2014 Marathon Training Thread (Year of Improvement!)

[dudesky1000]

But Evan, you say, you are half a year early you crazy idiot!

But it is never too soon to begin the quest for improvement! Running has, evidently, become a regular fixture in my lifestyle. I enjoy the feeling of flying over pavement too much to be satisfied and 'call it a day'. I am a filmmaker and storyteller at the end of the day, but during the day I am constantly finding myself running, or wishing to run. It is probably the least forgiving sport there is, with no glory for those at the top and with that little to no prize money for the pros. I will never be considered 'elite', but the physical and mental feelings that come with putting your body to it's limits is something that drives me forward in my non-athletic life.

I'm making this thread, which to be fair is a little strange existing on SMF, because I need to put this on paper and you guys have always been supportive of me. I am a very relaxed person about running in general, and I still intend on putting it in the backseat compared to my other, greater goals, but I wish to be a little more 'regimented' in my training so I can actually wind up seeing results in faster times instead of wondering why I am not improving much. The best way to commit to a more disciplined routine is to make it public so other people can hassle me if I'm not 'putting my money where my mouth is'. I will be constantly posting updates on my training, race or time trial results, injuries, feelings, diet, etc.

My sudden motivation is a result of my recently being admitted, for the first time in over a year, to the emergency room for a flare-up as a consequence of my Crohn's disease, which hopefully is not progressing too much. The next highest medication to move up to is one I would like to avoid, so I will have to remain as healthy as possible. Getting back into running and eating cleaner will hopefully keep me on the right track, so my motivation has never been stronger.

Plus, I do want to compete in Sasuke one day like many others here, so I figure this kind of training adds a different flavor to the mix of those who train on replicas (I do not) and in the gym (I rarely anymore). Those are probably better ways but I like my way too 

So here are my current stats as a runner according to my cheap rusty GPS watch and recent race results (this part will be edited for every time I break a personal record):

Fastest Mile: 5:57 (5:57/mile) 8/20/13
Fastest 5K: 19:06 (6:09/mile) 10/09/13
Fastest 10K: 40:51 (6:34/mile) 9/28/14 @ Bronx 10-Mile 2014
Fastest 7 Mile: 49:14 (7:02/mile) 12/4/13
Fastest 10 Mile: 1:07:59 (6:48/mile) 9/28/14 @ Bronx 10-Mile 2014
Fastest Half Marathon (non-race): 1:36:33 (7:22/mile) 9/7/13
Fastest Half Marathon (race): 1:34:36 (7:13/mile) @ Brooklyn Half 2014
Fastest Marathon: 3:38:54 (8:21/mile) @ NYC Marathon 2014

Best Place Against Field (Below Half): 230th/9,592= Top 2.4% @ Bronx 10-Mile 2014
Best Place Against Field (Half Marathon): 1575th/25,644= Top 6.2% @ Brooklyn Half 2014
Best Place Against Field (Marathon): 6467th/50,875= Top 12.8% @nyc Marathon 2014


Race times:
Deep Creek Half Marathon: 1:45:xx (8 min/mile) May 2011 3rd Place of 24 finishers
Pretend NYC Marathon 2012: 4+ hours with breaks. November 4th, 2012 
NYC Half Marathon 2013: 1:38:48 (7:33 min/mile) March 17th, 2013 1,695th Place out of 14,535 finishers
Brooklyn Half Marathon 2013: 1:37:50 (7:29 min/mile) May 18th, 2013 2,250th Place out of 21,427 finishers
NYC Marathon 2013: 3:49:59 (lol 8:47/mile) November 3rd 2013 11,077th Place out of 50,266 finishers
Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon 2014: 1:35:35 (7:18/mile) January 26th, 2014 273rd Place out of 4,027 finishers
Brooklyn Half Marathon 2014: 1:34:36 (7:13/mile) May 17th, 2014 1575th Place out of 25,644 finishers
Queens 10K 2014: 41:43 (6:42/mile) June 22nd, 2014 254th Place out of 8,460 finishers
Bronx 10-Mile 2014: 1:07:59 (6:48/mile) September 28th, 2014 230th Place out of 9,592 finishers
NYC Marathon 2014: 3:38:54 (8:21/mile) November 2nd, 2014 6,467th Place out of 50,875 finishers

