The Running Thread--2024

Can someone please help me figure out how to simulate running on a bridge, like the Verrazzano for the NYC Marathon, for a treadmill? I know that it's approximately one mile to the middle of the bridge and an elevation gain of approximately 141 feet. So, what incline would you set the treadmill or should you change the incline gradually if you want to duplicate the bridge experience?
 
Sooo anyone else wake up this morning to a surprise email from MCM with a link for registration for next year?

I'm one of the people that apparently got the email randomly without context or clues on why we got the email. I first thought maybe it was a disability thing but checking FB that's not a common denominator with this odd group. None of are ex military or in runners club or even were at the race last weekend. The only thing I can figure is MCM just picked some random people to gift early registration to and sent emails out to them this morning.

Which never happens to me. I enter contests all of the time and never win this kind of ****. The closest I've come is race lottos having usually pretty good luck but this isn't the same.

Like I ain't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm registering. I wanted to do 50 and was stressing about being in one of the last groups to be able to do so. I was looking at how I ask Achilles for a bib since I'm one of their athletes and was planning to ask our group lead about it.

I was debating asking one of the other more experienced handcyclists if it was possible to swap out wheels to make it possible to do the MCM 17.75 (The gravel part of the race is a problem for wheels.) assuming MCM would allow that.

So this makes everything better.

To say the least though my face looked like this when I saw the email because of the confusion.
7FE80101-6FB1-4347-868F-DB56447173DE.gif
 
Kudos on the half training, but *very* curious about the story behind a tutu incident. Sounds like a new twist on wardrobe malfunctions…
Dangit, I was hoping no one would notice. It was a mixture of things.
1. It was not a normal race tutu, but rather a run-of-the mill tutu from joanns
For some reason this tutu just keeps shrinking. I got it on easily a week ago, it hasn’t been washed or anything, but it seems smaller. (And it’s not just me, my running partner said hers shrunk too and she couldn’t get it over her knees, despite wearing it often)
I also had already put my running shoes on, when I usually go tutu then shoes, so that contributed to it.

I got out of the car for the race, and thought “I should just put the tutu on now.” I got one leg in. The other leg gets caught. I try again. I fail. I try one more time and I go headlong into the mulch, hurting my ankle and shattering all dignity.
My foot is starting to feel better, but the shame has not gone away. Worst part may have been explaining to 3+ medical professionals how this happened
 

Dangit, I was hoping no one would notice. It was a mixture of things.
1. It was not a normal race tutu, but rather a run-of-the mill tutu from joanns
For some reason this tutu just keeps shrinking. I got it on easily a week ago, it hasn’t been washed or anything, but it seems smaller. (And it’s not just me, my running partner said hers shrunk too and she couldn’t get it over her knees, despite wearing it often)
I also had already put my running shoes on, when I usually go tutu then shoes, so that contributed to it.

I got out of the car for the race, and thought “I should just put the tutu on now.” I got one leg in. The other leg gets caught. I try again. I fail. I try one more time and I go headlong into the mulch, hurting my ankle and shattering all dignity.
My foot is starting to feel better, but the shame has not gone away. Worst part may have been explaining to 3+ medical professionals how this happened
BTW: I did eventually get the tutu on.
I swear I’m usually balanced.
 
Dangit, I was hoping no one would notice. It was a mixture of things.
1. It was not a normal race tutu, but rather a run-of-the mill tutu from joanns
For some reason this tutu just keeps shrinking. I got it on easily a week ago, it hasn’t been washed or anything, but it seems smaller. (And it’s not just me, my running partner said hers shrunk too and she couldn’t get it over her knees, despite wearing it often)
I also had already put my running shoes on, when I usually go tutu then shoes, so that contributed to it.

I got out of the car for the race, and thought “I should just put the tutu on now.” I got one leg in. The other leg gets caught. I try again. I fail. I try one more time and I go headlong into the mulch, hurting my ankle and shattering all dignity.
My foot is starting to feel better, but the shame has not gone away. Worst part may have been explaining to 3+ medical professionals how this happened
I guarantee yours is not the worst story an EMT has heard. My cousin is one, and oh the stories he could tell...
 
