The Running Thread - 2016

[DVCFan1994]

ATTQOTD: I really don't have any tips, I am struggling with this same question. I have not done a new race distance in a few years, but have a couple on my radar for this year. I did a 5k and 10k leading up to my half in 2014. But since then all the races I have done is 10ks and halves. I am planning on a 10 miler in April, but I have not signed up because I have been coming back from an injury and I am weighing whether I will be prepared enough to finish strong, versus doing it just to do it, knowing it might be a struggle. I also have trouble pacing myself in races, I get caught up (even with my Garmin beeping at me) and when I go out too fast my body always let me know, usually forcing me to slow down. I don't want to set myself back again.

I thought I wouldn't do anymore races without a goal. The thought that my running is inconsistent enough right now that I can't really formulate a goal for the 10 miler is making me rethink that. Perhaps switching my mindset from finish time goal toward something else, like a consistent pace, or negative splits would be a way to go. My 10k POT for PHM last November I set a goal of starting unusually slow to prevent going out too fast, and then running each mile a little faster. It worked and I ran my fastest ever racing mile in the last mile of the race and got a 2.5 minute PR. Maybe that's my answer

That's why I love this thread, I swear it makes me think of things differently when I am typing out answers to QOTDs than when I am beating myself up overthinking in my head.

 

[Slogger]

Todays QOTD was suggested by @roxymama .
QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

Great question @roxymama!

ATTQOTD: It really depends on if I am running by myself or with family or friend. Running alone usually means I am trying for a faster time. Running with others usually means that we are going at a comfortable pace for everyone. If I can help them get a PR I will encourage them to try.

We do a lot of the J & A races in Virginia and they use the same announcer for all races. I always like it when he says:
"How many of you are running your FIRST marathon (or half or 10k etc) today? When you cross that finish line you are GUARANTEED to have a PR!"

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

I try to race to my training. During my training, my coach and I work towards a goal for the race which is usually faster than just finish. During my first Comrades, for example, I knew I could finish in under the 12-hour cutoff and the goal was to come in under 11. For my first Ironman this fall, I'm confident I can be under 17 hours, and our goal will probably be between 14-15 hours. For my first 50-miler way back when, though, the goal was just to finish. I needed the experience of being on my feet for that long in order to know what I had to do to improve.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

I will try to take an honest look at my recent training and set a pace based on that. Yup, I'm always going for a fast time...I want to have the race over and done with as soon as I can so that I can hit the beer tent to rehydrate

 

[Miranda]

ATTQOTD: I think that I usually try to just finish the first time at a new distance. I haven't raced a new distance for a while, but I am doing a 10 miler in April that will be a new race distance, and I fully expect it to be a sufferfest because I'm using it as my long run for the week. I have my first half of the spring on 5/15 that I am super unprepared for. I have not been getting weekday runs in for months, only my weekend long run.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Todays QOTD was suggested by @roxymama .
QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

When I was new to running, my goal was to run the whole time. So my time was secondary to that goal in my first 5K, 10K, and half. After running for a few years, my goals are evaluated based on where I am at the time, like @CheapRunnerMike said. Looking toward my next distance goal (a full, which I have not committed to yet), I'm not sure I will do a "run the whole way through goal." I'm not sure yet what my goal will be, so I like reading these responses!

 

[roxymama]

Thanks everyone for your answers so far. I am excited for my guaranteed PR on Sunday. Never done an official 8k...doesn't seem like a super prevalent race distance around my area.

After much discussion on my journal and reading your answers too, my strategy is going to be to trust my training and start out easy/steady and focus on accelerating gradually throughout the race and staying positive the whole time. Trying to avoid the mile 1 burnout. Whether I am running faster or slower than expected I am going to try not to course correct myself...just keep focusing on running the way I feel during my good tempo runs. I hope that makes sense. We shall see how it turns out?!

 

[RunDisneyDad]

Its' been awhile since I've raced a new distance, but overall I've learned for me, its best to stay conservative. The longer the distance the more conservative I need to be.

 

[DopeyBadger]

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

No matter the distance or the number of times I've tried a distance, my mindset is always the same. Do my best today. My "best today" is defined by my training, weather on that day, and just generally how I'm feeling. Doing my best today doesn't mean it will be a PR, just the best I could have done given all of the conditions leading up to and during the race. When I run, I try and run by effort because running by effort has yet to let me down. Whether my effort equals a 6:40 min/mile or a 12:00 min/mile doesn't matter as long as it is the effort I know I trained at to do this particular race distance. This way when I finish I always feel accomplished because I know I did the best I could today.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: Since we hit 100 pages yesterday, I would like to know what has been your favorite part of the thread thus far? What would you like to see more of, and anything we should avoid?