2014 GOALS:
1. Break 1:35 in Half Marathon Achieved!
2. Break 3:30 in Full Marathon Failed
3. Complete 2014 Five Borough Series to qualify for 2015 NYC Half  Achieved!
4. Run 750 road miles by 8/31/14 (Currently at 674.84) Abandoned

Confirmed Races 2014:
Jan: NYRR Five-Borough Series: Manhattan Half Marathon 2014 Completed
May: NYRR Five-Borough Series: Brooklyn Half Marathon 2014 Completed
June: NYRR Five-Borough Series: Queens 10K Completed
September: NYRR Five-Borough Series: Bronx 10-Mile Completed
November: TCS New York City Marathon 2014 Completed


FINAL ASSESSMENT OF YEAR OF IMPROVEMENT:
SUCCESS! See final post for full reflection:
sasukemaniac.proboards.com/post/128776/thread


Second post coming...

[dudesky1000]

So this year of improvement begins at a race, actually. Shortly before running the NYC Marathon, I set my sights on the Manhattan Half 2014, the smaller, more intimate of NYC's Half Marathon series. Registration always happens long before a race, so before I even realized how much I would want a break from running after the grueling Marathon, I decided this would be a fun way to ensure I didn't drop the ball later on.

Well, I definitely wanted a break. But after about a month of very relaxed running with no set pace or goal, I actually managed a pretty decent month of training in December. It's actually the first time I have trained in below 40° weather voluntarily. My training for the NYC and Brooklyn Half Marathons last year were almost all on a treadmill at the gym. To be honest, it's not so bad out there! Why did I spend all that time cooped up on that hamster wheel???

Now, you may think I have totally lost it, but I really do enjoy running in the below freezing weather. Even when there is 15mph wind shattering my frosty face, I just get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that makes me feel alive. Like I'm doing something ridiculous but at the same time taking advantage of some road less traveled, like the highway toward living the fullest of lives I could dream of. Either that or it's the feeling of my last warm blood cells crying for mercy. Ah well! I will continue anyway.

About the race: The course is simply two laps and change around Central Park, the training ground for all of my long runs during the summer! This time however, instead of being very, very hot, it will be really, REALLY cold! I have only run in Central Park once since November, so it should be pretty cool seeing it during the winter. There has been a lot of snow recently here, so it is entirely possible that I will be running er, skating in my ice skates come race day!

Seriously though, this is actually a very difficult course for an all-out-effort Half Marathon, and I have my doubts about reaching my goal of 1:35:00 on this particular course. I think I will just go out and see what kind of shape I am in, and just have a lot of fun with it. I did recently break my 7-mile time, which is pretty promising, but that is in my backyard on the East River which is a flat course. Central Park, as you know, is full of rolling hills, which is my biggest weakness, and the cold will not help. Hopefully I will be able to make up for time on the downhill sections and warm-up sooner than expected.

In light of my recent stay in the hospital, I will not be wearing sweatbands on my wrists, but instead my hospital wristbands (which the nurses scan when they check vitals each hour etc.) which I still haven't taken off since leaving. I have run a 9 mile run since being released, so do not fear for my health... I am in shape, I promise! Wish me luck!

[arsenette]

Jan 23, 2014 12:58:21 GMT -5 dudesky1000 said:

But Evan, you say, you are half a year early you crazy idiot!

Confirmed Races 2014:
Jan: Manhattan Half Marathon 2014
May: Brooklyn Half Marathon 2014

Hey it's never too early.  I mean it's not like you wake up a week before a marathon and say "hey I'll run next week". This takes MONTHS of training.

Btw.. January when? LOL it's already the 24th!

[dudesky1000]

Jan 24, 2014 2:40:52 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Jan 23, 2014 12:58:21 GMT -5 dudesky1000 said:

But Evan, you say, you are half a year early you crazy idiot!

Confirmed Races 2014:
Jan: Manhattan Half Marathon 2014
May: Brooklyn Half Marathon 2014

Hey it's never too early.  I mean it's not like you wake up a week before a marathon and say "hey I'll run next week". This takes MONTHS of training.