Sooo anyone else wake up this morning to a surprise email from MCM with a link for registration for next year?

I'm one of the people that apparently got the email randomly without context or clues on why we got the email. I first thought maybe it was a disability thing but checking FB that's not a common denominator with this odd group. None of are ex military or in runners club or even were at the race last weekend. The only thing I can figure is MCM just picked some random people to gift early registration to and sent emails out to them this morning.

Which never happens to me. I enter contests all of the time and never win this kind of ****. The closest I've come is race lottos having usually pretty good luck but this isn't the same.

Like I ain't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm registering. I wanted to do 50 and was stressing about being in one of the last groups to be able to do so. I was looking at how I ask Achilles for a bib since I'm one of their athletes and was planning to ask our group lead about it.

I was debating asking one of the other more experienced handcyclists if it was possible to swap out wheels to make it possible to do the MCM 17.75 (The gravel part of the race is a problem for wheels.) assuming MCM would allow that.

So this makes everything better.

To say the least though my face looked like this when I saw the email because of the confusion.
View attachment 908026
Well, I went back through the emails I have deleted today, because I thought I had seen something from MCM. I’m curious about this now too. I ran the first MCM 50k (2019?) and would like to run the marathon sometime. I don’t know about next year, but maybe?
 
Can someone please help me figure out how to simulate running on a bridge, like the Verrazzano for the NYC Marathon, for a treadmill? I know that it's approximately one mile to the middle of the bridge and an elevation gain of approximately 141 feet. So, what incline would you set the treadmill or should you change the incline gradually if you want to duplicate the bridge experience?
I’ll preface this by saying I have an English degree.

141ft over a mile (5,280ft) comes out to like 2.6% So maybe do some of it at 2% and some at 3% and throw in a tiny bit of 4% if the gain is wonky (by checking a Strava map??)
 
Can someone please help me figure out how to simulate running on a bridge, like the Verrazzano for the NYC Marathon, for a treadmill? I know that it's approximately one mile to the middle of the bridge and an elevation gain of approximately 141 feet. So, what incline would you set the treadmill or should you change the incline gradually if you want to duplicate the bridge experience?
Along with what Herding Cats said there are technically two starts. The Green and blue which start on the top deck. The orange that starts on the bottom. Now I don't know how that might change the elevation grade because I've never run on the top deck. (Hoping to whenever I finally do it as a handcyclist).

But to say the least its probably better to go with a bit more incline and be over compensating for it then under.

Especially since the Verezzanos isn't the nastiest bridge on the course. That honor goes to the Queensboro bridge. Where the inclines for it are so steep that coming off of it they have hay bales at the bottom to catch any wheels that are going so fast they cant make the turn and thus crash.

(I am serious if anyone here has done NYC and remembers those hay bales. Yeah those are actual safety measures for us. They are not purely decoritave.)

And no I don't know the grade of Queensboro.
 
(I am serious if anyone here has done NYC and remembers those hay bales. Yeah those are actual safety measures for us. They are not purely decoritave.)

Oooh, I didn't know that, thanks for sharing!

I commute between Queens and Manhattan a lot and when I go by car we take the 59th St (aka Queensboro) bridge, so it's kinda funny to me that it's such a big deal during the marathon. But I get it.
 
Can someone please help me figure out how to simulate running on a bridge, like the Verrazzano for the NYC Marathon, for a treadmill? I know that it's approximately one mile to the middle of the bridge and an elevation gain of approximately 141 feet. So, what incline would you set the treadmill or should you change the incline gradually if you want to duplicate the bridge experience?
I don’t know about treadmill. When we ran the Verrazzano last year, we took the first km very slow as a warmup plus we stopped to take pictures. Pretty soon we were on the downhill portion of it… and we got too excited! The next 10k were way too fast. I highly recommend watching the NYRR videos that explain some of the feelings that you might experience and what to expect at different points on the course, it helps. That said, at two weeks before race day… Your training is done, time to preserve what you’ve got, to taper and to get ready to have fun!
 
