Forums >Racing>3:20 Marathoners ... New and Improved for (the rest of) 2017
Will Run for Donuts!
cdave- thanks for asking! pretty much better, minus lingering cough. haha, NO. no spring marathon. but i told a coworker about R2R2R, a guy who has hiked down to phantom ranch, slept there, and hiked back out. he is scaring me about how difficult this undertaking will be. so i think i'm gonna have to train somewhat seriously .... will be interesting because i am planning on some speed development stuff in the spring. hm.
You're looking to do R2R2R also? It's on my bucket list after visiting the Grand Canyon this past August with my wife for our 20th anniversary (plus I really enjoy trail-running). There's a Facebook group dedicated to R2R2R, with tips, etc. The NPS at the Grand Canyon does their best to scare hikers descending into the canyon unprepared, but you can't really fault them - they're the ones who have to pull the unprepared out. The week we were there a doctor died hiking to the canyon floor - she didn't have adequate water, got lost, and passed away. Very sad. The NPS also had a poster in one of the rim lodges with a Boston Marathon runner who died in the canyon about 10 years ago, to show that even the fittest of the fit are at risk if they don't prepare properly. R2R2R has its risks, but lots of folks in the Facebook group have done it successfully. You just need to have solid preparation - not just physically, but also supplies, proper foods, etc. I'm not sure when I'll do it, but hopefully soon.
Ran a small local half this morning (Gar Williams, put on very well by the great folks of the DC Road Runners, for you Metro DC locals). I was aiming to get one of my lifetime PR goals, a sub-1:30 half, but fell apart in the second half and finished with a 1:32:39. I was on pace right up to the halfway mark, but couldn't hold it. I may need to find a more specific half-marathon plan. It just feels SO MUCH harder than marathon pace, even though they aren't that far apart. Still trying to figure out training for 13.1. I've run 1:31:XX several times, but no faster. I'd like to go sub-1:30 one of these days.
Dwave - Bummer on the trophy. I feel for you. My glass cup also sits on museum wax, around here we call it earthquake wax, and has not moved. I leaned on it pretty hard to bed it in. I'd rather not speculate on what a replacement would cost.
OMR - That looks risky.
I ran a race! It didn't hurt!
This was a 4x 4.3 miles relay in S.F. Lots of fun. I took the first two miles a little conservatively, then went harder for the rest and passed some folks. All this was at about (last year's) marathon pace, but it felt good. rlk was there. Her team uniform included some very bright holiday-themed leggings. She had a fun race too.
Resident Millennial
jones- yep! a group of us will do it in May. relying heavily on max to make sure we know how to prepare ourselves and all that ... haha
ahh i think i know the feeling, re. your half marathon. i've let it go a little too much between 9-11 of a few halfs in the past year or two. i've run 1:31:50-1:32:40 i think 5 times in the past 16 months. i'd like to get under 1:30 as well. my half and marathon pace feel quite different
of all places, i found jim at the beer tent today! it was indeed a fun race. i averaged 7 flat for the 4.4mi, starting out more chill and picking it up as i went along. (my PR pace for this course is 6:33! ha.) it felt good. i was thinking i'd end up running actually easy pace, given how recovery is going (slowly), but it's hard to do that once you have a bib pinned to your chest!
_________________________________________________mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58
Well done on the races, Jim and rlk! It seems like you both did better than expected, so glad top hear you're both in the right path to recovery.
DkW - thanks! Lovely LR on Sunday by the way! I saw in one of your comments (strava) that you won't be starting your cycle for boston until January. Just curious as to whether you normally have cycles of that length or it's because of the Houston half.
Dad - great week! OMR, great week too, finding time to put in 40+ miles despite a heavy work load and those cruel weather conditions.
ace - hope things settle soon RE colds and sleeping patterns in the house!
I must say I don't completely dislike that jacket. Definitely better than the 2016, 2014 and a few more maybe (https://www.runnersworld.com/gear-check/boston-marathon-celebration-jackets-through-the-years/slide/9). Great comment by PJ though! Speaking of which, congrats on the 5-miler.
Hi everyone else! I may have missed a few things so I apologize. My week:
Monday, Dec 11, 2017 thru Sunday, Dec 17, 2017
Week 2/18 of the modified Pfitz 18-55 for Paris. The MP section of the Sunday LR felt a bit tougher than expected. I had to stay focused to keep the pace, otherwise I would start slowing down as soon as my mind wandered. Hopefully it'll feel more natural as training progresses. Anyway, overall pretty happy with the week.
Have a good week everyone!
5K - 18:03 (5.18) | 10K - 37:58 (2.18) | HM - 1:20:45 (9.18) | FM: 2:57:59 (10.18)
pie man
Pesto - nick was a big proponent of the 2014 jacket when most everyone else was not. I also believe that one looks better in person than on the Internet. I didn't end up buying one, but I would have if I saw it at TJ Maxx or wherever after the weekend had passed.
Jim's racing. And hitting the beer tent. Nice.
