Running • Page 17

hard to not get addicted to dope views like these

 

Awesome! Glad you liked it. How did the actual run go? Feel pretty good out there?

 

We have those same views in Ohio...

 

Yeah, absolutely! I used couch to 5k this summer to get ready for it and I was pretty whipped by the end, but I felt great doing it!

 

i definitely do the majority of my running distance around 4-6 miles on road. if anything, i think adding in the slower trail runs with high elevation change has made me the fastest i've been since xc in high school.

 

I feel like that could be cool to pace along and then really work those hills. Those hills you have are probably punches to gut too.

 

Finished my first marathon last weekend after a couple years of running. Blew up after 25k. I cannot describe how mentally difficult it was to get through it. I will have my redemption!

 

congrats. i've only done 1 marathon and the last 6 miles was one of the hardest things i've ever done haha

 

Same here. Nothing I've ever done compares to the emotional and physical barriers I experienced on that last stretch.

I can't wait to do it again!

 

I think that's a pretty common curve for a first timer's marathon. Still a good time on your first go. Way better than a lot of people's first. That dip is likely due to one or more of the following: being under-trained, dehydrating, or going out too hard, thus using up your energy too early.

 

Thanks! Yeah, I think it was a combination of fueling and going out too hard, caused by an overly ambitious goal pace. I felt amazing for 23ish kilometres at goal pace, and then it felt like a switch flipped and I could barely run at my easy pace.

Training could've been a factor. My volume was decent -- 12 weeks at 50-60 miles average with 30k long runs -- but I didn't have enough hard or fast-finish long runs and medium-long runs near marathon pace, so I wasn't well-adapted to marathon pace. Oh well -- lesson learned! Hopefully I'll nail it next time.

 

Yeah, the first marathon is tough. So many unknowns. For a first marathon, I would say that's a pretty good average mile breakdown. Certainly higher than what the average person would do. Generally speaking (not a set in stone thing), a reasonable expectation is to take your average mile pace for a 5k and add 40 seconds. If your marathon goal for a first time has a pace faster than that, it could be a tad ambitious.

Beyond that, there are other factors like weather, your liquid/gel program, etc. My guess is that played a factor. Assuming you went out a tad aggressively (not because you can't run the pace, but because that pace adds up over time) you probably burned through running on your fat stores of energy too quickly and started burning the glycogen to compensate. The natural move is to then start taking down the Gatorade or gels, and that stuff doesn't replenish at the same rate as your body running through its glycogen.

For this reason, a lot of folks advocate that average runners like us, not the pros, go out at a pace 40 seconds to 1 minute slow for the first few miles to get loose and not burn extra energy. You have plenty of miles to make up your time. A lot of runners say a marathon is a 20 mile warm up for a 10k race. When you break that down, it's true. The last 10k is the real race and where your body really gets tested. You want to delay going into a gel/shot block program as long as possible; especially for someone running at your level. I have no doubt if you do this race over, knowing what you learned from this first go around that you would run a lot faster.

 

yeesh, i'm lucky to get 20 miles in weekly. my body can't recover for shit i guess.

 

That quickly changes if you want to run a solid marathon haha. At least it should if you want to run well. To build a good base and to fit long runs in it stretches out quickly.

 

i started running when i was 16 and got really unhealthy with it. i pretty much ran 7 days a week until i was 23 or so. dealt with a lot of it band issues and other injuries. i'm 28 now and feel like in the last year i've found a real good balance even if it means i don't get to run every day. can't do much distance beyond a half marathon but i'm alright with it.

 

That's good you found the right balance. I definitely agree you can overdue it. I try and balance out my running with a couple gym days each week and a day off here and there. I am not in a place to handle the two a days like most pro runners. Not many people are. I just want to get Boston and run it with my dad one time. I don't yet love the marathon.

 

It's easy to get carried away with running. I find that I can keep enjoying it as long as I keep my easy days easy and my hard days hard. I've only been in a few races but it's a lot of fun to challenge yourself and join other people who are doing the same. Trails are fun too.

It's also nice to have a hobby to channel your energy towards that is mentally and physically rejuvenating. I get easily frustrated and exhausted by the continual demands of being a functional adult, so running is my relief valve from it all.

 

Had a pretty productive week last week. I got a 15-miler in and then went 22.5 on Sunday. This was my last time doing a 20 before the marathon. I will be going into a maintain mode the next few weeks and then going into a taper situation leading up to the race. Also, I will be doing more experimenting and fine tuning of my re-fueling strategy to see how my body reacts. Overall, things seem to be trending really well, but it's pretty damn hard to replicate race day. A lot can happen on race day, good and bad. Really starting to feel the realness of this race.

 

when/whhat race are you doing?

 

Columbus on October 16.

 

Signed up for my first marathon the other day. Running Paris next April with some friends. I've been on the best stretch of running I've ever had the last few months. I'm actually sticking to a training plan and am seeing the results going into my two half marathons coming up. So I figured it was now or never.

 

That Ben Gibbard video is so cool. I've been following his running for a while. Check out his interviews with the Ginger Runner if you want to know his story. He has one with Andy Greenwald too where he talks about his journey into ultras quite a bit.

 

Ran the Columbus today. It was my second marathon. My goal was to get a 3:05:00 to qualify for Boston. I had a few issues around mile 23 and came up short with a 3:08:13. It's still faster than my first marathon a few years ago, so there is reason to believe my best times are still in front of me. It's still disappointing, but it wasn't meant to be today.

 

i always just go to the nike outlet here and buy the older lunarglides, i think they are a decent running shoe and i got them on sale for like 40 dollars.