The Running Thread - 2018

[Baloo in MI]

Yes. I mean at first I just need to be able to run at all, but I do plan to step back into trail and ultra races. For one I am cheap and I have three races deferred from last year that I need to run next year or lose the money! I know that I will have to account for a surgically repaired ankle moving forward but I have always felt much better running on trail than on the street. I am going to hold to my goal of finishing the Woodstock 100 in September.

It is a lot to think about right now so I am just focused on continuing to walk, slip in a few seconds of jogging here and there. In December I will start on the track with 100 meter stretches that I plan to then expand to 200’s then 300’s, 400’s and so on until I can run a mile then I will move to the streets and trails near my house. By spring I hope to be back at Pato (pretty tough trail in a state park not to far from my house and the location of Woodstock 100).

How does your ankle handle running now, any tricks or tips for management? For me the big thing now is swelling, but not much pain. It continues to get stronger but still a long ways to go.

 

[Slogger]

Congrats! Solid day as you crushed your goal time. Hold on to that feeling of when everything feels good. It's one of those rare unicorn runs where the peak aligns with race day perfectly and it feels like you can do no wrong. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeves versus back then when I wrote that last plan. So let me know if you're looking for something new and exciting. Always trying to stay on top of my game.

Thanks Billy. You are spot on with the "rare unicorn" run assessment. It's a great feeling!

I appreciate the offer to continue to help me with my progress, I will be in touch soon.

 

[PrincessMickey]

As usual I am so far behind over here.

I did catch up a little this last week so mondays attqotd: 40’s just a long sleeve and long pants. 30’s I’ll add a vest or jacket and ear warmers. Low 30’s and below I’ll wear fleece lined everything. My favorite cold weather gear I bought last year on clearance is a smartwool down and fleece lined skirt, no more cold butt, I’ve even worn it other times when I know I’ll be outside for a long time.

Tuesday attqotd: chip time, it’s more official.

Wednesday attqotd: my favorite part is the food and family and just relaxing for the day.

I ran the Mesa turkey trot 10K on Thursday. I had not added it to the list though. I had a 4 mile scheduled Thursday and 6 mile for Friday so I switched the days, I had a lot on the schedule Friday so it worked better. This was only a training run but I still went out faster then planned. I had scheduled 3 miles easy with :30/:30 interval and 3 miles continuous. The first 3 I did more of a 1:30/:30 interval and still did continuous the last 3. I must say running at a lower altitude was so much easier and I struggled the whole week to run slower. The weather was also perfect in the upper 50’s and low 60’s. Even as a slightly faster than should be training run and adding in the lower elevation I managed a PR by almost 5 minutes with a finish time of 1:16:41!!!! I should train more at home and travel more for races!

 

[JulieODC]

Happy cyber Monday all!

2 quick race reports...

Last Sunday was a local 4 mile turkey trot - it was the 32nd year, with about 700 runners. Weather was good - in the 40s - and I went with some of my local running group. First race back after Lyme. Finished in 39:03 - the entire last mile was uphill, so I was thrilled with my time overall!

Thanksgiving day I did a 5k turkey trot with my husband near his parents home in Vermont. Weather was 1 degree at the start, felt like -15. Road was icey and slushy - but about 80 runners showed up! My husband isn’t a runner - but he was a total trooper, and we finished in 32:02.

 

[AntimonyER]

Good Morning! Finally back to work after a crazy but fun thanksgiving week. A summary: 5k on the 17th, then two kids soccer games, then drove to orlando, caught the Mannheim Steamroller concert at Universal that night, then three days of universal (our first time) Sunday-Tuesday. Wednesday was prep day because we hosted thanksgiving for my wife's family, 26 people. Then wife left for her annual 24 hours of shopping with her mom and sister, while I put up christmas decorations friday, saturday changed the shocks on my car, and finally took a rest day yesterday.

