Official 2012 Princess Half Marathon Thread!

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Yes, I have ideas on making up time…. First banish the initial thought of walking/running faster. If you just go out and try to go faster you will more than likely lengthen your stride with little increase in cadence or turnover. See speed is simply stride length (distance) x turn over (number strides per minute). Most folks will inadvertently add distance per stride which may be the incorrect thing to do. The perfect stride length is one where you are able to land mid foot and where the foot is already starting to pull back at contact with ground. What ends up happening if the stride is too long is you move out to a heal striker (or extreme heel striker). If you imagine what you leg looks like when if is full forward, your knee is straighter –and when the heal hits it creates more braking action. This wastes energy and worse, increases stress forces exponentially.

So, for speed work I suggest long hill intervals over speed work at first, or until you are better in tune with your body. Hill work is speed work in disguise. It is lower stress on the body simply because you shorten stride as a result of the climb. All the while you are increasing leg strength and eventually turn over as a result. We are really looking for a hill that will take you 2-10 minutes to complete going up. The longer the better…. but even a shorter hill will work. You are looking to warm up for the workout for 5-10 minutes then run/walk up the hill at an EFFORT (not speed) that will only allow you to say maybe 1-3 words per breath. That is upper aerobic/lower anaerobic effort and is the perfect point for interval work. If the efforts are shorter, do 3-5 intervals the first week, fewer if the hill is longer. The interval is go up then walk down aiming to start the next interval within the same amount of time it took you to climb up the hill.

Do these workouts once a week for now. Add more intervals as the effort gets easier. Later you will want to work on speed along with hills.

I am interested on the weight ratio statistic….That is the first I heard of 2 seconds per pound. A simpler statistic that I have research on is the one that states speed gain is inversely proportional on a one for one percentage basis. Simply for every % of weight loss, one can expect a similar percentage speed increase; everything else being constant.

Hang in there with the foot injury. It can take a while for feet to heal

I've heard 2 seconds/per lb too...I could be lying, but I think it came from McMillan

Of course it only applies to those who have weight to lose...if you are at a healthy weight and try to drop too much, you could be doing more harm than good.
 
So, for speed work I suggest long hill intervals over speed work at first, or until you are better in tune with your body. Hill work is speed work in disguise. It is lower stress on the body simply because you shorten stride as a result of the climb. All the while you are increasing leg strength and eventually turn over as a result. We are really looking for a hill that will take you 2-10 minutes to complete going up. The longer the better…. but even a shorter hill will work. You are looking to warm up for the workout for 5-10 minutes then run/walk up the hill at an EFFORT (not speed) that will only allow you to say maybe 1-3 words per breath. That is upper aerobic/lower anaerobic effort and is the perfect point for interval work. If the efforts are shorter, do 3-5 intervals the first week, fewer if the hill is longer. The interval is go up then walk down aiming to start the next interval within the same amount of time it took you to climb up the hill.

Do these workouts once a week for now. Add more intervals as the effort gets easier. Later you will want to work on speed along with hills.

I'm wondering how to work hills if I'm not in a hilly area. Would creating a high level on the treadmill sub well for that? Unfortunately I live in a practically flat city!

Also thank you SO MUCH for all of your information. I am so worried with my feet that I won't be able to do enough training but now that you've mentioned the stride work I'm starting to wonder if I'm just coming down too hard on my heel which causes the pain on the bottom of my feet!
 
I'm wondering how to work hills if I'm not in a hilly area. Would creating a high level on the treadmill sub well for that? Unfortunately I live in a practically flat city!

Also thank you SO MUCH for all of your information. I am so worried with my feet that I won't be able to do enough training but now that you've mentioned the stride work I'm starting to wonder if I'm just coming down too hard on my heel which causes the pain on the bottom of my feet!

I know ce said that you generally can't work on speed without hills, but my personal experience was that using a treadmill really did help me to get faster gradually - at least to get within Princess finishing time.

In order to make sure that you aren't lengthening your running stride, count the number of times that your left foot hits the ground in a minute while you are running (this is easier on the treadmill of course). Ideally, it should be between 85 and 95.

For walking, I just increased my speed week to week, on the treadmill during short runs. I think I started with walking around 3.2-3.5 and am now in the 4.0-4.2 range.

Of course, treadmills are not totally accurate, but if you are using the same one every time you can at least measure improvement.
 
I love this marathon it was so much fun and so worth the money I spent on it! It more fun if you do it with friends and family to cheer you on! Can't wait until registration opens to register for the 2012 race!!!!
 

