APRIL has arrived and so have the SUPER GOOFS!

[SAHDad]

Rich...I say double your miles the whole time!

When I checked the sign today, there was a new addition that said (basically), "If you want to turn around and head back to the west after finishing, you may continue to track your miles." So I am going to double them for at least that much. I'm not in the lead (about 40-50 miles behind the leader, actually ), but I should finish by Saturday. It's 272 miles, and I have 141 (non-doubled) done. Tomorow I plan on doing a very long bike ride, and maybe biking again in the evening. It will hurt, but I want to get it out of the way before the race on May 1.

Cindy - we want a race report! (No, I am not impatient or anything. It has nothing to do with the terrible covereage of the race this year. Really. Honest.)

 

[groovygirls]

I had so much fun yesterday. I was incredibly busy to my 4:45 AM start until I got home close to 8 PM. Lots of hypothermia and dehydration plus all the muscle cramps. I had 4 medical cots along with PT and ATC. I did not have one empty cot from 1 until about 6. The day flew by and I saw no familiar faces
I will either run the race next year or medically volunteer again.
Congrats to all who finished

Training for my BQ race starts today
I am now extra motivated to be there in 2011!

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Goofs.

Sorry for the delay in reporting my race. Overall it was such a great time from the Expo to the finish line. Along the way there were some tough patches. The Expo was amazing. I bought a new jacket, a light belt for running at night and a nice Boston Marathon poster. My DH and I spent 3 hrs roaming around.

Race morning went well. I stayed at my sister’s house the night before because she lives just 3 miles from the drop off point out near Hopkinton while I’m 20 miles away. The bus ride to the Athletes’ Village took about 45 minutes (to go about 5 miles). That was a bit rough since I was on a school bus in the seat with the wheel well so my knees were up to my chin the whole time. The AV was amazing. Just so many people lying and sitting around waiting for the start. They had tents set up and had bagels, bananas and coffee available. Tons of porta potties, though it still took 30 minutes in line. People were very friendly and chatty, so the time passed quickly.

They gave the call for us to head to the starting line about 40 minutes before we were to start so I began to make my way. I had to drop my bag off in the baggage busses then walk about ¾ mile to the start. With all the crowds it actually took a lot of time to get there, so I made it to the corrals with about 5 minutes to spare. That was probably a good thing since I didn’t have a lot of time to worry. The gun went off and it took 2 minutes to get to the starting line, but once we were there we were running right on pace from the start.

The first half mile is down hill so I ended up going way too fast. I kept trying to slow down, but it was almost impossible with all the people cheering for you. I felt like such a rock star. I had put my name on my shirt so people were calling me by name. Just watching the crowds and listening to the roar of cheers just kept making me go faster. I did manage to slow down a bit, but probably not enough. By 7 miles my legs were already feeling tired. By the half way point I knew I was in trouble because I felt like I didn’t have anything left. I managed to stay near pace until 18 miles that’s thru 2 of the hills, but from that point on my pace slowed significantly and by the time I was over the other 2 hills I was shuffling to the end. I ended up finishing in 4:17:11. I’m OK with the finishing time, I’m just a little disappointed that I didn’t run a smarter race. I spent the last 6 miles looking at my feet and just trying to get thru it instead of really soaking it all in and enjoying being there. During the race I was thinking that I would never again run another step in my life, but 2 days later I’m thinking wouldn’t it be great to run it again next year with some fellow WISHers? (Maura, Joanne, any others??)

Thanks for all the encouragement leading up to the race. I greatly appreciate it.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[DISaholic's]

Good Morning Goofs.

I ended up finishing in 4:17:11. I’m OK with the finishing time, I’m just a little disappointed that I didn’t run a smarter race. I spent the last 6 miles looking at my feet and just trying to get thru it instead of really soaking it all in and enjoying being there.

Great job Cindy!! I think your time is AMAZING!!!
Every race makes a learn a bit more about ourselves and hopefully makes us race smarter the next time!

Jeanne

 

[suzannews]

Congrats Cindy!!

Joanne, I'm sure you were very much appreciated by all the runners who needed your help!

 

[suzannews]

Good evening Goofs!! Hope everyone is having a great week and staying healthy.

