadmill at the gym, the guy beside me starting talking about his training to run a marathon.  It was his first.  I thought 'Hm... marathon, you say?  I could probably do that..."  A few web searches later and I was signed up on the Hal Higdon message board and had ordered his marathon training book.  I decided I would run the 2004 Chicago Marathon.  I had something like 20 weeks to train.  Thankfully, Hal's programs were 18 weeks, so I figured I was good...

Somewhere around week 4 of the training program I developed peroneal tendinitis and had to back off the schedule. The podiatrist determined that I was overpronating and recommended I wear motion-control running shoes.  I picked up a pair of Brooks Beast and resumed training after almost 2 weeks of down time.  At that point, I started doing a hybrid of Hal's novice and intermediate plans.  Long story short, I made it to the start line and finished the Chicago marathon in 4:23 and change.  It was rough, but I finished.  I was also a little ticked off about the pronation issue, so I resolved to simply 'get past it' and started running in different shoe models until I adapted.

By the time I got home I was already thinking about doing another one.  Thanks to a website called MarathonGuide.com I was able to find my next race... the Las Vegas International Marathon in Jan 2005.  Yep, 3 months after Chicago.  That race started in Jean, NV and ran north along an old highway for 18 or so miles... straight into a headwind that was gusting upwards of 35mph.  I ran that race and finished in 3:49 and change.  That was an improvement of over 30mins!  At this point I was thinking I should just keep racing since I saw so much improvement... I did a last minute signup for the Austin marathon which was two weeks later, and was so confident that I booked my return flight for mid-afternoon on race day.  Well... I struggled mightily that day and ended up taking a DNF around mile 20 so I could short cut back to the finish line and get back to hotel and airport.  I was... humbled.

Next race was Chicago in Oct that year and I ran a 3:51.  I was no longer seeing the improvement I expected.  Somewhere in here I also started participating on the RWOL forums, but that's another story...  I ran one last marathon in 2005 (Vegas in Dec) as a 'fun run' and posted a 4:33.  I also was training in a variety of running shoe models...

I got more serious in 2006.  I ran 5 marathons.  Austin in Feb (4:15) as a revenge run for the DNF.  Then Cincinnati in May (3:35).  Then Chicago in Oct (3:23).  Then Vegas in Dec (3:19 and my first BQ!).  Three weeks after Vegas, on New Years Eve, I ran another 3:19 in Springfield, MO.  It was here that I decided to join the Marathon Maniacs.  By this point, I had adapted to where I could run in racing flats without issue!

I had stumbled upon the online Marathon Maniacs group and decided I wanted to qualify to join in 2007 at 5 stars (Ruthenium level) so I planned to run a marathon every month in 2007 to earn the 5 stars.  I ran Carlsbad CA in Jan, Pensacola FL in Feb, Olathe KS in Mar, Boston MA in Apr, and then I decided to take a shortcut to Ruthenium.  The other way to get 5 stars was to run 4 marathons in 9 days... also known as a 'double double'.  Using Marathon Guide I found (and booked) Sat/Sun marathons on consecutive weekends.  So, on the weekend of 5/26 and 5/27 I ran Traverse City MI and Madison WI.  Then on the following weekend of 6/2 and 6/3 I ran Kent WA and Friday Harbor WA.  Boom!  I join the marathon maniacs as maniac #585.  I ran 5 more marathon in 2007 including another double.

I ran 6 marathons in 2008, including El Scorcho 50k, which sucked magnificently (but I finished.  Barely)

I ran 17 marathons in 2009 and got down to a 3:01 PR.  I was trying for sub3 and missed by just over a minute!  I also ran a 'double triple' which is 6 marathons in 9 days.  I only did this because I saw it on the race calendar on Marathon Guide and couldn't believe there were consecutive weekends with 3 marathons.  As most probably know, marathons are typically on Sat or Sun with a rare race on Monday (like Boston).  In September of 2009, there was an opportunity to do 3 marathons back to back.  I flew from KC to Denver and rented a car then drove 7 hours to Pocatello, ID.  I ran that race on Saturday, jumped in my car, and drive 12 hours across the desert to run the Albuquerque Marathon and ran that one on Sunday.  Drove a few hours up to Colorado Springs, CO and ran the Discovery Trail Marathon on Monday (it was on Labor Day).  Then I drove back to Denver, dropped off the rental, and flew back to KC.  I rested for 3 days, then ran the Patriots Day marathon on Olathe, KS (held every year on 9/11 since the towers fell).  I jumped in my car and drove 13 hours to Winona Lake, IN and ran that marathon on Saturday.  Then drive to St. Louis and ran the Lewis and Clark Marathon on Sunday.  Six marathon in six days in six different states!  That earned me 7 stars...  I also paced the 4hr group at the Las Vegas Marathon in December, coming in at 3:59:25.