I have been out of town at my daughter’s college graduation and just caught up on reading – I just want to say reading this thread totally makes my day. Everyone is so positive and supportive. I love the favorite things thread as I know nothing about running and all the gadgets I might need to make the journey easier. I am still in the beginning stages of running but amazingly have had no problems and I am beginning to really love it. I say amazing because I am 50 and although I have lost 30 pounds I still have at least 30 pounds to lose. I was really worried about injuring my knee but so far so good.

I haven’t been worried about the time yet I am just focusing on completing– training for a 5K – with Jeff Galloway program on my iphone – I figured when I completed that I would begin to think about the next step. I am training right now with 20 second run and 40 second walk and figured to increase my speed as I got in better shape I would just run more and walk less?

Anyway just wanted to drop by to say thanks so much for all the support and advice.
 
I would say gradually increasing your mileage will also do wonders for your pace. My first half marathon that I actually trained for/ran (I walked a few with my mom...but I didn't train for them at all so I don't feel like they really "count") I came in at 2:18. I was running 3 times a week, my "easy" runs were at 3 miles, and I topped out at 9 miles (I didn't give myself enough time to make it to 10 miles) Now three years later, my half marathon pr is 2:03, and I'm under a 9 min/mile for shorter races. I ran solidly 4 times a week and I am slowly getting to 5 times week, my "easy" runs at 4-5 miles, and my long runs are 10+, more often than not. I do speedwork here and there...but I really think bringing up mileage from 15 miles/week to 25-30 miles/week is more responsible for my pace than anything else
 
I would say gradually increasing your mileage will also do wonders for your pace.

This makes sense to me. I was just noticing today that since beginning the Couch to 5K program, I have gone from almost a 14 minute mile pace to an 11:58 minute pace. I am on week 6 by the way. I can definitely see improvement in my time as well without doing any speedwork or hills. I've never kept a training log before like I am this time and it really helps keep the motivation looking at how much you improve from week to week!
 
It's been way too long since I've been on here but I'm trying to catch up on the thread. Since my last post, I have completed my first 10K! Def, a top moment in my life! My DD's ran in and crossed the finish line as my DH snapped pictures. My time was slow, 1:35 and I walked more than I wanted but hey, I got it done. I'm so excited to run the Princess now!!
 
It's been way too long since I've been on here but I'm trying to catch up on the thread. Since my last post, I have completed my first 10K! Def, a top moment in my life! My DD's ran in and crossed the finish line as my DH snapped pictures. My time was slow, 1:35 and I walked more than I wanted but hey, I got it done. I'm so excited to run the Princess now!!

Nice work!!
 
It's been way too long since I've been on here but I'm trying to catch up on the thread. Since my last post, I have completed my first 10K! Def, a top moment in my life! My DD's ran in and crossed the finish line as my DH snapped pictures. My time was slow, 1:35 and I walked more than I wanted but hey, I got it done. I'm so excited to run the Princess now!!

Congrats on making it to the finish line! :cheer2:
 
I haven’t been worried about the time yet I am just focusing on completing– training for a 5K – with Jeff Galloway program on my iphone – I figured when I completed that I would begin to think about the next step. I am training right now with 20 second run and 40 second walk and figured to increase my speed as I got in better shape I would just run more and walk less?

Good for you - it sounds like your priorities are in order! Just work on getting your body used to doing this, then you can concern yourself with pace when you are ready. The most important thing is to not push yourself too hard and end up getting an injury. Good luck!
 
Just wanted to see if there was a lurking Princess out there who did the Possum Trot in Roswell, GA this morning! My husband and I were running a 10K for the local nature center and I saw another Princess with the finisher's shirt on!
 
I know not the end of the world but wondering if anyone has had a bunion? I never have and now my bug toe is totally numb.... I just realized how much my toe points in towards my second toe. Yikes!

Anyone have any tips? My sis the team doc told me ice and aleve 2x a day and no running for 5 days. Anyone else have experience with bunions?
 
I know not the end of the world but wondering if anyone has had a bunion? I never have and now my bug toe is totally numb.... I just realized how much my toe points in towards my second toe. Yikes!

Anyone have any tips? My sis the team doc told me ice and aleve 2x a day and no running for 5 days. Anyone else have experience with bunions?

I have terrible bunions, particularly on my right foot. They're the bain of my existence. Sigh.

When I started increasing the miles I would notice the same thing as you. But over time, the pain/numbness started going away; maybe it was just my body and feet getting accustomed to the miles. I was really worried in the beginning though - I honestly thought it was going to stop my running career. But thankfully I am up to 10-mile long runs right now and no problems with the bunions.

