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Re: Mental Recovery from Dreadful Race

guest — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:52:11 GMT

sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what might have caused the stomach issues ... and it's fairly evident that was the leading factor in you not reaching your goal ... so if I were you I'd feel pretty confident in trying it again and just eat and drink something different before my next one!

Good luck ... you will get there ... I truly think so.

Fit lifestyle, marathon goal ...

guest — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:44:57 GMT

JimSullivan commented in a recent thread that it was worrisome that somebody might view a marathon as a goal and not have longterm running goals.

*not trying to pick on Jim, btw

Why is that a bad thing?

I do agree that trying a marathon without training for it sensibly isn't the best idea ... but after it's completed I really don't see why moving on to something else like kayaking, rollerblading, biking, swimming, fitness classes, kickboxing, or whatever would be bad ... so long as fitness, fun, and keeping a healthy lifestyle are still pieces of the puzzle. The driving force in some folks lives is in perfecting their art/passion ... but for others the force is to experience as many things as possible ... to each their own ...

just my thoughts ... not a judgment ...

Re: Boston Dream - can it become a reality?

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:31:07 GMT

Thanks for all the information ... It is interesting that large chunks of a couple years improvement were made by maintaining and then raising milage without a lot of training schedule type running ... but as you got closer to the real long-term goal of Boston you have reintroduced specified training to tweak things ... all in all it seem an excellent way to go about things ...

hopefully something like this will help the original poster here!

Re: When does running get easier?

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:16:09 GMT

About the first 1-3 miles ... even after you get up to doing 6+ mile runs you are likely to feel like the first 1-3 of that run are hard, at least on some days, but once you hit your groove you'll be glad you stuck in there and probably cruise through the remaining miles of your run that day.

While I am first starting to build milage I try not to even look at a watch during my runs ... once in awhile I will wear one and set the timer at the beginning but not intentionally run fast and just try to run comfortable ... at the end I do look down at the watch to see what the time was ... then I may not wear the watch again for another week or two ... then I try it again without referring to it during the run at all ...

good luck with the iron and the running ...

Re: 1500m/3000m training

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:20:14 GMT

I don't have any expertise on this ... but I'm very similar to you ... turning 40 this month ... female ... run 2 marathons (fall 2006, spring 2007) and various road races ...

I used to run track in HS and did fairly well in 800-1600-3200 and their coinciding relays ... I still do little time trials every few years (at least) to see how fast I can do a mile, haha ... in 2006 I did a 6:08, before any marathon training ... last year I didn't test a mile but did my VO2Max 1600 repeats @ 6:20 pace ... and I just started running again this spring, about 5 weeks ago and did my first timed mile last week ... not thrilling, but 6:44 ... I'm doing weekly VO2Max and LT workouts and a couple road races soon and will do another time trial sometime in June to see if it's any better ...

Anywho ... that's me ... so take my advice for what you think it's worth, lol ...

I was recently leafing through a lot of my running literature and found that for 3200 M and shorter you need more basic speed repeats at distances of 400M or less near top speed ... varied opinions on how much rest required between intervals ... footstrike drills for improving cadence are also recommended ... ladders or something of that nature ... running windsprints on slight downhill grades ...

In 2006 I really liked to throw in a track session like this every once in awhile (even though it really didn't pertain to marathon training) ...

8 X 300M all out and walked the 100 and repeat ...

You may find some good track workouts in the 'coaching youth sports' section of the local bookstore ... distance training for young runners and coaching track and field ... things like that ...

anyways ... have fun and good luck ... it's nice to meet you ...

Re: New to the Marathon Scene (Have some questions)

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:52:03 GMT

I've used similar caloric formulas to estimate weight maintenance or weight loss (if I based the calculations on my desired weight rather than current weight) ... BUT ... such a formula isn't normally intended to be used for those with higher than average activity levels ... When is the Marine Corps Marathon? (early fall, right?)

