~Philadelphia Marathon 11/23/08~

[Optimator]

Hey Guys,

Jodi - I concure with the general opinion about the benefits of ibuprofen doing more than just masking the pain if infflammation is involved.

I'm a little less convinced about the evils of it's use pre and during a run. There is some theoretical science behind the recommendation about waiting until after your run due to altering sodium movement in the kidneys and blah, blah, blah. But there are no real life, real human runner studies about what that actually does to my knowledge. The overwhelming use of ibuprofen by Joe and Joan Marathoner without any significant effects lead most people not in the line of a lawsuit to think there should be no problem if you are hydrating properly and don't overdose yourself

All that said, if you are going to play it safe (and why not, unless you are hobbling in pain to the starting line) and are avoiding ibuprofen pre/during race, Aleve is in that same family and can have the same effect. Stick with Tylenol.

Colleen - Way to get that 20 done! Good luck with your crazy week.

Sara - At least you know what you need for motivation. Maybe you'll like the race this year.

Jen - Good to hear you didn't crash too bad. I had a TM shut off when I hit 99 minutes once. It was a gentler stop, but still startled the heck out of me.

Howard - Hey, tell Cam that Jodi's accupuncture hippie guy said that a nice backrub is good for PF. So, maybe it won't help your foot but who doesn't like a good backrub?

Hi Krista! (and everyone else)

Nothing to report for me yet .

 

[Jodi]

JodiNothing to report for me yet .

And thanks for the advice, OD on Tylenol, got it.

 

[Jodi]

Coming out of lurker mode to say

HEY KRISTA! WISH you, Steve & your adorable little boy, were all coming to Philly! We'll see you in Jan. though, right? I'd love to run by and completely ignore you again!

 

[lourodrigis]

Lou - I need your help. I know we've been over this before, but as I begin to super-obsess about the marathon, my travel plans come into play as well & my brain needs to make a little map inside itself so I can relax....
The train station is obviously on 30th St. & on the map it looks far from our hotel & that we'd have to cross major highways to get there? Should we take a taxi?
Once @ the hotel, can we walk to the expo? I think we can definitely walk to the start (then just keep running past the finish line to pack & get to the train station on time ), right?
Poor Bruce, he's SO gonna need someone to hold his hand ...any takers, Kathy?
One last question, Lou. Will the marathon route slow a taxi down when I'm making a quick dash to the train station after I run? I'm assuming the course will still be open. Should I take a subway instead? I like subways

Jodi - WOW! You are obsessing. Relax, I'll make it my mission to make sure you and Bruce escape Philly without any obnoxious fans throwing snowballs at you. I feel like the Seinfeld episode when Jerry had to get the marathon runner (Jean Paul) to the race without oversleeping.

First of all, I am assuming you are staying at the Embassy Suites at 18th & the Parkway, correct?

Your first objective, after you unpack will be to get to the expo which is the PA Convention Center at 12th & Arch St. Pretty easy 6 or 7 block walk for a marathon runner. Walk outside the hotel towards City Hall for 2 blocks until you hit Arch St. Then walk down Arch St for 4 blocks and you'll see the giant convention center on your left. Follow the other thousands of runners.

Getting to the race start is also pretty easy. Walk out the front of the hotel to the Parkway and head towards the Art Museum which you can't miss. If you feel inspired you can pretend to be Rocky and jog the .6 miles. Again, follow the thousands of runners.

Now for getting back to the hotel after the finish. I don't expect to find many cabs near the finish area so you are probably walking back to the hotel.

As for getting to 30th Street Station, I would grab a cab from the hotel. The race will not affect the cab getting to the train station and I don't think you will be in the mind set to want to learn the Philly subway system after you run 26.2 miles.

Now remember, 30th Street Station is where they filmed the movie Witness so you may want to be careful if you have to take a Jodistop in the station. I don't want you to have to witness any crimes while using the facilities.

Enjoy the weekend and don't stress.

Lou

 

[Jodi]

Jodi - WOW! You are obsessing. Relax, I'll make it my mission to make sure you and Bruce escape Philly without any obnoxious fans throwing snowballs at you. I feel like the Seinfeld episode when Jerry had to get the marathon runner (Jean Paul) to the race without oversleeping.

First of all, I am assuming you are staying at the Embassy Suites at 18th & the Parkway, correct?

Your first objective, after you unpack will be to get to the expo which is the PA Convention Center at 12th & Arch St. Pretty easy 6 or 7 block walk for a marathon runner. Walk outside the hotel towards City Hall for 2 blocks until you hit Arch St. Then walk down Arch St for 4 blocks and you'll see the giant convention center on your left. Follow the other thousands of runners.

Getting to the race start is also pretty easy. Walk out the front of the hotel to the Parkway and head towards the Art Museum which you can't miss. If you feel inspired you can pretend to be Rocky and jog the .6 miles. Again, follow the thousands of runners.