Back to the 5(ish?)k. It was the 11th annual Statesboro Turkey Trot. Since it is a local race for me, it was nice having a good number of friends running (including my DW!). And it provided for multiple data points. The biggest takeaway? It was short. like WAY SHORT. my gps showed 2.95 miles, and two of my friends had the same. So as much as I would LIKE to say my new 5k PR is 19:43.4, I just can't count it. However, adjusting for distance, and the pace I was maintaining the last mile of the race, I was seriously flirting with 21 minutes. Which would have beat my previous PR from March this year by 3 minutes! I ran the first two miles at a 6:30! pace, before finishing the final .95 at 7ish. And while I can't count the time, I can count the finishing position, and finished 8th overall out of 257, and grabbed 2nd in my age group.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Yes. I mean at first I just need to be able to run at all, but I do plan to step back into trail and ultra races. For one I am cheap and I have three races deferred from last year that I need to run next year or lose the money! I know that I will have to account for a surgically repaired ankle moving forward but I have always felt much better running on trail than on the street. I am going to hold to my goal of finishing the Woodstock 100 in September.

It is a lot to think about right now so I am just focused on continuing to walk, slip in a few seconds of jogging here and there. In December I will start on the track with 100 meter stretches that I plan to then expand to 200’s then 300’s, 400’s and so on until I can run a mile then I will move to the streets and trails near my house. By spring I hope to be back at Pato (pretty tough trail in a state park not to far from my house and the location of Woodstock 100).

How does your ankle handle running now, any tricks or tips for management? For me the big thing now is swelling, but not much pain. It continues to get stronger but still a long ways to go.

You are braver than me. I am so worried about twisting my ankles that I would be afraid to do trail runs.

Have you discussed the 100 mile race with your doctor? My doctor told me I shouldn't be running anything more than a 10k anymore. Of course I have run a full and a 1/2 since but a 100 mile race may be tough. He told me the muscles start to get tired after 6 miles or so and then your tendons and ligaments start to play more of a role. And with the tendon being repaired it can't handle the higher mileage. I figure if I train right and get everything really strong then I can handle the 1/2 and occasional full. My ankle doesn't hurt any more after those distances so far.

Here is what I would tell you. You didn't use the leg for a couple of months. You lost a lot of muscle. I have a picture of my two legs after I had my cast taken off, which was only three weeks. You see a significant loss of muscle. It took about 6 months of running to build it back up. I personally wouldn't recommend a 100 mile race in September. I don't think it is enough time to build your strength in that leg. Because you need to strengthen the tendons and ligaments as well and those take even longer than muscle. It took me probably a full year before my leg was back to normal. Think about it this way. When an athlete has Tommy John or ACL injuries you always hear that it takes them a season or two before they are back to normal. While they may be performing at a higher level than us, you are running marathons and ultras. That's no joke. And they have a team of trainers and PT to get them back as soon as possible.

 

[Waiting2goback]

 

[JBinORL]

Is it the chef outfits?

Yup!

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: A fellow poster suggested todays question, so thank you for the idea! Lets discuss running a race with a pace group. What are the pros and cons of running with a pace group?

ATTQOTD: I have run a few races with a pace group and have had positive experiences with them. Each time I have done so It was nice to just follow the group and not worry much about pace, which is a positive. The negative could be your pacer has a bad day and cant keep the pace for whatever reason, then you are on your own. Overall I think its a good idea to run with a group if they are running at your goal pace, but dont put 100% trust in them. Most of them can run the pace group fairly easily. What I mean is if they are running a 8:30 pace, their race pace is probably closer to 7:00 - 7:30 range. The 3:05:00 marathon pace group would typically have a person that can run 2:50:00 ish. Some pace groups travel from race to race and have a web page where you can read about each pacer and what they have done so far. Some races have less formal pacers and it can be hit or miss for them.

 

[Sanchez]

QOTD: A fellow poster suggested todays question, so thank you for the idea! Lets discuss running a race with a pace group. What are the pros and cons of running with a pace group?

I have never run with a pace group as the pacers are tasked with running an even pace. I don't plan races that way. Also, with GPS technology it is fairly easy to manage pace on your own.

I assume the benefit is that you are with like-kind runners which can offer motivation, wind protection and general camaraderie.

 

[PrincessV]

QOTD: A fellow poster suggested todays question, so thank you for the idea! Lets discuss running a race with a pace group. What are the pros and cons of running with a pace group?

ATTQOTD: I've never intentionally run with a pace group. First, because, like @Sanchez, I do not run even splits - by design and by what comes naturally, I almost always run the first half of a race slower than the second half. Second, because I really hate being part of a big ol' group.

