Marathon thread

[Deleted]

Nice, Nancy.  Sounds like he is making some good changes.

I an an impromptu 1/2 marathon yesterday.   A friend was running it so my running partner and I decided to run it instead of our 16 mile scheduled long run.  The weather was cool (about 34F) and misty and the course was hilly.  But it only cost $15 and there was plenty of good grub afterwards.    Also met a guy who is runing the Key City Vermont marathon and was happy to find out there were a couple of virgins that would be running it.

For time, I ran it in 1:47:24, which is about a minute faster than my half in the fall.  And this being a much hillier course, I am happy with my progress.

[steph08]

Great job Archie! A half marathon is a nice substitute for a 16-miler, not much shorter but more effort to run a faster time.  Nice!

Nancy- glad to hear your friend is doing so well! I am trying to get my brother to commit to a Disney race - not sure if we will be doing the half in January or the 10-miler in October or half in November. Lots of choices for Disney races late in the year!

[NancysSummerSip]

I tried the Gatorade chews yesterday...not bad. The texture is a little odd, but the taste is OK. Certainly delivers the promised energy hit. And the chews don't melt or fall apart in my pocket when I run, which is a plus.

I'll see my friend next week (I have a swim meet nearby him, so we'll have dinner together) and I'll get a better sense of how he is doing. I'll have to alter my running schedule for the next two weeks, since I will be away for two weekends. But I'll get it done.

And when I went shopping yesterday, I did reward myself with some running clothes that are actually nice-looking.

[NancysSummerSip]

Saw my friend this weekend - he showed up for my swim meet. He's doing very well, both running and food-wise. He's lost enough weight to get himself up to a seven-mile longest run, which is a good jump for him from four miles. It's not a fast pace, but he's getting the distance in. And his home fridge and freezer look very healthy - lots of produce and lean meats, no junk. Still enjoys his beer and vodka, but that's his treat, and who am I to argue? He cooked an excellent dinner last night - small, lean beef filets, and a stirfry of French green beans, peppers and mushrooms, with olive oil, red wine and teryaki sauce.

I gave him entry forms for several upcoming 5K races, to give him a choice. I think he'll be ready by April. It's not so much the race itself, but I want him to get accustomed to pacing himself around other people, and not get caught up in the race itself, run himself exhausted in the first two miles and have nothing left.

[Deleted]

Didn't have a very good week training since I was sick last week. As I look at my training schedule and see the mileage increasing I am becoming more worried that I might not be able to get this done. 15 miles is still my current long run. I am scheduled to do 18 this weekend. if I can get that in and feel good, I will be much more comfortable with how things are going.

[steph08]

I think once you do 18, you will feel more confident. Being sick sucks the life out of you in terms of running!

When I did a good 18-miler, I knew I could power through. I think my training did 17/18/18/20 as long runs.

Isn't your marathon sometime within the next month? You will do great!

[Deleted]

Mar 11, 2013 14:56:45 GMT -5 steph08 said:

I think once you do 18, you will feel more confident. Being sick sucks the life out of you in terms of running!

When I did a good 18-miler, I knew I could power through. I think my training did 17/18/18/20 as long runs.

Isn't your marathon sometime within the next month? You will do great!

It is at the end of May, Memorial Day weekend. 

[steph08]

Oh you got lots of time left then!

[genericname]

Well, take me off the marathon list. At 41, I just found out I'm 5 weeks pregnant. I don't think it would be prudent to continue to log long mileage with a bun in the oven, and definitely not a good time to attempt my first marathon during my second trimester considering I've had one miscarriage already. I will continue to log some gentle, easy distances, but I think I will add swimming into the mix and transition to mainly swimming as I progress. Here's to the marathon season NEXT year! Good luck everyone - I will continue to check in to see how things are going.

[NancysSummerSip]

Generic, congrats! And given your history, you are right to be prudent. You can always start running again when your bun is baked and you get one of those running strollers for mini-g!

[genericname]

Thank you, Nancy. I love your nickname for s/he!! Mini-g it is!

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 6, 2013 16:20:56 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

It sounds like he's doing really well Nancy. Was the seven mile run all jogging or walk/jog? If it was all running I'd say he has come a long way in such a short time. That's pretty impressive work!

Never had any chafing issues...but...if I wear the wrong shirt <whew>. Talk about nipples on fire lol! Can't wear the light weight micro fiber type of shirts.

The seven miles was a combination, but mostly running/jogging. We spoke today, and he did a 5K in 40 minutes the other day, and that was all running.

