Forums >Racing>2024 Advanced Training and Racing Thread (still competitive jerks)
good question Flavio. My wife is a petite 50 kgs but my squat is pathetic as I have no confidence in my body holding up. She would beat me to a pulp anyway if I suggested such a thing
55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT
" If you don't use it you lose it, but if you use it, it wears out.
Somewhere in between is about right "
flavio Seems to me the second wife has to be the same weight as your first wife.
RP I was also thinking terrain might have been the issue. I may have done something weird with my form on the trail section since I was concerned for my IT band, which may have put excessive strain on my hip flexor (both left side). It seems like downhill irritates the IT band the most. I can run on a steady incline on the treadmill and nothing seems to happen. A hilly route outdoors will sometimes bring the irritation back. I do the stretch sporadically, but more often if it was recently irritated, like now. Nice 400s btw, that's a big workout.
Steve I have a tendency to compare myself to others a lot, it's a curse of mine. But it's also part of being a competitive jerk I guess.
Intl. correspondent
WCRunner - Just work harder
Piwi - That's the only right answer!
MMerkle - Yup, you got that part right!
I also compare myself to others lots of times and always in detriment to my well being 🤦♂️
PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021
Up next: some 800m race (or time trials) / Also place in the top 20% in a trail race
Tool to generate Strava weekly
MMerkle - Yup, you got that part right! I also compare myself to others lots of times and always in detriment to my well being 🤦♂️
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Hi All- Just back from a needed (but too short) vacation to visit University of Tennessee with my senior daughter Believe it or not the weather was so atrocious I was forced to do 2 days of treadmill work! It was my first time on the mill in a a year plus and happy to report it wasn't that bad.... I also lifted some weights and did a rowing machine for 20 minutes. All of the bad influences on this thread are starting to make me think I need to do more that "just" running
5K 18:36 (2023), 10K 39:40 (2022), 1/2 1:24:37 (2023), full 2:58:36 (2015)
Mother of Cats
And the soul of competition.
Ironic, in an Alanis Morissette kinda way.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
This is now the typical middle age running body for a sub 2:40 marathoner.
And he did on you guys' favorite PR course: Nick Bare goes sub 2:40 for CIM marathon.
Get with the program!
Problem Child
Marby I only wanted his zombie badge. It's been something I've tried to get for a while, and apparently haven't been able to catch his cooties.
In all fairness, when I set it up he was doing about 40 miles a week....so it would have been fair.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
RP - thanks for the sunglasses recommendation. I'd be looking at something that is quicker to go from clear lenses to very dark lenses, I might have to go with 2 glasses after all.PS: Can we call you RP-COP yet?
TL;DR not yet. I'll let you know when R(obo)P-C()p is a pending screen name change.
I had a 7 question interview today. A follow up question was something to the effect of "if you want to make an impact why not use your background for (medical research/cure cancer) to which I honestly told them the research community is more interested in job security than curing anything. On a drive later I was thinking "actually its more like they'd rather prove someone else wrong for not thinking the same as them instead of work together as a team." I also recalled how some document I read said not to speak poorly of previous employers, and I'm all about that honesty button. "don't ask me a question you don't want the answer to."
Now I'm battling how to tell my (way up there) boss "so basically this is still a problem because for the entire time you've been here you've elected to do absolutely nothing to solve the problem. You've sat on your hands claiming they're bound while also claiming (federal regulation)." It's a spot I've come to know well (don't have a problem saying it, or accepting their reaction) and is a big reason I'd rather just leave here and go somewhere I could make an impact. Nothing like working somewhere every idea I suggest is met with "no we can't do that" for a decade. Maybe I should get someone else to suggest it so they can be promoted. This project would definately make an impact on the public health and regulatory agency I'm part of.
This is now the typical middle age running body for a sub 2:40 marathoner. And he did on you guys' favorite PR course: Nick Bare goes sub 2:40 for CIM marathon. Get with the program!
