active network espn
Community: Exchange advice in the forums and read running commentary Resources: Personal running log, calculators, links and other tools for runners News: Running news from around the world Training: Articles and advice about fitness, race training and injury prevention Races/Results: Find upcoming races and past results Home: The Cool Running homepage
Cool Running homepage  Search Cool Running Community
Login to Reply
1 2 Previous Next
Click to view Southern Man's profile Legend 757 posts since
Apr 19, 2006

Dec 20, 2007 10:02 PM

Fall Marathon Trainer's Thread 12/10/06

We send off the last of our marathoners this morning. Good luck, and I hope mainers had a great race in Charlotte yesterday. Boy between S agsten and Kudzu we sure had some exciting reports last week. Hope you got a chance to read them.

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY REPORTS OR TIMES THAT ARE MISSING PLEASE LET ME KNOW--I am hoping to do some sort of a wrap up before Christmas and would like to have as complete a set of reports as possible.

IN THE BOOKS

Pocatello 9/2
Jtshad [/URL" target="_blank"> 2:45 2:46:53

Tupelo 9/3
kudzurunner [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:30 3:39:40

Adirondack Marathon 9/17
Dr Wu [/URL" target="_blank">3:45 3:39:53

Fox Cities 9/24
WI MTP [/URL" target="_blank"> 2:43 2:45:58

Quad Cities 9/24
kestrou [/URL" target="_blank">3:20 3:42:05

Akron 9/30
Joplus [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:10 3:17

Twin Cities 10/1

Bugs34[/URL" target="_blank"> 4:30 4:06

St. George 10/7
Johnny J[/URL" target="_blank"> 2:53 2:47:07

Steamtown 10/8
AndyHass[/URL" target="_blank"> 2:24:00 2:33:48
Southern Man[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:15 3:16:04

Melbourne Marathon 10/8
TheSlowandtheFurious 3:05 DNS

Mohawk-Hudson 10/8

Dr. Wu [/URL" target="_blank">3:34 3:27:10

Westchester 10/8
TheHerbinator[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:20 3:18:35


Hartford 10/14

Yoginirunner [/URL" target="_blank"> 4:15 4:14:46

Columbus 10/15

Sportigirl [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:25 3:26:07
thereshegoes[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:25 3:25:31

Baystate 10/15
Dogberry[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:30 3:34


Long Beach 10/15

Magritte [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:15 3:20:59

Des Moines 10/15

Runninlaw [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:40 3:37:18

Chicago 10/22
JSM 2:28 2:31:22
Spkoest[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:20 3:19:16
Hubitron [/URL" target="_blank">2:50 2:48:53
Kestrou[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:20 3:22:09
92heelgrad[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:20 3:38:38
rivas[/URL" target="_blank"> 2:30 2:35:34

Mystic Country 10/22
Beatfreq[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:20 3:00:35

Detroit 10/29

corland14[/URL" target="_blank"> 4:00 4:06
jakey [/URL" target="_blank">3:15 3:34


Marine Corps 10/29
Lofcaudio[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:15 3:16:26


Cognac (France) 11/4
Jojox [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:30 3:49:28

NYC 11/5
TD Runner 2:35 2:41:09
dcv2002 [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:10 3:06:16
Jpgarland 2:50 2:48:10
GreenMan 3:45 3:48:35

Philly 11/19
jdmom3 2:46
eager runner 3:10
Doctor Wu 3:25 3:33:29
Sistergoldenhair TBD
BostonTodd 3:00 2:54:06
Rbmoose 2:45 2:45:48

Atlanta 11/23
Robert Wildes <3:35

St. Jude Memphis 12/2
BNAGamecock 4:45
Kudzu Runner [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:25 3:30:59

California International Marathon
GoDawgGo 3:00
S Agsten[/URL" target="_blank"> 3:05 3:05:54

Marathon of Palm Beaches 12/3
Nofret 3:30

UP THIS WEEKEND

Charlotte 12/9
Mainers 2:40
Bigdave10000 3:20

Vegas/Tucson 12/10
Jrescpa 3:20
WI MTP Have Fun
TommyL 3:10

Dallas White Rock 12/10
AML256 3:05

Honolulu Marathon 12/10
eggnite [/URL" target="_blank"> 3:30 3:29:33

Southern Man


------------------
We're on a road to nowhere. Come on along.

