Week of July 17 - 2006 Half-Full Marathon Info/Training Thread

[kaf7878]

Hey everyone, Happy Hump day!

I have a question for my fellow marathoners--where do you do your LONG runs??? I'm just trying to think ahead about where I could do 10+ mile runs. Do you do several laps of a certain course or do you try to find a full out and back run or loop for whatever mileage you are doing??

Thanks!!

 

[keenercam]

WOO HOO!!! I just calculated my pace for my 3.47 mile walk this morning. I added a couple of short jogs in it whenever I felt strong enough, and my pace is back down to 16:37, even including my always slow first mile time. I got up 2 hours before my walk to take some aleve, hoping it would help my back enough for me to get out of bed and moving at 5:45 a.m. Not sure how much it helped, but am sooo glad to see my pace increasing a bit.

I LOVE knowing my walking partner and I will go out tomorrow morning and do at least 2 miles, but I also know it won't be that fast a pace and it won't help me improve my distance. I'll work on those objectives on my own.

Lily -- I will do some research on Pilates and figure out how to fit that into my routine. I KNOW I have to strengthen my back -- I can really feel the strain I am putting on it. Of course, that will be alleviated some if I could just get some of these darn pounds off. (I have only lost 2.5 pounds since 5/31, even though I have been eating all the right stuff, drinking plenty of water, writing down every bite I eat, and exercising like crazy -- UGH!))

So, now I know why everyone enjoys running or walking in the morning. Wow, what a difference! Not only is it nice to have that done, but I don't feel like I am itching to do it all day. Now I want to go to the Y or home in the evening and do some other types of exercise -- probably Pilates or strength training.

Looking forward to a 5K this Saturday morning. Looking for a sub-50:00 time.

Happy training everyone!

 

[murcor]

Is water/fluids supplied on the course for the 1/2. If so how often?

Thanks in advance

 

[chimera]

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes on the photo and 5K! It was thrilling! I think I'm addicted to 5K's
But...I've been on unscheduled rest since Sat. Shin splints are fun! I did a slow walk today...intervals were out of the question. I did finally do some cross-training last night. Here's a website I found with some cool exercises you can do at home:
http://acefitness.org/getfit/freeexercise.aspx

Erin...hope you're having a good summer! Aren't you off to WDW this weekend?

Angela...welcome back Someone from last year's race can probably answer that one for you. How's your training coming?

Cam...Good luck on your 5K! I love your cheat-free thread and I sure need the accountability. I haven't signed up since we're going to WDW next weekend.

Kelly...I haven't started the really long runs yet, but already have my out and back course mapped out. Garmin is a huge help for this, but I initially measured with my car.

Liz...have a great time in Hawaii! I'm so jealous. You're going to be fabulous in Chicago!

Howard...just a thought, but how's your blood pressure? How 'bout food before your run? Sometimes low blood sugar causes wicked headaches. Maybe too much fluid during your run? Low sodium has been in the journals lately.

Lily...glad you had Liz to get you out there. How are you feeling about the race?

Jennifer...I'm thinking when the delirium hits me after mile 10, I may be up for skipping too Heck, maybe if we start out that way, there'll be no worries about the sweeper

Lisa...I'm with you on the TM. Just walking this am with no intervals was maddening. Those quarter miles don't go by fast enough! And to think...a few months ago, I think I was telling you guys that I couldn't imagine leaving the TM to go outside.

Done with my ice, so I'd better get back to work!

 

[Disneefun]

Hey everyone, Happy Hump day!

I have a question for my fellow marathoners--where do you do your LONG runs??? I'm just trying to think ahead about where I could do 10+ mile runs. Do you do several laps of a certain course or do you try to find a full out and back run or loop for whatever mileage you are doing??

Thanks!!

I've measured a 2 mile loop around my subdivision, from my mailbox and back and I just run that how ever many times I need to get the mileage. I'm kind of limited because our subdivision is off a fairly major road and I don't dare run out there for fear of becoming a splatted meatball!!! And the only park nearby has a one mile loop around it, but that's even more boring than my 2 mile loop. My loop does have one advantage and that is that I can stuff my mailbox with drinks and food so I don't have to carry it with me -- I'm guaranteed fluids, etc. every 2 miles. I'm just the crazy lady in the neighborhood who pulls drinks out of the mailbox like it was a cooler!!!

 

[zoegirl]

Hey all!!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while been kinda busy.
Seems like you all are doing well, and keeping up with your run/walks

I have too. Did 13 last Friday, 3 Monday and will probably get 3 or 4 in today.
Still trying to get a bit faster with speed work every other week. I'd love to break the 5 hour mark for a marathon we're doing in December. We'll see if I can "make that happen".