Now for getting back to the hotel after the finish. I don't expect to find many cabs near the finish area so you are probably walking back to the hotel.

As for getting to 30th Street Station, I would grab a cab from the hotel. The race will not affect the cab getting to the train station and I don't think you will be in the mind set to want to learn the Philly subway system after you run 26.2 miles.

Now remember, 30th Street Station is where they filmed the movie Witness so you may want to be careful if you have to take a Jodistop in the station. I don't want you to have to witness any crimes while using the facilities.

Enjoy the weekend and don't stress.

Lou

PHEW! Ok, ok, this sounds very do-able! Get on train, sit - Cab good, subway - no, go to hotel, unpack. Walk out of hotel, follow masses to expo. back to room, look @ crap in bag... Get in someones car who will take us to Howie & Cam's...eat, make nice...back to room & freak while setting up crap for the a.m., Sun. a.m., follow masses to start...run...after race keep running until i get to the hotel....warm bath...cab to station (or horse & buggy), avoid Danny Glover who is lurking in the stalls....get home, pick up son, go to sleep. GOT IT!

 

[msblrobs]

PHEW! Ok, ok, this sounds very do-able! Get on train, sit - Cab good, subway - no, go to hotel, unpack. Walk out of hotel, follow masses to expo. back to room, look @ crap in bag... Get in someones car who will take us to Howie & Cam's...eat, make nice...back to room & freak while setting up crap for the a.m., Sun. a.m., follow masses to start...run...after race keep running until i get to the hotel....warm bath...cab to station (or horse & buggy), avoid Danny Glover who is lurking in the stalls....get home, pick up son, go to sleep. GOT IT!

Can't wait to see you Jodi and the only other thing I could think of is that reassuring talk to Bruce about how it's all gonna be okay

 

[Jodi]

Can't wait to see you Jodi and the only other thing I could think of is that reassuring talk to Bruce about how it's all gonna be okay

OH PLEASE, he's already freaking out! "Where do I go?", etc.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

OMG!! I can't believe it's so soon

 

[lourodrigis]

OH PLEASE, he's already freaking out! "Where do I go?", etc.

Tell him everything will be fine. If he is like my wife and doesn't want to deal with getting up early for the start then he should just lay in bed until about 8AM. Then get up, stroll down the Parkway towards the finish area around 8:30AM, and plan to get to the Art Museum around 9AM to see you limp by for Mile 13. Then he can either hang around to watch the Kenyans win the race or stroll back to the hotel and take a power nap. Get back to the finish area around 11AM and wait around a few minutes to cheer you on to the finish. He's got it made.

 

[Jodi]

Get back to the finish area around 11AM and wait around a few minutes to cheer you on to the finish. He's got it made.

What, this race starts @ 5 a.m.????

 

[lourodrigis]

What, this race starts @ 5 a.m.????

Come on Jodi! You got this race. I predict that by not running insane miles over the past 2 months that you will come in all injury free and fresh and just kick this race out. Not to mention the Rocky inspiration you'll get when walk down the Parkway after the expo and get all fired up.

 

[Jodi]

Come on Jodi! You got this race. I predict that by not running insane miles over the past 2 months that you will come in all injury free and fresh and just kick this race out. Not to mention the Rocky inspiration you'll get when walk down the Parkway after the expo and get all fired up.

I'm glad YOU think so!! I've been thinking about times, etc., & despite my lack of training, I think I'm going to throw down the gauntlet soon & shoot for a specific time. Not sure what my PR is for the marathon...4:25? , but I think I'll try to beat it.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

I'm glad YOU think so!! I've been thinking about times, etc., & despite my lack of training, I think I'm going to throw down the gauntlet soon & shoot for a specific time. Not sure what my PR is for the marathon...4:25? , but I think I'll try to beat it.

Wanna run a 4:20 with me?

 

[KeenHo]

Happy Saturday!

I feel like a under achiever. I have not run since last Monday or done anything close to what can be considered training for Philly. My PF is still an issue, more nagging than anything else at this point. I want to run today but I am going to wimp out and not run in fear of aggrivating it more. I am going to go to the gym to do some biking and cardio work on the elliptical cross-trainer. I will probably do some lifting to work out my frustrations.

On top of that, I will be doing some XT in my back yard with the bountyful crop of leaves mother nature has given us.

I am really looking forward to having this PF issue behind me and getting on with my training. At this point,my plan for Philly is to do my best (same as my plan for all races), but to treat it as a training run for Goofy if things are not back to 100% by that time. I will be going to the gym more often to XT between now and the race to keep in "shape" and not loose my conditioning just laying around here like a lump waiting for the PF to take a hike.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jodi~ You MUST Chill!



Howard

 

[Jodi]

Hey Guys!