Btw.. January when? LOL it's already the 24th!

Oh right... I forgot. January 26th, in two days! 

Going to have to layer up a bunch, forecast is 20°F high which it will certainly not be at 8am when the race starts... if it's bonechillingly cold when I wake up I might just be too lazy to show up 

[dudesky1000]

Fred Lebow Manhattan Half 2014 Race Report

I fueled the day before with a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast, a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese for lunch, and plain pasta with shredded chicken for dinner. Throughout the day I reckon I drank 3.5-4 liters of water!

My morning began at about 3:30am, when, expectedly, I woke up and felt so awake that I could not fall back asleep. Oddly it was the type of waking up that felt quite good, like I had gotten a full night of sleep, when I had really just gotten a few hours. It wasn't such a bad thing though, because the Australian Open final happened to be taking place at that time and, being a major tennis nut, I decided to cut my losses and instead of laying in bed hopelessly awake, decided to watch the match and begin hydrating.

I arrived in Central Park at 7am, an hour before the race... bad idea! Previous races organized by NYRR that I have run require you to be in your starting corral a half-hour before the race, but it seems that didn't apply to this one. What ensued was a very strangely hilarious hour in the mens room where there must have been thirty of us waiting for the race to start. It was the only place to hide from the cold!   Finally the proceedings got going and we lined up in our corrals. My bib number, 2857 was the lowest (meaning fastest projected finishing time, my other previous half marathon bib numbers were in the 4000's and 8000's) I had ever gotten, so I was pretty much at the front of things. Even though there turned out to be 4000-odd finishers, there were bib numbers going up to the 8000's... I always wonder what that's about.

The race started and my first observation was how crowded it was. I'll say right off the bat that I owe my new PR to that fact--if it were less crowded and I were able to navigate my way forward, I would have yet again gone too fast in fear of not capitalizing on the relatively flat first mile, and wound up burning out at the end when I needed it most. It is astonishing how just a few minutes in the very beginning of the race can so heavily influence the outcome. At best it can warm you up for a decent mile 2; at worst it can anchor you to a very long, difficult and likely insurmountable energy deficit. I managed a safe, comfortable

As I said before there were many hills on this course--have I mentioned how much I hate hills? I think I'd like to live in a valley some day, I don't care if global warming will flood my home in a decade. Then I'll move to a valley in Greenland.  Seriously though, if there is an area I could seriously improve in, this race highlighted it for me: running uphill. Thanks to the fancy GPS technology, my watch can create all kinds of fancy graphs with my pace alongside elevation. Every time my altitude went up, my speed went down... and not just by 10 seconds/mile, like most runners will experience. My uphill pace tends to drop over a minute per mile, and on some of the long uphills, it definitely cost me a couple of minutes, certainly enough time to break my year-long goal of going sub 1:35. So at least I have something to work on!

I was able to really capitalize on the downhills, and because of that I was able to make up some of the valuable time I lost going uphill. From my understanding and experience, my quads are far stronger than my hamstrings, which explains why I can speed down the downhills but have trouble climbing uphill. It's actually a very important thing to notice because if the imbalance were to get too acute it could lead to knee problems. So I will definitely hit the gym to strengthen those specific muscles.

As for the cold, it really wasn't much of a factor after just a mile or two--the human body is pretty neat when it comes to that! The only time the cold really sucked was waiting to start, and then walking to the subway after finishing, especially immediately after finishing. But by far the funniest moment was when I picked up a cup of water at one of the many aid stations during the race, only to discover that there wasn't actually water inside but a giant block of ice stuck in the bottom of the cup. At least it didn't hit me smack in the face when I tried to drink it, LOL. 

Overall I am very happy with this race. Despite having run this course a hundred times in practice, it is surprisingly difficult for a Half Marathon, all-out-effort race situation. The hills are brutal and come one after the other, and it was bitter cold. But it was the familiarity with the course that allowed me to strategize, and I think that's what ultimately helped me to do my best out there. I had planned in my head a ballpark figure of how conservative I could run the first lap, and it allowed me to give the second lap everything I had, and believe me, I needed all of it. Really happy with my splits, including only one mile above 8 min and a really good four miles below the 7 min mark.

