To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[MissLiss279]

3:05:26

 

[HangWithMerida]

3:05:40

 

[SheHulk]

3:04:47

 

[DopeyBadger]

2021 Madison M Weather: 8 days to go!

Starting to turn colder in the projections. Bring it.



Start at 7am and end at 11am
11/4/21 - WC of 26-31, 72% cloudy, 22% chance of precipitation, 9-13mph NW wind
11/5/21 - WC of 24-30, 36-68% cloudy, 11% chance of precipitation, 6-11mph NW wind (T+D 55-64)
11/6/21 - WC of 22-29, 56-68% cloudy, 19% chance of precipitation, 8-11mph NW wind (T+D 56-63)

Going to have to start reviewing old data for long training runs at WC 22-29 to see what I was most comfortable in. We're definitely pushing the tank tops, but I'm not ready to give us the shorts.

 

[flav]

I guess 3:12:34

 

[jmasgat]

I'm going with 3:13:42 Only partly a random guess! I would be super happy to lose by being over your actual finish time.

Also, I'm glad to read that I am not the only one who consistently feels like I have slow starts. For me the first half mile to a mile are like a slog through molasses.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

3:08:12 And hoping for optimal weather conditions!

 

[DopeyBadger]

2021 Madison M Weather: 7 days to go!

Holding cold.



Start at 7am and end at 11am
11/4/21 - WC of 26-31, 72% cloudy, 22% chance of precipitation, 9-13mph NW wind
11/5/21 - WC of 24-30, 36-68% cloudy, 11% chance of precipitation, 6-11mph NW wind (T+D 55-64)
11/6/21 - WC of 22-29, 56-68% cloudy, 19% chance of precipitation, 8-11mph NW wind (T+D 56-63)
11/7/21 - WC of 22-28, 68-72% cloudy, 10% chance of precipitation, 7-11mph NW wind (T+D 54-62)

Glad the race wasn't this morning, too warm for my taste.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Also, I'm glad to read that I am not the only one who consistently feels like I have slow starts. For me the first half mile to a mile are like a slog through molasses.

It's been consistent this training cycle. Same for the LR runs as well. I've tried pressing early to hit pace, and other times allowing it to go with the flow. I've found I feel better throughout the run if I don't press it. Conversely a few times I've tried holding back mid-run because things were getting too quick and my body didn't feel as comfortable. So I'm just going to trust myself during the race. Know that starting slow won't hold me back, and going with what feels right will do me best. I also expect to see some fade late in the race because after 15 marathons that's just what happens with me.

And hoping for optimal weather conditions!

Reasonable wind, low temps, cloudy, and no precipitation. It's looking good.

 

[DopeyBadger]

1 Week to go - Hansons Intermediate Week 17/18

11/1/21 - M - OFF
11/2/21 - T - 6 x 1 mile @ HM Tempo
11/3/21 - W - 1.3 mile @ run/walk with G + 4 miles @ Easy
11/4/21 - R - 10 miles @ M Tempo
11/5/21 - F - 1.3 mile @ run/walk with G + 4 miles @ Easy
11/6/21 - Sa - 6 miles @ Easy
11/7/21 - Su - 8 miles @ LR

Total Run Miles - 47.7 miles
Total Run Time - 6:36 hours
Total Run TSS - x TSS

Total Biking Time - 0:00 hours
Total Biking TSS - 0 TSS

Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Strength TSS - x TSS

Total Training Time - 6:36 hours
Total TSS - x TSS

Tuesday

Last week with SOS runs. Scheduled for 6 x 1 mile at Hansons Strength (MT - 10 sec). Went with what felt right, which was around HM Tempo.

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 9mph to 15mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 25°F; FL - 32°F
End: Temp+Dew = 35°F + 25°F; FL - 32°F



The run felt good overall. I felt strong during the first few intervals, and then earned it on the last few. Ended up at 6:41, 6:41, 6:46, 6:44, 6:47, and 6:41. With HRs of 150, 151, 149, 149, 146, and 148. So the same trend here at the end of training, maintain pace (or get faster) and the HR drops. The Garmin performance condition shows me getting stronger through the run.



The HM Tempo section averaged 6:44 min/mile. The run overall was 10 miles, 75 min, 7:32 pace, and HR of 141.


Wednesday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 4mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 38°F + 21°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 21°F; FL - 34°F

G and I had a good run. One of the last in the daylight. We had a blast as usual. In total, 1.3 miles at 13:05 pace using 30/30.

