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Running
- Thread starter Sciz
- Start date
Thanks EE, that seems like the safest policy. A top 30 position would be great for my team and for myself, so I'm beginning to think it would be best to settle for that, rather than burn myself out in an attempt to win the whole thing and end up missing out on top 30 altogether.
Have you had your race yet Lee? How did it go?
It looks like I may do a 5 mile race in about 2-3 weeks as I'll have to get myself back in training again at least 4-5 times a week with at least 30 miles per week.
It looks like I may do a 5 mile race in about 2-3 weeks as I'll have to get myself back in training again at least 4-5 times a week with at least 30 miles per week.
I started running this year in school. I have short legs (which aren't so great for running), and I was never physically active beforehand, but I am still able to run the 5k in to lower 20's (around 22-24). The season has ended and my goal for next year is to try and bring my best time down to the 18-20 minute range.
I am not an amazing runner, but I still enjoy running. Maybe it has something to do with my mom being a marathon runner....
I am not an amazing runner, but I still enjoy running. Maybe it has something to do with my mom being a marathon runner....
Hmm I just missed out on making my track and field team, but in the 4 km uphill race (2.5 K up, 1.5 down) i got 15:40, which was top 20 in the school. Only problem is, my school is the best in my state (I'm in Aus so most of you probably don't know it), and our top 3 runners are top 5 in the nation.
@Phox: are you doing any specific training or speedwork?
While it's hardly inspiring to run in the wintertime, I am lately trying to make it a habit to go to bed dressed to run early in the morning so I just go straight to the point. Now if only I can lose some weight to get myself back into competitive shape...
While it's hardly inspiring to run in the wintertime, I am lately trying to make it a habit to go to bed dressed to run early in the morning so I just go straight to the point. Now if only I can lose some weight to get myself back into competitive shape...
Haha, that's a pretty a sweet race, is it over a hill or something? Top 20 is awesome, especially considering the caliber or the school you're in.
Petro, have you posted any of your times yet :naughty:? I'd love to see what some of the guys here think
And like petro said, to the people that are starting out running, stick with it. It's an incredibly rewarding experience, and you'll meet some of your best friends there.
I'm bumping this thread as opposed to the other one because I feel that it has alot more valuable content rather than just a listing of PRs.
For those who don't care to read the whole thing, I ran the Grand Rapids marathon on October 19th and took 15th out of 1400 with a time of 2:51:56 (6:34 pace). It was my first ever marathon, with me qualifying for Boston by over 19 minutes.
Anyway, I ran the Grand Rapids marathon two weekends ago (October 19th) and figured that I'd let others know how that went. I had been planning on running it since New Year's. With it being my first ever marathon and I came into it with very high hopes.
I had heard good things about the Hal Higdon online training plans and chose his Advanced 1 plan. However, the plan was not near my liking, maxing out at 55 miles a week and only having runs slated for 6 days a week (call me crazy but I refuse to take days off). I modified it based on my own preferences and my weekly mileage ended up looking like this (approximately):
Week started on Sunday of the following day:
Jun15 45 miles
Jun22 48 miles
Jun29 50 miles
July06 55 miles
July13 60 miles
July20 60 miles
July27 65 miles
Aug03 70 miles
Aug10 75 miles
Aug17 80 miles
Aug24 85 miles
Aug31 75 miles
Sep07 80 miles
Sep14 80 miles
Sep21 75 miles
Sep28 60 miles
Oct05 40 miles
Oct12 20 miles
My workout plan consisted had Mon+Fri as easy short runs, Tues+Thurs+Sat as speed/tempo workouts, Wed as semi-long runs, and Sun as the long run day. At my peak weeks of 80-85 miles, a typical week would look like the following (Sun-Sat):
21 long (slower than marathon pace)
7 easy
12 tempo (marathon pace)
16 long
10-12 on the track (1m warmup, 14x800 at 2:50 pace, 400 m jog inbetween, or 8x1600 at 5:50 pace, 600 m jog inbetween, 1 mile cooldown)
7 easy
11 tempo
The only reason I had time to do this was because I was working during the summer down at my cooperative education job with Delphi Electronics and Safety in Kokomo, IN. After work, there wasn't much else to do so training for this marathon for 1.5-2.5 hours a night in a town where I knew no one didn't bother me at all. I figure that 80-85 miles is the most you can do per week without doing two-a-days.