Here are my splits:
1 8:09.3
2 7:43.4
3 7:05.6
4 7:18.6
5 7:28.0
6 6:58.5
7 7:10.2
8 7:13.8
9 6:39.9
10 7:14.6
11 7:32.5
12 6:51.7
13 6:59.3
.18 (after 13th mile) 1:08.4

So ultimately I come out of this race with newfound confidence and within touching distance of a goal I am even more motivated to reach! As for placing so high in the top 300, I attribute it to luck and a depleted field more than anything, but it's definitely nice! That's the top 6% And I keep forgetting I just came out of the hospital...

Finished in 1:35:35 (oh so close to my goal but I will more than happily walk away with this)
271st place overall out of over 4000 finishers (still cannot believe this)
7th place award for my age group in my final race in this age group.

I think I will take a couple days off from running until it gets a little less slushy outside and do some legwork at the gym to work on my strength.

Until next time!

[arsenette]

Hey I was at the Jersey shore during that time period and it was FRIGGIN' COLD and flurries.. I can't believe you ran in that.

[werewolf]

wow , great result
Nice job , you can be proud of that

[arsenette]

Nice post race report (It wasn't up when I wrote). Loved reading it. Nice that you have a good analysis to build on.

[AussiePete]

I've never even considered running a marathon, so please excuse the ignorance. But can you explain the food choices for the day before the race? Full of complex carbs, which I can understand, but you seem to have deliberately chosen very bland/plain food. What is the thinking behind that?

[dudesky1000]

Thanks guys! Evidently I had a lot of fun writing the analysis...I'll try to keep things a little more brief in the future though to make it less of an eyesore and more concise.

Jan 28, 2014 20:57:59 GMT -5 AussiePete said:

I've never even considered running a marathon, so please excuse the ignorance. But can you explain the food choices for the day before the race? Full of complex carbs, which I can understand, but you seem to have deliberately chosen very bland/plain food. What is the thinking behind that?

Excellent question. There is quite a lot of debate on this topic, and it really applies to any race, regardless of distance.

From my understanding, there are two parts to the answer: yes, complex carbs are generally agreed upon to be the optimal fuel to be stored the night before a race. They tend to digest slower and supply the body's storage units with far more energy than simple carbs.

However, it is also important to be consistent with your food choices before a race. For example, if I have a habit of eating half a plain bagel before all of my significant training runs, and my body has become used to digesting that particular food during my runs, it would only make sense to keep my pre-race breakfast to half a plain bagel because that is what my body has become accustomed to. I would almost certainly be better off eating half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead, but by doing so on race day I run the risk of cramps, indigestion, or, in the worst possible case, the craps! xD It's a funny thought, but even this little curveball to your system can throw off an entire race--the clock doesn't stop while you take care of business! 

Of course, you and I are probably thinking the same question now which is: why didn't I get into the correct habit in the first place? Well, in this particular case it's really circumstantial because I had just come off of bowel rest from my hospital visit, and was still trying to take it very slow with simple foods. BUT, in general, I could be better about this and will make a more concentrated effort in the future. For the sake of simplicity though, I thought it wiser to play it safe so to speak.

Keep the questions coming! I certainly don't know it all, but having been trained by pros, I've got more knowledge than I have the capacity to abide by it... if that makes any sense

[dudesky1000]

So it has been about a week. I suppose I will make it my duty to write up an update about once a week or so.

The recovery from the Manhattan Half was surprisingly smooth. I wasn't as sore as I had anticipated, nor did I sustain any injuries, so for the first time I was actually able to do 'recovery' runs after a race! This past weekend was my 20th birthday (February 1st) and I managed to get my brother to come with me, and he never runs, so that alone was a worthy birthday gift.

Now, just to make clear, he hadn't been running in just about 3 years, and even then, he had only gone on a few runs with me while I was attending school in The Bahamas where the students had to train for a Half Marathon (where my running life began). Yet, he was still able to hang with me at about 10:00/mile pace for not one or two but 5 miles. Not bad for someone who spends his week working at a desk! He felt pretty refreshed from it and hopefully it will inspire him to continue as a part of his lifestyle. It has countless benefits.