I really like that this thread is general and not geared towards a specific event. I followed the Marathon Weekend 2016 thread because I liked the discussion and the great participation from everyone, but I always felt like an outsider given that I wasn't registered for any of the Marathon Weekend events. And not being related to a specific event, it limits the number of logistic questions (where do I find bib numbers, how do I get to expo, how long between corrals, PoT issues, etc). Don't get me wrong, these are important questions and I have even asked a few, but I feel that they can sometimes get in the way of the running-specific discussions.

Also, similar to others, I like the QOTDs as well as hearing about races that I didn't know about.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

ATTQOTD - My first race that I trained for on my own was a marathon, and all subsequent races have been that distance or shorter. I have run many different types of races also. So, instead of focusing on distance, I'll answer based on my experiences running different "types" of races.

My first advice is to make yourself familiar with the difference in the physical and mental challenges that you will face with this new race type. I lean on the internet for this. Unless it is an inaugural race, folks have run it before and can help you determine where the challenges lie.

I then reach out to people with whom I have some sort of relationship to ask for advice on meeting these challenges. This board has become one of those resources - lots of very intelligent and helpful folks post here. But I also have a few coaches with whom I have worked, and they are very helpful.

Finally, I give myself enough time to ensure some measure of success. In other words, if it is really different, I give myself 3-6 months to prepare. Thankfully I am not a very impulsive person, so this hasn't been a problem.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

It depends.

Many, many years ago, when I was increasing distance and transitioning from 5k's to 10k's to half marathons to marathons, my first goal was always to finish as I was running races that were longer than I had ever raced before. That being said, I still wanted to finish in the fastest time possible. So, I would start at a pace I had strong confidence (based on my training and environmental conditions) that I could maintain; however, if I felt good after a bit, I would then increase speed by feel. This worked well, and I had good experiences on all my first attempts at longer distances.

Nowadays, however, there are few "new" distances for me. In the past few years, I can only think of a 15k race and a trail half marathon (not exactly a new distance per se, but it felt more like about 16-18 miles given the terrain and slippery conditions of the mostly single-track trail). For these, since it wasn't a distance that was longer than what I had raced in the past, I went out a little faster than if I'd been in uncharted territory.

 

[IamTrike]

Todays QOTD was suggested by @roxymama . I thought it was a great question. If anyone else was like to suggest a QOTD, feel free to send me a PM.

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

ATTQOTD: For each race I give my best effort regardless of distance. Now my best may vary depending on training, but I set a realistic goal for that day and go for it. For any race the first goal is to always finish, but the training I put into should get me to that point. I guess my best tip I can provide is to properly train for the new distance, and race day becomes a victory lap of that hard as well as a test of how bad I want it. Good luck on the new race distance!

For my first 10k, Half and Full I pusheed hard with a goal time for each of those races. I'm starting with Ultra distances now and with them I still have a goal times in my head but they are a lot more fluid. It's much more about listening to my body on race day and doing what's going to enable me to finish.

Great question @roxymama!

ATTQOTD: It really depends on if I am running by myself or with family or friend. Running alone usually means I am trying for a faster time. Running with others usually means that we are going at a comfortable pace for everyone. If I can help them get a PR I will encourage them to try.

We do a lot of the J & A races in Virginia and they use the same announcer for all races. I always like it when he says:
"How many of you are running your FIRST marathon (or half or 10k etc) today? When you cross that finish line you are GUARANTEED to have a PR!"

J and A put on really good races. I would have liked to have done the shamrock a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! Lets see how the next 100 pages go!

Funny story tonight, my wife got home late from work so I headed to my office to use the treadmill to get a run in. Get in and change and notice I forgot my socks... Im not crazy enough to run on the TM without socks on, so I just spent some time lifting weights instead. I am a little disappointed about not bringing socks. The last two months of running are extremely low totals for me, and with the move coming up in April my totals may suffer some more. I am hoping to get things moving in the right direction soon. I have a 5k next week that I am not expecting to much out of, but my race in June is a goal race and I need to get the miles in to achieve that goal. Moral of the story, don't overlook the small details.

I have forgotten stuff before and at first I would panic. I have forgotten socks and my heart rate monitor. I used to skip the run because I was so thrown off but now I just run. I don't care anymore. I don't care if every training run is perfect anymore like I used to. Now I just adjust and have fun while getting in the miles.

Todays QOTD was suggested by @roxymama . I thought it was a great question. If anyone else was like to suggest a QOTD, feel free to send me a PM.