I'm thinking I might be out for the field trip the Grand Canyon. Back to considering the bad idea that's a little north in April instead. Would be good R2R2R prep if anyone wanted to keep me company for a few miles on the mesas.
I 'accidentally' did the Celtic solstice. I was going to run up there (and back) but I overslept and drove instead. I wore clothes to run after and after a short jog decided I wanted to joint the fun. So I grabbed a number and did it. Was surprised by the first couple of miles close to 6 flat pace, but then realized it was cause the modified course loses about 100 feet in those first miles. The turn resulted in climbing and a bit more climbing and then even a slight uphill finish. Most folks had more than a .1 short, I was closer to .05 under as I give people room in bigger races. So I'd add 25 seconds to the time, still just fine with that, as I did a bit of a workout Thursday night by myself in the dark not expecting to race 38 hours later.
6, days 38 miles. No long run so maybe 10 miles short of my goal. Will be over 50 going forward now.
11:11 3,000 (recent)
Problem Child
Ace NeRP comes from the 3:20 social media group. I thought you were part of that? I had posted a photo of him with the heading "New running partner" and his dimensions. SOMEONE commented on his name and somewhere along here people commented about the abbreviation/name sticking.
dwave FAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.
rlk I thought you were supposed to take time off from running/racing? Typical millennial.
Apparently the generation after Millennial is being labeled the iGeneration. Much like Generation Y I see this changing. Mostly because Apple will say they're not allowing the use of "i" because they own it. Maybe they'll become the eGeneration...like email.
Do we have a new leader for 2018? I think rlk did everything in her power to make her administration a "one and done" thing with her :59 finish. "My job is done here. Someone else can take over." Plus she probably has more world travels coming up.
$200 for a Bob stroller with a rainfly, carseat adapted (won't be used) and the bottle holder. It's a 2012 and needs a new tube but I'll just replace all three because I'd never want to replace one on a run even with the correct tools. I figure NeRP doesn't know he's in a 5 year old stroller and it rolls just like the other ones so why not save a few hundred bucks. The rainfly was fun to figure out. I thought they'd put instructions on it somewhere but apparently not. It also came with a blanket type add on NeRP can lay on when it's cold outside. It seems like it would prevent his back from getting cold. Hopefully I get great news about my interview this week.
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
brew- haha, don't worry. more time was spent drinking beer and eating cookies than "running".i like your analysis of my :59 i'll take it. plus, i don't think we've forced someone to TD two years in a row? also, my regime was quite tumultuous with runners world crapping out on us. #scarredand +1 on hoping for good interview news!
Re: the jacket - It looks like it would be good for running on some of the trails around here, where you have to worry about getting an arrow in the butt from a bow hunter who can't tell the difference between a whitetail and a human. (I recently purchased the brightest orange running jacket I could find for just this purpose, but haven't had the chance to use it yet.)
CDave: I don't remember if I congratulated you on that run a while ago, but that was impressive. Congrats!
Dwave: Bummer on the shattered glass. You'll need to be sure to take better care of the Moose Mug when you get it.
Jim/rlk: Nice racing! Yay beer tent!
I need to decide what to run in 2018 (beyond Black Canyon).
brew- more time was spent drinking beer than "running". and +1 on hoping for good interview news!
brew- more time was spent drinking beer than "running".
and +1 on hoping for good interview news!
Priorities. You have them right.
Mother of Cats
My coach usually keeps our cycles to 14 weeks. I've done a longer cycle than that before, and it's never worked well for me - I'm cooked by race day.
The first few weeks of his training cycle are really pretty minimal also - 14 mile long runs, and then 16 (where I already am). The meat of his cycle is really 6 hard weeks, followed by a taper of 3-4 weeks. So a fairly short cycle - but it's important to note that I'm generally at around 55-60 miles per week with another 15 or so "miles" of pool-running as my non-marathon training. So I already have volume year-round, as much as what some people hit during their peak training. My "cycle" is just getting more marathon specific.
After Houston, I'll take a week very easy, then do a 14 mile long run, a 16 mile long run the next weekend, and then hop into the heavy 6 weeks.
R2R2R - those warnings are for people like me, I'm sure.
RJ - I think it's challenging to negative split that half. For those of you not in DC, the first half of that race is on a slight downhill, generally with a tailwind. Then you turn and the second half is on a false flat that usually has a headwind. Deceptively tough.
Jim - yay for no pain! And good to see you and RLK back at it.
Dad - it amused me to see the exclamation points associated with Spikes!
Pesto - strong week!
PJ - makes sense about the course being short - I saw a few surprising times. Nice job anyway!
Brewing - I agree with your assessment of the long term viability of "igeneration"
OMR - good to see you around these parts. Good point on the bow-hunter safety of the jackets.
Yoga and 7 "miles" pool-running today; will dump my week off in another post.
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.
My week: 62 miles plus 17 "miles" of pool-running.
