re: Official Running Log/Marathon Training Thread

Finished my first week of Higdon's novice plan. 9 miles total for my first proper week back in forever. At first I hated that I had to choose the novice plan but after the first week I'm glad I did. I ain't what I used to be

My easy runs are always in the 9:45 to 10:30 range after a break. It usually takes me a couple of weeks of consistent running for my easy effort HR to level out and my average easy pace to start dropping. That's where I am at, currently. It's just part of the process.

I'm still working on getting that "consistent year," where I have no real breaks, just a week or so of easier miles between training cycles. I know that is what would be the biggest difference maker for my race times. I just have to stop making excuses every month or two.

It looks like most here are getting back into the swing of things. Happy running, folks!

RACE REPORT - HATTIESBURG HALF MARATHON

DSJ and I ran the Hattiesburg Half Marathon last Saturday. We were fortunate the rain blew through on the morning of the race and kept the weather cool. Temperatures did not exceed 70 degrees during the race, although it was muggy towards the end.

The course was decent. There were some unnecessary turns, especially through the Hattiesburg Zoo parking lot. Yes, I'm disappointed we didn't run through the actual zoo and just the parking lot instead. Furthermore, as is common, there was a lot of standing water in the parking lot area.

There were some areas where the roads were slippery due to the rain and moisture in the air too. One in particular is the stretch under Southern Miss's football stadium.

All in all, though, the course was fine. It was hillier than I expected but nothing too challenging. Anything is hilly compared to the MS Coast, though. The last few miles along the pedestrian only running path was very nice. Aid stations were scattered throughout the race and none were too far apart. There were a good bit of folks out along the route and their cheering was nice.

Once I got to mile 5, the "pack" thinned out and I found myself running with a few fellas. One dude was older than me, shirtless, and kept farting and blowing snot rockets. I was amazed at how much gas he had. He farted every 100 steps for a few miles. Eventually, his gas propelled him ahead of me to where I didn't have to hear him rip arse anymore.

I maintained a steady pace throughout the race but was noticeably tiring around mile 8. My hamstrings were tightening up.

Here is the biggest issue: somehow, the course finished about 0.5 mi short of 13.1 mi. My watch was consistently 0.5 mi short of the mile markings throughout the race and other runners and I spoke about this. Accordingly, my official chip time is inaccurate. However, after I crossed the finish line, I kept running until I hit the 13.1 mi mark on my watch. I wasn't going to be jipped, dadgumit.

Official chip time: 1:48:01 (8:15/mi)
Official watch time: 1:53:25 (8:37/mi)
Place: 96th out of 449 (regardless)

Splits (according to my watch):
1 - 8:34
2 - 8:29
3 - 8:28
4 - 8:34
5 - 8:36
6 - 8:41
7 - 8:37
8 - 8:37
9 - 8:41
10 - 8:34
11 - 8:39
12 - 8:39
13 - 9:00

Either way, a successful half marathon and I beat my goal time.

Des Linden broke the women's 50K road world record. Ran it in 2:59:54, breaking the previous record by almost 8 min. Crossed the marathon in 2:31

Hit 30 miles this week and feeling good. Glad to be back in the swing

One more week of beautiful running here in SE TX before the heat of hell arrives.

It’s been beautiful shirts off weather here for weeks.

Debating on a half marathon this weekend. It’s supposed to rain Sat and the track is gravel, so I’m a little iffy about it.

Ran 5 this AM. Best I’ve felt in a long time. Paced at 8:45 with an AVG HR at 151.

30 min tempo run tomorrow AM at a 7:30 ish pace and a recovery run Thursday of a couple of miles at a 10-11ish pace.

I don’t know where else to post this but I’m going in for my first swim lesson for triathlon training on Friday. I know how to swim, I just suck at it.

I am running and Olympic around town with my friends in early June. I can share my 8-week training plan if anyone wants it

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I'm just focusing on building a really solid base right now. I'll probably start targeting some races in a month or two. In the meantime, I'm just getting out the door 5-6 days a week, building some mileage, and throwing in a little speed work and tempo here and there while continuing my weight training. I'm focused on the long game.

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Me too. I'm swimming, biking, and running twice per week, along with daily calisthenics (pushups and chinups). Out of necessity, one of the bikes is shorter and I'll occasionally brick on those dates.

Here is my basic schedule:
Monday - rest
Tuesday - moderate run (4 - 7 miles)
Wednesday - swim (begin with 3 x 10 min sessions and work up to 2 x 30 min sessions)
Thursday - shorter bike (20 - 30 miles) with occasional 1 - 2 mile brick)
Friday - moderate run (4 - 7 miles)
Saturday - longer bike (30 - 45 miles)
Sunday - swim (just as on Wednesday)