Other than that, I was pretty much relegated to the dreadmill treadmill because of the crappy weather here. It's just been slush and rain and I didn't feel like ruining my sneakers this week, so I did one 'easy' run on the TM at the gym where I go to college, and then one tempo run just a couple of days ago. I never really think of pace in terms of min/mile when it comes to the TM, instead my mind works in mph. For example, my tempo run this week was 10 min. warmup -> 10 min. acceleration from 6mph to 8mph -> 40 minutes at 8mph (est. 7:30/mile pace).

I do have one last announcement-- I have registered myself for my first ever 10k race, The Queens 10k! Should be a load of fun in the heat of June, and a fun new course I have never run. The 10k distance is probably one of the most difficult for people to master because it is so inconveniently between the speedy 5k and the endurance-based Half Marathon. You need to be very fast to be competitive, yet you've got to have incredible stamina. I'm at a strange point in my training that I don't really have either, but it gives me something to work toward!

That's all for now 

[AussiePete]

Wow, I'm impressed that someone who hasn't run in 3 years can run that far.

Miles miles miles miles... 10k. Interesting that some races are measured in kilometres. (We're on the metric system in Australia so all these "miles"es, "pounds"es, etc don't mean much in my head.)

[arsenette]

Feb 5, 2014 19:10:45 GMT -5 AussiePete said:

Wow, I'm impressed that someone who hasn't run in 3 years can run that far.

Miles miles miles miles... 10k. Interesting that some races are measured in kilometres. (We're on the metric system in Australia so all these "miles"es, "pounds"es, etc don't mean much in my head.)

LOL I love this website because of it.  I've gotten used to getting a general idea in my head of weights and distance between the 2 measurements but when I want specifics I use that. Hell.. I have it bookmarked.

[dudesky1000]

Feb 5, 2014 19:10:45 GMT -5 AussiePete said:

Wow, I'm impressed that someone who hasn't run in 3 years can run that far.

Miles miles miles miles... 10k. Interesting that some races are measured in kilometres. (We're on the metric system in Australia so all these "miles"es, "pounds"es, etc don't mean much in my head.)

I like to think a lot of it is mind over matter!  I didn't tell him how far we were going, just to follow me. Why he trusted me I don't know, but before he knew it we were at our turnaround point and on the way back I told him by the time we get home we'll have gone 5 miles (8k). He couldn't believe it either, haha.

Sometimes the thought of the distance can be so intimidating. When I ran 4 miles for the first time, and they told us beforehand how long it was going to be, it seemed endless!! But once you have covered the distance a few times, and your mind wanders to that place where your body feels like it is on autopilot, distance isn't so daunting--but you will begin to fear pace...

[wrestlingfan55]

Feb 5, 2014 10:56:22 GMT -5 dudesky1000 said:

 birthday (February 1st)

YOU'RE KIDDING? O.o ME TOO!

Anyway, I love reading your stuff.

[dudesky1000]

Feb 6, 2014 12:42:39 GMT -5 wrestlingfan55 said:

Feb 5, 2014 10:56:22 GMT -5 dudesky1000 said:

 birthday (February 1st)

YOU'RE KIDDING? O.o ME TOO!

Anyway, I love reading your stuff.

Ha, that's awesome! Happy belated.

So, another week has gone by and I don't have much to update you on. It has been quite icy outside and nasty in general so I was only able to get in one run outdoors, which was pretty bad due to the entire way being covered in ICE (it wasn't until about a mile into my run... did the shovel guys just call it quits??). I pulled off just my second run this week today on the treadmill and decided to make it an easy run for an hour. There was a guy next to me killing it at 8.3 mph for about a half hour. I settled for 7mph (aka ~8:30/mile or for the rest of the world ~5:20/km) for the full hour. I feel really happy when I resist the temptation to compete with the guy next to me when he's going faster!

I forsee the next week being equally run-less due to the upcoming winter storm. Bleh. Can we just have spring already?!?!

