Getting speed and endurance back up. Third 5K was in 24:03 so pretty happy with my rapid progress back to old form.
I may be too optimistic, but I signed up for a full marathon May 14th, nearly a year to the day since I started running. I had planned to wait until 2017 when I'll have many more miles underfoot before I tried one but my October half marathon, and the training leading up to it, went so well that I figured I could manage a full by May.
I signed up for the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon. It's a paved "rails-to-trails" trail in central Minnesota that goes between four small towns. No other races are associated with it, just the marathon and the field is limited to 450 runners. That will be a stark contrast to my half where they had 18,000+ runners between the 5K, 10Mi, and HM.
My plan is to keep running about 25 to 30 miles per week throughout the winter until early February then slowly ramp up the weekly miles until I hit 50 to 55 miles before tapering. Based on my HM time of 1:56 the race time calculators indicate I should be able to complete a full in 4:02 to 4:05 but with continued improvement in my running I hope to do better. Just how much better I have no idea. When I signed up for my half my goal was 2:30 and I crushed that. Between now and then I have a HM in March that will give me a better idea what to expect.
I know I'm bringing a thread back from the dead (and my membership here since its been a while) but I thought I'd let everyone know I'm running the Boston Marathon again this Monday (Bib #30278). This year I'm running for charity so that was a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Currently it looks like its going to be partly sunny and 70 on Monday. I'm looking forward to it! Last time (in 2014) the last 5 miles, pretty much since Heartbreak Hill, were almost pure misery so this time I'm going to try to enjoy myself more.
Congrats dabrock! I don't know how I'd do in a spartan race. I have a hard enough time on the road!
Speaking of adding difficulty it also turns out that I have a torn meniscus on the inside of my knee. I got it about a year ago but it was from a nasty fall at the gym so I thought it was a bone bruise. It was sore throughout my race training but in mid-February it got really bad (I was hobbling on declines like a 90 year old) so I've had a couple of cortisone shots to get me through training and the marathon. So far it's held up well but I'll probably end up getting an arthroscopy afterwards. It'll be nice not having to ice my knee every day.
This is a long-winded way of saying don't expect any PR on Monday.
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Wow, that's hard to run with that type of injury. Hope you get through without any further issues. I'm pretty sure surgery will be the only option so hope the recovery goes well after the race!
I know I'm bringing a thread back from the dead (and my membership here since its been a while) but I thought I'd let everyone know I'm running the Boston Marathon again this Monday (Bib #30278). This year I'm running for charity so that was a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Currently it looks like its going to be partly sunny and 70 on Monday. I'm looking forward to it! Last time (in 2014) the last 5 miles, pretty much since Heartbreak Hill, were almost pure misery so this time I'm going to try to enjoy myself more.
That is fantastic! Good luck!! FWIW, I had my knee scoped out several years ago and surprisingly, my running hasn't been affected by it. I expected it to limit my miles.
My marathon training was going very well until last weekend. I had my second 20 mile run and felt strong the whole route. I went for a marathon pace finish for the last 6 miles and actually ran about 20 seconds faster than MP. My goal time is 4:00:00, or a 9:10 pace, but at the end of the run I was doing so well I figured I should try for something better.
The last couple of miles on that run I felt a slight discomfort in my lower calf, about 2 inches above my heel bone. No biggie, I've felt that before.
The next day I played in basketball game (My son's BB team vs. us dads...I had to play!). That was a mistake. My achilles pain started going away as I warmed up, but by the end of the hour, it came back...hard. That night and Monday I was hobbling and very concerned about missing my first marathon (May 14).
It did get better during the week, and the doc I saw said I should have no problem recovering by the marathon, so I'm hopeful, but I'm laying low for now. I quit running for a week, and I skipped a planned 25K trail race last Saturday. I'm going to slowly try to get back into it this week, starting with a few miles and seeing how it goes.
I no longer care about my finish time, I just want to be able to cross the finish line now. I have had two 20 mile runs, and I've tested my nutrition plan, so I have no doubt I can do it, IF I can get my Achilles squared away.
I no longer care about my finish time, I just want to be able to cross the finish line now. I have had two 20 mile runs, and I've tested my nutrition plan, so I have no doubt I can do it, IF I can get my Achilles squared away.
I know I'm bringing a thread back from the dead (and my membership here since its been a while) but I thought I'd let everyone know I'm running the Boston Marathon again this Monday (Bib #30278).
So how did it go? Did your knee cause you any trouble?
It went pretty good, all things considered. No problems with my knee. The big issues were that it was more humid than I was expecting and there was a headwind the whole way. But I hydrated and fueled much better than last time and enjoyed the overall experience. I wouldn't say I enjoyed running for that period of time but I was able to appreciate the crowds and the moments and all that.
Congrats!
What do you mean by paved trail? Asphalt?