| Author |
Topic: PF Chang January 2007 |
azredbirds
Cool Runner |
 posted Dec-30-2006 10:02 AM
  
Howdy folks!!I am in Arkansas (visiting family for the Holidays), so my two runs this week (4 miles each) were very hilly. I really don't know if I can do this half marathon, but I know I can at least walk the whole thing if I have to. I've been running my runs with an 8 minute to 2 minute walk-run ratio and that works pretty well. We'll see how far I get with that before I have to start walking. And then crawling....lol. You guys sound like you've all had great training for this and I'm sure you'll do well. My buddy and I are going to the Expo on Friday when he gets to Phoenix....He's excited about the marathon and thinks he'll break 4:00... Good luck to all!! ------------------
Matt
azredbirds
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mollysmuppet
Cool Runner |
posted Dec-31-2006 05:31 PM
Yes, big time taper jitters here. I've been feeling fantastic on long runs through 18 miles. Then knee pain hit on my 20miler - I got through the distance but it hurt. Took a week off running, ran lightly, attempted a second 20-miler on Xmas Eve and quit at 12 miles. So I'm doing a LOT of rest, have a knee brace to wear, and am running just a little bit before the race. 6 miles today, minimal pain. I'm just so worried now that I will have lost some cardiovascular ability (I'm balancing less running with lots of biking to try to compensate). There's no way I'm not running this race, it just may hurt a lot.
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kestrou
Cool Runner |
posted Dec-31-2006 08:15 PM
MM,What kind of "knee pain" - iliotibial band? If so, now that you've had a week off, there's good stretches for that - just start them very slowly/lightly. This would definitely pay dividends at the full distance as my IT bands used to be very tight and would flare up on distances of 20+ miles. Good luck - less than two weeks now gang - everybody enjoying the tapers?  kestrou
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tommy14277
Cool Runner |
posted Dec-31-2006 09:02 PM
Never experienced or felt what a real "taper" actually is, only know about it from what I've read. Perhaps may not even have worry about it at all this time around with my 1st. marathon training experiment. I have pretty much mini-tapered every other week for 18 weeks now, so the only thing I won't do between now and the gun is any more 20+ mile runs. Think I'll run a real easy 16 next week and then decide what will happen the last week. This for me, is entering un-charted waters so I am taking it one-day-at-a-time. [This message has been edited by tommy14277 (edited Jan-01-2007).]
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spinach
Cool Runner |
posted Dec-31-2006 09:56 PM
quote:
Originally posted by tommy14277:
Sorry for dbl.post.
You can delete a post by clicking on the Edit/Delete Message icon above. It is the one with the paper and pencil. Good luck with your final two weeks of taper/training.
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eryn23
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 12:08 PM
I am very much enjoying my taper and gearing up for the race! I'm getting more and more excited every day...I really feel like I'm ready! Hope everyone else has had a great holiday and is ready for our race! We just need to enjoy and cherish the experience while we have it!!
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kestrou
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 12:52 PM
eryn23 - did you say that this was your first marathon?I don't want to "bring the room down", but while I'm enjoying the taper I definitely have some trepidation. This is BQ attempt #3 for me... First shot was Quad Cities on 24 September - was on pace at mile 24, then flamed out and ended up in the Med Tent - didn't get out until 3 1/2 liters of IV later. Second shot was Chicago on 18 October - was on pace at mile 26 - and flamed out on the hill right at the end and turned my legs to jelly. Actually LAID DOWN ON THE COURSE within sight of the finish line. Not sure how long I lay there, but got up and then staggered across the line - missed qualifying for Boston by one minute and ten seconds.  Since then, I ran a great 50 miler (JFK50) and have been training hard - so I'm hoping that Phoenix is my "Golden Ticket", but I've learned to respect the distance and I don't have that newbie bravado I had a few months ago. I can tell I'm stronger/better now than I was on my last two attempts - and just set a 10K PR of 39:13 two days ago - but it's the last 10K that's the toughest, not the first! I've heard that the definition of Success is when Preparation meets Opportunity. Happy New Year to all - and hope your preparation meets opportunity in 13 days. kestrou [This message has been edited by kestrou (edited Jan-01-2007).]
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mtmom
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 04:28 PM
Hello everyone!I'm a very late poster here but just wanted to wish everyone good luck on 1/14/07 and try not to go too crazy these last couple weeks!!! My training has been going pretty well. I ran 16 miles on 12/30, 13 at MP. Unfortunately due to the extrememly icy roads I had to do this on the treadmill but it wasn't so bad. I played with the incline & ran at a 2 1/2% incline for miles 7 & 8, then 1 1/2% from miles 9-12 to try to similate the course a bit. I've been following Daniels' plan this training session so this week I have a couple more longer tempo interval runs and then it's all easy runs after that. I didn't have time to read all the posts here but I did see some discussion about the course being boring. From my own personal experience I never really notice the course that much anyways. However, I do remember hearing the bands from San Diego and thought they were an adrenaline booster; the screaming girls from Wellesley and CITGO sign from Boston last April; and the mooing cows & pouring rain from the MT Marathon last September. Looking forward to running in Phoenix. See you all there!
