Runner's Forum: The Official: Training Summary Start Up Thread

Hi All! I'm new to mapmyrun.com and I love it! I got back into running this year after an 8 year layoff.  Ran my first 5k, mile run and half marathon all in the last three months. 

My training is taking a beating right now as I am nursing a cold and a deep bruise on top of my left foot.  Set out for a 5-6 mile tempo run on Monday and had to pull up at 4 because of a strange pain in that same left foot.  I think I need new shoes.  Or at least it sounds like a good excuse to get some. 

Hopefully I'll get out tomorrow for a 5-6 mile jog to just see how the foot is feeling.  I've got to get my long runs up in a hurry if I want to make my first marathon in November.

I wanted to comment to LexB about the long runs getting ready for a half marathon: I ran my first about 3 weeks ago.  My longest run prior to it had been 11 miles.  I got a nasty 24hr stomach virus about 5 days before the race.  I was able to run it fairly well - not quite the time I wanted but felt good finishing.  If you can't get a 10 or 11 mile long run by two weeks prior to the half marathon, I probably wouldn't try it. But then again, the whole thing is so exciting even if you're not in the best shape at the time of the race.  I would say it all depends on your goal.  Good Luck!

Ran an awesome 4 miles today!  It was my first time with my new sneakers.  (to answer someone's above question...i got the Nike Zoomeros 3)

Kdogg...i hear you are the expert...

so my initial reading on these shoes...i definately felt like I was running on clouds....however, i felt like I was running on them barefoot...does that make sence?  I felt (and heard) myself pounding on the ground harder than before.  Im trying to take into consideration that I was running with cross trainers before...that had a chunk of rubber under my feet...

 But the good news...after the run, I barely felt tired.  Usually, my legs feel quite heavy...but today..nothing.....How does one judge if a shoe is perfect for them?

13 miles for me today...about half of which was run at Tempo pace.  It was definitely warm & humid.  But I made it. 

Lex:  I think you will be fine for your Half-Marathon.  Since you have only run up to 9 for your long run, just don't try to break any speed records.  Relax, get into a comfortable pace, and I believe you will make it through it just fine.

D Jammer:  Don't worry about not being as fast as some of the people in this forum.  Most of us aren't.  The good part is the fast guys and gals are very helpful to us mortals.  I run simply for fun and fitness and I want to be able to do it the rest of my life.  I enjoy that I can enter a forum such as this and learn from accomplished runners and young speedsters.

Happy Running!!!

Hi All, Had a worrying Personal training session today - feel very tired and light headed, this is not normal for me. Last time this happened - last year i ended up having two months off - I was over training.

After such a wonderful run on Wednesday - maybe I am just a bit tired. Hopefully I will bounce back - I have my big 32kms this sunday

Boyjame and GraemeC - welcome to the madhouse.  GraemeC - 1:34 for a half and you're new to running?  Awesome start.  3:30 for a marathon is very respectable; if you did the half feeling strong and have put in the miles in training (3hrs for 22.5 miles sounds like you have definitely been doing the miles) then 3:30 is definitely do-able.  I was reasonably consistently doing halfs (halves?) in around 90 minutes and most of my marathon times were around the 3:30 mark.  According to certain charts, a 90 - 95 minute half time should translate to roughly a 3:10 - 3:25 full, although it never quite worked for me over the full distance.  Good luck.

Took yesterday off and got back on the horse today with 13km, with around 5km at tempo.

Hi all.

I onto my last 10 days before Berlin. Two sick 1 year olds at home which is actually good...better now than next week!!! So I will take it very easy (bit sick myself) to make sure I am fit as a fiddle next week.

 Harro08. Enjoy the taper... I was suprised how much my motivation is lacking the taper (I'm still doing the training of course) - It's just seems to have dragged on for ages. And since there is nothing one can actually do in the taper (no major challanges) other than stay injury free, I feel like I am just going through the motions.

Anyway.... I seem to be unable to run much slower than 5mins/km on a flat course without loosing form so most of my short runs now are at "marathon pace"......

Safety pinning the gels to the inside of my shorts seems to work pretty well....so I think i am "good to go" as you Americans say.