It would be very difficult to have the proper energy to train well at the same time you are severely restricting calories. You need to find a BMR calculator and then add in your average daily activities and then perhaps subtract 500/cal/day or so from your daily requirements ... but if you're doing a harder week or a tune-up race soon you might want to forgo any calorie restriction and fuel up on quality foods to perform strong and well and boost your mental and physical performance to see where you are on your way to your marathon goals.

Normally you'd want to diet during base building phase not during training ... although most distance runners do lose some weight during peak training ... good luck with the marathon!

Re: Caught between too little and too much stability

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:17:25 GMT

Sorry you are having such a hard time ... I went in to a shoe store for a professional fitting in 2006 for the first time and they told me the same thing ... so I left with motion control/stability shoes ... gave me blisters on my insteps the first time out ... I took them back and insisted on neutral shoes and they sold them to me ... I know I fit the profile for stability shoes but the wear patterns on my running shoes show that I run neutral ... I did a Nike free evaluation at a marathon expo last year and they also suggested motion-control ... I declined ...

I have had Adidas Supernova Cushion and Asics Gel Cumulus training shoes and Saucony Fasttwitch2 lightweight trainers for racing over the past couple years ... no problems for me ... I hope you find what works for you ...

btw - when I take a prolonged break from running and then get back into it my ankles and shins get tight and achy the first few weeks or so but soon strengthen and stop bothering me at all ... I don't ice, but icing helps most people I talk to that are bothered by this ... and walking barefoot, backwards with toes pointing up (like elf shoes) helps the shins too ...

good luck

Re: Do you even CARE about being fast?

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:02:59 GMT

In response to inquiries to 'How did you do?" I normally tell them if I met my goals or not ... so if finish time isn't one of your personal goals, just say, "I met all my goals and am very happy with my race. How'd you do?"

Most of the races I've done as an adult were on the way to training for my first marathon ... so my goals were to keep an even pace at my predicted pace and finish strong in hopes that my marathon training was on the right track ... I paced, raced, and placed well that summer and fall and was very pleased with my first marathon experience ... I care about meeting my potential and setting goals to get there ... It's nice when I can snag some hardware along the way but it's not essential ... so, I guess I really do care about being fast, but mostly about being my fastest, not fast in comparison to others ... if I feel I don't have the time to commit to proper training or the mental willingness to do it, I just won't bother with training ... I will always do something to stay fit (sports, swim, teaching fitness classes, etc) but running and racing are very goal oriented for me, at least at this point in my life ... so being fast does matter.

Re: Boston Dream - can it become a reality?

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:29:23 GMT

greg ... it's awesome the improvements you've accomplished ... and Boston is definitely within your grasp! How has your training changed over this time? And I have to ask what motivated you to do some of your marathons nearly back-to-back rather than getting a decent recovery before the next attempt?

Do you think you underestimated your abilities the first couple years ... or do you feel that you trained equally well each time out but just took some years under your belt to improve your times and fitness to this level?

Re: When does running get easier?

guest — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:02:20 GMT

about iron ... I have been re-reading some of my running literature and a good reminder was to not take caffeine with iron supplements, it'll reduce absorption ... while Vitamin C (orange juice, perhaps) will increase absorption ...

I found out about 6 weeks ago that I was slightly anemic after a routine blood test for the meds I have to take ... I didn't do anything about it but actually did buy some iron and vitamin c TODAY ... what a co-inky-****, huh? I was picking up scripts for daughter and decided to do something for me that I hope helps my training more ...

About the running getting easier ... it will ... but the first 1-3 miles really are harder than the rest ... when you first start going further you might even consider a little walking break every once in a while ... maybe run a mile and walk 30-45 seconds and run another mile ... repeat 3, then 4, then eventually 5 times ... pay attention to the pace you do each at ... and next time you go out for your run try to do the first mile at the slowest pace you did last time ... maybe you'll soon find you don't need a walking break and start feeling pretty good after the first mile or so ... finding your rhythm is nice, it doesn't mean running isn't still challenging work but it makes it easier to not feel overwhelmed and to relax and feel strong ...

good luck ... and happy running!