When it came to the actual marathon, I was extremely nervous starting on Friday the 17th. While I got a good 8 hours of sleep for the few nights leading up to the marathon, it wasn't very good sleep. I did my carboloading for the 4 days before the marathon and drinking alot of fluids for the 2 days leading up to it. It's just that with a race this big I was terrified of the fact that all my hardwork could all be worthless if I just happen to have a bad day. I had a few goals that I really wanted to accomplish:
1. Qualify for Boston (3:10)
2. Go sub-3 hours
3. Beat the pace of my first ever 5k (6:30)
Goal #2 was my primary goal from the start. I didn't see a point in just running to qualify for Boston when I could take that next big step. It became evident that I would not be able to beat the pace of my first ever 5k as soon as the training began. The goal, however, still lingered in the back of my mind for a later marathon.
I woke up the morning of the race and had a very conservative breakfast: a banana and a bowl of raisin bran without milk. I continued to sip on Gatorade and drink water up until an hour before the race. It was a pretty chilly morning but had warmed up to probably 50 degrees by the time that I had taken to the starting line. I had the intentions of going out very conservatively and trying to hit my goal pace for sub-3, 6:52 miles.
As soon as the race started, I heard someone behind me say 6:50, 6:50! I immediately turned around and asked him if that was his goal pace, which it turned out it was. After a bit of conversation, we agreed we'd pace together as long as we could. He had run a few marathons before and had a 3:08 PR, hopefully he was the right person to stick with.
As we approached the mile mark, I looked down at my watch and saw 6:12. I wasn't really worried since it was the first mile and in my pacing attempts in the days leading up to the race, the slowest I had been able to manage was a 6:25. We'd assuredly slow down in the next mile.
Mile marker #2, 6:12. Okay, okay, two miles are down, time to get into the groove of pacing.
Mile marker #3, 6:12. I make the joke to the kid that at least we're running even splits. I figure that I'm too heavily invested in this thing now and all the damage has been done. There's no point in purposely slowing myself down.
In fact, we managed to hit 6:12 exactly, +/- 2 seconds for the first 7 miles and I was feeling pretty comfortable up until that point. By mile 8, we had slowed to about a 6:20 and I came to the realization that I had to use the bathroom. It was also at this point that the kid turns and says to me that he's blown up in every marathon after going out too fast. I make a half laugh and start to seriously wonder if I've totally destroyed my chances of having a great marathon.
After throwing down two more 6:20s and only being concerned at this point about creating a nice time buffer for when I hit the wall, I take a step into the port-a-pottie at mile 10 to, um, clear my bowels.
My first mile without my pacer, surely I'll run a bit slower now that I'm on my own. The pace for mile #11, 6:12. That bathroom break was exactly what I needed, even though it cost me over a minute in time. I kept this 6:12 pace for the next 3 miles and ended up passing the kid who I had been pacing with at about 12.5 miles.
At the half marathon mark, the time read 1:23:07. This put me at 1:29:20 for the 14 mile mark. I knew at this point that I had my goal in the bag. I was 12 minutes up on my time goal with 12 miles to go. This meant that I could run 7:52s for the rest of the race and still go under 3 hours. My family was chearing for me at this point and that had me pushing even harder, to prove to them that I could really do well in this thing.
However, I had take a Gu energy gel at 11.5 miles and was just feeling the effects of it at this point. My training philosophy had been to train for the worst and race at my best. I had not taken Gu at all during my long runs in training and was a bit unsure as to how my stomach would tolerate it. However, I was guaranteed to get the full effects, having never taken it before. By mile 16 the effects of the Gu were fading fast. My right hamstring hurt, I was starting to get a blister underneath my right index toe, and I was starting to feel tired.
I kept the hammer down and managed to go through miles 17 and 18 at about 6:20-6:25. I took another Gu at mile 18 but to no avail as mile 19 had me starting to feel even more drained. I had been running alone since about mile 15 and was really wanting the race to be over. Miles 20 and 21 saw my time slow to about 6:35. Miles 22-24, I finally was hitting my original goal pace of 6:52. The final two miles were at about a 7:05-7:10 pace.
While the last 10 miles of the race were a slow degradation in my performance, it all went away as I rounded the final turn. I have never felt such a feeling as when I came around the bend with less than half a mile to go. There were so many people standing there chearing that I honestly couldn't remember what had made me struggle through the last 7 miles. I came across the finish line, after passing my family at the sides, with a huge smile across my face.