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eryn23
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 08:00 PM
kestrou~ yep, this is my first. I feel like you're trying to tell me that i'm going to suck but...i'm not expecting to be great, I'm just hoping to get through it in one piece, definitely not BQ. Good luck to you though. Please excuse my "newbie bravado," didn't mean to try to be positive and lift everyone up at all.
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mollysmuppet
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 08:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kestrou:
MM,What kind of "knee pain" - iliotibial band? If so, now that you've had a week off, there's good stretches for that - just start them very slowly/lightly. This would definitely pay dividends at the full distance as my IT bands used to be very tight and would flare up on distances of 20+ miles. Good luck - less than two weeks now gang - everybody enjoying the tapers? kestrou
Yes, pretty much ITB. I've been stretching and working on strength work. Hopefully I'll hold up ok for the race!
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kestrou
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 08:14 PM
quote:
Originally posted by eryn23:
kestrou~ yep, this is my first. I feel like you're trying to tell me that i'm going to suck but...i'm not expecting to be great, I'm just hoping to get through it in one piece, definitely not BQ. Good luck to you though. Please excuse my "newbie bravado," didn't mean to try to be positive and lift everyone up at all.
Oh no - I don't mean to personally try and bring your mood down. Sorry if you took it that way! I RAN quite a few marathons before I decided to RACE them. Running them is fun - I've even done them in costume But now that I'm trying to "race" with a very specific goal in mind, well... they just aren't as much fun. My problem - not yours - just wanting to get this monkey off my back. Now back to your regularly scheduled happy thread! kestrou
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rhoon phast
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 08:18 PM
Hi eryn,I didn't get the impression that kestrou was suggesting you'll have trouble. Just asking a question, then moving on to his fears that he will have trouble. Just my read on it. You should be in great shape for this, as you've done your miles and followed through. Rest and enjoy.
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Troy
Running resume My running log [This message has been edited by rhoon phast (edited Jan-01-2007).]
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azredbirds
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-01-2007 09:26 PM
Well, 8 miles today....Certainly not fast, but if I can keep this pace for the entire 13.1, I'll be thrilled. Now, if my knee would just quit hurting.....The plan is to run/walk 10 next week, and then make the big jump to 13.1 on January 14th...Not ideal, I realize, but you can't very well have ideal training when you have to take a month off two months before the race. eryn it sounds like you are excited, and that is cool. I'm sure you're going to do great. Tom ...Your training is really unconventional in that you are still running such high mileage so close to the race...Hey, whatever works, though...Right? Troy ...I hope it's not too hot for you down here....Your most recent training runs have been in that zero degree range, and I'm guessing it's going to be considerably warmer than that here...Just a hunch. You'll be fine, though, I'm sure. When are you arriving? Going to give yourself enough time to acclimate? ------------------
Matt
azredbirds
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mcsolar99
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-02-2007 12:42 AM
mtmom: nice to see that you're running in phoenix! no cows on this course for sure... and pretty darn pancake flat. of course it's too early to start talking about the weather, but that won't stop me. here's a link to the past week of phoenix temperatures:http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=twc&sid=KPHX&num=168&raw=0 the last real hard workout for me is tomorrow morning. will time the workout to start around race time (7:40am) and hope that race day will be as nice as tomorrow is forecast to be. it's mantra practice time:
(1) calm and confident, i run fast and easy.
(2) hello fatigue; my best races are when you're with me.
--mc_psychobabble (must be taper time...)
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mcsolar99
workouts
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eryn23
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-02-2007 11:28 AM
Alright kestrou...sorry I took your post personally. I thought you were being one of those holier than thou, annoying as hell runners ( I know you know the kind I'm talking about )
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mtmom
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-02-2007 03:52 PM
Thanks for the info mcsolar. Those temps and windspeed look great! I'm looking forward to dry roads too! Did a 9 miler today and incorporated 30 minutes of tempo pace within this run. My last "hard" run will be this Fri or Sat. 2 x (35 minutes easy pace + 15 minute tempo pace) + 2 miles easy. All easy pace after that! Well - maybe a few striders next week too.
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tommy14277
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-02-2007 05:14 PM
Actually, Matt, I'm really not running that much. My last "long" one will have been 16 days out from the marathon. A little close to the gun for what most training programs have you do, in that they have you run the last long one darn near a month out. Even though I have 4 runs in @ 20 or longer, my weekly totals are WAY low by most training standards. My experiment is, can I do it on such low mileage? I keep hearing that training for a marathon is centered around the long run. So, that's what I did at the expense of running less days and less miles the rest of the week. I needed to in order to recover. Could I have gotten greater gains by increasing my mileage and run 5 days a week VS 3.44 days a week and have a better time? I'm sure of it. I hope to run the RNR marathon in San Diego and will probably try a more conventional approach for that one.
