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Post by dudesky1000 on Mar 31, 2014 21:13:29 GMT -5
Thanks! It was definitely my biggest Assistant Directing gig yet. My goal is to direct one day, so getting to work on these big shoots as second-in-command is a great way for me to make connections and build a resume. This weekend I was AD'ing another film shoot--it's the busiest time of the season for production. It's really competitive out there so I'll keep working whenever I get the offers! Back to running. You might be wondering--was the third time in fact the charm? Did I prove that I could handle a new, faster pace at the same easygoing effort? Did I magically cut over 30 seconds from my average pace per mile? Not really! For my third and last run of last week, I decided to literally go the extra mile-- a 6 mile, easy effort base run. Unfortunately, it was never easy. I probably felt kind of good at first, at least, good enough to run a 7:07/mile right off the bat. But from there it was a fight. I decided to turn it into a long medium effort tempo run, which was not planned or wanted. I really had to fight to hold the pace and my frustration didn't exactly help either. Despite the struggle the finish was a highly satisfying one--finished in 42:59, edging the time goal that I set halfway by a meager second. Finished with a 7:10/mile pace average... not bad for a tempo So today I decided to tone it down just a little bit, go back to 5 miles, and make sure I didn't go out of the gate too quickly. First mile ended up being a comfortable 7:45/mile, and I felt decent enough to speed up...until mile 4. I sped up again for miles 2 and 3, in 7:34 and 7:17 respectively. After that, I began to fade again. Held on for a 37:14 finish, and for those keeping score, a 7:26/mile average. My assessment is that while I do think my running form has improved a bit, which is making me move a little faster and a little more economically, I don't I found the miracle diet or routine that I had hoped for. I have introduced core and lower back work to my gym routine recently, so if anything, that has helped. But the battle rages on! I think for my next runs, I will attempt to target a more achievable easy pace. Ideally a 7:40/mile pace. It won't be a gigantic leap, but it is certainly an improvement over my 8:00/mile easy pace from my last training season (for the Manhattan Half in January).
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Post by Philip on Mar 31, 2014 21:37:27 GMT -5
Definitely not as impressive as your running skills, but not too long ago my mom challenged me to a 1 mile race. She thought she could beat me, but I beat her by like 5 minutes Keep up the good work!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Apr 20, 2014 9:39:38 GMT -5
KING SIZED UPDATE
So I've been a ghost for a while again, working hard, going to school, etc. but this past month has proved to be quite a decent one for my training.
Here is a short summary of all of the runs I've done since my last update:
April 1st, 5 Mile Easy Effort in 39:13 (7:46/mile): "Better, but still a little tough" I think I was trying to tone it down a little more, but the pace was still tough to be considered 'easy'. In hindsight, I think this is just a result of fatigue. I had just run a the day before at a much faster pace!
April 3rd, 5 Mile Tempo in 35:44 (7:09/mile): "Fought really hard" This was probably a very silly thing to do, to go out for this run, because it was my third run in four days. Tempo runs are quite tasking and while this wasn't the best one I've had, they always make you fight, which is good for the mentality. With that said, I don't think I ever went below 36 minutes before on that course...Maybe with a little more fight I could break 35!
April 5th, 8.5 Mile Long Run in 1:10:25 (8:12/mile) I actually remember very little about this run. I think the path I ran was a little all over the place because I couldn't decide if I had enough time that day to keep going. As opposed to the previous runs, I think I felt quite great at that pace.
April 6th, 5 Mile Easy Effort in 42:59 (8:31/mile) I got a new running buddy! She was once a competitive cross country runner in HS, and also looking for a running buddy, we found each other working on a film shoot. This was our first time running together and we kept it at a pretty cool pace, cruising along so we could converse as we went along. This is about my marathon pace, which I could keep up forever, so it felt pretty good despite a hefty week of running!
April 11th, 8 Mile Easy/Medium Effort in 1:00:03 (7:27/mile) So here's a little thing about running that us runners have a tendency to do: on almost any run, at any distance, no matter the intended effort or the intended finishing time, we are constantly revising our goals for that day. It doesn't matter if you convinced yourself that your goal was to finish in 40 minutes--once you get to the last mile, and you look at your watch to see that you've been going much too fast, you don't tell yourself "okay, I'll slow down to still make it in 40 minutes", there is hungry animal inside that convince yourself "MUST FINISH UNDER 37 MINUTES!!!"
And man does it SUCK to improvise a time goal like to finish an 8 miler in 1 hour, and miss it by 3 seconds. Even if the goal was thrown in there at the very last minute (literally), it still kind of sucks. That was me, going from an easy 4 miles, a decent 3 more miles, to a final mile frenzy at my hardest effort to make it under that 1 hour. And I missed. Boo hoo. But we always have to stay motivated for the next run, and how you use the disappointments is the most important factor.
April 16th, 6 Mile Easy Effort in 52:20 (8:24/mile) Another nice relaxing run with my new running buddy. My GPS watch was malfunctioning so badly at first, she had a lot of patience to wait for it to work as we stood out in the cold LOL.