Oh, and one more note. I have added a third goal this year now that I took a look at the three events I put on my 2014 calendar. They are all a part of the NYRR Five-Borough Series, New York Road Runner's signature 'Grand Prix' that takes place throughout the year, with one race being contested in each of the 5 boroughs in NYC. I have already run the Manhattan Half, and am registered for the Brooklyn Half and Queens 10K. The two remaining events are the Bronx (In September) and the Staten Island Half Marathon (October). Bronx's distance is TBD, and who knows if I will actually be able to compete in all five, but if I do, I automatically qualify for the NYC Half Marathon...something I failed to do last year (wasn't fast enough).

[arsenette]

Oh don't get me started on this damn snow.. this is what.. Storm #11??

[dudesky1000]

Feb 12, 2014 23:13:04 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Oh don't get me started on this damn snow.. this is what.. Storm #11??

I know. It has kept me inside for the last week or so on the treadmill. Finally today was the first day since the 7th that I got to run outside. It's kind of hurting my goal of reaching 1000 miles by the end of August (when I first got my GPS watch), but I guess I can count some treadmill 'miles'.

What a beautiful day it was today, too! I went for my first long run in a looong time (9 miles), and am actually also battling a cold and sore throat. It was just too nice outside though in contrast with the mucky weather of late, that I had to go for it despite feeling crappy. Running while sick is a whole other discussion I suppose. My general rule of thumb is, if the sickness is all above the neck, then it is fine, and if it is below the neck (chest cold) to take the day off.

So it is official, I will NOT be running the NYC Half Marathon this year. I landed a job to be Assistant Director on a big film shoot during my spring break and the dates will overlap, even if I were somehow granted charity entry. I'm a little relieved because, if I were to do another Half Marathon, I would really like to be fully trained for it. The turnaround between that race and the one I just did in January was too narrow for me to start a new training pattern to break my goal of 1:35 anyway. Hopefully I'll actually qualify for next year's! Meanwhile I will keep upping my mileage as the spring nears and the Brooklyn Half Marathon shall be mine!

[dudesky1000]

So I HAVE returned from my big film shoot over the break and have already clocked in two easy 5 mile runs outside. I had been on my feet working for 12+ hours for 8 consecutive days--as you can imagine, other than sleeping, my first inclination upon regaining my freedom was to go for a run.

There is something interesting about running for the first time in weeks--you tend to feel invincible. Your lungs are certainly fresh; it's not like you exercise much on set. And despite being on my feet for so many hours, it isn't exactly like my legs were drained from pounding the pavement for hours or lifting weights in the gym. You tend to feel loose, perhaps a tad stiff for the first mile but then something clicks. And you just fly. And boy did I!

On the very day I returned from the shoot, I went for what I categorize to be an easy effort run. I'm too tired and it is too late right now for me to really go into this, but I have something of a categorical approach to determine what kind of run I go on, depending on the day of the week, date and effort of the previous run, and date and effort of the next planned run. Simply put, there are easy, medium, and hard runs, each of which have their own specific workouts. Most workouts in general fall under the easy category, and most of those are what are commonly referred to as base runs i.e. logging in a bunch of miles at a non-demanding pace. The idea is to accumulate more miles over the course of the week which helps to build endurance and muscle memory for a particular pace you wish to become easier.

Saturday's easy base run: 5.14 miles in 38:50 (7:33/mile) Feat. 6:27 mile at end (at medium effort)

Monday's easy base run: 5.08 miles in 36:46 (7:14/mile) Feat. 6:16 mile at end (at easy/medium effort)

I don't want to get too excited or anything just yet, but if you know anything about my average pace over the last year or so (which has been around 8:00/mile), these paces for 'easy effort' are extremely promising for the upcoming Brooklyn Half. It could simply be that I am very fresh from the two-week break. It could be that I somehow gained some kind of endurance in my legs by being on my feet for so many hours without necessarily taxing them last week. It could be just two very lucky runs. I'll need to go for another on Wednesday to see if my hopes of busting a plateau are vindicated. I felt very good all throughout, and honestly didn't even realize I was going so fast for the fifth miles on both runs. They just kind of happened. I have had unusual runs like this in the past, but not twice in a row with all variables being similar. The fact that I actually improved from my first run this week was not what I was expecting, and I never really felt out of breath or like I was fading... except for the very end when I did begin to have to work for it. But still-- 6:16/mile 'easy'-ish pace...it is really promising for me!

[thatoneuser]

Congrats on the gig!