I did a 10K on Saturday and still have mixed feelings about it. I'm glad I did it but was given wrong information a couple of times from the race director. Right before the start, the race director was talking to the runners, telling us where to turn and what streets to run on because she didn't know if there would be anyone directing traffic out on the course. Of course this was in a town that I've never been to before so as she was saying, take a right on 4th, go down to Main, take a left.....I had no idea what she was talking about. I tried to stay with a group until we got to the out and back. The thing that made me the maddest though is at registration and on all the event pages, it states a shirt and medal to all finishers. I even verified this with the race director herself before registering. After registering, got an email saying the cut off date was wrong on the website and if I wanted a race shirt, I would have to pay an extra $5 at packet pickup to have one mailed to me in 4 weeks. When I got near the finish line, I could hear the awards ceremony going on for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placers in each age category, no big deal to me as I was towards the back. But, I later found out from my daughter and friend who were waiting for me that the director was getting impatient waiting for the final 17 racers and told the crowd she was not waiting for the final finishers, we were taking too long. Then, after I crossed the finish line, I was told there were only enough medals for the first 75 people to finish. What?!! As a back of the packer who will never finish 1st, the shirt and medal are very important to me. It would have been one thing if this was stated anywhere so I would not be expecting either but this was not the case. I emailed the lady on Saturday and have not heard back. I called her today but her voice mail box is full. I will be calling again. Sorry if I am whining, I just want my medal!

 

[froggygrrrl]

Hi everyone! I'm brand spankin' new to the group and was directed to post on this thread.

Just a little intro: My name is Nicky, I'm 32, and am a fledgling runner (jogger is a much more accurate term). To be completely honest, I've read through the rest of this thread and am terribly intimidated by all of your running accomplishments. I have never run a race, but I am signed up for the Wine and Dine half marathon. I have always been active, so it's not a complete stretch. And, hey, I have to start somewhere, right? I would like to get an official 5K and/or 10K done before then.

I'm really looking forward to training for my first [and hopefully not last (I highly doubt it, as I am way too competitive...and the bling is a nice touch!)] race.

I bought a Garmin 305 last night and tried it out for the first time today...I love it already!: I think it is going to be the ideal tool for me!

Anyway, thanks for allowing me to join your group!

~Nicky

 

[SAHDad]

Suzanne - Ouch. That's harsh. I would have words with an RD who pulled that kind of thing, and would probably avoid any race with which they were associated in the future.

Nicky - Welcome to the Goofs!. You signed up for a race, therefore, you are a runner. The only difference between a jogger and a runner is a registration form and a bib. The Chicago area has plenty of 5k and 10k races over the summer, so you should be able to get some races in before the Wine & Dine.

Make sure you post how far you are from the Happiest Place on Earth - as a team, we are seeing if we can accumulate enough miles for all of us to have run/walked/biked/whatever to WDW.

 

[suzannews]

Welcome Nicky!! I am planning on doing the Wine and Dine 1/2 also, just waiting to send my $$ in. I bought a Garmin after my first race, the Minnie 15K. I jogged most of it with one of Angie's (pungodingy) sisters and she had one. I was hooked and have not walked/jogged/ran without it even since.

 

[DISaholic's]

Welcome Nicky! Glad your here to join this group! Please don't be intimidate by this group, there are fast runners, slow runners, walkers, cyclist's, etc and some of us who don't know what we are (like me). However we all share the love of Disney and the being fit! I just started running two years ago and completed my first half last October. I'm training to do a full this fall, but am having second thoughts on it. 26.2 miles is a LONG way.

Suzanne I'd be just as angry as you are. It's not right that they publicize one thing and then do something else. Then make it seem like the 'back of the packers' (which I am too) are not as important. I'd also make it known that it's unacceptable and stay away from those events again.That is exactly the attitude that scared me away from running events in the past. However I haven't experienced it yet so lets hope it's few and far between. Hang in there!

As for me, well working on a fitness challenge I got at work. Our company supplied pedometers for anyone wanting them, we upload our steps to VirginHealthmiles as often as we want. This weeks (5 day) challenge is to complete as many steps as it takes to run the Boston Marathon...which they calculate to be 52,800 steps. (Cindy you already win). Well, two days to go and I'm up to ~42,000. Hoping to complete the 52,800 after tonight's run so I can take tomorrow off. I plan doing a long run on Sat of 10 miles so would like a day of rest before. I'm glad that my company is doing these challenges, it helps keep me motivated to not take too much time off.

Have a great week everyone!

Jeanne

 

[jeanigor]

Welcome Nicky!! I'm registered for the Wine and Dine Half and Mickey's Halloween 5K that morning. Up to now, I've never done any official race. I will be doing a couple of 5Ks this spring and hopefully something longer over the summer. I feel a tad under accomplished with this group at times as well, but they are certainly friendly and supportive. And I remember that everyone started off new at some point.