Afterwards, I did 4 miles on my own. The HR ended up higher than expected, but the pace felt good. I've been having some erroneous HR data the last few weeks. Not buying running in the 9s and having a HR in the mid 140s. Overall the run was 4 miles, 37 min, 9:11 pace, and HR of 137 bpm. Body feeling good entering the M Tempo day.


Thursday

The last max M Tempo run!

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 7mph to 9mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 44°F + 33°F; FL - 40°F
End: Temp+Dew = 40°F + 33°F; FL - 40°F

A good night for running. Lowest M Tempo temp run thus far. Was aiming for 7:05 again.



WU didn't feel as comfortable as I wanted it to. Felt a little flat and a little slower than expected. Increased the effort a good bit for mile 1, and about halfway through was at about 7:25s. So I had to increase a little more effort to get down to 7:16. But when it came time to climb the hill, my body was ready to roll. It was my slowest mile 2 of the 10 mile runs, and then the third mile was also about 10 sec/mi slower than the other 10 mile runs. So a little hole was developing, but I just kept trusting my effort. That's when I started running closer to expected at 7:07, and then a 6:52 came out of nowhere. And then the second climb of the hill was a drop of 10s/mile in pace and easily the fastest I've done that mile in M Tempo training runs. The 7th mile was normal, and then things really started to open up in the legs. I glided to a 6:53, and then a 6:59 feeling totally comfortable and not pushing at all. The 6:50s felt easier than the early miles felt. Then it was time for the 10th mile uphill finish. The legs were snappy and I just let them do what they wanted for the Madison M uphill simulator finish. Ended up with a 7:04 (6:48 GAP). So a nice strong finish. And the legs had plenty to give. So the 150-151 HR went from 7:12, 7:09, 7:02, and ended at 6:48. Getting stronger as the run went on.



Garmin agrees. The 10 miles of M Tempo ended up at 7:07 pace, 7:03 GAP and HR of 149. A touch higher on the HR, but I'm not surprised since there was a big difference between the start and ending pace. Less evenly paced and more of a spread. Which tends to make the HR slightly higher since HRvPace does not follow a linear relationship and rather a power curve relationship. Happy with how the last M Tempo run felt and feel prepared. My right shoe felt a little loose so I was worried it might cause issues, but everything was fine from a health perspective. The run overall was 13 miles, 98 min, 7:32 pace, and HR of 144. The watch has been predicting somewhere between 3:09-3:12 for the last several weeks.


Friday

Well, the last SOS run is behind me. It's all downhill from here and about staying healthy. And that includes not getting sick. So it's just in time that G has a little bit of a congested voice. Not a huge thing, but something to monitor. We did our first night time run together.

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 12mph to 23mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 44°F + 31°F; FL - 38°F
End: Temp+Dew = 44°F + 31°F; FL - 38°F

It was a pretty windy run. We took it nice and easy with our 30/30s. The topic of conversation was intelligent life on other planets. Lots of great discussion. Ended up doing 1.3 miles at 13:10 pace.

Afterwards, I did 4 miles on my own. Nothing specific about the run. Nice and easy. HR seemed off again. High 140s at 9 pace. In all it was 4 miles, 36 min, 9:09 pace, and HR of 135.


Saturday

No work from Steph this weekend, which means I can finally sleep in a little. Weighed in at 174.0. So dropped 15 pounds since the start of this training plan. Lowest body weight since Nov 2019 when I ran the Madison HM in 1:28 at 170.

An easy 6 miler.

Conditions - Clear, Wind 15mph to 28mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 32°F; FL - 30°F
End: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 33°F; FL - 30°F

Quite windy. Nothing much to say about it. The run felt fine. Nothing really hurts anywhere. The run was 6 miles, 8:53 pace, and HR of 128. That's all solid stats for my recent Saturday runs. G still has a congested voice, but nothing other than that.


Sunday

G has developed a stuffy nose now too. I'm glad I haven't been sharing food with her for the last few days. Fell for that trick one time before, not this time. The goal was 8 miles. I've found I do better when I keep the intensity up during the taper, so I kept it at LR pace instead of something easy.

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 7mph to 13mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 43°F + 40°F; FL - 39°F
End: Temp+Dew = 47°F + 42°F; FL - 39°F

A little warmer than it's been in a while (about mid-October). I was aiming for 7:35 pace.



Took a little bit to get in the groove, but by the third mile (uphill) I was feeling good again. Overall, the run felt fine. I didn't have that "it" feeling, but I also wasn't highly motivated during the run to attack it. Just a simple 8 miler here at the tail end of training. Overall it was 8 miles, 61 min, 7:41 pace, and HR of 139. The first lap was 7:45 and the second lap was 7:35. So I think some of the slower LR pace compared to the last several weeks is because this run is shorter. So I didn't have enough time to make up for the normal slow start. Garmin ended up at 56 and prediction at 3:12.

