Forums >Racing>Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023
My August was 301.6, first time cracking 3 in >2 years.
Nice mileage Dave! I wish I could run that much next month...
paces PRs - 5K - 5:48 / 10K - 6:05 / HM - 6:14 / FM - 6:26 per mile
Keen - Woah, you could arrive in Ireland traveling that far!
Cal - got your biceps back yet ? I have restarted strength training this week after one week off. I can no longer squat my wife's weight, so I had to give away my man credentials for now.
me - My wife went to the doc yesterday cause she's coughing for 10 days. He said we most likely caught covid again. I don't doubt him, the symptoms were quite similar, only this time I only had to take 3 days off so much better.
My workout yesterday went well, I seem to be back in shape, 35 minutes at 6:20 to 6:30 pace in 'murica units 🦅🔫. The heart rate was where I expected. I got about 20 days now to improve my fitness until my half race in Köln in 2023-10-01 (sorry, I had to use the superior date format).
At this point in time a PR is looking unlikely, yesterday's tempo points to a 1h24 half.
This is the HM tempo I completed 10 days before my PR, 30 minutes average 3:53/km-6:13/mi. I averaged that exact same pace on my time trial.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4928876319
And this is yesterday's 35 minutes at 3:58/km-6:21/mi
https://www.strava.com/activities/9754003803
This will be a big race too, I have no idea if the crowd will help me or get in my way. If I start even 10 seconds slower per K I'll certainly not be able to recover later. It will also be my first ever race in a big crowd, so hopefully the people around me move fast!.
Are we there, yet?
Congestion at big races is one of the reasons I stopped running them. If the race has a wave start or corrals, try to get near the front of the one you're assigned to, otherwise try to exercise patience and not do a lot of surging and slowing. Running on the edge of the crowd will often offer more opportunities to pass slower runners than if you are in the middle.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K, 9:11:09 06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour, 35.82 miles 10/12 - Hainesport 12-Hour
Mmmm Bop
When I ran the Cologne marathon back in 2014 there was minimum congestion, I was over the start line in 6 seconds and actually found the race quite tough mentally as there was little crowd support and no groups to run with. Maybe it’s a much bigger race now?
On a positive note I won €50 which went a long way back in those days.
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
No, I didn't get my bicep back, but encouraging that I feel something in that area getting stronger, not as soft as before. It is surprising though that it takes so much time - it has been more than 2 months since I lost it. And my left arm is still much stronger than my right arm - used to be vice versa. I am doing strength exercising - still can squat more than my wife's weight, but I had last session 10 days ago - that is definitely not good as I feel I lose strength, for sure. But at least I started to run more - though running 300 miles per month like Mikkey did seems a daunting task.
Sorry about yours and your wife struggles - I didn't have experience with Covid symptoms here for probably more than a year - I am taking cold showers and sauna sessions regularly, not sure if it helps, bit I hope it doesn't hurt
When I ran the Cologne marathon back in 2014 there was minimum congestion, I was over the start line in 6 seconds and actually found the race quite tough mentally as there was little crowd support and no groups to run with. Maybe it’s a much bigger race now? On a positive note I won €50 which went a long way back in those days.
I knew for a very long time that running for money is Mikkey's real ulterior motive
It was one of the proudest moments of my life when I went into the bank with that cheque.
Part of TLC
I'm sure you already checked that, but on the off chance you didn't: A 1:24 would've placed you around 160th out of about 7.500 participants in last year's race, so you better line up near the front. Moving space shouldn't be a problem after the first couple of minutes then. Looking ahead neither, which is great because the course has quite a lot of turns. Looking ahead regularly will help you run perfect tangents.
A 1.21 would've placed you around 110th. That's 50 runners within 180 seconds - lots of competition but not too close for comfort.
Don't hurry - next AG will start 2026
Nice mileage Dave and Mikkey, shit... I only hit 300 once and that was last October. I was hoping to hit that for August as well but it didn't happen. My August came out to 283, oh well. That's still very up there for me, and I'm hoping I will grow with my mileage over the next decade.
Mikkey Everything woke already IS shit.
Flavio I think Josh has good advice. You definitely don't want to get boxed in, and relatively speaking, you will be towards the front.
Cal I love me a cold shower, although more so during the summer. I especially swear by them the morning of a race. They really boost my mood and confidence.
To celebrate a 300+ mile month I decided to take my wife for a nice meal in a tennis themed restaurant.
Big mistake as the service wasn’t ace and had a lot of faults. The orange deuce was concentrated and they had a band playing making a truly awful racket. I said to the waiter I’d love 15 pounds off my bill and he refused…so I’m thinking of taking the restaurant to court.
I’m at break point. 🤦🏻
I'm so sorry to hear about your devastating defeat in your age group 😈
Cal - When I was in the Syllicon Valley area for a couple of weeks of work, I visited a banya in San Francisco 2 or 3 times, it was quite nice.
Josh - thanks for that, Yeah, I had checked, hopefully I can position myself near the front.
To celebrate a 300+ mile month I decided to take my wife for a nice meal in a tennis themed restaurant. Big mistake as the service wasn’t ace and had a lot of faults. The orange deuce was concentrated and they had a band playing making a truly awful racket. I said to the waiter I’d love 15 pounds off my bill and he refused…so I’m thinking of taking the restaurant to court. I’m at break point. 🤦🏻
Well done 👏
It is freaking expensive - I just go to my local gym to the sauna. It's pretty shabby and basic and it's always just 160oF, but I can go there every day if I want and it is a part of my membership. Of course, I do not know how exactly healthy it is, but the research in Finland states it's statistically pretty good for your all mortality chances
RIP Jimmy Buffett, who I imagine is now drinking something tall and strong with Hunter Thompson.
We come to a running forum for tennis puns and spa treatments?
In running related news: I actually won my 10k today! Only 30 people bothered to run it, most opted for the 5k. Which makes sense because it was 70F and sunny. To make matters worse—I made a wrong turn, had to backtrack, and ended up running an extra 0.2 miles. I felt I was in shape for <41, and worst case I thought still a PR of <41:30. If I’d run the right distance, the first one wasn’t going to happen under today’s conditions, although I would have been very close to PR. I checked my watch at 6.2 and it was 41:30-something. My 5k split (correct distance to that point) was 20:39, but I wilted a little in the second half. Final time 43:10 for 6.44 miles.
Anyway, my first (and probably last) ever win, so I’ll take it. You can only race against those who show up!
Dave
Congratulations Dave!!
5K 18:36 (2023), 10K 39:40 (2022), 1/2 1:24:37 (2023), full 2:58:36 (2015)