That said, I wind up "stuck" in or behind pace groups often at WDW races. The gigantic con for me is that they're usually huge groups taking up the entire width of the course, and they're never doing the same intervals and/or speeds that I'm running. I've learned that my best bet is to pull over for a pic, to shed layers, to sit on a guardrail, whatever to let the group pass sufficiently and then go back to my own routine. It's worth the few seconds of down time to get away from them! (To be clear, I'm not annoyed with the runners in the pace group, nor the pacers - it is what it is and it's my job to find a way to manage my own experience!)

 

[huskies90]

QOTD: A fellow poster suggested todays question, so thank you for the idea! Lets discuss running a race with a pace group. What are the pros and cons of running with a pace group?

ATTQOTD: I have never run with a pace group. I don't think I ever will. I would rather just go with my own pace.

 

[Dis5150]

ATTQOTD: The only time I ran with a pace group was at the Little Rock Marathon where I was trying to PR. They were 5 minutes ahead of (their supposed) pace and I managed to pass them and got my PR. They were doing intervals but different than mine so I would pass them, then they would catch up to me. We played leap frog for miles, then around mile 22 I left them behind. They worked for me that day, but in general the different intervals, plus how fast or how slow I walk or run as compared to them is never the same.

 

[jennamfeo]

ATTQOTD: I have never ran with a pace group, but I would consider it if I was looking to PR and wanted to make sure it happened. But MAN can those pace groups at runDisney events get annoying with their intervals and the crowds of people who follow them. Passing large pass groups is the pits.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: A fellow poster suggested todays question, so thank you for the idea! Lets discuss running a race with a pace group. What are the pros and cons of running with a pace group?

I've run with a pace group before and think they're great as long as the pacers are competent. When I ran with one at the Houston marathon 10 years ago, the pacer (4 hours) ran 938 the first mile due to the crowded course and tried to make up for it with an 838 in mile 2. We let him go, saw him get further and further ahead, and ended up passing him at mile 19-ish when he stopped. We finished in 4:01, he finished in 4:17. Needless to say, Houston has upped the quality of their pacers since then. A friend of mine paces the 4:15 group and has come in between 4:14:45 and 4:14:57 every time. We ran with the 11-hour bus (it's what the South Africans call the Comrades pace groups because they're huge) for a while at Comrades too but passed them 10k from the finish so we could get our finishing pictures without 500-1000 people in them.

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: I have never actually run with a pace group, but I use them for motivation. For example, I will start out ahead of a certain pace group and do my best to keep them behind me, or more often, I will start out behind a group, keep them in my sights and then try to pass late in the race.

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: Nope, I have never ran with a pace group, but it is nice to see them as long as they aren't too big. At Richmond there was one that I kept going back and forth with but the guy leading it is local to me and I really despise him...and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. The pace group surrounded me and he was bad mouthing interval runners and runDisney, so now I dislike him even more. So, I took off and lost them. Funny thing is, I was doing intervals and they ran the whole thing.

 

[Slogger]

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone. We were visiting family and out of touch for a few days. Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable weekend.

ATTQOTD: I have embraced pacers/pace groups for longer runs. My first positive experience was at Dopey 2015 for the marathon, I was so tired from early wake ups and hitting the parks each day, it was nice to have someone else do the (mental) work on that day. I just ran with pace group in Philly and they were a big help keeping me on track after GPS malfunctioned due to the large city buildings. Stuck with them until mile 8 before moving ahead.

It's been said before but always a good idea to talk to the pace group leader before the race to find out what their race day strategy will be.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
I have started a couple races with pace groups, but I always tend to leave them behind. I dislike water stops with pace groups. This is probably a function of the race size and water stop size. For my ‘A’ half marathon race, I was running with the 2 hr pace group until the first water stop. There were too many people in the group for the water station to handle well, and it felt like we came to a dead stop. I didn’t like that, so I kept going. I do like to take my cup of water, walk a few steps to drink it and then keep going, but coming to a complete stop when I’m trying race for time, I really didn’t like that.

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: I wouldn't say I ran with them, but I stuck with the 4:15 pacer of my first marathon until mile 19 where I took a porta potty break. I keep going back and forth on if I want to run with the 4 hour pacer at my marathon next month or not. I feel like some of them start out way too fast, and knowing the way I am that will make me freak out and get even more anxious about hitting the wall which will then make me hit a wall. LOL. I'm not sure what I will do yet.