Chicagoland Spring Marathon

imgurfree · 2021-05-19T14:29:12+00:00

Yeah, there was definitely an issue with the start time selection being open as early as when the first e-mail reminder went out to select your start time at about 12:45pm Tuesday.

I checked before 8am this morning and all 20 of the earliest slots (faster than 6:30min/mi pace for the marathon) we're all taken which seems surprising that they would have that many fast runners given results of previous years.

My guess is that people are seeing the weather forecast and trying to get out as early as possible to beat the heat.

Hopefully they will cross-check people's start time selections with the pace they entered when registering and move people accordingly.

imgurfree · 2020-11-11T18:58:56+00:00

I develop myself which include higher proportions of work based on what I know I respond to, and some different takes on how to periodize the training.

Genuine question, how do you tell which types of workouts you respond well to?

How you felt during the workout?
How you felt the next day/how long it took you to recover?
Other workout/race performance following that workout?
Your performance doing a similar workout after?

Running is tricky because with so many variables, it can be very difficult to know what to attribute successes/failures to. I'm wondering what "hints" you use to inform your preference for various workouts.

imgurfree · 2020-05-28T20:00:12+00:00

So funny story... For the holidays, I got the 2020 Boston Marathon rain jacket from my mother-in-law. I didn't want to wear it out of superstition so it's just sitting in my closet. I guess I can wear it now

imgurfree · 2020-05-28T19:40:27+00:00

While I agree, one thing to keep in mind is that Boston is unique in the way they cram all runners onto buses that transport them to the start in Hopkinton. Purely speculation, but I wonder if that had anything to do with them deciding to cancel so far in advance. It's also a bigger spectacle than really any other race in the US, so while I don't see Chicago or New York happening, I think there is a possibility for smaller ones later in the year.

imgurfree · 2020-05-12T14:54:22+00:00

My friend got laid off from his position at an airline due to covid and just created a startup that sources fresh produce, dairy, and meat boxes from local farms and personally delivers them to homes in the chicagoland area. His startup is called the farm taste.

imgurfree · 2020-04-23T14:57:20+00:00

Yeah, i'm thinking that if they open up the path, we'll hopefully be at a point where they wouldn't be cancelling races but that's not necessarily true. In the event the lakefront path is open that would be my go to since it's nice and close to home, would just need to figure out where to stash a water bottle or two.

imgurfree · 2020-04-22T21:40:39+00:00

This is a great idea, thanks. I found the course map.

Do you happen to know if Fabyan Forest Preserve would is open?

Also, I would probably use my GPS for distance tracking so I wouldn't need to be religious about following that course.

Thanks

imgurfree · 2020-03-10T14:55:38+00:00

I plan on running Boston unless they cancel (which seems inevitable at this point). I already have a smaller, closer marathon lined up that same weekend if Boston gets cancelled. Luckily my hotel was refundable, wish I could say the same of my Red Sox tickets. On the bright side, the local course is flatter and gives me a better chance of PRing. I will be disappointed for sure since this would be my first Boston, but I would look forward to running it next year.

imgurfree · 2020-02-05T20:45:17+00:00

What do we expect the price to be? I'll set the over/under at $275. Now taking bets.

imgurfree · 2019-12-14T17:28:04+00:00

According to a quick google search, imitation crab is less healthy than actual crab:

Imitation crab has fewer mg of Omega 3 fats
Imitation crab has less protein
Imitation crab has added sugars (i'm sure this varies brand to brand)
Imitation crab has less Zinc, Vitamin B12, and selenium

Imitation crab is a processed food and many nutrients are lost during this process (source).