April 18th, 12 Mile Steady State in 1:31:41 (7:31/mile) This is probably the most important run of this update, and I have color coded it yellow because it is not quite as difficult as a Tempo run (which I have elected to assign as orange, the hardest effort runs will be assigned red) but not really what I'd call easy/medium effort. The object of the steady state run is to maintain a heart rate and breath rate at a pace that is much faster than your easy pace but slightly slower than your Tempo pace (aka your Lactate Threshold pace). I should go into this in more detail another time, but that's basically all you need to know right now. I tried to maintain a pace in the neighborhood of 7:31-7:11, and did pretty well to finish within that bracket while not feeling like death. It is an important run because it is the first 'longer' run that is closer to the Half Marathon distance, something I need to get serious about for the upcoming Brooklyn Half 2014, which I believe is my best chance to break 1:35:00, a goal I so narrowly missed in the frost of January.
It is looking promising! If I were to drop my pace by just a little bit, and just fought a little harder, I may be able to do it. I still have a couple of weeks for quality training runs, so with a couple of more long runs and some actual speed workouts, I might just be able to elevate my fitness to where it needs to be!
...And one final note, I've decided to surrender my goal of 1,000 miles before August 31st. It just isn't happening. I have logged 419 miles since last August 31st, and with 102 days left, that means I would have to run over 5 miles per day remaining. I'll revise the goal to 750 and will be more than happy to walk away with that--it's still a lot of miles!
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Post by dudesky1000 on May 15, 2014 15:13:06 GMT -5
And, just as I had said that I had a couple of more quality training weeks, I somehow managed to not do much more running. Finals and other responsibilities got in the way, and I couldn't find the time. So here are my pre-race thoughts: The year of improvement continues this Saturday, at the Brooklyn Half 2014, the hip, faster younger brother of the NYC Half Marathon. I'm diving into this one without much in the way of endurance training, so I'm a little more nervous than usual, not really knowing how fit I really am. It is worth noting that this is the first time in my running career that I am actually running a real race for the second time--I know the course mile-for-mile and can draw on past experience! It's a pretty cool feeling, to no longer be a rookie . From what I can remember, this race was physically and mentally challenging, particularly because of Ocean Parkway, which I believe spans for the last 5 miles of the race, and it's basically an endless straightaway! Last year, I must have been on pace to break 1:35:00, but the illusion of not getting anywhere was simply too much, and at times I had to stop and walk. My legs were beat up, it was a hot day, and I remember just feeling like I was getting nowhere. Hopefully this year I can go into the race expecting that feeling. The course is best summarized in two parts: Prospect Park, which is loaded with twists and sharp turns, and Ocean Parkway which is essentially a flat, straight line. The final mile is very cool: we run through the amusement park at Coney Island and the finish line is on the boardwalk. Altogether, it's a pretty flat course, very different from the Manhattan Half and more like my training grounds on the East River. Therefore, I do think that this course suits me, and it will probably be my best chance for a sub-1:35:00 Half Marathon this year. Here are some fun statistics that I am really just typing out for my own purposes but might entertain some of you who like numbers. I'm putting my time splits for my two previous half marathons side-by-side, comparing them with the time that I need to beat to reach my time goal: 5K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 23:47 2014 Manhattan Half: 23:37 Time to Beat: 22:28 10K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 47:04 (23:17 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 46:07 (22:30 split) Time to Beat: 44:56 15K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 1:09:35 ( 22:28 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 1:07:50 ( 21:43 split) Time to Beat: 1:07:24 20K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 1:32:52 (23:17 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 1:30:16 ( 22:26 split) Time to Beat: 1:29:52 Finish Time2013 Brooklyn Half: 1:37:50 2014 Manhattan Half: 1:35:35 Goal: 1:34:59 Something that you will notice, that I hadn't even realized until just now, is that I have put in a few splits at the pace that I need to break my goal... There was even one split at the Brooklyn Half last year at goal pace that I didn't know about! Considering how much I have improved since then, the numbers look very promising. The only disconcerting thing is how much I faded away between 15K and 20K in both races--a split where I should be hitting my peak rather than falling apart. In conclusion, here is my strategy: 1. Shave some valuable time off of the first 5K, while remaining careful about the force of the downhill. Last year I remember going for a strong start, and I know that I paid for it by the end--but this time should be different. My form and fitness have improved, I am lighter than I was a year ago, and have a little more experience to calm my starting nerves. Putting 'time in the bank' is almost never a good idea, but to an extent I need to become better at starting races. In both of my previous HM's, I've been over a full minute behind pace, which heightens the pressure to play catch-up later on. 2. Get comfortable with a 7:15/7:10 pace by the time I get onto Ocean Parkway and hold onto it. I had managed to sort of do this last year, but the endlessness of the parkway and my inability to hold that pace led to my downfall. This time, I should be able to do it. 3. DO. NOT. LOOK. AHEAD. On the straightaway of course--it's the same thing as looking down a bottomless pit. I think this time I will set my mind on the avenue signs and the other runners to feel like I am constantly progressing. Even though I am not competing against anyone other than myself, the feeling that you get from picking out a runner ahead of you, catching up to them and passing them is something that helps me stay focused and mentally strong. 4. Save something for the last mile and go for it. Last year I had nothing left in the tank. At the Manhattan Half, I fought like a maniac and it probably took 30 seconds off of my finishing time. If my legs were a little less tired, I might have been able to start my attack sooner, and I might have even broken my goal then. 5. Remember to drink water; it's not below freezing anymore, so there will be a lot more of a physical battle. Water and gatorade along the way will be crucial. I think I will also carry an endurance gel with me just in case... you never know! Wish me luck! I'm going to pick up my bib number this evening. If you want to track my progress in real time during the race, my bib is 5561, and I'm in the first wave. The race begins at 7am on Saturday morning. Gonna fight to the end!