Suzanne - That just doesn't seem right. They say one thing, yet do another. I'd be peeved as well. Grrr. Being a newbie, I wouldn't know whom to contact to voice my issues and displeasure.

On top of last night's jaunt, my mom requested I cut her grass. I forgot how clunky and heavy her old mower is. And how unlevel her lawn is. And how much larger her yard is than mine. But it was nice, I feel it a bit this morning, but its a good feeling.

 

[roselark]

Cindy - Congrats!!

Joanne - Sounds like an interesting day! I may have to look into volunteering at a couple of races. I am thinking it could be a good learning experience.

Suzanne - That really stinks. I would definitely write in and complain.

Nicky - Welcome! Don't worry, I am as newbie as they come. You are definitely not on the bottom of the totem pole there!


Well, I made another transition this week. I am up to 12 min running/18 min walking on my conservative C25K. For the last month or so, I have been running 1 min and walking 2, then repeating that cycle. With the increase this week, I had to change the timing a bit in order to fit everything within the 30 min. So, I am now walking then running every other minute until I complete my running segments, then walking the rest. My first C25K workout this week was on Tuesday. I got through it,though the last couple of segments were really tough. My thighs started quivering when I started my cool down walk. My second workout is this afternoon, and I am expecting it to go well Next week is a maintenance week, so I will repeat this week's workouts; though I may go ahead and increase the incline again. I am at 1% now, but I am considering going to 2%.

I will stay with this interval plan for a few more weeks at which point I will need to increase the length of my running segments. I am not sure if I should go with 90 sec or jump right to two minutes.

 

[airtime247]

First, welcome to our newest Goof Nicky! You'll fit in great here. We have people with very different fitness levels. I'm somewhere in the middle I guess and am in awe of my teammates. There is a great wealth of knowledge and support on here. You picked a great race to choose as your first half. I would try to do a shorter race before then just to give you an idea of what to expect. You don't need any more pre-race jitters than you will already have. I also have a Garmin 305 which I LOVE. It's a little big but I love having all the screens available to me while I run. Best of luck with your training!

Laurie - Great job at the Rutgers race. How are the hockey playoffs going? We can sure use you in net in San Jose. Nabby hasn't been the same since the Olympics.

Shan - I hope you had a bast at WDW. I sure miss it and it unfortunately looks like it will be a couple of years before we can get back. I wore my GPS there and generally did anywhere from 8-12 miles per day. We usually park hop though.

Ashleigh - Congrats on selling your house!

Jeanette - Sorry to hear your shoes are giving you problems. Do you have any idea why that might be? Is there too much or not enough arch support or something? I have to wear orthotics so I can't just buy any running shoe out there as they don't fit that well. I had a pair of Sauconys. They were pretty good but I only got about 300 miles out of them and then they started falling apart. I had a pair of Nikes before that which I loved and went back to and I've been buying those ever since. I hope they do take them back and let you try something else. Running shoes aren't cheap! You are doing great with progressing in the C25K. Keep it up!

Cindy - Thanks for the report. Sorry you got tired so soon. I struggle with starting too fast almost every time. There is just something about all the cheering that prevents me from running at my normal pace. 4:17 is an awesome time!!! I'd love to get under 5:00 someday.

Suzanne - That sounds like a horribly disorganized race. That was terrible. I get really excited about shirts and medals too and would be really disappointed if I ever went through that. Stay on them!

Jeanne - Keep up the great work with your fitness challenge!

AFM, I'm stuck at home with my DD4 who has the chicken pox. Fortunately she feels great and only has minimal itching. She is just going stir crazy being stuck in the house and not getting to see her friends. She is also missing the last week of swim class when they give out report cards. The instructor already told us she can progress to the next class though.

I'm doing a half next weekend and we have a campsite booked near the race. Hopefully all the windstorms we are having are gone by then! The weather has been crazy here.

Take care everyone,
-steve

 

[jmasgat]

Cindy Congrats on your Boston finish, although I can understand if you are somewhat disappointed. But at least you got to run it!

Suzanne It does stink that they changed their tune on shirts and medals. And even though they started the awards before everyone finished (not at all uncommon), it is rather rude and tacky to actually make a point to mention that to the crowd!

Nicky Welcome! Don't get intimidated by anything on the WISH boards. Everyone has their own personal story and journey. You will make yours work for you!

Jeanne It's neat to have a challenge like your one at work. Helps to keep up the motivation. WTG on nearly getting there.

Todd Your mom's lawn sounds like ours--in need of some help. Fortunately for me, DH is the designated lawn cutter!