GraemeC1983 - I am probably doing Dublin next year with some uni mates. I'll look forward to hearing a race report!

Pappypage - what week of the intermediate II are you on now?

Fricster - are you running Melb. marathon as well?

Welcome to the fun, thomas, boyjame & GraemeC! And thanks for the encouragement, Gilly. I wasn't really feeling down about my mortal speed, because I like to think that I am old enough to know better than to kill myself by trying to run too fast!

 Anyway, ran a 4 mile tempo with a mile-ish before and after for warm up and cool down. My tempo pace was a mere mortal 7:33, but it was a good workout for me.

I used to run listening to music, but I felt like my affinity for punk rock would "artificially" crank up my speed. Then I read a safety article on road running and the dangers of having music crammed into your ears (as opposed to listening for cars). I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on the safety v. hazards, but I now run listening to the music in my own head. Which works fine until you get stuck on a song and can't quite figure it all out! Then I concentrate too much on figuring it out and I mess up my pace. Oh well, that's just my own little quirk!

Hi All,

Been a while since I have posted but I have not stopped running (okay, maybe scaled it back for a while but I am back at it for longer distances).  I ran 5 miles today at lunch and made pretty good time (41:30) which is about normal for me lately.  I don't have a lot of time during the day to commit to longer runs but I do want to mix things up a bit.  I am hoping to drop my time a bit and make my runs more interesting (yes, I already listen to music) so I am hoping for some suggestions for speed work (note that I am running on the streets and not near any tracks at all)and since I do it at lunch I don't have an extravagent amount of time to do elaborate things (like go and find a track) but I do want to increase my fitness.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated (I'm looking at you Chiggy, KDogg, Ex-K1w1...please).

Hi All, - Welcome to the new forum folk, it is a great community to be part of - we are getting very international now!! I ran an easy 5kms this morning before breaky - trying to have fresh legs for Sunday.

Welcome back Harro - I can recommend an ebay site - who seem to sell lots of Asics for pretty cheap - thay are based in Melbourne - so are quick at delivery ( I am guessing you are a local to me???) look for "Uptempoair" on ebay

Simmo - I am doing the melbourne on the 12th. Getting very, very nervous and excited all at once!! I have my longest run this week, of 32kms - which I am starting to carb load for today - by eating out at Bistro Vue (for those that don't know a very fine place indeed) I carry my Gu's - which turns them into a kind of hot chocolate by the time I need them - eeww...

I am looking forward to the taper - although I suspect that once I get there, I may suffer taper madness as described by Hal Higdon - Yikes!

Good Luck Chiggy, and Steve 921 - I am looking forward to hearing how you both go! Inspires me  to hear the stories of your achievements - very impressive.

Just got back from my long run, 10.5 miles in 1hr37mins (9:16 pace). Pretty tired. I took an energy gel at 6 miles. My legs were still tired towards the end but I persevered. Had a few hills including the hell-hill (Dempsey Road - a 200m climb over just more than 1km). Still haven't made it all the way up hell-hill in one go! It's a lot cooler here and I actually felt a bit of a chill on the way home.

Reasonably happy with the run and feeling more confident about the 1/2 now. Will make a real effort to get that 4th run in each week. To be honest I actually find that in terms of motivation and enjoyment 3 runs each week is optimal for me. When I go for 4 I find it feels like a bit of a chore and that just makes my whole focus and motivation slacken off. I guess I just need to battle those psychological demons. Thanks for the input Gilly  - here in Vancouver we had been enjoying a second summer but fall seems to have hit home with a vengeance this week.  

BBQ tonight - (in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day!!) so going to have a lovely day of rest tomorrow. Maybe go for a hike or something... will go for fourth run on Sunday. 

sweet, good job Steve. You got the whole season in front of you to drop time and if you keep working hard, it is gonna drop.

Not to embarrass chiggy, but on the TTU cross country site, there is a big picture of him running, haha. I was checking on the site to see how the meet turned out, but they don't have results up yet. 