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on May 15, 2014 23:59:19 GMT -5
Good luck! I always enjoy reading these even if I don't contribute much to the conversation. Give us an update (and a possible pic) after the race!
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Post by dudesky1000 on May 22, 2014 1:31:05 GMT -5
Well, I am back from the hospital! Yep, you read that right. I'm back from the hospital! So here goes nothing: BROOKLYN HALF 2014 RACE REPORTLet me begin by saying that this has possibly been the most eventful weekend of my life since I was attending The Island School in 2011. This past Friday night was the premier screening and web launch of the Bollywood film I Assistant Directed (which has since gotten almost 35,000 views on youtube! ), and it was also the eve of this race. It was POURING outside after the screening, and it was such a great time for my career that I simply didn't want to leave for the sake of fueling up. As a result, I didn't get home until much later than anticipated, and had to keep my dinner much smaller than planned, which I think is alright. My pre-race fuel this time was a modest bowl of plain spaghetti with butter, and my breakfast was 3/4 of a peanut butter sandwich on cinnamon swirl bread (could eat this sandwich every day btw). I think on some level, we can generally agree that people are often plagued with nightmares of missing important events in their lives, such as an important presentation, a big day at work, or for an athlete, an important match or even the title match. Now picture the horror on the face of every runner who wasn't aware that a certain subway line was under construction and wouldn't be headed to the start line! AKA, me --> I was really trying to keep calm, but my heart couldn't help but race as I looked at the clock continue to tick as I navigated my way through the back roads of the MTA. I was still going through security when the starting gun went off, so my bib number, the highest I have ever been awarded for this size race, 5561, turned out to be a complete waste. Instead of starting with room to kick into my race pace, I was forced to hang with the 15000-16999 crowd...not a lot of room to move. That was probably the moment I knew that I wouldn't be breaking any records today. The Brooklyn Half gained almost 10,000 entry spots since last year, making the usually manageable roads of prospect park SUPER congested... But OKAY, OKAY, enough of that, I'll get to the actual race! xD The race started like a game of F-Zero, dodging a million vehicles on a crazy fast downhill road. Except the vehicles were runners and instead of being able to slam into them to gain ground, I had to weave through them without being a jerk! Because of this, my first couple of splits were slower than I expected: 8:10 and 7:48... so began the ultimate game of catch up to bring my average pace to 7:14! On the plus side, dodging people was actually kind of fun, and the conservative pace warmed me up nicely. The hip Brooklyn crowds were out in full force, and the conditions were so absolutely beautiful. Regardless of the result, I was really enjoying myself. 5K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 23:47 2014 Manhattan Half: 23:37 2014 Brooklyn Half: 24:11Time to Beat: 22:28Coming in at 5K, I knew that my split hadn't exactly gone according to plan... I had gone even slower than last year, let alone it wasn't anywhere close to the time I needed to beat my goal! At this point I kind of gave up on that. The sea of runners was still very thick, and I tried to focus on getting to a place where I could loosen up and kick it! In the end I decided to play it patiently through the rest of Prospect Park, and follow my strategy to gently settle into my goal pace. The best part was running into a couple of my teammates who were setting excellent paces themselves. It made me really excited to train with my pals at Team Continuum again in the summer, and gave me a little boost of encouragement as we neared the dreaded Ocean Parkway... 10K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 47:04 (23:17 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 46:07 (22:30 split) 2014 Brooklyn Half: 47:21 (23:10 split)Time to Beat: 44:56Finally, we rounded the last turn out of Prospect Park, away from the crowds, and descended down a steep roadway through an underpass. I let the gravity of the hill accelerate me into a momentous pace, and then the gauntlet began, the endless road toward oblivion that is Ocean Parkway! For the first time, I was able to give myself some space from the field, due to the sheer width of the roadway. I could let loose and go at my own pace, and it was even more beautiful outside than it had been in the park. My lungs felt open, my legs felt fresh, but as I looked at my watch and tried to do the math in my head, I noticed that I was over 2 minutes behind the pace I needed to achieve my goal. Of the first 6 miles I ran, only one was below 7:14 (3rd mile was an awesome downhill that I pocketed in 7:05), yet I somehow needed to make 7:14 my overall average pace. To do that would mean to do something I have never managed to do before, to run 7 consecutive miles under a 7 minute pace, in the second half of a Half Marathon, and of all places on Ocean Parkway (!). I didn't want to think about the time too much. That's the mindset that led me to fade last year. This time, I just wanted to focus on getting a good, fighting start to the parkway. The first half of the race had control over me, and limited me in a way. I was more than warmed up. I felt like a bow just itching to fling an arrow into the air. So I turned my head down, leaned forward, and began my cruise, letting my legs flow freely, turning cyclically, striking softly. This was my chance to see the full results of my training so far this year. 15K Split2013 Brooklyn Half: 1:09:35 (22:28 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 1:07:50 (21:43 split) 2014 Brooklyn Half: 1:08:34 (21:13 split) Time to Beat: 1:07:24After a few surprisingly good splits (6:35, 6:52, 6:54) it occurred to me for the first time in this race that I might actually be able to break my time goal after all. Of course, the thought of the goal had been in the back of my mind all along, but suddenly it became something more than a fantasy, a little distraction to get me through the middle of the race. It was something tangible--it was within my grasp! But I was still behind pace. And just like that, I looked back up toward the road and it was as if all of the weight of the sun's hot rays were stacked upon my shoulders. It became hot. My legs became heavier. My mentality had taken a sharp turn, now that there was something at stake. As I progressed toward the 10th mile, I knew that I had to make a crucial decision: whether or not to go for it. If I maintained my current pace, I could at least beat my time from last year. On the other hand, just maybe, if I could find it in me to kick even harder and somehow make up for the lost time... But there was still a lot of running to do, and a lot of risk of burnout, if I were going to aim for sub 1:35. Last year, I took that risk and paid for it.
