Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023 (Read 574 times)

Ooh!  Ooh!

 

I want to brag about a bunch of stupid running things I did in the past!!!

Some of us already know about your questionable running stunts….but not everyone so fire away!

 Yes, I’m already celebrating my win against Cal at CIM. 🥇

Good job Mikkey!

I still think my high mileage weeks in 2021 were for nothing. Fitness will be lost pretty quickly if you don't train, yes, you can also can get it back quicker than if you are a beginner, but still, doesn't mean you can get back to that level when you ran big miles.

MP miles (or something around it, Mikkey said it right - just check your HR to see what effort it was) are very important to me - I need to get a feeling of struggle while running, that feeling is so important to train and fight - knowing you can overcome it and keep at it - it is invaluable at later miles of the marathon.

Commander I didn't see the jellyfish, not sure what kind. Probably a sea nettle? That mileage is very impressive. Should come in handy for this 100 you say your'e doing.

Flavio I'd imagine you should start feeling better after the 2 hour mark by December. For me, weather plays a huge role in that. Also getting the fueling/hydrating dialed in. And take this with a grain of salt, but sometimes it makes me feel better if I pick up the pace a little towards the middle/end of a long run. I think this gets the nervous system to recruit more/new muscle fibers (I'm guessing). Then I always back off the last mile or two (1.5-3.5k for you) to reward myself for the effort while getting more time in. So from about 90 minutes to 2 hours I pick it up in some way, then by the time I hit 2 hours I'm either backing off or getting ready to back off. It makes the last 15-20 minutes feel less shitty IMO. This is of course assuming the length is 2:15-2:20 ish, which I think is a good training session.

Damn, Steve beat me to the weekly.  What's the field looking like next weekend?  Normally pretty strong down there I would've thought?  With any luck you find a few club runners you can work with.

Slightly lighter week after last weekend's race.  Saturday's track workout was pretty decent although it did make for a bit of a slog in the wet this morning.

Weekly for period: From: 14/08/2023 To 20/08/2023

Totals: Time: 05:48:10 - 🦅Imperial: 51.93 mi - Metric: 83.55 km

DNS for the race today.

I knew traveling would have a price, but there was no way around it as it had been already 18 months since we saw family last.

I also thought a 9 hour bus ride could have a bad result for my back. So I found a flight to a nearby airport.

But it was all for nothing.

Wednesday to Thursday overnight I developed a very sore throat and pulled an upper back muscle (near the left scapula).

As soon as that combo hit me I knew today's race was gone.

Now the back pain is gone after 2 days of taking a muscle relaxant.

And the cold seems to be on the mend (fingers crossed).

Now it's a waiting game.

Weekly for period: From: 08/14/2023 To 08/20/2023

Totals: Time: 03:40:00 - 🦅Imperial: 26.18 mi - Metric: 42.13 km

Mikkey- congratulations on your once and future victory!

Steve - good luck this weekend.  What is the Canterbury course like?

Marky_Mark - I am stunned at the paper newpapers thing.  Though, as a friend pointed out, without physical newspapers it's harder to find something to stuff into wet shoes.

Flavio - I am so sorry.  I hope you feel better soon.

Merkle - regarding the 2:55...I don't see anything in your training that conflicts with 2:55, FWIWI. And I can tell you that everything that I see in your training is faster than what I was running when I thought I was in 2:55 shape (take that assessment with a grain of salt, as I never actually got to take a fair shot at 2:55).  Of course, so much is weather dependent, and it's also easy to run your workouts too fast.

You went sub-3 on a day that had a lot going against you (winds) implying that you were in better shape on that day.  Do you feel like you are in better shape than you were this spring?  If so, that's your answer.

65 miles running, 500 yards swimming, and 3 hours pool-running.
M: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga
T: 9 miles very easy (9:50), upper body weights/core, 2 miles very easy (9:44)
W: 14 miles, including a track workout of 4800, 3200, 1600 in 21:30 (7:15/7:09/7:05), 14:14 (7:10/704), and 7:05. Recoveries of 5:32 and 5:19 between each. Tried to add 2x200m after, but couldn't due to track congestion. Followed with leg strengthwork.
Th: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga
F: 11.5 miles very easy (9:36) including some grass running plus drills and strides, and then upper body weights/core.
Sa: 17.5 miles, including 2x5 miles at marathon effort in 37:25 (7:29 pace) and 37:21 (7:28 pace) with 8:40 float/jog in between. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
Su: 11 miles very easy on trails (11:20) plus four hill sprints.

Just two workouts this week, on Wednesday and Saturday. I'm playing around some with the medication I take for the dystonia in my feet/ankles, trying to fine tune it. And on Wednesday I definitely got it wrong. I just sucked it up and did the workout anyway, reasoning that the body knows effort and not pace.

Things went better for Saturday's workout, where I was able to hit that marathon effort groove and hold it.

Separately, on Strava CK was asking about Teddy Roosevelt Island, which is where I've been trail running. It's actually kinda a cool place - it's a little island in the middle of the Potomac river about 1.5 miles in circumference. Only pedestrians are allowed on the island, which is mostly trails of various types. There's a boardwalk section, and a few stretches of packed dirt. And then there's other sections that are loose gravel, or rocks, or lots of exposed tree roots. So a lot of variety in running surfaces, which is good for me.

The island is the memorial to President Teddy Roosevelt, who was very into conservation. So most of the island feels like this ungroomed, wild place. And then you come around a turn and suddenly you're in a plaza with a big statute of President Roosevelt looking down at you. It's pretty cool and also a bit eerie.

Here's a youtube video someone took of it a few years ago  This gives you a sense of what it's like there, though the trails look a bit more groomed (and definitely wider) in that video then they are now.