Jeannette Congrats on your C25K progress. It's great that you are pushing the limits and ready to adjust your training. Go with the interval you feel most comfortable with.

Steve Watch out for those Chicken Pox. My DS (age 45) just got over a case of them. Kid's diseases are definitely meant to stay with kids!

AFM, a fairly short tempo run for me today as I wind down my spring trainig plan. Thinking about a solo bike ride tomorrow instead of pedaling in the gym. We'll see.

Maura

 

[roselark]

Shoe drama update:

Ok, so I had posted a reply yesterday, but apparently it got lost somewhere. Steve, in response to your question, I have been wondering why the Sauconys were not working for me. They do not have as much arch support as my NBs, so I was thinking that might be part of it. Also, I was wondering if there was not enough support along the sides for me.

I did some research and saw that the New Balance 1063 was the NB counterpart to the Saucony ProGrid Ride 2. Since I have had luck with NB in the past and I found them on clearance, I decided to give them a try. I wore them for my morning walk at work yesterday and definitely noticed the difference in arch support and side support. When I got home, I compared the inserts and the arch on the NB insert was much higher. One of the features of the shoe is mid-foot support on the sole and the upper.

I decided to at least start my workout with the NB 1063s. I figured I could switch to my NB WR805s if I had problems. Well, the workout went pretty well. I had no pain in my ankles or knees, which was the problem with the Sauconys. My feet did hurt though. I thought it was just because they were new. I now think it was also because I had them laced up way too tight.

I am going to wear the NB 1063 pair as much as I can over the next few weeks to break them in. I will also start rotating them with the WR805s for my runs. The only downside is that the lining is part wool (I did not notice this when I bought them)and I am allergic to wool. I will just have to make sure to wear thick socks, and I won't be able to wear the "no show" length.

If this works for me, I will probably try an insert with the Sauconys to boost the arch support and see how much difference that makes. Hopefully I can either use them in my rotation or at the very least keep them at work for my walks. I need a new pair for that anyway.

Thanks for help and advice everyone! Looks like I might be nearing the end of the shoe-capade!

 

[lenshanem]

Nicky - Welcome to the GOOFS!!!

Steve - Thanks for the info about the GPS and walking at WDW. We are a fairly active bunch, so if you say 8 -12, then I'll count 10 miles per day while we were there this month.
Hope your daughter's chicken pox is getting better!

Cindy - CONGRATS! You rocked!

Joanne - And you rocked for volunteering!

Ashleigh - Congrats on the house offer! That is wonderful.

Maura - Congrats on your son and school!

Laurie - Congrats on Rutgers. I think you met my friend Lisa there?

Suzanne - You better get that medal! I guess we're all spoiled by the Disney races some, uh?

Jeanette - I have the Ride 2, also. I've also been having problems, enough so I ran once last week wearing an old pair of shoes. I thought it was the extra weight I'm carrying, but maybe it is the shoes?!? Anyway, I found your post very interesting...


OK, so I got 12 miles in this week. It is getting warm and I'm feeling it out there! My youngest is having her Brownies bridging ceremony tonight. She is all excited so I guess we're in for junior girl scouts next year. I was kinda hoping to let this be the end since she has to start all over with a new vest and all. Oh, well! Looks like more cookie sales in my future. We did go ahead with the gymnastics team. I know I told you guys I was struggling with the price and hours. She loves it so much I caved in. Looks like a busy summer of swim and gymnastics teams!!!

Have a wonderful weekend fellow GOOFS!

 

[froggygrrrl]

Thanks for the warm wishes everyone! I already feel at home.

So far I have gotten 3 runs in this week, two since I bought my Garmin. I've used the HR feature both times. Both runs I did were 5K. After I uploaded the info from the first run, I was a little surprised as to how high my HR was throughout my run. The data said that I was basically sprinting throughout most of the run. Believe me, you wouldn't have mistaken me for sprinting if you had seen me!

I'm one of those people that will constantly push to be be better or go farther, so for today's run I made sure to slow it down a little at the beginning and try to keep an even pace. I felt good throughout, never felt like I was pushing too hard or anything. But again, the data showed that my HR was pretty high.

I know one of the things I need to work on is pacing. But what to do about this heart rate business? How concerned do you think I should be? It's not as if these were my first two runs ever, in fact they were a little shorter than what I have typically been doing. I have been running relatively consistently for 4-5 miles, 3-4 times weekly for a couple of years. The only difference is that I was primarily a treadmiller and now I am taking it to the streets. Could that have made such a significant difference? I did take a break earlier this year to try a different fitness routine, but even then I still did cardio 3x/week.

