The Official OGBoards Running (and Cycling) Thread: (Insert Season Here)

[DeacHoops]

yes, goodwill takes them.

i ran a race one time, i can't for the life of me remember which one it was, where they actually asked during the registration whether or not you wanted your shirt. i wish more races would do that (though they'd need to specify whether or not it was a tech t!). especially the races that support some cause. the last thing in the world i need is one more cotton tshirt that i won't wear. take that $6 or however much it costs to make the shirt, and donate it to your cause instead.

 

[iodeac]

Totally agree, and I wish the New River shirts had been technical. At least they weren't plain white cotton though.

 

[RollTheQuad06]

I'm thinking about making one of those shirt quilts with some of my race shirts. I do wear some of the cotton ones but mostly just because they are in my dresser. If I didn't have as many, I'd still get by.

 

[WPDeac]

Ran the Indianapolis Mini this past weekend. Great race for anyone who lives in that area of the country or wants to travel there. Indy is a cool city, too. The course includes a lap around the Brickyard (during which I high-fived Al Unser, Jr.!). The course is completely flat except for the ramp entering the Brickyard and a short bridge-crossing. Only downside is that its very croweded 45k+ runners.

Agree on this. I've run it three times (last time was three years ago) and the feeling of running around the track is awesome, whether your a race fan or not. However, it does rank as one of my most "crowded" races, along with the Falmouth Road Race and the Disney 1/2 marathon.

I fall on the side of not publicizing my goals, but I have them none the less.

 

[lbE08]

Disagree. I think publicizing goals is a good thing in terms of accountability. You might ease up on shit-talking, but don't feel bad about falling a little short. You had a GREAT run.

Nothing to be ashamed of, and no reason to feel like you shouldn't be open about your plans/goals.

this. I know the only reason I trained half as hard as I did for this triathlon is because I've been screaming 1:30 from the rooftops since I signed up for the damn thing.

now I'm worried if that will even happen, but it's good motivation. I'm not good at SELF motivation, i get my motivation from fear of letting others down by not doing as well as they thought i would. kind of backwards/weird/wrong, but it works.

 

[DeacHawk]

I feel that setting realistic goals is very important when training for anything running or fitness related. It's also important to have several goals in my opinion. I try and go with an A, B, and C goal.

For example, when training for the Myrtle Beach Half this past winter my A goal was sub 1:50, a lofty goal for someone with a previous half PR in the 1:58 range. 8 miles in I was running at an 8:28 pace which would have fell short but was ready to give it a go at mile 10. Unfortunately I got some side stiches, panicked a bit, and had to stop to walk them off before getting back into a groove and finishing just over 1:56.

A PR was my C goal since I knew the course was easier and I was a stronger and smarter runner than I was in my previous half. I was happy but a little upset but handled it great mentally. I used this as one reason I believed I was mentally ready to step up to the full marathon distance.

So basically setting goals is important and keeps you accountable but also assessing the situation of what happens/does not happen on race day is just as important in your growth as a runner.

 

[ipitytheblue]

hey running thread, i've got a question.

i don't mind at all running when it's 45-55 degrees out (perfect!) but now that it's 80, i'm miserable. how do you run in the heat? are there any tricks to it?

i can't really go early in the morning or late at night. will a wet bandana help much?

 

[DeacHoops]

is there really no way for you to run early morning or late night? that's the biggest trick in the book.

for me, personally, there are a couple of group runs that i do in the late afternoon in the summers, and yeah, they're kind of miserable. i will say that the better shape you're in, the easier it is to run in the heat. it SUCKS if you're out of shape and making yourself run in the heat.

plan your courses so that you go by water stops. if there aren't water fountains or something, plant some bottles before you go. or get a fuel belt and carry water. never, ever wear cotton. if you don't have time for a full run in the early morning, maybe go get 2-3 miles in during the morning, and do the rest sometime later in the day. the fewer miles you run during the heat of the day, the better.