I was astonished to see my time as I crossed the finish: 2:51:59.
I met the race director with a shake of the hand and half a hug, having successfully completed my first ever marathon. I was given my finisher's medal and had my picture taken. Immediately, my legs began to ache and I struggled to walk across the finish area to my family with bagels, bananas, and yogurt in tow.
I was met by my mom, dad, brothers, grandma, best friend, coach, and his wife. They were all nothing but smiles and I truly felt like I had accomplished something. I couldn't describe the race fast enough or in enough detail to them. I made sure I thanked them for their support during the race, especially my coach and best friend who ran about 100 m behind me on the sidewalk during the 2nd to last mile, chearing me on.
I made a few calls right after the race: my original coach who had retired after my senior year XC season, one of my old teammates, and a buddy of mine from the running club here at school. My brothers ran over and let me know that my name was on the list for top 3 in my age group. I collected my 2nd place 1-19 year old medal and after saying some goodbyes to my grandma, coach, and friend, limped to the van and the ride home.
What a race it had been and where to go from here? With a final time of 2:51:56, a 6:34 pace for 26.2 miles (I had a 6:21 pace for the 1st half of it), how could I not run another? Now I have to make the decision:
Boston?
For those who don't care to read the whole thing, I ran the Grand Rapids marathon on October 19th and took 15th out of 1400 with a time of 2:51:56 (6:34 pace). It was my first ever marathon, with me qualifying for Boston by over 19 minutes.
Anyway, I ran the Grand Rapids marathon two weekends ago (October 19th) and figured that I'd let others know how that went. I had been planning on running it since New Year's. With it being my first ever marathon and I came into it with very high hopes.
I had heard good things about the Hal Higdon online training plans and chose his Advanced 1 plan. However, the plan was not near my liking, maxing out at 55 miles a week and only having runs slated for 6 days a week (call me crazy but I refuse to take days off). I modified it based on my own preferences and my weekly mileage ended up looking like this (approximately):
Week started on Sunday of the following day:
Jun15 45 miles
Jun22 48 miles
Jun29 50 miles
July06 55 miles
July13 60 miles
July20 60 miles
July27 65 miles
Aug03 70 miles
Aug10 75 miles
Aug17 80 miles
Aug24 85 miles
Aug31 75 miles
Sep07 80 miles
Sep14 80 miles
Sep21 75 miles
Sep28 60 miles
Oct05 40 miles
Oct12 20 miles
My workout plan consisted had Mon+Fri as easy short runs, Tues+Thurs+Sat as speed/tempo workouts, Wed as semi-long runs, and Sun as the long run day. At my peak weeks of 80-85 miles, a typical week would look like the following (Sun-Sat):
21 long (slower than marathon pace)
7 easy
12 tempo (marathon pace)
16 long
10-12 on the track (1m warmup, 14x800 at 2:50 pace, 400 m jog inbetween, or 8x1600 at 5:50 pace, 600 m jog inbetween, 1 mile cooldown)
7 easy
11 tempo
The only reason I had time to do this was because I was working during the summer down at my cooperative education job with Delphi Electronics and Safety in Kokomo, IN. After work, there wasn't much else to do so training for this marathon for 1.5-2.5 hours a night in a town where I knew no one didn't bother me at all. I figure that 80-85 miles is the most you can do per week without doing two-a-days.
When it came to the actual marathon, I was extremely nervous starting on Friday the 17th. While I got a good 8 hours of sleep for the few nights leading up to the marathon, it wasn't very good sleep. I did my carboloading for the 4 days before the marathon and drinking alot of fluids for the 2 days leading up to it. It's just that with a race this big I was terrified of the fact that all my hardwork could all be worthless if I just happen to have a bad day. I had a few goals that I really wanted to accomplish:
1. Qualify for Boston (3:10)
2. Go sub-3 hours
3. Beat the pace of my first ever 5k (6:30)
Goal #2 was my primary goal from the start. I didn't see a point in just running to qualify for Boston when I could take that next big step. It became evident that I would not be able to beat the pace of my first ever 5k as soon as the training began. The goal, however, still lingered in the back of my mind for a later marathon.
I woke up the morning of the race and had a very conservative breakfast: a banana and a bowl of raisin bran without milk. I continued to sip on Gatorade and drink water up until an hour before the race. It was a pretty chilly morning but had warmed up to probably 50 degrees by the time that I had taken to the starting line. I had the intentions of going out very conservatively and trying to hit my goal pace for sub-3, 6:52 miles.