Maybe I'm just impatient?

 

[airtime247]

I'm one of those people that will constantly push to be be better or go farther, so for today's run I made sure to slow it down a little at the beginning and try to keep an even pace. I felt good throughout, never felt like I was pushing too hard or anything. But again, the data showed that my HR was pretty high.

I know one of the things I need to work on is pacing. But what to do about this heart rate business? How concerned do you think I should be? It's not as if these were my first two runs ever, in fact they were a little shorter than what I have typically been doing. I have been running relatively consistently for 4-5 miles, 3-4 times weekly for a couple of years. The only difference is that I was primarily a treadmiller and now I am taking it to the streets. Could that have made such a significant difference? I did take a break earlier this year to try a different fitness routine, but even then I still did cardio 3x/week.

Maybe I'm just impatient?

If you felt like you weren't pushing yourself but your Garmin showed your HR was high, I would first confirm you entered your numbers correctly.

Also, I don't know if by high you mean compared with what a treadmill readout showed or if it was really high compared with your max heart rate.

My max is about 185. There are several calculators out there but they all seem to point to this based on my age. If you don't know your max, you can get a ballpark number by subtracting your age from 220 but there are some good calculators out there online.

For 5Ks and shorter or during the last mile of a longer race, I will push my HR to about 175 but for longer races, I try to keep it to about 155. This is the only way I can maintain enough energy to finish.

My HR is considerably higher for my leg speed when running outside versus the treadmill. To get my HR up to 150 on the treadmill, I have to practically sprint. The way I get around this is to do my treadmill runs on a slight incline like 1.5 or 2.0 which brings my HR up closer to where it should be.

It could be that your outside HR is where it should be and your treadmill HR is just too low.

I hope any of this is helpful to you. Enjoy your new Garmin!

-steve

 

[groovygirls]

I have decided to defer NYC until next year. We are going to Costa Rica in Feb and I would rather spend the $ then. I have registered for Baystate instead as a BQ (fingers and toes crossed!) I will be running with a friend who will also be trying for a BQ.

I have been out running every day in preparation of starting to marathon train. Rather interesting with my 7 year old who wants to come with me. I swear she has ADD when she goes with me: oh look a pretty rock- lets stop, oh look a really big stick- lets stop so I can carry it with us....you get the idea but I would not trade it for anything

 

[SAHDad]

But what to do about this heart rate business? How concerned do you think I should be? It's not as if these were my first two runs ever, in fact they were a little shorter than what I have typically been doing. I have been running relatively consistently for 4-5 miles, 3-4 times weekly for a couple of years. The only difference is that I was primarily a treadmiller and now I am taking it to the streets. Could that have made such a significant difference? I did take a break earlier this year to try a different fitness routine, but even then I still did cardio 3x/week.

I have not used my HR monitor in some time, but I remember that it was always a little wonky, and that the breakdown used by the Garmin software used the "220 - age" calculation.

The "220 - age" is, really, no better than a ballpark estimate. Formulas range from "220 - 1/2 age" to "220 - (age + 10)", and there are probably a couple that include the phase of the moon or the atomic weight of mercury. Some people are "hummingbirds", who hit a pretty high heart rate without much effort, but can stay there. Some people have a lower max heart rate than would be indicated by the formulas, but can stay there for hours.

The best way to really determine your heart rate takes a treadmill, a stopwatch, a nurse or doctor, and a bucket. Basically, you run intervals, faster and faster, at an increasing incline, until you pretty much puke and/or pass out. (Hence, the nurse or doctor - they can also take your pulse during the recovery periods of the intervals.) I'm exaggerating there, but only a little, which is why I do not know exactly what my max HR is. According to my Garmie, and the treadmill, I have a max HR somewhere close to 210, but I don't trust those numbers much.

The better way to run (I think) is using the perceived effort scale.

Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon bons
Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
Level 9: I am probably going to die
Level 10: I am dead

Keep most workouts in the 5-6 range, long slow runs in the 4-5 range, intervals at 4 for the slow, and 8 or 9 for the quick, and you probably going to do okay.

On an obligatory running note - I have been keeping my miles low, since I am supposedly in taper mode for next weekend, but earlier today, I officially finished the "Pedal Across Lower Michigan" challenge, so I will be adding 272 (doubled to 544) biking miles for the month. And yes, someeone did finish before me - she finished up on Friday. But now I can relax, and just run, instead of doing running and biking every day.