http://This message has been edited by Southern Man (edited Dec-10-2006).

http://This message has been edited by Southern Man (edited Dec-10-2006).
Click to view mainers's profile Legend 341 posts since
Apr 4, 2006
1. Dec 10, 2006 5:52 PM in response to: Southern Man
Hi all

I came home 7th in 2.43.50. What an experience! Full race report later when I get a moment. The marathon certainly was something like I'd never experienced before and I'll never forget it! I missed my 2.40 target but was really happy with my race nonetheless. Can barely walk today and am going to enjoy a hard earned two weeks of eating what I like and putting my feet up!!

Full report later
Click to view eggnite's profile Pro 167 posts since
May 4, 2005
2. Dec 20, 2007 10:02 PM in response to: Southern Man
First off, congrats mainers, that is an incredible time, and 7th is an incredible place to get. Live up that break, you definately deserve it.

Well, Through some tough times I made it through the Honolulu Marathon with a goal time of sub 3:30:00, a gun time of 3:29:47, and a chip time of 3:29:33. My over all place was somewhere in the 500s, and my age division place was 11th ( 2nd of the people from hawaii.)


Heres a detailed report:
http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/Forum8/HTML/009538.shtml[/URL" target="_blank">

Also, I would just like to thank everyone on this forum for the help they have given whether it was a question answered, or just a topic I read and learned from. If it wasnt for you I wouldnt have made my goal.


http://This message has been edited by eggnite (edited Dec-10-2006).
Click to view mainers's profile Legend 341 posts since
Apr 4, 2006
4. Dec 11, 2006 6:49 AM in response to: Southern Man
so here goes

background of being low mileage (40mpw) 16 min 5k/33 min 10k runner, longest previous race a half marathon, decided it was time to run a marathon.

gradually upped mileage to 55-60 mpw, threw in 4 20 plus mile runs, did lots of tempo runs, track sessions on Tuesdays and a race every 4 weeks or so. Ran a half marathon in 1.13.21 5 weeks out, tapered from three weeks out and was feeling in the best possible shape come race morning.

woke up at 4 on race morning. had my usual big bowl of cereal, quaffed down some water, had a bagel at 6 and left the house for town. parked up right near the start line. it was 6.30 and 15 degrees but didn't actually feel as cold as I thought it was going to.

nice and easy jog to warm up, gel and water at 7.30, gradually peeled off layers, ready to go at 8. about 20 degrees now, I was in shorts, vest with long sleeve top and gloves

settled into a nice and easy pace straight away. I already knew there were two other guys shooting for 6 min pace in the full and two for that pace in the half which was being run at the same time so we all settled in together and were joined by three or four others. So a nice group of 10 developed.

unfortunately I deleted the data from my watch before noting down my splits so can't do a mile by mile report but race generally went as follows

first ten miles or so we were nailing 6 minute pace and all running very comfortably. gradually people started dropping off the pace. i was happy to be in this group. we were running at a pace i felt i could maintain and it was nice to have company. i was alternating water and powerade every two miles and feeling good

we went through the half in 1.19.05. miles 11 to 13 had been uphill and i was just starting to feel I was in a race.couple of the group were now done, leaving five of us. all of a sudden I found myself alone! three guys seemed to hit the accelerator and one guy dropped back. i felt and hoped I was just maintaining the same pace i had been running. checked the watch at mile 14 and 15 and sure enough, although i was starting to feel it a little my pace was still around 6.05 or so. the guys up ahead must have been feeling good and gone for it. maybe i would catch up with them later?!

so here I was at mile 16.2 in 6th place at 1.38.00. as long as i could run the last ten at 6.10 pace i'd meet my 2.40 goal

it was a strange feeling all of a sudden running alone when we'd been in a group so long.it was at this point too that i really started to feel i was in a hard race and could tell i was going to find out a lot about myself over the next hour or so! i took on a gel and tried to concentrate on relaxing but maintaining a good pace. on guy came from nowhere and ran straight past me but i was also gaining on one of the guys ahead

i now had a friend of mine able to ride parts of the race alongside me on the course. we had moved out of the uptown area out into the suburbs and there were a lot less people around and a lot less 'scenery'. all i could do was focus on realxing and keeping on pace as much as i could.