 

[ipitytheblue]

yeah, I'd have to go at like 6am and always have things/baseball etc. at night. I know some of you probably 6am run all the time but I barely get enough sleep as it is.

thanks for the advice!

 

[Coach O]

Goal talk: I plan to run with the 4:15 pace group in San Francisco.

I really want to break 4:00 too but it's not time yet. My PR is 4:20, I'll see how 4:15 goes, if I'm feeling good later in the race I'll leave the group and try for faster.

My time at New River was 4:42. Not good for me. But I know I ran a bad race, went out way too fast, etc. Next race I will work hard to run smarter and start slower.

Have you run the SF before? Crazy hilly. Shit...the Golden Gate Bridge alone is a climb. I don't know if I would be looking at a PR for this one...

I am thinking of making this my first marathon, but am a bit afraid of all the hills.

 

[DeacHoops]

two of my closest running friends have recently chosen to get some coaching. one got actual, legit, paid, coaching. the other one asked an elite runner friend to draw up a coaching schedule. both of these friends are making HUGE improvements in their running.

i'm now seriously considering it. and one of the top coaches in charlotte has recently dropped his prices all the way down to $9/week. granted, this gets you a training schedule and some nutritional advice. it's not like the coach is out there with you for every run. but for under $250, i could get a custom-made training schedule all the way until my BQ attempt in october. i'm seriously considering this. i'm having trouble figuring out how to balance the marathon training with the fact that i have another 9 short races (everything from 5k to 15k) between now and october. maybe it would help to have somebody telling me what i should be focusing on.

anybody here have any experience with coaching? if so, what were your results? and currently, i rather like that i have some flexibility with scheduling runs. like a few of them are somewhat constant, but the rest i'll mess around with and do whatever my friends want to do. am i going to lose that flexibility entirely if i have somebody make me a custom-made schedule?

 

[DeacHawk]

Hoops,

I am using a customized training plan for the marathon that a good friend and I guess you could call him a coach put together for me. He's not officially certified but has helped many people with plans in the past. His marathon PR is 2:41:xx.

We basically discussed how many days a week I wanted to run, he was aware of my pacing and past few race results, and had a reasonable goal in mind to aim for. No results to compare with yet since the race is still a couple months away but I am loving the plan so far. Also, if I want to deviate from it I just send him an email or DM on twitter asking how to easily adapt to any changes in the schedule.

We've already discussed putting together something for the 2 months between the marathon and Blue Ridge Relay as well.

 

[TWDeac]

Hoops,

I am using a customized training plan for the marathon that a good friend and I guess you could call him a coach put together for me. He's not officially certified but has helped many people with plans in the past. His marathon PR is 2:41:xx.

We basically discussed how many days a week I wanted to run, he was aware of my pacing and past few race results, and had a reasonable goal in mind to aim for. No results to compare with yet since the race is still a couple months away but I am loving the plan so far. Also, if I want to deviate from it I just send him an email or DM on twitter asking how to easily adapt to any changes in the schedule.

We've already discussed putting together something for the 2 months between the marathon and Blue Ridge Relay as well.

That is really cool. I tend to just make my own when I'm training, but in the back of my mind, I wonder if I could be getting more out of myself if I had someone else doing it.

 

[Coach O]

Start of the O.C. Marathon. I am the one in the white shirt, about 2/3rds of the way back, just behind the "B" sign... :thumbsup:

[/IMG]

 

[TWDeac]

Last weekend killed me. I got a chance to run 3 miles on the beach, but otherwise, I wasn't able to run.

Tonight I have 4 miles at 7:45. My legs are sore from the past two days running and it is going to be around 85 degrees and humid. Should be a fun evening.