Has been extremly hot and humid here this week. Temps in the 90s some days. Have been forced to run on the TM which I hate. I always feel like I'm going nowhere, which of course I know I'm not so it feels like a waste of time and it's so boring, even my mp3 player isn't much entertainment!! Hopefully I can get out Friday morning to run with my FIL. Christa has left me to go to the beach once again, so she and I won't run together this week. I miss my running partner!
PLUS my husband is in Nashville and I'm home with my sweet furbaby and dogsitting one big meathead in the form of an english bulldog. She's sweet and very funny but I'm used to a 12 pound dog not a 50+ pound one

this is compleatly off topic but has anyone read the new Harry Potter book yet? I finished last night and wondered what others thought?

Well must get back to work...well not really working, I've been here since 6:30 this morning getting 260 kids off to church camp, so my day is pretty much done. Good to have some goof off time some days.

later!
~bree~

 

[plutosmyfav]

Hey everyone, Happy Hump day!

I have a question for my fellow marathoners--where do you do your LONG runs??? I'm just trying to think ahead about where I could do 10+ mile runs. Do you do several laps of a certain course or do you try to find a full out and back run or loop for whatever mileage you are doing??

Thanks!!

I have a wonderful bike path just a 10 minute drive from home (or work). The path is a converted railroad track that spans 4 towns and 11 miles, complete with mile markers. I have considered running around a local pond which is 2.2 miles but I have a feeling if I saw my car every 2.2 miles I would never make it 18 miles!!!! Microsoft has a great software package called Streets & Trips that will give you a map of just about anywhere and you can create a route and it will calculate the distance for you. I use that for my mid-length runs and short runs around my neighborhood.

Craig-- I settled on Song for our flight to MCO. What airline are you flying?

Liz-- have fun

Disneefun-- what a great idea! My DS is always skipping, I think I'll join him next time!!!!

Yesterday was cross training. Today I got to the gym to do weights and discovered I didn't have my sneakers with me So I jumped in my car and went home to get them. That ate up my gym time, but at least I can go afterwork. I was hoping for an outdoor run but its going to be over 90 F by the time I leave work, so back to the dreaded TM.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Lisa, thanks for the good advice. I bet you can even find pizza with pineapple on it! I am really looking forward to getting leid!! That is what it is all about for me For those of you have gone somewhere else with this, I just love flowers so all minds out of the gutter!!!

Leis--$6--Hale Koa hotel....civilians CAN purchase--if you have no other way to get your lei fix

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

plutosmyfav--how do you do that graphic in your siggy? (the map!)


Whoever had the back trouble--I second Pilates...HOWEVER...my back problems and accompanying weakness were too much to start Pilates on my own. I had to do Physical Therapy and learned "pre-pilates"....I have a pilates video right now that is nothing but "prep" exercises.

I still have some troubles--but it makes all the difference. My "problem" was isolated to my Psoas (you haven't experienced pain until a therapist tries to "release" your psoas!) and weak CORE muscles. Some exercise movements for me were impossible until that Psoas muscle had been worked.....this is a muscle that is part of your spine some how--but you can only access it through your ab region. Yeeeeooooowwwww!

My point is--that if you are hurting--you might get it checked out...get a therapy referral and make sure you get treated and taught the form from a pro before "beginning this exercise program" .

 

[agotta]

We haven't gotten quite so far as to figure out where to run. The loop around our apartment complex is 1/2 mile, but just like plutosmyfav, if I saw our apartment ever 1/2 mile I would not be able to finish! WIth this heat, it's becoming unbearable. Even in the a.m. the humidity is killer.

Today is cross training day, although I need to go shoe shopping. Our budget is super tight, so I don't think that we will be frequenting any speciality shoe shop, but maybe just hitting up Dick's or someplace like that. I used to run in high school, so I know my feet and what will be good for my knee. Just can't afford $100 shoes right now. We have to start xmas shopping soon (The malls are impossible around here after Thanksgiving).

Dh and I are loving our POWER 90 if any of you have seen the infomercial. IT has three seperate workouts, or you can do them all together. The ab ripper is the best. 10 movs, 10 reps each all in 4 minutes. OUCH!!

 

[kaf7878]

Murcor--I ran the 1/2 last year and they had Powerade and Water at miles 2, 4, 6, 7, 8.5, 9, 11, and 12. Mile 9 also had tollhouse candy bars and powergel and fruit, I think (was too busy with the candy bars to notice fruit!).

 

[plutosmyfav]

Lisa-- I do a screen capture of the mapquest.com map that is generated by my start and end points, then I cut and paste the WISH marathon logo ontop.

I also suffered severe psoaz pain on my left side for over a year. I used to have to do a "wooden plank" sort of roll out of bed in the morning, dressing was killer and by the end of my long 'wogs' this time last year, it felt like my pelvis was going to drop right off of my spine. My weightloss and pilates/core training has helped tremendously. Now I only get mild twinges now and then.