mile 18 was downhill and i could feel a pain shooting down my left calf. this was the calf i had had problems with earlier in the year and the marathon was reminding me of it!! i was now a little concerned that this was going to cause me serious problems, but the pain seemed to subside. i tried to forget about it and would worry about my calf after the race!

at mile 20 I was at 2.01.30 so 6.05 pace overall. my splits were now slipping out to the 6.30 mark. the wall had gardually crept up on me and I had a long climb to go!

miles 20-24 were all about focussing on the task at hand and getting the most out of my body I could. it was great to have my friend near me. he would ride up ahead and tell the spectators (and the police marshals!!) my name so they would shout for me when i went past! I overtook 6th place man at this point. i could tell I was running slower and slower but kept telling myself I had trained so hard for this thing and i was going to do the best i darned could!

mile 25 had a really sharp hill in it. it was one of those you get to the top, turn the corner and there is still more to get up! i knew it was coming as i had driven the course. i was bending forwards into this hill dragging all i possibly could out of my body.

there was now one mile to go. it was slightly downhill followed by a rise up to the finish, i tried to stride out down the hill to finish strongly but my legs weren't having any of it! i was now running about a 7.30 pace!!

as i turned into the street where the race finished I could see the finishing line at last. my wife and daughters were standing at the corner and it was wonderful to see them! the announcer called my name and i just gave everything i could to the finishing line. 6th in 2.43.50.

i came to a complete stop and bent over, trying my hardest to resist the temptation to lie down in a heap! somene took my chip from me and draped one of those wonderful foil blankets around me. i hung around at the finish area for the next hour or so, walking around as much as possible, talking to people, eating bread and bananas and cheering in buddies of mine who were doing the race. i truly felt part of a great event and was on cloud nine.

what an experience! I had missed my 2.40 goal but didn't care. what right did i have anyway to expect a certain time in the marathon when i had never run one before?! anyway i had gone sub 2.45 which meant I had automatic 'championship entry' to the London Marathon for the next couple of years

on reflection I don't think I would have run the race any differently. you could say i went off at an unrealistic pace but it felt very easy and i think the psychological benefit of being in a group would have outweighed any advantage gained by running slower on my own behind the group.

from an energy point of view i feel i took on enough gels and water, etc. my legs just weren't ready to handle 26.2 miles of 6 minute pace running. i'm still a novice at this distance and only ran an average of about 55 mpw in my build up. now that my body is used to this mileage I would hope I could get up to 70 for my next marathon and do more 20 plus mile fast finish runs and maybe less races and less emphasis on track work. then the sub 2.40 will be a possibility! i will also pick a flat course next time! Charlotte is a very tough course!

so there you go. two days later and my legs are still very sore. am going to enjoy two weeks of doing nothing and not caring too much about what i eat, etc. and then it will be time to focus on the next goal. My UK friends want me to go over and do London in April. However, I devoted so much time and effort to this marathon that I think I'm going to focus on getting my times down in the shorter distances first and put the marathon on the back burner for a year or so.

thanks for listening and thanks to everyone else who has been posting on this thread. hearing the tales of Kudzu, Todd, Sportigrl, Andy Hass to name but a few every week was great and seemed to form part of my training schedules!

I'll keep in touch, just not on the Spring Marathon Trainers thread!!

Mainers
Click to view TD Runner's profile Legend 298 posts since
Oct 25, 2001
5. Dec 11, 2006 7:41 AM in response to: Southern Man
Great job mainers! How's Chicago sound for next fall? Sub 2:35!

------------------
Todd[/URL" target="_blank">
Click to view mainers's profile Legend 341 posts since
Apr 4, 2006
6. Dec 11, 2006 7:51 AM in response to: Southern Man
sounds like an option Todd!
Click to view kudzurunner's profile Legend 523 posts since
Dec 6, 2007
7. Dec 11, 2006 9:46 AM in response to: Southern Man
Mainers:

Great race report! You had me right there with you. And yes: to come that close to your predicted time in your first marathon, on only 55 mpw, is an amazing achievement. It would have been hard not to have had an encounter with the Wall, but you survived yours with enthusiasm intact--an EXTREMELY important thing. Hammered out a great baseline time, too. Isn't it nice to have family cheeleaders at the end?