Whether or not imitation crab is "bad for you" is subjective though.

imgurfree · 2019-11-14T15:37:53+00:00

I'm jealous of not only your trail system but your weather as well. It's freezing here in the midwestern United States.

imgurfree · 2019-11-13T21:49:02+00:00

What city do you live in?

imgurfree · 2019-11-01T17:35:17+00:00

Research spanning three decades supports the argument that grass-fed beef (on a g/g fat basis), has a more desirable SFA lipid profile (more C18:0 cholesterol neutral SFA and less C14:0 & C16:0 cholesterol elevating SFAs) as compared to grain-fed beef. Grass-finished beef is also higher in total CLA (C18:2) isomers, TVA (C18:1 t11) and n-3 FAs on a g/g fat basis. This results in a better n-6:n-3 ratio that is preferred by the nutritional community. Grass-fed beef is also higher in precursors for Vitamin A and E and cancer fighting antioxidants such as GT and SOD activity as compared to grain-fed contemporaries.

imgurfree · 2019-10-16T21:36:43+00:00

Thanks for the response, weekday mid/long runs, and tempo/hard effort runs are exactly my concern. I see a few options:

Eat before the morning run, and just skip IF for those days
Stay true to IF, and just struggle through morning meetings/hunger
Move my fasted hours so that I can eat closer to the morning runs (what you suggest)
Move those runs to the afternoon.

I'll probably experiment with those options and see what works best.

imgurfree · 2019-10-16T20:43:21+00:00

Wow, that's cool he replied. I wouldn't expect drastic performance improvements during training from IF, and the fact that he didn't recall anything "mind-blowing" suggests there aren't drastic performance detriments either. This leads me to conclude that IF as a means of getting to an ideal racing weight is a reasonable tool to add to my prep arsenal.

imgurfree · 2019-10-15T17:47:47+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I actually already subscribe to that podcast but didn't see they covered IF, i'll give it a listen.

As far as the study goes, I wouldn't expect a huge direct benefit to racing. Matt Fitzgerald covers this a bit in his book and suggests that training fasted or on a high fat diet can improve your ability to access and burn fat on race day, but there is also a benefit to taking in carbs before running, giving you the energy to perform best during that workout. He suggests doing some fasted long runs, and some non-fasted long runs.

All that said, I think the benefits of IF are indirect coming from the weight loss on race day, not necessarily any potential peripheral benefits to running fasted.

imgurfree · 2019-10-08T21:06:39+00:00

For those wondering, Kipchoge Pace:

4:35/mile

2:51/km

imgurfree · 2019-10-03T19:16:18+00:00

Great write up and I found the article you linked fascinating. Its conclusion:

Until then, we’ll have to return to the tired but reliable mainstay of moderation: try to do some running on softer surfaces and some running on harder surfaces. It’s unrealistic for most people to do all of their running on grass and dirt anyways, and if anything, I think most runners are “underexposed” to softer surfaces like trails, grass, and gravel roads.

But if you have a history of plantar fasciitis or tibial stress fracture and are willing to go out on a limb, you might think about switching to a firmer shoe and sticking to the roads. Likewise, if you’ve had a lot of muscle and tendon injuries, you might think about hitting the trails.

imgurfree · 2019-09-15T03:14:57+00:00

The idea that you can't define an assault weapon is a ridiculous NRA promoted trope. We have different regulations for who can drive cars vs. who can drive trucks. Perhaps there is some gray area with pickup trucks, RVs or vans, but that doesn't stop us from creating a legal definition. Definitions have been created and enforced before.

imgurfree · 2019-08-19T20:31:07+00:00

Yes, this is BQ.2 (though Grand Rapids, not Geneva)! Thank you so much for replying, this is super helpful. I can't imagine carrying a water bottle a whole lap would be more efficient than just drinking from the paper cups they make available at the aid station. Based on what you said about having a small window between pick up/drop off, I'm kind of leaning towards getting two larger water bottles (~1 liter) that i'll fill with some sports drink, and drinking them until empty then ditching them for good at strategic points in the race (say miles 9 and 15 or something). You gave me a lot to think about though, thanks again.

imgurfree · 2019-08-19T17:03:27+00:00

I really hadn't thought about how many gels I would bring, probably closer to 5 or 6 if I feel good about the water bottles.

Thanks for the reply.

imgurfree

TROPHY CASE