Kaf-- Candy bars???? I'm jealous! I can't digest ANYTHING while running. I'm lucky to get a goo pack down without distress Does anyone else suffer digestion problems while/after running?

 

[MelRhoads]

Agotta - You might try roadrunnersports.com for your shoes. They have a great link to help you figure out what kind of foot you have a what kind of shoe you need. i think it is the shoe dog link. They are also wonderful on the phone. Best of all, they often have good shoes (like closeout models) on sale

Bree - sorry your running solo this week. I think that makes it sooo much harder!

 

[agotta]

Thanks Mel. I am going to check it out right now.

 

[keenercam]

Thanks to everyone on the back pain advice -- I am definitely going to have to work on that. Fortunately, it is very very focused on the lowest part of my back to the left of my spine. It definitely feels like spasms sometimes. I am all for getting informed on what this is and remedying it properly. Hoping it is just a matter of proper stretching.

 

[chimera]

Agotta - You might try roadrunnersports.com for your shoes. They have a great link to help you figure out what kind of foot you have a what kind of shoe you need. i think it is the shoe dog link. They are also wonderful on the phone. Best of all, they often have good shoes (like closeout models) on sale

And they have purple ASICS

That's where mine came from.

 

[KeenHo]

Chimera said.. Howard...just a thought, but how's your blood pressure? How 'bout food before your run? Sometimes low blood sugar causes wicked headaches. Maybe too much fluid during your run? Low sodium has been in the journals lately.

My blood pressure is great, always has been. Last time it was checked it was 130/82. My check-ups at the doctors office is always good in that regard as are my frequent blood donations (every 57 days +/-). There is a good possibility food and heat might have played into it. I had a bowl of cereal that morning and a banana, nothing more than that before the gargantuan effort. However, I think I wouldn't want to be "full" going into something like that. I don't think too much fluid was a problem, it just might have came too late in the run to help me over the threashold of coming down from the experience.

I made it back to the gym (with sore toes) and managed a mile on the cross-trainer, 10 miles on the upright bike in 30:17 (I kicked it! ) and 30 minutes of weight training.

Thanks for the help, take care of yourself!

Howard

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Question for those of you doing the Marathoning for Mortals half-marathon training schedule (or anyone who knows more about distance training than me, which I think is all of you ). According to the training schedule there are 2 days for rest, 2 days for cross training and only 3 days of running/walking whatever--2 of those are "short" runs and then the 1 long run. I know John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield are the experts in this area, but when you're training for a half marathon is only 3 days of running a week really enough training time? Anyone have any experience with this? Advice or thoughts?

I'm really enjoying reading this book, I highly recommend everyone to read it too, even if you're are doing another training plan. Also, everyone needs to read "First Marathons: Personal Encounters with the 26.2 Mile Monster" by Gail Waesche Kislevitz. It's book of different people's encounters with their first marathons, some people in the book are famous, like Bill Rodgers and John J. Kelley, but most of the people are just regular people. It's very inspiring and some of the stories brought a tear to my eye.

Okay, I'm finished being Oprah with my book of the month selections. Everyone have a great day and happy training!!

Krista

 

[chimera]

Question for those of you doing the Marathoning for Mortals half-marathon training schedule (or anyone who knows more about distance training than me, which I think is all of you ). According to the training schedule there are 2 days for rest, 2 days for cross training and only 3 days of running/walking whatever--2 of those are "short" runs and then the 1 long run. I know John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield are the experts in this area, but when you're training for a half marathon is only 3 days of running a week really enough training time? Anyone have any experience with this? Advice or thoughts?

I'm really enjoying reading this book, I highly recommend everyone to read it too, even if you're are doing another training plan. Also, everyone needs to read "First Marathons: Personal Encounters with the 26.2 Mile Monster" by Gail Waesche Kislevitz. It's book of different people's encounters with their first marathons, some people in the book are famous, like Bill Rodgers and John J. Kelley, but most of the people are just regular people. It's very inspiring and some of the stories brought a tear to my eye.

Okay, I'm finished being Oprah with my book of the month selections. Everyone have a great day and happy training!!

Krista

GMTA, Krista! I've been W/R 3 days a week with a long walk on Sat. When I was plotting out my MFM schedule I noticed only W/R 2 days with long W/R on Sat. l was thinking of sneaking in an additional slow W/R in place of one of the cross-training days. Big dogs...what do y'all think?

 

[agotta]

Ok, so shopping last night was awful. Every pair of shoes I tried on weren't right. We spent like 3 hours looking. What is it with 16 year olds working when I need help. They don't talk, they don't know anything...Ughh! I finally found a pair and they are great. I can really feel the difference, although they will take some getting used to. No, they aren't purple. I am pink kinda girl, just ask hubby!! (I just wanted to find a pair that worked, I didn't care if they were polka-dotted.)