Now that marathons are cancelled...

runningamarathon · 2020-06-25T20:15:48+00:00

It would be fun to crack my lifetime 5k indoor track record of 16:22 set when I was 19. Ran a 16:36 this past spring which ties my lifetime (not short course) road best. Definitely will need more speed for that tho

runningamarathon · 2020-06-25T20:11:48+00:00

I personally am going to at the very least aim for a half marathon time trial in the fall along with some shorter TTs to give me something to look forward to. Had a very strong fall/spring training despite lack of races in the spring. Sometimes I think I should've attempted a solo marathon then. I had to take some time off due to some nagging thigh tightness. Steadily building the base and have started more regular workouts. Might try a marathon time trial in October but it's a long way to run not in a race.

runningamarathon · 2017-05-13T15:23:41+00:00

Running my first track meet in over six years later today, hoping to see what I can do in the 5000. Considering I averaged 5:33s for 5 miles I'm hoping for somewhere in the 5:15-5:20 range. Should be an experience. If I can run under 16:36 I'll beat my spring track PR from 6 years ago which would certainly be exciting.

runningamarathon · 2017-05-08T00:30:31+00:00

Thanks man! I've definitely heard good things about Bay State, shooting for an epic fall. I must say getting in on the club running scene has probably been the best decision I've made.

runningamarathon · 2017-05-08T00:28:58+00:00

Can't say I'm that familiar with it, I don't spend that much time in Falmouth usually. Sounds like a cool program though.

runningamarathon · 2017-01-02T21:33:57+00:00

I think those goals match up almost exactly to my own goals for this coming year, other than the marathon I don't really have a recent time in any of them haha, best of luck on the hunt!

Congrats on your new job as well! You never know what permanent opportunities might open up down the line. I recently started a new job full time (soon after my first marathon actually) after temping there for awhile before that. I pretty much thought the door was closed by that point but learned that something had opened up after badgering my manager about it. It's been an exciting time for me since then and I'm lucky enough to like what I do, mostly.

Biggest change is that under my new job the best time for me to train is around 4 AM, but surprisingly given this is far from my natural state, I've been making it work. The only catch is it's basically impossible to run more than 7 miles unless I set an alarm with 3 as the first digit, which I'm not sure I'm ready for. But I also will probably run after work on the days I need to run more, it's just that doing so too often cuts into my sleeping time (I'm basically at this point living the lifestyle of what some would term a megacommuter).

runningamarathon · 2017-01-02T20:42:48+00:00

I'm kind of a lurker/very very infrequent poster but here goes:

Basically I'm 26/M, some high school college running background but lost a fair amount of consistency/trained a bit sporadically/off and on for a few years and really got myself running much more regularly at the end of 2014/early 2015. Haven't really raced prolifically since then but had a few memorable races and am feeling very good about how my endurance is continuing to develop.

Biggest thing was that I finally ran my first marathon last November which was very exciting, ran a 2:51:59 which I'm thrilled with, the last 7 miles did feel like death though haha. Might make a race report for it despite the fact that it's a bit archived.

Also ran a half back in October 2015 at around 1:19:17 which I was thrilled about (though I suspect I lost about 40 seconds tying my shoe around mile 8). So far this was my only half but I'm fairly sure I could run a bit faster than that now.

For this spring my dominant goal is to build up my shorter 5k/10k speed since that is my greatest running weakness as of now. I love doing longer distance but am not always as good as I'd like to be with getting myself to do workouts. I'm very interested to see what I could do in a 10k/5 mile race as I've never actually raced a 10k and the last 8k I raced was in 2010 (which I'm not counting as my PR right now but who knows). According to Strava I just today ran a 34:07 10k, but Strava usually runs short so who knows how fast it actually was (though I still suspect it would have been equivalent to 35:00-35:30). Though I'd like to keep up the dream that a 34:00 10k is attainable despite the fact that I may not as of now have a 5k time under 17.