As soon as the race started, I heard someone behind me say 6:50, 6:50! I immediately turned around and asked him if that was his goal pace, which it turned out it was. After a bit of conversation, we agreed we'd pace together as long as we could. He had run a few marathons before and had a 3:08 PR, hopefully he was the right person to stick with.
As we approached the mile mark, I looked down at my watch and saw 6:12. I wasn't really worried since it was the first mile and in my pacing attempts in the days leading up to the race, the slowest I had been able to manage was a 6:25. We'd assuredly slow down in the next mile.
Mile marker #2, 6:12. Okay, okay, two miles are down, time to get into the groove of pacing.
Mile marker #3, 6:12. I make the joke to the kid that at least we're running even splits. I figure that I'm too heavily invested in this thing now and all the damage has been done. There's no point in purposely slowing myself down.
In fact, we managed to hit 6:12 exactly, +/- 2 seconds for the first 7 miles and I was feeling pretty comfortable up until that point. By mile 8, we had slowed to about a 6:20 and I came to the realization that I had to use the bathroom. It was also at this point that the kid turns and says to me that he's blown up in every marathon after going out too fast. I make a half laugh and start to seriously wonder if I've totally destroyed my chances of having a great marathon.
After throwing down two more 6:20s and only being concerned at this point about creating a nice time buffer for when I hit the wall, I take a step into the port-a-pottie at mile 10 to, um, clear my bowels.
My first mile without my pacer, surely I'll run a bit slower now that I'm on my own. The pace for mile #11, 6:12. That bathroom break was exactly what I needed, even though it cost me over a minute in time. I kept this 6:12 pace for the next 3 miles and ended up passing the kid who I had been pacing with at about 12.5 miles.
At the half marathon mark, the time read 1:23:07. This put me at 1:29:20 for the 14 mile mark. I knew at this point that I had my goal in the bag. I was 12 minutes up on my time goal with 12 miles to go. This meant that I could run 7:52s for the rest of the race and still go under 3 hours. My family was chearing for me at this point and that had me pushing even harder, to prove to them that I could really do well in this thing.
However, I had take a Gu energy gel at 11.5 miles and was just feeling the effects of it at this point. My training philosophy had been to train for the worst and race at my best. I had not taken Gu at all during my long runs in training and was a bit unsure as to how my stomach would tolerate it. However, I was guaranteed to get the full effects, having never taken it before. By mile 16 the effects of the Gu were fading fast. My right hamstring hurt, I was starting to get a blister underneath my right index toe, and I was starting to feel tired.
I kept the hammer down and managed to go through miles 17 and 18 at about 6:20-6:25. I took another Gu at mile 18 but to no avail as mile 19 had me starting to feel even more drained. I had been running alone since about mile 15 and was really wanting the race to be over. Miles 20 and 21 saw my time slow to about 6:35. Miles 22-24, I finally was hitting my original goal pace of 6:52. The final two miles were at about a 7:05-7:10 pace.
While the last 10 miles of the race were a slow degradation in my performance, it all went away as I rounded the final turn. I have never felt such a feeling as when I came around the bend with less than half a mile to go. There were so many people standing there chearing that I honestly couldn't remember what had made me struggle through the last 7 miles. I came across the finish line, after passing my family at the sides, with a huge smile across my face.
I was astonished to see my time as I crossed the finish: 2:51:59.
I met the race director with a shake of the hand and half a hug, having successfully completed my first ever marathon. I was given my finisher's medal and had my picture taken. Immediately, my legs began to ache and I struggled to walk across the finish area to my family with bagels, bananas, and yogurt in tow.
I was met by my mom, dad, brothers, grandma, best friend, coach, and his wife. They were all nothing but smiles and I truly felt like I had accomplished something. I couldn't describe the race fast enough or in enough detail to them. I made sure I thanked them for their support during the race, especially my coach and best friend who ran about 100 m behind me on the sidewalk during the 2nd to last mile, chearing me on.
I made a few calls right after the race: my original coach who had retired after my senior year XC season, one of my old teammates, and a buddy of mine from the running club here at school. My brothers ran over and let me know that my name was on the list for top 3 in my age group. I collected my 2nd place 1-19 year old medal and after saying some goodbyes to my grandma, coach, and friend, limped to the van and the ride home.