LOL- Luckily I'm neither middle-aged or sub 2:40
flavio Forgot to respond. I agree it's very possible the JFK 50 is the reason I've been having issues, and that it's more so from the fact that I pushed on when I knew I was hurt. I had a much better day at the 6 hour endurance challenge. If I had turned that day into a 50 by adding 3 more laps, I don't think I would have been hurt after. Probably would have gone under 8 hours too.
mt79/dw I like both quotes. I think comparison is often the thief of joy when it comes to most of life. But when it comes to competition specifically, comparison is pretty much baked in. By the way mt79 the fact that someone that size went under 2:40 puts some serious fire in my belly. Sub 2:40 has been a goal of mine but after seeing that last year I'm even more motivated.
Training Question (here we go again)
Suppose, hypothetically, one is training primarily for flat road races. Is there still substantial benefit from including a fair amount of "vert"? By this I don't mean hill sprints, I mean
1. Frequently doing easy runs and long runs on hilly terrain.
2. Doing uphill tempo and/or VO2 max intervals, either on a treadmill or up a mountain if one has access. And by this I mean on a "reasonable" incline between say 3% and 6%, which is what is typically found on roads.
I imagine it's probably not worth it to log the crazy vert we see from someone like Krash, but I'm wondering if frequently logging something around 3,000 - 5,000 feet per week (or around 900 - 1500 meters) would be worth it?
That Nick Bare has some serious running talent even if it's hard to watch him with his shirt off all the time. I think he is getting close to needing a bra though
Fishy you are absolutely middle aged. Personally I would consider middle aged to be somewhere between 40 to 60 but probably higher as people live longer.
Training Question (here we go again) Suppose, hypothetically, one is training primarily for flat road races. Is there still substantial benefit from including a fair amount of "vert"? By this I don't mean hill sprints, I mean 1. Frequently doing easy runs and long runs on hilly terrain. 2. Doing uphill tempo and/or VO2 max intervals, either on a treadmill or up a mountain if one has access. And by this I mean on a "reasonable" incline between say 3% and 6%, which is what is typically found on roads. I imagine it's probably not worth it to log the crazy vert we see from someone like Krash, but I'm wondering if frequently logging something around 3,000 - 5,000 feet per week (or around 900 - 1500 meters) would be worth it?
I don't have any choice but to run on hills. I probably average about 1500 feet of gain per week (but on far less miles than you). I think it helps to an extent. If you are running totally flat road races, I think the treadmill at no incline/very limited incline & dialing in on the pace can be a huge help. With hills, you probably slightly change your stride going uphill vs downhill vs flats. If there is absulutely no elevation (not Salisbury, think running on the boardwalk in OC or Atlantic City), then you need to be ready to keep the same pace and not have any sort of breaks. I would think the reasonable incline would help, especailly since I find the trade off for a totally flat race tends to be wind.
Are we there, yet?
Training Question (here we go again) Suppose, hypothetically, one is training primarily for flat road races. Is there still substantial benefit from including a fair amount of "vert"? By this I don't mean hill sprints, I mean 1. Frequently doing easy runs and long runs on hilly terrain. 2. Doing uphill tempo and/or VO2 max intervals, either on a treadmill or up a mountain if one has access. And by this I mean on a "reasonable" incline between say 3% and 6%, which is what is typically found on roads.
I think the added strength from running hilly courses would help. I also think it would help with form as you learn to adjust to differing terrain. It also bears some resemblance to running in windy conditions, which you could encounter even in flat road races. That's just off the top of my head based on what I remember from when I raced almost exclusively on roads and the track, but did much of my training on hilly courses.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
I have no qualifications to answer this question with any credibility, but just my 2 cents. I have to believe there's value to including some hills, both in easy/long runs, and in workouts. But I think not to excess. Presuming there is specific benefit to doing speed workouts on flat ground - your ability to do that is being reduced by the extra work you are expending on hilly workouts. That's my convoluted logic anyway.
I hate hills, but since moving to Seattle they're pretty hard to avoid. I tried my best for a while, but eventually came to embrace the hills. I consider it the running version of eating your vegetables. Now I just don't worry about it, my routes are whatever they are. I was going to say your 3000-5000 ft was excessive, but I just added up my last week. (I don't really track it, I just see it on those Strava reports.) It was around 2500, and it was a fairly typical week. So for me, 3000 would be not unreasonable, but 5000 would be crazy. Even if it did help, I'd hate it, so probably wouldn't do it.
Dave