Well, I went back through the emails I have deleted today, because I thought I had seen something from MCM. I’m curious about this now too. I ran the first MCM 50k (2019?) and would like to run the marathon sometime. I don’t know about next year, but maybe?
Yeah I honestly have no clue how they decided to sent those emails out. My last MCM was last year and like I said I shouldn't have made the qualifications for early reg but here we are.
Oooh, I didn't know that, thanks for sharing!

I commute between Queens and Manhattan a lot and when I go by car we take the 59th St (aka Queensboro) bridge, so it's kinda funny to me that it's such a big deal during the marathon. But I get it.
Yeah I only found out about this a couple of months ago actually. Was talking with a friend fellow handcyclist about NYC and how I wanted to eventually do it in the cycle. And the Queensboro and its steepness came up which is when I found out that's why the hay bales are down there.

Like it makes sense handcyclists come up over that fast and so will the lead pushrims but I never had to stop and realize oh that's why those are there.

It honestly makes me a bit nervous to do NYC but it won't stop me.
 
Well, that’s twice. This time they were definitely close enough to hear “WHAT THE xxxx” emanating with the rage of a supernova in the cold dawn from my my twisted, dreadful visage, although to them it surely sounded like ““Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn,” being chanted by a hoard of faceless, black cloaked fanatics.

Happy Halloween eve, y’all.
 
Well, that’s twice. This time they were definitely close enough to hear “WHAT THE xxxx” emanating with the rage of a supernova in the cold dawn from my my twisted, dreadful visage, although to them it surely sounded like ““Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn,” being chanted by a hoard of faceless, black cloaked fanatics.

Happy Halloween eve, y’all.
The same person???!!
 
Verrazano is worse than Queensboro from a mathematical standpoint, I believe it's a slightly steeper climb *and* it lasts longer. The reason Queens gets all the flak is that it happens way later in the race, after your body has been beaten up not only from the Verrazano, but all the bunny hills on the way. And it's a sharp turn at the end, hence the hay. IIRC there's a turn after the Verrazano but I believe it's a bit more forgiving.

Worth noting that there's ANOTHER bridge starting at Mile 23, not as bad as the prior two, but it certainly feels as bad, maybe worse, that late in the race.

1730303158968.png
 
Can someone please help me figure out how to simulate running on a bridge, like the Verrazzano for the NYC Marathon, for a treadmill? I know that it's approximately one mile to the middle of the bridge and an elevation gain of approximately 141 feet. So, what incline would you set the treadmill or should you change the incline gradually if you want to duplicate the bridge experience?
I think I read somewhere it's not more than 4%. Pink wave is on the bottom and they have it the easiest. Blue and Orange wave are on top and I hear that Orange wave has it the hardest - lucky me, I'm in Orange! :P
 
I think I read somewhere it's not more than 4%. Pink wave is on the bottom and they have it the easiest. Blue and Orange wave are on top and I hear that Orange wave has it the hardest - lucky me, I'm in Orange! :P
Good luck with your Orange experience! The good thing is that it’s only the first mile of the race and then everyone has the same course. Enjoy the 26.2 mile party!
 
I think I read somewhere it's not more than 4%. Pink wave is on the bottom and they have it the easiest. Blue and Orange wave are on top and I hear that Orange wave has it the hardest - lucky me, I'm in Orange! :P
We were supposed to be pink and went in a later wave to be orange. We had phenomenal weather and really wanted the view. Unless running for speed, I don’t think that it is worth not having the view from the upper deck to save a minimal amount of incline.

ETA: The start is already pretty high compared to the apex of the bridge as you can see:
1730309460569.jpeg

At this point of the taper, if you are on race strategy mode, please make sure you know what you will be eating when. I found that energy management took a lot more importance than for other races. To give an idea, we woke up and had a solid breakfast at 4AM, had to be on our bus at 6AM, started running at 11AM, finished before 4PM and ate a light meal at around 5PM. That was a looong time between real food.
 
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