What a race it had been and where to go from here? With a final time of 2:51:56, a 6:34 pace for 26.2 miles (I had a 6:21 pace for the 1st half of it), how could I not run another? Now I have to make the decision:
Boston?
Bumping this thread since it has something to do with running, sorry if I'm not supposed to.
Wow, there are a lot of amazing runners on this site! I admire you all. I'm beginning winter track in 10 days, and I've got a lot to catch up on (haven't ran in a month and a half). Basically I'm running either long or middle distance. So far my 1600m is 5:31, 800m is 2:30, and 400m is 59.8. I know I'm not going to get anywhere near what some people have in this thread, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get this year (junior year.) I was really slow last year, and I'm still not that fast, but hopefully I can train harder and get a good time. Right now I'm focusing on diet, since I have a piss poor diet (and I'm only 110 lb.)
Wow, there are a lot of amazing runners on this site! I admire you all. I'm beginning winter track in 10 days, and I've got a lot to catch up on (haven't ran in a month and a half). Basically I'm running either long or middle distance. So far my 1600m is 5:31, 800m is 2:30, and 400m is 59.8. I know I'm not going to get anywhere near what some people have in this thread, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get this year (junior year.) I was really slow last year, and I'm still not that fast, but hopefully I can train harder and get a good time. Right now I'm focusing on diet, since I have a piss poor diet (and I'm only 110 lb.)
This year was my first season of cross country, and man was it awesome. I got into it mainly to get some cardiovascular endurance for swimming, but even now I am thinking of next season and how I can get my next PR. I am kind of disappointed I can't run as much as before, since it's swim season, but I still manage to get about 20 to 25 miles in per week.
And Berserker, personally I would go for the 1600. That seems to be your best time. I'd check out the 3200 as well, if you want to. Although I don't know if indoor track would have that...
And Berserker, personally I would go for the 1600. That seems to be your best time. I'd check out the 3200 as well, if you want to. Although I don't know if indoor track would have that...
That's what I'm thinking. We're not indoor track though, it's outside. 3200 seems okay, but the last time I ran was a 13:12 lol (a long time ago) so I haven't been up to date on my 3200 speed. I'll try it this time.
How was cross country? I'm bummed that I've never ran it before. This year I got kicked out when school started since I missed the first three weeks of practice over the summer (forgot the notify the coach that I had vacation, and he didn't take it lightly.) It sucks, but I don't regret it too much since track is starting soon.
I'm very glad I did it. I think, as far as sports go, it is one of the most gratifying. I didn't train well for it pre season though. I pretty much only weight lifted, which was not a very good idea looking back :p. But they wouldn't let you join? That's surprising. Is your school hardcore about cross country? Quite a few kids skipping practices for weeks and still managed to run in the meets. Not that they did well...
Which reminds me I'm once again trying to get back into running, but never can seem to find the time to get adequate training in except if I wake up at 5 in the morning during the week at least.
Back in my prime days, my best marathon time was 3:02:26 in New Jersey which at least qualified me for Boston at the time, and I did compete in Boston and finish but did not re-qualify since. I'll be happy to at least get my 5k times back to competitive again.
Edit: oh Fivekrunner, do run Boston at least once as it's a thrill of a lifetime experience.
Back in my prime days, my best marathon time was 3:02:26 in New Jersey which at least qualified me for Boston at the time, and I did compete in Boston and finish but did not re-qualify since. I'll be happy to at least get my 5k times back to competitive again.
Edit: oh Fivekrunner, do run Boston at least once as it's a thrill of a lifetime experience.
I would consider adequate training to be as follows:
Minimum distance per week: 30-40 miles
Speed workouts twice per week: fartlek, tempo runs, hill repeats, intervals to be done on grassy fields instead of on the track.
I only recommend track intervals for if you are training for track races.
Back when I was in my best competitive shape, I was fortunate to work at a location that had a locker room and shower facilities so I could also train during my lunch hour. Nowadays it seems the only time I can train is if I wake up at 5am and I for one don't like to run in the rain like it was today here.
Minimum distance per week: 30-40 miles
Speed workouts twice per week: fartlek, tempo runs, hill repeats, intervals to be done on grassy fields instead of on the track.
I only recommend track intervals for if you are training for track races.
Back when I was in my best competitive shape, I was fortunate to work at a location that had a locker room and shower facilities so I could also train during my lunch hour. Nowadays it seems the only time I can train is if I wake up at 5am and I for one don't like to run in the rain like it was today here.