Body feels good overall with a week to go. I feel like I'm in a good place and just have to put the pieces together on race day. Need to stay healthy with some sickness going around in the house. But I've persevered through this by avoiding everyone before and will try to do so again. Next week is a simple 5, 5, 6, 5, 3 before the race on Sunday.

 

[azrivest]

1:00:00 dollar Bob!

I'll guess 3:07:45

 

[SarahDisney]

A bunch of my friends have recently broken 4 hours, so I'm gonna go with this is the day you finally break 3.

2:59:00

 

[FFigawi]

3:09:16

 

[DopeyBadger]

2021 Madison M Weather: 6 days to go!

Snow showing up in the forecast now...



Start at 7am and end at 11am
11/4/21 - WC of 26-31, 72% cloudy, 22% chance of precipitation, 9-13mph NW wind
11/5/21 - WC of 24-30, 36-68% cloudy, 11% chance of precipitation, 6-11mph NW wind (T+D 55-64)
11/6/21 - WC of 22-29, 56-68% cloudy, 19% chance of precipitation, 8-11mph NW wind (T+D 56-63)
11/7/21 - WC of 22-28, 68-72% cloudy, 10% chance of precipitation, 7-11mph NW wind (T+D 54-62)
11/8/21 - WC of 20-27, 82-85% cloudy, 35% chance of precipitation, 9-13mph NW wind (T+D 53-64)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Attached the wrong forecast prior, but possible snow showing now...

 

[DopeyBadger]

2021 Madison M Weather: 5 days to go!

Snow showing up in the forecast now...




Start at 7am and end at 11am
11/4/21 - WC of 26-31, 72% cloudy, 22% chance of precipitation, 9-13mph NW wind
11/5/21 - WC of 24-30, 36-68% cloudy, 11% chance of precipitation, 6-11mph NW wind (T+D 55-64)
11/6/21 - WC of 22-29, 56-68% cloudy, 19% chance of precipitation, 8-11mph NW wind (T+D 56-63)
11/7/21 - WC of 22-28, 68-72% cloudy, 10% chance of precipitation, 7-11mph NW wind (T+D 54-62)
11/8/21 - WC of 22-26, 86-90% cloudy, 33% chance of precipitation, 6-11mph NW wind (T+D 54-59)

Last night when I went to bed the snow projection had creeped up to 60% chance and 1.5 in projection. So it seems we're really teetering on whether this storm will hit Madison or not.

 

[SheHulk]

Don't want to be a Negative Nancy but snow seems bad right?

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'm going to say 3:23:07

I'm not loving the weather forecast for Saturday (across the lake and about 2.5hrs N of Madison) as it went from upper 40s to maybe 40 for high temps (plus rain on Thursday and Friday), and they are calling for us to get about 4in of s.n.o.w. on Sunday. DS2 is running his last race of the year on Saturday and we are going to freeze while we watch the earlier races and his.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Don't want to be a Negative Nancy but snow seems bad right?

At best, it’s neutral. If the roads are warm enough and the amount of snow is small enough it won’t stick. But if it sticks, it’s likely to be the worst kind of slick/slushy snow since it’s too warm. I’d much rather it not snow, or it snow at a much lower temp to make it a compacted snow that’s easier to run on. Either way a max performance race on snow is near impossible. Especially on a rolling hill race like Madison. I’ll take it as it comes, but if the conditions are bad enough I won’t do the race. Not worth it. The roads may be plowed, but there are several early miles in the arboretum on bike paths. I don’t know if they plan to plow those.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Alright, plan B. If I don't like the conditions of the roads on Sunday morning, then I will run a time trial marathon either later in the day on Sunday, or sometime on Monday. I'm committed to seeing this training plan through to the finish. Whether that's a part of an official marathon or one I run around the neighborhood remains to be seen. Honestly, the medal (etc.) means very little to me. It's more about having a few other runners on course to use as extra motivation. And if by some miracle I run a BQ or a sub-3, then so be it. At least I'll know it's theoretically possible for the next time around. But it's going to be about a year before I do another marathon based on my calendar, so I don't want to waste this opportunity to run a quick max performance race. Maybe I'll put out a BOLO for anyone local that wants to do a 7 min/mile for some unspecified distance. Got a local ultra guy who likes to do a lot of 7:30s, but he wouldn't be ecstatic about my 4 mile loops.