In the heat of the moment, I could not listen to reason. I could not rationalize anything. Some instinctual force compelled me to just start running faster. The miles that followed were some of the most grueling that I have ever endured.
20K Split
2013 Brooklyn Half: 1:32:52 (23:17 split) 2014 Manhattan Half: 1:30:16 (22:26 split) 2014 Brooklyn Half: 1:29:41 (21:07 split) Time to Beat: 1:29:52At this point, with less than a mile to go, I was hanging on for dear life. My legs had never worked this hard for this long, my lungs had never felt so labored, and my brain had never been so irrational in its frenzy of pace projections and calculations of remaining time. My head kept telling me that I could slow down a little and still make my goal, but I wouldn't let my body believe it--I had come so close, fought so hard, and my legs hadn't failed me yet. My heart couldn't face the possibility of missing my goal by mere seconds. I had to keep going, until my body dropped flat on the pavement...! SpoilerSpoiler
....But I didn't drop flat on the pavement! I soared on the coney island boardwalk, darted toward the finish line aaaaaand
Finished in 1:34:36 !!! It's a new personal best in the Half Marathon for me AND...
2014 Goal #1: Break 1:35 in Half Marathon ACCOMPLISHED!
Sorry for the fun formatting, this is me having too much fun after a long week, hehe.
Here are my splits (which are always a little funky due to GPS but are mostly accurate): 1 8:09.7 2 7:47.9 3 7:05.0 4 7:20.9 5 7:30.3 6 7:23.8 7 6:34.8 8 6:51.8 9 6:54.2 10 6:39.1 11 6:45.8 12 6:52.7 13 6:48.3 .27 (after 13th mile) 1:51.9
In conclusion, I probably could not have asked for a better result. I was actually very surprised after looking at these numbers after the race--I had no idea how far behind I was for most of the race, and how much catching up I actually managed to do. Despite my late start, I actually think the crowded field may have helped. I do not know if I would have had enough in the tank if I were free from the start to run at my own pace. So once again, what appeared to be bad luck turned out to be good luck! I think this is the first time that I actually maintained negative splits (every 5K)!
And that is what I am happiest about, my ability to mentally overcome the endless Ocean Parkway and string together so many sub-7-minute miles to break my goal in the final few seconds. The race itself was a boatload of fun, with unbelievably nice conditions, great motivating spectators and the awesome Coney Island home stretch through the theme park, past the Cyclone and onto the boardwalk.
As for future time goals, of course I am already thinking about eventually gunning for a sub-1:30 Half, but for now, I just want to enjoy this result. It means so much to me. I feel validated for my training efforts so far this year.
I know I mentioned the hospital, but it's a long story that's probably unrelated to the race itself. Just know that it was Crohn's related, I am fine now, and I got to enjoy a few days of lying on my back and giving my legs some due rest. I should be back on my feet sometime soon, but as I said, for now, I will enjoy this result...though rest assured, the year of improvement will continue!