10 easy miles for me today, I ran the course for my race tomorrow. Looks like it could be a fast run if I wanted it to be. A nice little six miler, should be sweet

haha yea kdogg im glad you didnt see the results of the race, it would embarass me far more than that picture. I wont even post a time, let's just say it was a good bit slower than even my tempo runs haha. If your really curious ill probably put it down in my log tomorrow, but for now i have to get to sleep. I've got a long run to do in about 6 hours.

great job Steve keep it up!

Thanks ex-k1w1 - I guess a marathon is a race of 2 halves, the second half by far the hardest. I'll gladly take a 3:30 any time though for sure.

SimmoT - I'll put a race report up no problem. From what I've read the crowds on the streets are meant to be amazing. It will be a long day for me as I'm not staying down in Dublin - so the day will begin at 4:15am with a 4hour bus journey - and the same back after the marathon.

 Just over 14 miles today in 1:45:22 (7.31 pace) - legs were still feelin a bit sore after the 22.5 miles clocked on Wednesday. Tonight I'll be putting the feet up and hoping to see Team Europe put some blue on the board - may have a few bottles as well.

One quick question, I'm a Asics GT2120 man - and I think they're discontinued now as I've tried lookin everywhere. Does anyone else use this shoe and any ideas where I could get a hold of a pair online?

Have a nice weekend all !!!!!

14miles this morning, i accidentally set my alarm for 6pm instead of 6am so i woke up at 9 and had to do my run alone. Warmed up the first mile then dropped down to a quicker pace for the next 10 (65min at 11miles) and jogged in the last 3. Didn't feel too great again.

well at least you won and got prizes kdogg haha, all i got was embarassed.

Graeme- the 2120 has been discontinued and you can still find it online and at a discounted price (just do a shopping search on google) but in limited sizes. It has been replaced with the 2130 which is practically the same shoe but just a different style. So if you cant find the 2120 in your size this is probably your best bet.

KDogg:  Congrats on your win.  32:15 for a 6 mile race and you call that "one of those blah runs."  Simply amazing. We mortals bow at your feet.

Tranquil: Nice work.  It is wonderful when you look forward to your runs.  Non-runner would never understand that.

Happy Running!

took the day off today, first rest day in weeks.  Tomorrow gonna do an easy 4-6 miles and then on monday I have a dual meet, should be fun.  Mostly likely wont be setting any personal bests monday since theres not much competition, but ill try.

My first long run since my half marathon 10.09 miles.  I took it slow because of the knee  - completed in exactly 2 hours.  Knee felt a little weak but did not bother me much.

3 easy miles today at 6:40 pace, then a 12 mile bike ride. Felt really good even though my calves are a little tight.  Cross Country tri-meet tomorrow, hope to to good but probably wont result in a p.r especially on the confusing course im doing tomorrow.

Hi Everyone - I hope you are all having a good weekend. I had the most wonderful day of hedonism yesterday, mostly spent on the sofa, scoffing comfort food, watching movies and having afternoon naps : )

Today was back to the grind! Did an ace 4 miler and felt great, first mile was easy, then two miles tempo then fourth mile at pace. Felt really good doing it - very strong, lots of energy, slight twinge in hip every now and then but rare. Very happy indeed. I think my 10.5 miler exorcised some demons for me!

I've been gone for about 3 weeks on a trip to Europe (northern Italy for 2 weeks and Prague for 1 week - half business, half pleasure).  I did some awesome runs while there - here's a few links to my favorite routes during the trip

A six miler in Riva del Garda:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/italy/riva-del-garda/156221950946

A seven miler around Prague (lots of hill time)

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/czech-republic/praha/738083361513

A 9 miler around Florence.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/italy/firenze/522222667298

 I put in about 110 miles in the 21 days I was in Europe (including some walks with my wife) but managed to gain about 4-5 lbs, while I was there (too much good Czech food and beer probably ;) ) I also lost a bit of my endurance/speed since I didn't run as consistently as I'd like while I was traveling.  It's hard to get exercise/vacation and some work in all on the same trip especially with travel time eating up some of the time.

I've got the Leavenworth Marathon Relay (a 6 man team) coming up in just under 2 weeks and I want to run my section at a 7:30 pace or better.  This AM (with the jet lag still working on me) I was only able to do 2 miles or so at that pace so I've got some work to do over the next couple of weeks.