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rhoon phast
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-03-2007 12:53 AM
Hi Matt,I wish it had been up to zero today while I was running...warmest I saw today was -14 when I left the house to go running. Not sure if it got a bit warmer than that while I was running or not, but it was colder by the time I got back. I'm very excited about running with shorts on...can't imagine why. Running in really cold weather is quite fun in its own right, but it is more fun for one or two day snaps. We're in the middle of a two month snap, probably can't call it a snap at that point, huh? I'm flying overnight with my two kids, leaving Thursday and getting to PHX Friday morning. I don't know if that is enough time to acclimate or not, but it is what I have. I've shown in the past that arriving the day before the marathon is not enough time, so now I'm trying for one more day than that. I plan to run a slow 2-4 mile run Friday, and maybe 2 miles Saturday morning just to keep the system working. When I figure out my plans for packet pickup I'll post them. My runs this past week have been painful, running sick. Both my wife and I have a frustrating malady that included sore throat and congestion at one point, but is now just a general sick-to-stomach feeling. I feel either sick-to-my-stomach hungry or sick-to-my-stomach-why-ever-did-I-eat-anything-that-feels-terrible. Although I do think that the terrible has downgraded to uncomfortable, so that's progress. Just as long as it's all gone by race day. ------------------
Troy Running resume My running log
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kestrou
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-03-2007 09:36 AM
quote:
Originally posted by eryn23:
Alright kestrou...sorry I took your post personally. I thought you were being one of those holier than thou, annoying as hell runners ( I know you know the kind I'm talking about )
"Holier than thou" - nope, not me at all! "Knowledgeable of the pain I'll be in" - definitely - you'll note I pretty much "run 'til I drop" and I'm sure I'll do the same at Phoenix. "Full of self doubt" - at least partially true after getting SO close at Chicago - the funny/sad part of that story is that I actually had it in the bag - needed a pace of only about 9:00/mile for the last 1.2, but misread my pace band and watch and thought I needed a pace of 7:00/mile - mental mistake on my part is what burned me out literally 200 yards from the finish. "Trying to bring somebody else down" - again, not me at all! My demons are my own - didn't mean my description of them to transfer to anyone else! Good luck - and ENJOY yourself! I enjoyed my first marathon immensely - and even though I had a walk break (or two? ), I finished with my head up and still have the plaque, picture and medal hanging on the wall in my office even thought that's the slowest marathon I've ever run. kestrou
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rhoon phast
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-04-2007 02:03 AM
Starting to feel like I may be kicking this bug, which is in good time. But the weather is not getting any warmer. I may end up dressed like I'm in Tahiti in summer during the race. It will seem that warm for sure. This morning during my commute run to work it was -35...I've run on -40 days before, but by the time I got out the door it was always warmer...actually the coldest before was -27. Although I can't honestly say I noticed -35 being a lot different than that...they're both real cold...I hear Phoenix is warmer. ------------------
Troy Running resume My running log
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kdraley
Member |
posted Jan-04-2007 11:31 AM
Troy, you may be better prepared than the rest of us. Right now they are saying sleet showers on the 13th and 14th. I hope they are wrong.
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azredbirds
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-04-2007 11:37 AM
weather.com's 10-day forecast only goes to Saturday, the 13th, but it has the high of 64 and the low in the mid-to-upper 40's....Surely it's not going to sleet with those temps, right? It does forecast a 60% chance of showers that day...We'll see. I certainly wouldn't mind cloudy, but don't particularly want to run in the rain...Rain certainly beats -35, though....That's just crazy Troy. You're going to feel like you're in an oven when you get off the plane....If it's cloudy and in the 30's at the start of the marathon, though, you'll probably be okay (the fewer clothes should offset the temperature difference, right?). ------------------
Matt
azredbirds
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eryn23
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-04-2007 07:41 PM
Alright guys, I am starting to get nervous...Although I am following my training plan, I just feel like I am not running enough right now! I am scared that race day will come and my body won't be ready for that 26.2 miles!! Someone please console me.... 
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rhoon phast
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-04-2007 08:40 PM
Eryn, welcome to the taper jitters. There isn't much you can do at this point other than hurt yourself. I'm ending up with quite a few miles this week and appear to have finally kicked the dread virus that held me in its grip recently. But I'm not running any long runs, just doing steady daily miles, and next week I'll be running a grand total of 27 miles or less, which is pretty minimal compared to my schedule the past four months. The thing about tapers is they allow you to save up a bunch of energy. But saving up energy leads to...taper jitters. It's part of the cycle. You can worry about it, you can stress, you can feel like you aren't running enough miles, but the one thing you CAN'T do (without hurting your race experience) is go out and pound a long run to help 'prepare' for the marathon you've already prepared for. Your next real preparation is for marathon number 2...------------------
Troy Running resume My running log
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JSM
Cool Runner |
posted Jan-05-2007 01:52 PM
I just made all my plans and signed up yesterday for the race. talk about last minute! But I'll only be running the half.Best of luck to everyone!
Josh
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