I am more and more amazed by my high school body. I could run through soreness like a champ. I doubt much has changed, but its different running with all of my buddies than when running :foreveralone:

 

[iodeac]

I'm interested in knowing how many miles you all are running per week. I've been running in the 30s but want to bump it up to maybe 45 per week, and it seems like you have to have at least one "long" run midweek as well as a long run on the weekend. My schedule right now looks a little something like this:

Sunday - 5 miles around my neighborhood
Monday - crosstrain
Tuesday - speedwork, maybe 6 miles total?
Wednesday - run in Gastonia, usually about 6 miles
Thursday - 4.44 miles, specific course in Dilworth that we run every Thursday
Friday - full rest day
Saturday - long run, maybe between 13-15 miles unless I'm marathon training.

that's barely over 35! For those that try to run about 160 miles per week or more, what do your schedules look like? Thanks!

 

[DDeac08]

I'm interested in knowing how many miles you all are running per week. I've been running in the 30s but want to bump it up to maybe 45 per week, and it seems like you have to have at least one "long" run midweek as well as a long run on the weekend. My schedule right now looks a little something like this:

Sunday - 5 miles around my neighborhood
Monday - crosstrain
Tuesday - speedwork, maybe 6 miles total?
Wednesday - run in Gastonia, usually about 6 miles
Thursday - 4.44 miles, specific course in Dilworth that we run every Thursday
Friday - full rest day
Saturday - long run, maybe between 13-15 miles unless I'm marathon training.

that's barely over 35! For those that try to run about 160 miles per week or more, what do your schedules look like? Thanks!

Usually I do 25-30 miles a day with one day of rest per week.

 

[West End Deac]

IO, breaking even 40 with two days off isn't really easy (8 miles a day) but it can be done if you are willing to double on your Thursday run (4.5 in the morning, 4.5 on your Dilworth course).

I run anywhere from the upper 30s to mid 40s. Although I occasionally go over 10 I usually don't. Six runs a week -- a couple of 8s, a couple of 7s each of which is likely w/n a workout (meaning some up tempo stuff but also some jog recovery -- I do count my recovery miles), a 6 and a 5. I rarely go less than 5 anymore. That's 41. One of the 8s may be a 5 in a given week or I may run 5 days for a shorter week as well. If I run on Monday morning and Tuesday morning I'm not afraid to get a quick 4 in early Wednesday before working out that night -- gives me a nice jump to the week. Thursdays are my typical off days.

You are right. Getting in 40+ takes some discipline and time. Your advantage is that long run on Saturdays. When you can stare down almost 20 miles in two days (Sat/Sun) getting to 40-45 is much easier. That said, rather than worry about 45 get to 40 first. Odd things happen to older bodies when we crest the 40mpw mark.

Good luck!

I'm interested in knowing how many miles you all are running per week. I've been running in the 30s but want to bump it up to maybe 45 per week, and it seems like you have to have at least one "long" run midweek as well as a long run on the weekend. My schedule right now looks a little something like this:

Sunday - 5 miles around my neighborhood
Monday - crosstrain
Tuesday - speedwork, maybe 6 miles total?
Wednesday - run in Gastonia, usually about 6 miles
Thursday - 4.44 miles, specific course in Dilworth that we run every Thursday
Friday - full rest day
Saturday - long run, maybe between 13-15 miles unless I'm marathon training.

that's barely over 35! For those that try to run about 160 miles per week or more, what do your schedules look like? Thanks!

 

[DeacHoops]

i've been consistently over 40 for a couple of months now. i'm hoping to be more in the upper 40s-50 range once i'm actually marathon training. but for now my long runs are only 12-13ish, so it's hard to get to 50.

my non-racing weeks look something like:

mondays-6
tuesdays-speedwork, usually 7ish
wednesdays-off
thursdays-9
fridays-5ish
saturdays-long run, so 12-13ish
sundays-6

if my body is hurting, fridays and sundays are the days when i cut back a little. maybe 3-4 on friday, and 4-5 on sunday.

but i've been racing a LOT lately. so this schedule is pretty different. on racing weeks, i just try to frontload my mileage as much as possible, then go really easy on thursday and friday.

 

[iodeac]

Thanks! Lately I've been running 6 days a week and it hasn't negatively impacted me, so I think I'll keep doing that and take a full rest day once a week....instead of taking one rest day and one crosstraining day.