Howard - Relax, really. I believe that if you take another week off & CT aerobically for 40 mins. a few times a week, you'll still be fine for Philly. You need to wait it out with that PF, otherwise it'll make your life miserable. And besides, you've been running & training like a mad man, you deserve a little break! As for me chillin', oh you have no idea, I'm just getting started! Obsessing about EVERYTHING that I can't control.

Cindy - 4:20, eh?...OK! However, I feel you will be running much faster than this. The only way I will run with my peeps is if it is mutually agreed upon that should one of us (you, et al) feel better than the other (me), they'll just keep going. None of this martyr-like "no way man, we're in this together" BS . That's good for like, mountaineering or something, but not running! . That being said, I'll definitely be trying for a PR in Philly...maybe .

Where's everybotty else today?

Bruce & I ran 6 together this a.m. . He basically used me as a traveling fartlek point of reference & ran past me, circled around, ran with me, took off twice on 2 giant hills that weren't on our course, then caught up with me, blah, blah, blah . It was nice having him along, for the little bit we actually ran together. . He's now lying on the couch complaining that the run was WAY too long & he needs to take a nap!

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Checking in quickly. I need to catch up with everyone, but I'll have to do it later - I'm so tired right now, I need to go lay down.

Ran 16 this morning. Did not go well, but I'm not going to obsess about it. Then threw a baby shower for some friends. Throwing a party is seriously a lot of work. Also, my place is not big enough to have a party, so we rented the party room upstairs, which made the whole thing even more complicated. All in all way too much time on my feet. I'm beat.

 

[msblrobs]

Checking in quickly with an all about me post on the 15K today. I'm real pooped so I'll post more in the a.m.

I treated this as my last LR before Philly taper so no pressure except covering the distance and enjoying the day. It was a gorgeous day for a run with moderate temps, partly sunny with a light wind. 1250 runners. My time was 1:28:10 for a 9:28 average pace. The best part (besides stopping to love on the family twice on the course) was not pushing it at all and still feeling fresh at the end, minus the arthritis issue and the persistent left hip/piriformis/sciatic whatever thing I've had since day one. Mission accomplished to instill confidence that I can bang out 13.1 miles in two weeks without it killing me so it was definitely worth the cash and the nearly hour drive each way. No medals but a nice Brooks long sleeve tech shirt that I gave to DH since they only had large left when I picked my packet up at the eleventh hour .

I hope everyone had a great weekend and I'm praying for all with injuries

 

[KeenHo]

Sara~ Nice 15K! Congratulations on a sucessful run and for seeing the family along the way twice!

Jodi~ I have taken a break for long enough. I want/need/have to get back out there soon. I have gained about 4 pounds back since taking a break this week from running. I am losing conditioning fast and taking a mental beating.

Cindy~ 16! Good job! I don't think I could bang out 16 the way I am feeling right now. I hope you are resting well tonight.

I tackled the back yard today... 3.5 hours of raking and blowing leaves! It looks great, but there are more leaves to fall.

I bought arch support inserts (Dr. Sholes) and I am going to try one in my left work shoe tomorrow to see if it gives me some relief from the PF. It isn't killing me, but it is ever-present in my left foot. For a while yesterday it felt absolutely fine. Now, it is sore.. after the yard work. As time slips closer to Philly, I am getting more anxious and frustrated about this ailment. Grrr.

Hi to Chester, Lou, Jen, Dave, and Mike!



Howard

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

OK, I'm feeling like a wimp here. I only got 3 miles in on Saturday. My hip is still hurting, and I'm really starting to question the whole marathon thing. I've been thinking maybe I should drop down to the half marathon.

 

[lourodrigis]

Jodi - Glad you enjoyed the 6 mile run with Bruce. I like your running together during races motto. I agree.

Cindy - 16 miles! Wow! What kind of taper program are you on? I guess it's the program that has you running 55 mile weeks and 210 mile months.

Sara - Nice job on the 15K. It looks like you'll be fine for Philly.

Howard - Isn't leaf blowing fun? I looked out of my house all week last week as it rained leaves on my yard. I think you did the right thing in taking some time off of running.

Hey everyone!

I went out yesterday AM and ran 12 nice miles in very nice conditions. I actually had a good running week last week. My last 3 runs were Wed (5 @ 8:37 mpm), Fri (7 @ 8:36 mpm) and Sun (12 @ 8:35 mpm). I figured I would focus on running a good pace instead of just dogging it. Yesterdays run was nice. I ran a 9mpm pace for the first mile and then consistently ran between 8:45 and 8:20 the entire run. My knees are a little sore but now I think I will shift down to a lower gear and wind down for Philly.

Like Howard I did 3.5 hours of leaf blowing yesterday too. My neighbors must think I am nuts but I just took out my power washer and blasted the leaves into the woods and onto my street for the leaf cleaning crews. I'm an engineer so I know that 2500 psi from the power washer is a lot better then 200 psi from my leaf blower. I looked like a marine with a flame thrower yesterday.

Lou