Bib Number: 5561 Overall Place: 1,554th Place out of 25,611 finishers Official Finishing Time: 1:34:36 (7:13/mile average)
I'll leave you with some photos from during and after the race! Don't mind the watermarks lol
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on May 22, 2014 2:28:24 GMT -5
Dude that's awesome! Scared me there for a moment. Glad you are resting finally though. And yes having that horrible feeling when something completely out of your control happens to impact your life.. /facepalm
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jun 14, 2014 10:36:35 GMT -5
Hello folks! It's about time for an update, I suppose, and I've got a real interesting topic: Sneakers! When you get right down to it, they're the only piece of equipment a runner uses--when you take away all of the specialized tech shirts and socks and utility belts, you can still run and even compete, if you're skilled enough. But without a pair of decent running sneakers, and I mean ones that are specifically built for long distance running, not your Air Jordans (why would you want to run in those anyway???), you and your legs will suffer hardcore. Now, you may be tempted to enter your local sporting goods store, run to the running section and pick up the fanciest looking pair of Asics shoes. Well, I'll tell you what will happen. Today you will feel like a real 'man', your shoes got alllll the cool colors, they were the most expensive ones on the shelf, the laces just scream 'you'. In two month's time, you will be suffering a slow and painful defeat, regular runs will feel like marathons up crooked hills and down treacherous valleys. Your legs will be all banged up and you might just cry in public! Everybody's legs are built differently, and even more specifically, everyone's feet. Everyone's natural running gait varies as well, so it is extremely important to take all of that into consideration when the time comes to purchase new sneakers. You may ask, how do I figure all of that stuff out? If I run in my current, payless basketball sneakers, won't I 'suffer hardcore'? Do I have to see a foot specialist? NOPE! Most specialized running stores, and even the running departments in many sporting goods stores have stations to solve these mysteries. They're called treadmills, and they will even let you try on a number of shoes to run in on the spot. Some, like JackRabbit Sports, the store that I shop at personally, have a video analytics system attached to the treadmills to replay and analyze your running form in real time. From there, you'll know what category you fall under, and then will have your selection narrowed down to a specific 'shape' of running sneaker. Then, you have to decide what your purpose is for this sneaker: Am I going to train for a marathon in this sneaker? Am I going to just run every day in this sneaker? Am I a weakling looking to add strength? Do I run mostly on pavement or dirt paths? Or is this pair of sneakers for a specific race, only to be used on one day? There are many different purposes. After THAT(!) your selection will be narrowed down to a specific shape and type of running sneaker. From there, it's just about a matter of preference! Generally, all of these sneakers are in a very similar price range, so there really is no better or worse 'quality' as long as you are choosing between major brands such as Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Mizuno, Nike, Newton, and Saucony. They're pretty much all around $100. For me, I'm 1) a weaking looking to add strength, 2) looking for a shoe that will be durable enough to last me through my next few months of marathon training, and 3) one that will respond well on pavement. For the last year, I was using Brook's Ghost 6 shoe, and I was very pleased, avoiding injury for most of the year and improving in nearly all of my training distances and race times. It just so happens that a new model of Ghost just came out, the Ghost 7, and I tried them on for a spin--absolutely loved them, and they were an instant purchase for me. Some people like to switch brands and models to try new things, which is certainly a good idea for those who are facing a plateau in their training. But I have to admit, putting on that fresh, uncompressed, unused pair of Ghosts just made me fall in love all over again. Also, I think the name of the shoe is just friggen' cool. GHOST POWER! I think the bottom line on running sneakers is that you have to really consider them when taking up running. They are almost literally the only piece of equipment a runner has to invest in, and compared to many other sports, it makes running perhaps the most accessible of all. Heck, I spend even more money annually on table tennis equipment (the high quality blade and rubbers which need to be replaced every once in a while to remain competitive), and next to basketball, it's the cheapest to practice by miles (literally). Don't skimp out on your sneakers! You'll not only be cheating yourself of your health but your overall enjoyment of the sport. A great pair of sneakers will fit on you like a glove and can make you feel weightless. As always, if there are any questions, I'd be happy to have open discussion!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jun 19, 2014 23:36:29 GMT -5
This weekend, the year of improvement continues at the Queens 10K 2014, a race that has kind of quietly crept up on me out of nowhere! This race is one of New York Road Runners' main '5 Borough Series' events that can determine your qualification for the next year's NYC Half, arguably the most exclusive race that NYRR has to offer. I missed this year's edition because I didn't qualify. That's why I'll be kicking it in Queens this weekend! I also recently registered for the Bronx 10-Mile, but that's for much, much later. This might come as a surprise, but this is actually my first ever competitive 10K race. As a matter of fact, I've never raced at the 15K, 10K, 5K or 10 Mile distances! One of the questions I get asked by fellow runners is, how do you prepare for a race, not just on the day before or morning of, but in the days prior? In this update I will attempt to answer that question, and hopefully it will be especially interesting because I have never really prepared for a race like this before, so we will see afterward how my planning treated me. For that reason, take what I say with a grain of salt... I'm not an elite runner by any means-- I'm not even what you would call locally competitive! Not yet at least. But take note of my processes and ideas and use what seems useful for you. First of all, I have to begin by understanding what kind of trouble I am getting myself into, hopefully months in advance. Knowledge of the major details about a race is critical when determining the kind of training required. For example, this is what I know about this race: 1. The distance of the race is 10 kilometers, which is almost half of a Half Marathon. 2. The race will be taking place at the end of June. Very hot conditions for racing. 