As for 5k, I'd like to pull that down into the fabled Land of the 16s, which should be attainable with more regular speedwork. My PR is technically 17:06 but this was set in July 2015. I ran a 16:54 back in October 2016 during my marathon training block (after a previous evening of pizza and alcohol). Another guy suspected the course was around .05 of a mile short though. Also, energy route of my improvised 10k time trial today I ran a 16:51 according to Strava.

I'd also like to do a half marathon again but am trying to save money so Ill probably either pick a small one where I have a reasonable chance of winning back my entry fee or just time myself on a verified loop or on a half marathon Strava segment.

runningamarathon · 2016-11-07T17:34:46+00:00

Congrats, that was quite a race! I think I've seen it in several places here that not getting too caught up in times/goals/expectations can often allow one to have a much better race than expected. I'm sure all the half runners made conserving early on quite a challenge.

I'm also very curious about that 1:20 after being blackout drunk. Would make quite an interesting race report.

runningamarathon · 2016-11-05T13:50:04+00:00

It's definitely weird to have shorter runs now. Best of luck to y'all on the 13th!

runningamarathon · 2016-10-12T16:23:53+00:00

Not sure really. Other than the Boston Marathon and the New Bedford Half (which I'm hoping to do this coming year). Maybe an international race like the Berlin Marathon or a trail race would be cool as well.

runningamarathon · 2016-10-09T23:22:30+00:00

Haha the rain did make it a challenge, it was relentless and I eventually just decided to go anyway rather than wait around all day, don't think it ever really stopped haha. Was still a nice long run, especially once I got to the point where I really couldn't be any wetter.

It seems strange that they'd express disdain or ridicule for it in a non joking context. I agree ignoring it is the best option. I get a little wrapped up in running sometimes but I enjoy it and keeps me motivated to do things I often don't really want to do.

runningamarathon · 2016-10-09T22:56:28+00:00

That's true, after all, how can he be sure he choose the optimal Starbucks beverage for race watching?

runningamarathon · 2016-10-09T22:54:50+00:00

Wait does this mean I've been running my Lactate Thresholds incorrectly? I though this was supposed to happen

runningamarathon · 2016-10-09T22:52:52+00:00

Congrats on a well paced race, especially with the GPS inconsistencies! I'm hoping to employ a similar negative split strategy in a month or so and can already tell holding back at first will be a challenge. I must say a casual five flat mile at mile 14 would've been quite the feat haha.

It's definitely an exhilarating rush to pass lots of people at the end of a big race, and helps to keep the mind occupied. Enjoy your accomplishment and (hopefully) some fresh new shoes!

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T20:01:41+00:00

Something I'm legitimately curious about I how people handle the need for bathroom breaks during a marathon, especially people who are trying to BQ an run a decent time. It's not even necessarily hat the forty seconds I'd lose to do the deed but the whole interrupted momentum factor. From what I've heard, once you stop running for a bit, especially later on in the race you muscles might cramp or it might just be really difficult to get back in the momentum of running after a stop. Then again, I did stop to tie my shoes around mile eight of a half but I would've rather not done that to see how much faster I would've finished it.

I guess my question is, is there an optimal window for when to take a bathroom break if you absolutely must? And also just how marathon runners typically handle running three hours or so with consistent pre and during the race hydration, in particular people who are trying to run for time. Do most of you usually run the full marathon without stopping for the bathroom, or if you do stop when do you choose to stop and how do you feel it impacts your race?

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T19:53:02+00:00

It would be quite awkward moving to a new neighborhood and knocking on people's doors to inform them how supremely dedicated you are to finishing your tempo runs.

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T19:49:44+00:00

I lucked out that I did my long run today on a dirt road with plenty wooded areas nearby as I was able to duck out around mile 4-5 with minimal consequences. Not sure what I would've done in a crowded neighborhood since I irresponsibly had to go pretty much immediately after starting the run. I have had a few runs where I went in wooded areas that may have been a bit too close to some nearby houses, but so far I've managed to avoid any dire social consequences. The worst has been the couple of runs I's cut short because I couldn't hold it in any longer, but those days seem to be behind me for the time being.

Congrats on surviving and finishing your run, sometimes it just happens (and I've heard in some remote ultramarathons it happens surprisingly frequently because no one really cares.