I think it's Chicago for me next time around, unless I get into New York. I'm deferring Boston until 2008.

My last report on this thread: 26 miles this post-marathon week. Yesterday morning, Sunday, I threw out the plan--9 miles easy; a first (short) long run on the recovery trail--and went to the track for the first time in seven months. Pulled my lightweight trainers out of the closet where they've been languishing since marathon training began. Ran 4-5 miles with the last couple heading towards threshold. Then ran five 400s in the 91-94 second range. It's been a while! Felt like I was trying to get a freight train up to speed. Or a woodchuck?

Still, I knew right away that I'm through with marathons for a while--at least until next fall. I miss speed. I miss that sort of fine-tuning--of stride mechanics, of intensity level. I miss that adrenalized thrill. I know that humans are supposed to be endurance predators, and the marathon certainly plays on that, but some/most of us also have a little jaguar in us, too. I'd like to know how fast I can still run after all those long slower miles........

Happy holidays, y'all. See you in Chicago.
Click to view donnyl's profile Legend 590 posts since
Nov 9, 2007
8. Dec 11, 2006 1:19 PM in response to: Southern Man
Mainers, good race report. It's always interesting to see someone else's report of a race you ran also. I was in that nice pack for the first 9 miles, but for me the pace was a little too quick and I backed off at that point. I thought 11-13 was very difficult. My race was different from yours in that I struggled between between 15-21 but then I finished pretty well, I guess all those years of experience helped. Definately the hardest finishing stretch of any marathon I've run, I can't recall any with an uphill finish like that. All in all I think it was a pretty tough course, but fair. You could definately expect to run faster on a flatter course.
Click to view mainers's profile Legend 341 posts since
Apr 4, 2006
9. Dec 11, 2006 3:59 PM in response to: Southern Man
i didn't know you were in the race Laker, and in that group!!

glad to hear that was a tough finish from an experienced marathoner! the last few miles were definitely the hardest thing i have ever done! i was almost laughing to myself it was so hard- i think i was delirious!

i agree with you kudzu re the need for some faster training instead of marathon training now! i'll leave that beast alone for a while!
Click to view TommyL007's profile Pro 94 posts since
Dec 14, 2007
10. Dec 12, 2006 11:33 AM in response to: Southern Man
Just posting my time. I'm pretty sure I could have had the 3:10 without the head wind but it was a little too much for me. 3:18 and change. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit.
Click to view rbbmoose's profile Legend 324 posts since
Oct 12, 2007
11. Dec 13, 2006 7:20 AM in response to: Southern Man
Mainers - welcome to the marathon! - A great report and race - I also felt like I was there with you... I was (unrealistically) hoping to get near 2:40 at Philly and watched my splits face into 6:30sville in the 20s so this hits close to home....

Sorry you didn't reach your goal, but this sounds like a great experience for you.


Ray
Click to view WI MTP's profile Legend 461 posts since
Jan 7, 2006
13. Dec 14, 2006 12:31 PM in response to: Southern Man
Apparently early race results were wrong - 39th now - I don't really care, but I hate to mislead. Either way it was a very weak field.
Click to view JPGarland's profile Legend 780 posts since
Dec 7, 2007
14. Dec 14, 2006 10:44 PM in response to: Southern Man
Mainers, on the negative side, if you had a friend riding with you, I don't think that's appropriate. Think of how you would feel if someone ahead of you was getting that.

BUT, it seems that your 1:13 predicts a lot faster than 2:40, so that's probably just a matter of focused marathon training. You had the dilemma of a small race: do I go at my pace and run alone or do I get into a pack that may be a bit fast? I think it was wise to run relaxed in the group, although you paid. But, again, I would bet that next time you'd be one of the guys picking it up or not slowing down.

I had some similar experiences in New York, particularly suffering late. I assume that you learn more from what went wrong than from what went right, especially in the training. I also think it's a good idea not to think of doing one in the spring.