3. The race is on a Sunday at 8:00am. Number one tells me that this race is going to be all about speed and will require some stamina. Although I have never run a competitive 10K before, I have run the distance many times in the form of training runs and know that it can be a very, very difficult distance to maintain a high speed over. My thoughts are that although 10k is not even half of a Half Marathon, which is currently my strongest distance, that will not make this race any easier--in fact, I might be at a serious disadvantage compared to speedsters who do not require a warm-up to reach max speed. I am used to having an entire 10k to warm up with, and THEN kicking it into gear! That's simply what my body has become accustomed to because of my endurance-based training. Therefore, it was critical for me to adjust my training right after the Brooklyn Half. For the last month, I have been trying to shorten my average runs, speed up my first and especially second miles and try to maintain that the whole way (usually a 5 mile run, never really above 6). Number two tells me that it's going to be an OVEN out there!!! To better condition myself for this, I'm going to need to get used to running in the heat of the day. So whenever I could, I moved my runs to the afternoon. I was very, VERY CAREFUL to stay well hydrated and paced myself carefully for the first few runs. Then, as I became more comfortable under the conditions, began to train closer to my race pace. Number three is very important for this week. It tells me that I will need to get my body ready to run at an all-out effort early in the morning. Therefore, sometime tomorrow or Saturday morning, I will go out for a very easy run at 8:00am, just to tune my muscles into running at that time. My theory is that it's important for that to be the final run before the race, because I'm leaving my body with a taste of what it'll have to do on race day, kind of like a very low-effort, very casual rehearsal. Some people like to even go out for this run in the clothes they will be running the race in, but I prefer to keep them clean, haha. Alternatively, this point could also mean that it's a good idea to train mostly at this time of the morning, instead of what I do which is kind of crazy and can be dangerous. That's basically all anyone needs to know to have a decent, enjoyable race. My outlook for a first race on a new course, especially at a new distance is to just train enough to enjoy yourself out there and have a great time. There's not PR for me to beat, there's no course analysis to be done. I just want to be able to feel good throughout the run and do my best! If I were to do this run again next year, I could certainly go into it with a more strategic approach and more competitive mindset, as you saw in my Brooklyn Half 2014 pre and post-race analyses. However, there are certain things to be done in the days prior to a race to ensure that I will be able to at least give it my best go, and they shouldn't be ignored! The week before any race is an exciting time--we get to invent pre-race rituals, concoct gluttonous carb-based feasts, and visualize ourselves leading the front of the pack, making a true underdog story come true with an unexpected yet hard-earned victory! ...Really though, it can be an important few days, and even though we all know we won't be winning any races, or even placing in the top 1000 (unless nobody shows up like the snow-covered Manhattan Half lol), we deserve to give ourselves the best chance to put in a solid performance. 1. The first thing one should do is adjust their sleep schedule as the race day approaches. Ideally you should be able to wake up at the desired time without the aid of an alarm. It sounds tricky and you will probably want to set your alarm on race day so you don't miss the race you shelled out money for LOL, but you get the point and it is possible. Currently I am failing horribly at this, staying up super late and getting no sleep. So I'll have something to blame a bad performance on if that happens 2. The runs during the week before the race must be planned carefully. For example, yesterday was my first run of the summer with the team I train with for the NYC Marathon, Team Continuum. Their first group run is always a 5K fun run, which some people choose to take slowly and some use it as a workout. This year, the timing was perfect for a final workout before my race. Here is my running schedule this week: Mon: Easy, 5 mile Tues: Super Easy, 5 mile Weds: Hard 5k Thurs: Rest Fri: Maybe Easy, 5 mile @ 8am Sat: Easy 5 mile @8am if not already done on friday Sun: RACE TIME The idea here is to give my legs a final taste of hard, fast work on Wednesday, with enough days in-between to make a full recovery. The muscles in my legs will repair themselves today as a rest, but that will not be good enough for me to just go into the race. I would consider that 'running cold', and will make an effort to fit in one more very easy run before Sunday to taper my legs, 'tune' them up so to speak, so the new, repaired muscles will be mechanically prepared to kick it hard in Queens. 3. Drinking a lot of water is extremely important, as is your pre-race nutrition. Especially for me, it is important to not eat anything too adventurous in the last day or two before any race. You don't need to be a carb fiend. Just eat whatever you have been eating most often in the last couple of weeks, hopefully that meal involves some kind of carbs like a baked potato, some rice or pasta or bread, and that should be good enough. Don't shock your digestive system with an overload of carbs the night or morning before the race, unless that's the meal you've been eating consistently for days! There's simply no point because as far as I understand it, you can only store so much carbohydrates in your blood. After a certain amount, it's just extra stuff in there. After that, it's all race-specific. Calculating your goal pace, reviewing your experience on the course, strategizing, etc. is all dependent on your experience with the race you're preparing for. You can do research on a specific race if you've never run a course before, and even scout out the course for yourself and run it in practice (if that doesn't involve you playing human frogger against NYC traffic), but personally I like to be surprised on the day of. It's the one surprise you can afford on race day and it's the one surprise that I believe makes it more fun! Now for my actual pre-race report:As I've said, this is my first ever 10K. I am really excited about this race for a couple of reasons: I love running in the hot weather, and from what I hear, this is a pretty awesome flat course that goes around flushing meadow park, where I grew up watching my favorite tennis and baseball players at the US Open and Shea Stadium. The last mile has us running around the World's Fair Unisphere, which I think is really cool. I picked up my race materials today, and my bib number is 1866...my highest ever! I have to admit that it's pretty cool to see my bib numbers go down more and more as each race goes by. If I have any goal other than to have fun, it's to at least 'defend' my bib number by placing at least 1866th place. I think I've managed to do that for all of my races so far. I want to keep it going! My training has been kind of spotty, but if yesterday's 5K was any indication, I'm still in pretty good shape from the Brooklyn Half training. My health is back to 100% and the tightness in my hamstring has been away since I upgraded to the new sneakers. Hopefully I will be able to run at full force without injury. I am definitely feeling confident after my showing at the Brooklyn Half, so I'm pretty relaxed and will be happy with just about any result, as long as I finish to fulfill my NYC Half requirements. I will, however, be very happy, if I can somehow magically break 42 minutes. According to my shoddy GPS, I've run a personal best 10K of 42:01, which was the last 10K of the Brooklyn Half 2014. So I just need to run two seconds faster without the other 11K that came before it! Wish me luck! And keep sending the questions my way. Dang, that was a long post! They seem to get longer and longer! See you on Monday with the race report.