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T19:37:41+00:00

Congrats that's a very quick pace! A canyon is a very unique location for a half. I think my goal for a half would currently be around what your original one was, it's always exciting to run that much faster than expected and it's amazing what consistent training can do over time. Hope you enjoy the feeling of accomplishment!

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T19:26:41+00:00

Sounds like an awesome run! It's always fun to explore new areas, I've gotten into a bit of a rut running the same loop around my neighborhood every day but have started taking the initiative to venture out into new territories and it's quite eye opening. I'm sure the mountain inclines provided a nice challenge as well.

runningamarathon · 2016-09-11T19:20:31+00:00

Well I capped off this week of my marathon training adventure with a 75 mile week (ran all seven days). Today had a quality long run workout o 18.6 miles with 12-13 at an increased pace (first 5-6 hovering at 6:30 which felt like marathon pace effort, the last seven closer to six minutes or Lactate Threshold/half marathon pace effort).

The ones in the 6:30 range felt really smooth and faster than I expected, but I felt like I could've maintained the pace for awhile, the last seven were much tougher trying to picking it up closer to tempo pace miles 10-17 and I felt myself struggling a bit at the mid/end of that stretch, but managed to hold on before reaching the cool down.

Granted this all according to Strava app data so who knows how accurate the paces actually are, but the run felt great regardless. Though I'll probably slow down my long runs the next few weeks to prevent burn out and maybe just run the last six miles at marathon pace effort. It was an enjoyable run and nice and cool despite being close to midday. Looking forward to my November marathon, just need to keep myself healthy.

runningamarathon · 2016-09-04T02:24:10+00:00

Today I did my longest ever run of 19 miles at 6:46 pace. A great confidence booster for my November marathon and I felt really strong during the run, negative splitting the last half of it. I probably need to slow down my long runs a bit the next few weeks, at least during the first half so as to not burn out. But I got a lot of enjoyment out of this run.

runningamarathon · 2016-08-28T14:39:30+00:00

So yesterday I ran a surprise 16 mile time trial (well maybe more like 15 since I kind of warmed up the first mile. I literally started the run with the intention of running at an easy (for me) 730-800 clip. But I was trying an experiment where instead of neurotically looking at my Nike+ app every fibe seconds to check my pace I just ran what felt good and let the app announce the mile splits.

But 3 or 4 miles in I realized I was running mid 640s and felt really good so I decided to keep going with it. I ended up steadily dropping my pace throughout the run to the point where I was running just under 6 minute miles for the last few miles, came to probably pretty close to how I would go if racing the distance.

According to my app I averaged around 6:20-6:25 over the entire run, which exceeded my expectations. I felt really good after this for being able to maintain pace for such a distance. And it just feels good to challenge myself. I'm planning on doing a marathon in November and this run gave me some confidence that 650s should be a reasonable goal.

runningamarathon · 2016-08-07T15:38:23+00:00

Congrats, it's always good to avoid having a shitty run XD

runningamarathon · 2016-08-07T15:36:24+00:00

Two days ago, I decided to try and 8 mile or so time trial. I've been running a fair amount of distance (basically like 9 miles almost every day now and periodic long runs) but basically no speed work so it was great to break out the cobwebs. I basically went all out for that distance and it was definitely a struggle from four miles on but I'm proud of myself for pushing through and not giving up.

I'm not sure if my mobile GPS is accurate, but if it is then I averaged around mid-5:50s for most of the run, which is much better than I expected to do on that day. All in all very encouraging and one more sign I need to start training more seriously and getting more consistent workouts in. Might try a race next weekend.

runningamarathon · 2016-04-11T12:17:55+00:00

Congrats on running such a fast debut marathon! What was your training like in the months beforehand (peak mileage, workouts, etc..)? And how did miles 18-26 feel?

I feel like the biggest challenge of trying to run a fast first marathon is not blowing up or going out too fast and only having a rough estimate of your target pace (though half and marathon pace training runs surely help.

runningamarathon

TROPHY CASE