DEFINITELY, more than anything, make sure your toe box is wide enough to keep room for the bunion. I use Asics and New Balance which have a wider toe box but will still support a narrow foot elsewhere.
 
So I did my first 5K on Mothers day. I was not last....:cool1: I am just not an outdoor runner. I can run on the treadmill and not get winded. One minute outside and I am huffing and puffing.:confused3 Even with no hills. I really want to do the Princess. Going to start training with the Galloway method. Maybe that will get me going.

Should I stop using the treadmill for a while and just run outside?
 
So I did my first 5K on Mothers day. I was not last....:cool1: I am just not an outdoor runner. I can run on the treadmill and not get winded. One minute outside and I am huffing and puffing.:confused3 Even with no hills. I really want to do the Princess. Going to start training with the Galloway method. Maybe that will get me going.

Should I stop using the treadmill for a while and just run outside?

I would definitely recommend the Galloway method. I would start with an easier run/walk increment and bump it up to include more running when you feel comfortable with the amount of running you are doing. I train using Galloway and have to force myself to stick with it during races. It really helps me have stamina to finish the whole race strong. Yesterday I ran a 1/2 and passed so many people during the second half of the race that passed me on my walk breaks during the first 1/2.
 
So I did my first 5K on Mothers day. I was not last....:cool1: I am just not an outdoor runner. I can run on the treadmill and not get winded. One minute outside and I am huffing and puffing.:confused3 Even with no hills. I really want to do the Princess. Going to start training with the Galloway method. Maybe that will get me going.

Should I stop using the treadmill for a while and just run outside?

Like you, I am definitely an indoor, prefer the treadmill kind of Princess. When the weather is nice, I try to force myself to get out at least once a week or so, so I'm used to being outside -- but I make it a day when I'm not trying for a particular time, etc., it's more of a "fun run". I get so distracted by my surroundings, but I don't think that's necessarily bad, to be aware when you run outside!

I would try to fit in some of both, so the Princess isn't a total shock, running outdoors and on pavement.

Maria :upsidedow
 
I know not the end of the world but wondering if anyone has had a bunion? I never have and now my bug toe is totally numb.... I just realized how much my toe points in towards my second toe. Yikes!

Anyone have any tips? My sis the team doc told me ice and aleve 2x a day and no running for 5 days. Anyone else have experience with bunions?

I have one on my right foot that I've had for ages - before I started running, the only problem it caused me was to keep me from getting certain pairs of cute shoes! Now, when I run longer distances, I really feel it in the ball of my foot - right next to the bunion. It's a soreness, but it hasn't really caused me any problems and I've been running for almost a year now. I've never experienced numbness, though - that sounds like it might be pinching a nerve or something?
 
So I did my first 5K on Mothers day. I was not last....:cool1: I am just not an outdoor runner. I can run on the treadmill and not get winded. One minute outside and I am huffing and puffing.:confused3 Even with no hills. I really want to do the Princess. Going to start training with the Galloway method. Maybe that will get me going.

Should I stop using the treadmill for a while and just run outside?

Yay for not being last!!! :goodvibes

I use a mixture of treadmill and outside. I do my long runs outside because I train with a Galloway group and, well, the prospect of doing 10 miles alone on a TM rather than outside (even in NC heat starting at 7AM on Sat) with a fun group of people? Yeah, definitely the latter!

Almost all of my twice weekly short runs are on the TM, though. I don't like mornings much, and it's just too hot here in the late afternoon/evening.

I obviously recommend Galloway highly. :)

Another thing... I know the TM isn't all that accurate, yadda yadda, but it's still running, and is a bit more forgiving than concrete or asphalt. I also find it a good way to measure relative progress as the numbers are right there in front of you.
 
I have one on my right foot that I've had for ages - before I started running, the only problem it caused me was to keep me from getting certain pairs of cute shoes! Now, when I run longer distances, I really feel it in the ball of my foot - right next to the bunion. It's a soreness, but it hasn't really caused me any problems and I've been running for almost a year now. I've never experienced numbness, though - that sounds like it might be pinching a nerve or something?

Is it possible that mine is from running (just started running in May) and I do not remember it being there!!! I bought a bunion pad at the grocery store and am wearing it with regular shoes ... I am hoping it decreases the rubbing during the day so maybe it doesnt hurt when I run ... ??? ...

I also read that you can soak it in water and epsom salt.

Bunions do not belong on a Princess' foot!!
 
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