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Jun 20, 2014 0:45:23 GMT -5
Damn another race already! LOL And grats on your number! Good luck and will look forward to hearing about your run on Monday! Cheers!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jun 22, 2014 10:55:26 GMT -5
QUEENS 10K RACE REPORTWOOOOO HOOOO!!! What a rush! That was a heck of a fast race, and it was a fuuuun one. I like the 10K distance. It's just the right distance for a fast but tactical race, not so long that you'll feel like death at the end, but not short enough to just go balls to the wall. Just far enough to warm up into a fast pace, and then FLY through the last couple of miles (if you pace yourself right and you're in shape to handle the pace your adrenaline takes you to). Not too much to say, other than it was a real treat. This would be a great race for beginners just getting into running; the course is quite flat, scenic, and has an overall celebratory atmosphere for the great borough that is Queens. Just watch out for non-english speaking residents who don't understand what's going on... I heard that a guy in the top 10 crashed into some old guy at the end of the course and dropped like 10 places as a result, lol. There were quite a few pedestrians who somehow got onto the course and were confused as hell at the stampede going on. As for my result, it was my best ever. Best ever 10K, best placement vs. the field, best feeling in the final stretch. It was a whole different kind of rush. I felt like a fireball out there! Beautiful conditions too, and a great course with a lot of sights and variety. I had my mom and brother out there cheering for me today, I think it gave me the extra motivation I needed. Bib Number: 1866 Overall Place: 255th out of 8,410 finishers (holy sh ) Official Finishing Time: 41:43 (6:43/mile average)
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Jun 22, 2014 15:39:25 GMT -5
WOW that's awesome! I'm so happy you did well and didn't have the ZOMG I'm LATE dash you did the last time! I'm ecstatic that you did well also! That's quite the icing on the cake! Relieved no injuries and you had a wonderful time.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jun 22, 2014 23:16:11 GMT -5
WOW that's awesome! I'm so happy you did well and didn't have the ZOMG I'm LATE dash you did the last time! I'm ecstatic that you did well also! That's quite the icing on the cake! Relieved no injuries and you had a wonderful time. Thanks, yeah I had a horrible nightmare about that the last night too! It's the worst feeling for a runner! I opted not to travel via public transportation and went with my family, figured why not? They'd never seen a race from start to finish before, so it was a pretty cool experience for them. I mentioned to my brother that I had a time goal of sub-42 minutes and on a video my mom recorded at the finish line, before I appear, you can hear him worrying that I'm not going to make it on time. From his perspective, it makes me realize how little the margins are in these things. 15 seconds goes by just like that! And that's the difference between feeling accomplished and disappointment. And for him, knowing that I had some goal in mind, to not see me until about 30 seconds before my time was up, and then finally I come around a corner, I feel bad that I made him so worried!!
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jun 24, 2014 14:03:40 GMT -5
So here is where I currently stand going into the next few months and here is my plan to stay fit:
-I have just officially registered for the TCS NYC Marathon 2014. Woo! It's officially on like Donkey Kong.
-My next race is in September, the Bronx 10-Mile. It is the big Bronx race for the 5-Borough Series. If I can complete it, I meet third goal of the year and qualify for the NYC Half 2015. I'll be heading into this race around the peak of my marathon training, so I won't really be doing anything specific for this one like I had to for the others this year. We'll just kind of see what happens.
-Finally, an update on my physical state. It's not very good, unfortunately. My left leg, which has been persistently nagging since the start of Spring is beginning to become more and more of a nuisance. The problem is a little difficult to describe but it manifests itself very simply: sometimes, as my left foot is leaving the ground, I feel a very brief, very sharp tug on my semimembranosus (tendon behind the knee attached to the hamstring). It doesn't exactly hurt or swell, or do anything that effects me, but when it happens, it happens very frequently and it's scary. There's never any pain, and on some runs it doesn't happen at all, but it's the kind of thing that makes me worry that one wrong step and I could be sidelined for a long time. I've had a very good year, and am in very good cardiovascular shape and my running economy is generally very good. But I seem to have some muscle imbalance that I haven't been able to solve lately. My leg strength has never been good, but I have been improving since last year... most of my previous injuries I could understand, but this one I don't really know what to do about. My best guess currently is that my hips and external rotators are weak and my IT Bands are tight, and that I need to strengthen them with direct exercise. My lower back could also probably use some help.