He's got a iPhone with running apps to keep track of speed, distance, etc. He's pretty serious about this, it seems. I'm doing an 8-mile loop in the morning, to prep for a 10K on March 23. He's got me on the run, literally, to keep up with him.

[Deleted]

18 miles down today.   My legs are screaming at me.   Quite a bit of the trail we ran on was covered in hard packed, uneven snow, so that really made my legs work.  But I feel good.  Even had enough energy at the end to run the last mile under an 8 minute pace.  It was slightly downhill, but still, I was happy about that.    I ate some gummies and a stinger while running and had coconut water and a homemade energy bar when we finished.  The next two weekends are lower mileage runs and then comes our first 20 miler. 

[grits]

Being that I am over 50, I run back and forth t the restroom all day, and evening too.  Does that count as a marathon? 

[NancysSummerSip]

Well, my eight miler turned into a six, thanks to an upset stomach. But I also swam this morning. I did sign up for a 10K next week, so my plan is to run it, and add some extra mileage at the end. I felt good this morning as far as my legs were concerned; not sure what went wrong with my intestinal fortitude, though.

Archie, nice job....you sound more than ready to go.

I went out looking for a protein powder my friend introduced me to. It's a GNC product, but it's not sold in my area. I ordered it online from Amazon.com, for less than GNC, so foo on them.

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 17, 2013 7:53:26 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

It sounds like you are both doing really well in your training.  If you can do six miles after swimming Nancy, I'm sure the 10K will be a breeze regarding the milage.

Archie, you sound like one of those "natural runners" LoL...you remind me of a guy in this running club that I've been training with once a week.  He's in his mid-60's and just looks like a runner (tall and lanky)...as soon as I saw him I thougth "oh crap..." because I knew he'd be a good runner.  And he is...fortunately most of the rest of us don't have to keep up with him on the runs LoL.

One thing I have noticed since doing this run club once a week is my pace picking up.  Used to run at maybe a 10:45 per mile pace (or a little slower even on a real long run).  Since joining their group I've cut that down to just under a 10:00 mile pace, which may not sound like much but cutting 45-50 seconds off your mile time is a pretty big deal (at least to me    ).  They do a lot of intervals and hill training.  Those intervals are brutal too...there is no way I'd push myself that hard running on my own.  Feels good after though, seeing the benefits .

A couple friends from that club are doing a half marathon today.  I saw a picture of the course, and there is a "duck pond" in the middle of the run from all the rain we've gotten lately.  It even comes complete with ducks LoL.  Anyway...they are shooting for under 2 hour times, they did 13.1 miles in 2:02 three weeks ago but that was running in town and stopping for intersections, etc.  So, hoping they get the time they are after...

The swim was after the run, but that's what I'm hoping, too. I plan to add a little extra mileage next week after the 10K, to make up for this week.

So, did your friends have to traipse through the duck pond, and chase the ducks out

[NancysSummerSip]

It's Saturday, Ratchets. Weather should be good, starting in the high 60s and moving into the 70s by race end. Course is flat, fast and in a HCOL residential area, so the road conditions should be good.

I'm picking up my race packed Friday on my way home, so I am fully prepped Saturday.

[genericname]

Have a good race, Nancy! I think 10K is a great distance for racing.

[NancysSummerSip]

Thanks, G!.

I added a chocolate protein powder drink to my regimen, starting today. Not bad mixed with crushed ice and skim milk. But I think it needs a bit more to make it better. Maybe some chocolate syrup or ice cream? My friend introduced me to it; he uses plain yogurt in his, which is OK, though I'm not fond of the tang that imparts. I might try some bananas or other fresh fruit.

[NancysSummerSip]

Will do. I will just come a'crawling in here, Advil in one hand and Scotch in the other, pissing and moaning about how miserable it is to run in nice, snow and ice-free weather.

[NancysSummerSip]

Well, I'll tell y'all how I did, but can I rant first? OK, I'm doing it anyway...

Dear race organizer/city manager,

It helps if you tell the 10K runners prior to registering for the race that almost 3 miles of the event will be on hills. And not just any hills. A wet golf course. And by that, I mean both the concrete paths and the turf. Oh, and nice idea to use the course while it's in use by golfers. Are you people crazy? Your town has enough streets to create both a 5K and a 10K on those streets. Why did you have the shorter event on asphalt, but the longer one on the pathways of Hell itself? 10K people take their race seriously, too, yanno.