I ran 4 marathons in 2010, but this time I was determined to get under 3 hours.  I ran Little Rock in March in 3:41.  Then I just trained my ass off.  I went back to Chicago in October and ran 2:59:35 chip time; 2:59:59 clock time.  My 3:01 from 2009 got me into corral A so started ahead of the masses... it was a good day!  I ran 2 more to close out the year.  The year 2010 was a pivotal year for me in many ways.  There were some significant life changes.

I ran 1 marathon in 2011 and 1 marathon in 2012.  Then didn't run another until 2016.  In the early summer of 2016 I had a running accident where I slammed the big toe of my right foot into a slab of uneven concrete while training in my racing flats.  I mangled the joint on that toe.  I put off any corrective surgery thinking I'd be able to just 'run through it'.  Yeah, right.

Flash forward to 2023.  I finally had surgery in Feb of 2023 to fuse the bones together.  The toe joint was rotated out of position my almost 20 degrees and there was no cartilage at all.  I was cleared to run again in June and have been steadily working my way back.  I don't know where I'll end up, but I have plans to race again.  It's just the training is a lot harder than it was 10+ years ago.

So, there's a synopsis of my running background.  For PRs, I've run a 5:18 mile, a 18:35 5k, and 2:59:35 marathon.  My 'best' race weight was 164lbs.  I'm currently sitting around 178lbs (down from just over 200lbs before the foot surgery).

At my peak, I was running well over 90mpw with one 7 day stretch of 137 miles.  As you can see, I tend toward the extreme.  Or, I used to...

So, here's to 2024 as a 'comeback year' for me.  If all goes well, I'll get in a lot of good training runs and get in at least one marathon.  I'm looking forward to following all of the great training I see you all putting in, and plan to use it to help keep me motivated.  I don't think my running days are over... not quite yet, anyway.

Cheers, everyone, and Happy New Year!

/*delurking

DW, wow I am so sorry!  Your positive attitude and ability to find super cool ways to still compete and push yourself are truly inspiring.  I cannot wait to watch your journey.

Relurking*/

Darkwave, kick ass and take names. You were already doing that before this diagnosis; life has raised the stakes and you’re already breaking records so, cheers to continuing with that. You may be the first of us to get paid for running! (Mark, don’t know if your wins were compensated?). I won a $20 coupon for a running store once… Boston prize money is legit as hell. 

Cheers to 2024 as well, which I’m pretty apprehensive about in many ways, but running is that one place that I look for sanity, stability and healthy optimism. Unfortunately, my knee is not providing me much stability at the moment, so that’s the first goal I have: make the changes I need to so that it’s healthy. I have my Dr.’s appointments lined up, a 6-week re/prehab routine I’m starting with my sport’s therapist in two weeks… I’d like to begin marathon training and have the reassurance I’ll get to peak week healthy. 

Then, to stay healthy, I am taking Flavio up on his recommendation to take strength training more seriously. Upping my gym days from 1 day to 2. 

Some other goals: 

Less alcohol while training, more healthy food choices. More miles. Ideally 2024 of them. Run 3:25 in April. (I should have said run sub 3:30 and BQ in the last year. As we know, I did run sub 3:30, but it won’t get me to run Boston in 2025). Given that part of my motivation is to join two gal pals running 2025, if I don’t qualify in April, I’ll give up Boston for a little while, because in the fall, I want to focus on the 5K and 10K, and I may throw in an ultra just to keep things interesting. 

I also want to balance my running priorities a bit. I intend to budget my time and money more judiciously in 2024… An Instructor’s salary is nothing fancy, but it’s a lot more than I was earning as a grad student, and I found myself spending 10% of my income on running last year. 2024, I intend to match up things I “want” for running with treating myself for my professional endeavors. I’ve been struggling coming up with ways to motivate myself for reaching those goals beyond “it will look good for my CV.” Now I’ll be more mindful of how I buy those things I want, but don’t really need for running (new running music, super shoes, signing up for a race I don’t really need to), etc. 

No longer term goals, because I take things year by year, but I guess I do need to start worrying in the fall about the 100-miler I deferred to March 2025. I know I can probably finish, but I'd like to at least not push myself to the absolute limit while doing so. 

(Re)introducing myself 

Name: Dorothea

Age: 32

Location: South Florida, but spend at least 1/5 of the year in northern Germany 

Brief Running History: Ran soccer in the pee-wee leagues, realized I liked soccer because I liked running after a ball, joined track and cross country, found local success, decided I liked it even when not on a school team, ran a few marathons, tried a few ultras, etc. The longest gap I took from running was 2020 when I got plantar fasciitis and was finishing my dissertation. I did only 750 miles that year, but did nearly 2000 bicycling, so it’s not like I took off. Have had my share of injuries and mineral deficiencies, try to stay healthy but often overestimate my abilities. I am single and childless, so it’s really just my aging parents (I’m younger than a lot of you, but our parents are the same ages), friends, and jobs who keep me busy outside of running. 

[ETA:] Lifetime PRs: 5K: 20:55 (2023), 10K: 43:51 (2022), Half: 1:35:11 (2019), Full: 3:29:40 (2023), 50K: 4:55:10 (2023)

Favorite Distance: Probably the 10K or half marathon, but I would like to master the marathon. 