If anybody has any experience in this kind of thing, advice would be appreciated. For now, I'm a little afraid to run, and it's difficult to do something like running when you're afraid that any step could be the wrong one...
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Jun 24, 2014 18:10:05 GMT -5
Go to a doctor. Never get advice from the boards. If you truly want to run and not suffer long-term permanent injury you go to a professional.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jul 1, 2014 14:02:46 GMT -5
So Robby reminded me that I was in the Daily News for my running and involvement with Team IBD Kids. It hadn't occurred to me to share it with you guys but heck, why not! They were nice enough to give me a two-page spread and although they got a couple of details about my story fuzzy (like, my name lol), it was a pretty exciting thing for me. That image is probably going to mess up the whole page of the thread, but I don't really know how to resize it. Oh well! There is an online version too, with some really funny awkward pictures of me and my doctor when we were literally told by the Daily News to 'act normal' like I was getting examined... while coincidentally wearing my racing shirt. LOL www.nydailynews.com/new-york/best-children-hospitals-running-strong-article-1.1818232
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jul 6, 2014 19:10:02 GMT -5
Start of July update:
Health: I had been down with a chest cold for the last week, so no running until yesterday. I think I may have mentioned this before, but I have asthma, and had it REALLY bad as a child. I eventually grew out of it, but still have breathing problems when I get chest colds. Stomach-wise, I've been solid.
Left leg: Perhaps the chest cold was good for me, forcing me to take a break from running for a little bit. I don't really have the insurance to see a specialist, but those who I do trust and have consulted think that I strained it (most likely by bad stretching). Also, apparently my leg muscles are so tight that bullets wouldn't travel through them. So I have to get serious about strength training and self-massage. I've been 'running at too advanced a pace for novice recovery techniques'. If I want to get seriously fast, I have to take my recovery seriously.
Plan: I am taking the measures needed to recover from my minor injury and am using this 'off' period to strengthen my external rotators / IT Bands so they become less tight. I'm rolling the crap out of my quads with a foam roller and am activating my hamstrings and glutes more with glute bridges and the like. I will still run, lightly, to keep my aerobic fitness. When I can, I will go swim some laps at the public pool and am considering purchasing a membership there so I can use their private pool which is just for people to swim laps, and their gym so I can take advantage of the equipment I don't have at home. It's all for the bargain price of $25 for one year.
MARATHON: Yes, if you happened to look at the 1st post where I continually edit things like my mileage, goals, races, etc. I did in fact finally register for this year's NYC Marathon! I am once again running for my charity team, Team IBD Kids which supports the Pediatric IBD Research Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital so children growing up with Crohn's disease can receive better treatment than what we have right now. The really cool thing is, this year I have access to a completely individualized, professional, customized training plan offered by NYRR. One that takes ALL of this information, beyond the numbers, into consideration, giving me my own 16-week day-by-day, run-by-run, full description of what I should aim to do with each run, marathon training plan. Normally this would cost a fortune, but because I am running with a charity, I get this for free. Thankfully, based on my stats, I will still get to do my long runs on Saturdays with Team Continuum and my workouts on Wednesdays with them as well, while having my own personalized, regimented, very specific plan--something I have never had before! Hopefully this will keep me disciplined to complete each run and continue improving.
Until then, I will keep up my active recovery. Marathon training begins on July 14th.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jul 14, 2014 11:44:53 GMT -5
Today is an exciting day. It is the first day of marathon training season! For the next 16 weeks, I will be following a personalized, day-by-day plan. The goal pace of the plan, for the marathon, is to finish under 3:30:00, which is goal number 2 in my Year of Improvement list of goals. The first run was quite simply a 5 Mile Regular Run, with a target time of 39-40 minutes. It's a pretty good run to start out with because this year, the 5-miler has become something like bread and butter for me! It's my usual distance and somehow, the plan seemed to figure this out based on the info I entered. The run was fine--not the idyllic start of the epic journey I had hoped due to wicked humidity (it's going to storm later), but not a bad start with plenty of room for improvement, which is a good thing. I finished in 40:04, which earns me a green highlight for adhering to the distance and pace prescribed to me today. Yay! I think I will make an update at the end of every week, for the rest of the 16 weeks, giving a brief run down (pun absolutely intended) of each run to give you some insight into my actual training, which I think might help some who wish they could see what a professional training plan looks like, but can't really afford to invest in one. Here's a fun preview of TRAINING WEEK 1: Attachment Deleted
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Post by AussiePete on Jul 15, 2014 18:43:42 GMT -5
Your warmup run is further and faster than I can run on a good day. I'll leave the marathon to you, sir, and go back to my weights.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Jul 19, 2014 12:48:50 GMT -5
Your warmup run is further and faster than I can run on a good day. I'll leave the marathon to you, sir, and go back to my weights. I owe it to the fact that I am a crazy person who for some reason finds this somewhat enjoyable enough to do every day despite it being perhaps the most boring sport ever and killing my legs in the long run (no pun intended)! Anyone who is that insane can run as fast as I can, haha. They'll probably go further too. Maybe off the deep end, but further than me, haha. I'm barely surviving off a 25mpw regimen.
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