If I had it my way, I'd never step foot in your town again, much less participate in your race. Too bad it's for a good cause. Because you suck.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OK, now that's out of my system. My first half split was 42 minutes. The second half was much worse at 48 minutes. Basically, it was a 90 minute race (actually, a 1:29:05). Not bad for the conditions, but nowhere near what it should have or could have been had it been on all asphalt.

[NancysSummerSip]

I felt surprisingly good Sunday, and fine on Monday to run. No lasting misery from the whole thing. Ran this morning, since the pool is closed due to what passes for extreme cold here.

[Deleted]

nancy, dogging golf balls on a race doesn't sound like the most fun. Nice job pushing through it.

I did a 9 mile run last night. For about 1/2 a mile of it some guy smoking a cigar and driving a truck drove along side me and told me all about his family, including how he was 1 of 10 siblings and he was the loser of the group. It was interesting. Not bad for a little company on the run, though.

[NancysSummerSip]

OMG, Archie...just the thought of that is hilarious. I like the smell of a good cigar; not so much when I run, though.

I'm planning a long run this weekend (8-9 miles). I do have a car show and food truck event to do after that, but nothing strenuous. I may swim Saturday also; not sure yet.

[genericname]

Hahaha Archie, that's hilarious. Nancy, sorry your race was such a soggy mess. At least you pushed through it!

Well, you may remember I was going to keep running a little, finish my half marathon this weekend and then taper off to swimming and walking during the last trimester. Since I had a mc last time, doctor has me on a NO RUNNING AT ALL exercise regime. It really sucks, because I was just starting to get a modicum of fitness back and get to the place where running was enjoyable again. Now I will have to hit the pool and walk for the next 7 months. Getting that fitness level will have to wait until after the new year. I shouldn't complain, I guess since without a doubt the health of the baby is MOST important, I'm just lamenting the loss of something I enjoy for a while. Believe me, I will miss running much more than I will miss my glass of wine with my steak!

[NancysSummerSip]

Believe me, I will miss running much more than I will miss my glass of wine with my steak!

And if that isn't the sign of a real runner, I don't know what is!

I'm doing eight miles tomorrow morning. I have five, six, eight and ten-mile loops set up now. I'll see how I feel after that, if I want to swim or not. I have a 5K on 4-14, so next Saturday would likely be a swimming-only workout, anyway.

[Deleted]

Gen, listen to the doc. You will back running before you know it.


I have my first 20 mile run tomorrow. It is supposed to be a beautiful morning so I am looking forward to it. I am probably going to run on the one of the rails to trails in the area.

[NancysSummerSip]

Archie, how did it go? (Oh, wait, is that wet spot on the floor wearing running shorts Archie? )

I did eight miles this morning. Wonderful weather. And kept it quite slow, like 14-minute miles. I have a lot more time than Archie does, though I do plan to do a long race (either a 10-miler or a half-marathon later this year). No long run for next Saturday, since I have a 5K next Sunday. I do plan a nice long swimming session instead.

[Deleted]

; )


It was much colder and windier than I thought it was supposed to be.  It was 34 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like 25.   I thought I was done running in the cold.

The run itself was pretty good.  We ran on a rails to trails so it was nice a flat.  Not the most scenic run I have ever done, though.  At about 12 miles my left knee started hurting.  It hurt for a mile or so and I thought I may have to take a break, but it ended up feeling a little better and I could finish.   At about 16 miles my legs were getting ready to be done.  We finished our 20, though so it became officially my longest run.  Our time was 3:00:39 with a 9:02 pace.  I ate two packages of stinger gummies and drank 20 oz or so of water.  I could have used a little more.

As I cooled down and tightened up from the run my knee started hurting again so I went to the store to get a new pair of shoes.   The ones I have are only a few months old, but from what they told me at the store, New Balance has not made those shoes for three years and the rubber starts to degrade even if they are just sitting in the box.  I bought them 50% off, so I guess I get what I paid for.  I ended up getting the current version of my shoes.  Just running a few feet on the sidewalk with them I could tell the cushioning difference.    These shoes should make it through the marathon.

[NancysSummerSip]

Well done, Archie! And yes, shoe degradation after only a few months is not uncommon, given the amount of running you are doing wearing that one pair of shoes. It may not be that the shoes are or were bad, just that you put a lot of miles on them.

I'm going to need a new pair myself; I've been wearing Brooks for several years now. With my job situation being what it is, I've asked DH to get me a gift card at my local running store for my birthday. I really wanted jewelry, but I really need the running shoes.