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

ATTQOTD: For each race I give my best effort regardless of distance. Now my best may vary depending on training, but I set a realistic goal for that day and go for it. For any race the first goal is to always finish, but the training I put into should get me to that point. I guess my best tip I can provide is to properly train for the new distance, and race day becomes a victory lap of that hard as well as a test of how bad I want it. Good luck on the new race distance!

I may send you some questions soon. I had a few I thought of before but they have slipped my mind. When I think of them I will send them your way.

With the exception of the WDW marathon, where I knew it was all about helping my friend finish his first marathon, I go into any race, regardless of distance, trying to run as fast as I can. But I also set secondary goals. For example, my first marathon goal was to be under 4 hours. I failed significantly. I got cramps in both hamstrings at mile 18 and pretty much walked the rest of the race to finish at 5:01. I had my time goal but when I realized it wasn't going to happen my secondary goals took over which was to finish the race and learn from the experience to make sure it didn't happen again. I had never before even had hints of hamstring tightness in any training runs or my other races. It came out of the blue, as stuff often does in a marathon.

I also think it is hard to expect to much from a new distance because it means a new course you haven't probably run before. I ran some new races last year that were VERY hilly. That would clearly slow down times for me even if I had run those distances before so being a new distance would make it even harder.

For me, as LSUlakes said, I try to train for the times I want. I haven't finalized my race schedule yet still. It's coming soon, I promise. But I know what my goals are for all my races this year and I will put in the training, and cross training, to do my best to reach those goals. I can't change outside factors like the course, the weather, the size of the field, etc... I can just do my best to prepare and enjoy the race.

Hopefully that all made sense.

 

[croach]

ATTQOTD: I think I would just echo what people have said about running new races to my training level. I always think of it as having an A goal and a B goal. And sometimes if those go wrong I try to set new goals as the race goes along. Sometimes it just comes down to making compromises with yourself. But I do always start with some goal in mind other then just finishing.

 

[Waiting2goback]

My 10k POT for PHM last November I set a goal of starting unusually slow to prevent going out too fast, and then running each mile a little faster. It worked and I ran my fastest ever racing mile in the last mile of the race and got a 2.5 minute PR. Maybe that's my answer

That's why I love this thread, I swear it makes me think of things differently when I am typing out answers to QOTDs than when I am beating myself up overthinking in my head.

I have yet to figure out how to start out slow. I can't do it on training runs or in a race. I always try to start out slow but even when I have the pace updates in my headphones I still can't do it. I wish I could because it would obviously be huge on the longer distances.

 

[Dis5150]

I have my first half of the spring on 5/15 that I am super unprepared for. I have not been getting weekday runs in for months, only my weekend long run.

Me too! On both, not getting any weekday runs in and my next half is on 5/15! I was super lax about the weekday runs leading up to all of my halves actually and I don't know if that affected my run times or not. Maybe I would have done better/finished faster? But I was happy with my times so not a lot of incentive to do those weekday runs. I should add that my weekday runs have to be on the treadmill and I have gotten to hate running on that instead of outside. My long weekend runs are outside.

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: The last 12 months have been all about new distances for me - I did my first 10 miler last summer, my first half last fall, and my first marathon in January. For me, the first step is mental: I had to get my head wrapped around those distances before my body would follow suit. I then gave myself more than enough training time, making sure that even if life got in the way during training, I had a couple of weeks tacked on to a typical training plan for back up. Just knowing that I put the proper training in makes me more confident on race day.

For those first races, especially for the marathon, I kept my expectations relatively low. Of course I had a ballpark time in mind for each distance, but I didn't beat myself up too much when I didn't meet them (or I was pleasantly surprised when I did). You could also just approach race day as just another training run and if you feel like going faster, then go for it, if not, then who cares, it's a PR anyway! Good luck @roxymama!

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

I have yet to figure out how to start out slow. I can't do it on training runs or in a race. I always try to start out slow but even when I have the pace updates in my headphones I still can't do it. I wish I could because it would obviously be huge on the longer distances.

Do you do any sort of a warmup before the race? If I am doing a longer race (such as a marathon) I don't go for a true warmup run, but I still attempt to get the legs stretched out a bit...I treat the first couple of kilometres as my warmup. This forces me to start out at a slower pace and allows me to add the speed as I go. For shorter races (anything up to a half marathon) I go for a light jog, maybe about 5 minutes or so, as I will run fast from the start and hold on for as long as I can.

 

[Miranda]

Never done an official 8k...doesn't seem like a super prevalent race distance around my area.

I have not done an official 8K, but we do have a handful of 5M around here, which is basically the same thing... I am running one next weekend actually. But it is not very common around here either! There's actually more of them than 10K, though, I think. 10K is the really hard one to find around here.