Races for the front page: Glass City Marathon for April 28. But I’m signed up for the Miami Half Marathon Jan. 28 and would like to PR in the 5K on February 10th in a local race (kind of need to see what the doc says later this week). 

 

Dorothea - IDK I've won a total of about NZ$500 or so (~US$300), so really just petrol and beer money lol.  Also I WISH I could spend 10% of my income on running (incompatible with 2 kids and a mortgage lol).

So darkwave would be the 2nd person :-) BTW,  I should clarify that it was more like 8%, and some of that is coming for expenses for Glass City, so I guess it doesn't count for 2023, necessarily. Still, it was a bit of a shock when I tallied my running budget yesterday!

 

Pro tip: never do this.

Agree.

Adding up the cost of racing.  I learned never to do this in my equestrian days.

A few other comments:

Running Problem - I'm still on meds.  Basically my brain doesn't make enough of the neurotransmitters (dopamine) that communicate signals to my muscles, so I have to supplement with pills.  Similar to a diabetic and insulin.  And just like a diabetic, it gets tricky because most people's bodies continuously supply the right amount of the insulin/dopamine as needed, while I have to guess at the exact amount needed and ingest it in a lump periodically.  And...just like a diabetic, exercise changes things, so I have to take a bigger dose before exercise (and guess how much bigger).  Unfortunately, unlike a diabetic, the symptoms of too little and too much are not that different for me.  And I don't have the benefit of little fingerprick things to tell me where my levels are - I just have to feel it out.  So it's a bit tricky.  But I'm figuring it out.

WCRunner - if you don't belong here, then I definitely don't belong here.  And I think I belong here.

Mr. MattM  - good to see you back!  I remember you from way back when.  Josh - I _think_ I remember you; not sure.

Dave - congrats again on the 81% AG.  Getting back over 80% AG has been one of my goals.

CCoakley- you could stick around.

Hi All,

I feel like we need a big virtual group hug!

I’m Ash (he), 52, Melbourne Australia. Married with kids 15, 13 & 11.

I was active as a kid and a decent swimmer but didn’t really enjoy or have any obvious running talent.  I did Little Aths for a few years, where kids 5-15 do track and field events but gave that up for cricket and golf as summer activity. In the winter I played footy (AFL) and skied a bit.

There was a steady decline in activity and fitness over the next 20 years and it wasn’t until my late 30’s when marriage and kids came along that I finally got my act together, stumbled across running and eventually worked out that it made me feel happier and healthier.

I ran my first marathon at age 40 (3:40) and got a real buzz out of the whole experience.  I have now completed 14 marathons (and one 50km). I saw a steady improvement over the first few and got my time down to 3:02. Then there was a bit of a lean patch where I just scraped in under 4 hours in a couple and a personal worst of 4:27. Some good training in 2021 produced a PB of 3:00:23 in December of that year.

I suffered a couple of foot fractures in 2022.  It took 5 months for the bone to properly heal after the second of those and then I had a couple of injuries doing too much too soon on the comeback. I ran 715 miles (1150 km) in 2022 and 635 (1025 km) in 2023. In the middle of all that, I guess based on the fitness I’d built up in 2021, managed to run a 3:27 in 2022 and 3:36 in 2023.

I’m planning for two marathons in 2024.  The first is Ballarat on 28 April as a pacer (3:45). The second is Melbourne on 13 October. My goals are just to stay healthy and consistent; my time will be what it is. The ultimate goal is to run sub 3 but I’m not worried if that doesn't come this year, given the last couple I’d be happy if I can get under 3:10 and set myself up for a decent crack in 25.

I’m self-coaching, the plan is gradual volume increase over the course of the year. I’ve averaged around 40 miles for the last 6 weeks and would like to get that to 50 for the year and peak of 60-70.  I’m not thinking about speed or strength work at all, at this point. Kind of figure that easy aerobic alone will see gains with less risk. Will probably get bored and throw in some random efforts sooner or later and jump in a parkrun occasionally to see where I’m at.

Marathon is the only distance I’m focused on; my favourite race would have to be Melbourne where I ran my 10^th official in 2023.  Mainly because it is local and one of only two fast AIMS certified courses with decent field size in the country (the other is Gold Coast). The rest have hills and/or are hot and humid.  I’m excited for Ballarat which is new this year. It’s 1.5 hours by car, flat, certified and at a time of year that weather should be ideal.

April is going to be big around here!

 

flavio Didn't realize the 1500 is your favorite distance. Agreed that strength prevents injury. I'd love to race an 800 too but I have no idea where to find an actual 800 race. Also I think "competitive" can be taken to mean that you like to compete with whoever is near you / has similar ability. Whether you have a shot at the podium depends on who shows up.

 

A start to finding track races would be your USATF association, which I think would be would be the Potomac Valley USATF,

https://potomacvalley.usatf.org/

ETA:  It's based in Virginia, but may also include some meets in MD:

Potomac Valley Track Club
https://www.pvtc.org/index.php