M: yoga and 7 "miles" of pool-running.T: 13 miles, including 3x(1200, 800, 400) in 4:41, 3:06, 1:29, 4:36, 3:00, 1:32, 4:32, 2:59, 83; also injury prevention work and recovery swimming.W: 8 miles very easy to yoga (9:18), yoga, and then 4 miles very easy (8:51) plus drills and strides.Th: upper body weights/core and 10 "miles" of pool-running.F: 11 miles, including a 4 mile tempo on the track in 25:52 (6:34/6:30/6:25/6:23); also injury prevention work and recovery swimming.Sa: 10 miles very easy (8:49) plus drills and strides; later upper body weights/core.Su: 16 miles progressive, split as first 5 averaging 8:45, next 5 averaging 7:36; last 6 averaging 6:52; also injury prevention work and recovery swimming.
DkW - thanks for the explanation on the cycle. It seems that with a HM specific "cycle" (which stays around 55-60 miles weeks), almost immediately followed by the 6 strong FM specific weeks and taper, you should be very very well prepared for b-town. It also seems like a long cycle in the end!
Great week by the way! And hope they got back to you with good news regarding the shattered glass. That sucks.
PJ - well done on yet another race!
brew - good luck with the interview news!
OMR - has any runner actually been shot in the area? That would be crazy. Is there a story behind the orange jacket or just precaution?
CK - baby out yet?!
Dwave: I had to go check out your blog to get more caught up on your training. It's good to see it laid out for several weeks, rather than just reading the weeklies as they go by.
Pesto: No, not that I know of (anyone being shot), so it's just a precaution, but at this point, the jacket probably won't get used until spring as Arctic air is moving in tomorrow. The North Country Trail (which actually extends from North Dakota to New York) crosses private land, so precautions need to be taken. To be honest, the posted signs about what to do if you are confronted by a sheep dog are probably the most unnerving.
I read a few weeks ago in the news about a woman who was walking her dog and got shot by a "hunter who thought she was a deer" or something like that.
Recovery Phenom
I feel so behind!
Boston Jacket: I love, love the orange/coral color! I think the brighter the better. Flaunt that Sh*t!!!
Darkwave: The only reason I ask about Houston is that the Indianapolis corral situation traumatized me! But I haven't heard any negative feedback about Houston corrals, and because they verify your time I would assume they enforce it. Awesome Friday tempo. Those splits are really strong. How do you stay mentally strong on the track for 16 laps? I totally would feel the same way if one of my special trophies broke. I get really emotionally attached to things like that.
SeattleMax: I'm really sorry to hear about your father.
Pesto: Amazing job with the 5K! Congrats on such a speedy time and the win!
Brewing: Wow- there is a lot going on in your world. I hope you get the job. A 30-minute commute is such a waste of time if you can get a closer job.
McBen: I am with you on hating the snow. You never know what could lie beneath!
OMR: Hope the next three weeks go well for you!
Pepper: Nice work on the 5 miler. I would have liked to have seen the Elsa costume.
Katia: Yeah, I feel like with the TM, my legs just generally hurt all over after about 30 minutes. I used to run on a TM Monday-Friday when I lived in an area that was unsuitable for morning running. This was back in 2007-2009. I could run up to 20 miles on a TM. But now I am not used to it and I always worry about getting injured.
Dad: Wow- impressive workout. And in spikes too. I love 300m intervals! Great weekly mileage as well.
Jim: Good that the IT band is being quiet, especially with hills and some speedier stuff. Congrats on a pain-free race!
Ace: Yikes, that sounds like a nasty illness. I hope you recover quickly.
RLK: I think that the foreign body thing is normal after you've taken some time off. Agreed about the earned Mimosas!
RunnerJones: I know that half! Sorry to hear you didn't make your goal. My plan of attack for the half (to make sub 1:30 seem less daunting) is to first run a sub-7:00 pace as a milestone. And once I do that, then try for the sub 1:30. I like to chip away at things. I agree that a targeted half marathon plan might be in order.
- - - - - -
My Week:
Weekly SummaryMonday, Dec 11, 2017 thru Sunday, Dec 17, 2017
Good week last week and solid workout this morning. I ran three tempo miles followed by that "Mona Fartlek" after just three minutes recovery jog:
3 tempo miles: 6:51, 6:42, 6:36 3-minute recovery jog2 x 90 seconds hard, 90 seconds easy (6:24, 6:17)4 x 60 seconds hard, 60 seconds easy (6:14, 6:12, 6:06, 6:05)4 x 45 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy (6:01, 6:01, 6:05, 6:01)4 x 30 seconds, 30 seconds easy (6:10, 6:08, 5:49, 5:47)6 x 15 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy (6:33, 6:02, 5:57, 6:06, 6:00, 5:38)
I was not expecting the tempo to be so fast. I just ran by feel and was pleasantly surprised. I think I have a good shot at a sub-7:00 half in Houston.
26.2 x 31 (3:15:34 PR)
13.1 x 35 (1:30:58 PR)
Author of the book Boston Bound