Aaron Davidson's Group -- Closed. (Page 25)

Aaron... just read your race report.  CONGRATS to you as well on the PR.  This is one BAD A$$ mentor group with everyone dropping PR's like they're bad habits.  Well done with the sub 20 min 5k!!!

And last, but certainly not least... Bob - just read your race report.  Awesome race.  Your run pacing is outstanding.  Congratulations!

Bob/Aaron/Rene... you guys have certainly set the bar high for our race season.  Well done.  My goal for my half mary is simply to finish without walking and to finish as close to 2 hours as I can. 

Everyone had some great things to say about this!  I pretty much concur what was said.
1.  Be grateful you have this outlet (exercise), use it!  Even if it is just for a 30-45 min workout.
2.  Your 10 miler was great!  If you had to, you could run the 13.,1 this weekend.
3.  Go with the flow, things will work out.
4.  Your goal was to run more and you have met that goal, to finish a half is a bonus.


Something I will share with you all....my wife is somewhat a beginner triathlete.  She has had many obstacles in the past 6 months with training.  She got H1N1 which took her out for at least a month.  Recently she got bronchitis, nasal infection and fever (her immune system is weakend due to the h1n1).   Yesterday was her first day back to swimming in two weeks.  She was discouraged.  I continue to encourage her and remind her of the things she has doing for her instead of concentrating on the endurance/speed she lost. 

We all are very lucky to be able to do the things we do (bike, run, swim) no matter how fast or slow (in our minds at least).  Not to mention all the things we (me) take for granted on a daily basis like being able to see, hear, smell, walk, having the people in our lives that we do, etc.  Remember to KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE.  <--- that is something I need to consistently remind myself.

Enjoy the journey!  We are all winners just for tri-ing! 

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and congrats!  I did use that VDOT to figure out my targeted pace for the half (Thanks Aaron!).  When I plugged in my time for the 5K I did a few weeks ago it came out with the equivalent suggested pace for the half marathon.  I have to say I was somewhat skeptical of hitting that time, but it was my goal and I was able to accomplish it.

Even though I was looking at getting a PR and thinking about "TIME, TIME, TIME", as I explained earlier my wife who isn't able to run more that 2-3 miles right now due to her recent sickness  said, "just be glad you CAN run that distance, be good to your body and enjoy the race".  It was a good reminder.  I did enjoy the race and I did PR.

So, so true. I keep thinking that my difficulty with (maybe) training too much...what a great problem to have, because that means:

1. I have plenty of time to train
2. I have a great goal that keeps me motivated to train
3. I'm not injured so I can keep on training

Thanks for the reminder.

On a different note - you all are doing so well on your races! Keep up the pace! It's really getting me excited for the start of our season. I love reading the race reports of people that I know!

Have a great week everyone,

Good morning, team! I got my long run in this morning (10.26 miles) and it felt really good.  I felt like I was struggling a bit through the first few miles, but then got into a pretty good grove.  Then a friend-of-a-friend joined along and she seemed to help me pick up the pace a bit in miles 7-9.  Overall happy with the run and l'm looking forward to my race in a week and a half. 

Another equipment question:  Car bike racks.  I would likely put it on my Prius for now and possibly a larger minivan/SUV later.  Any recommendations?  Thanks.

I have two - one that fits a trunk and one that fits into a trailer hitch, but I don't particularly like either one so I can't recommend either.

Knowing what not to buy is as valuable as knowing what to buy I guess, so I'll get the models when I get home.

Awesome run.  It's great to have a running partner who paces at a similar level, even if it's only sometimes.

I just want to add my kudos to Aaron and Bob (already hit you up Rene!).  Unbelievable weekend for this group. 

Sub 20 5k is a huge landmark, and running a sub-7 mile pace for a sprint 5k is also beastly.  The bar is indeed high!  The rest of us mere mortals have to keep reminding ourselves to compete against our ourselves. 

And thanks for all the reminders about how blessed we all are for even being able to attempt any of this.  You're so right about how we take things for granted that so many people are not fortunate enough to experience.  My wife reminded me of that when I complained about work this week.  There are millions of people out of work, and it's not like I'm doing this as a volunteer - I'm very well compensated, still have time to get SOME running and family time in, so in her words HTFU (she may not be a triathlete but she's getting the lingo!).

Bill - i will let someone who actually has run a 1/2 marathon answer that --- but I do know that my training plan has my last long run about 2 weeks before the race.

There is a great thread on TT about run/walk pacing (see: http://wwww.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=198904&posts=75&start=1 )...what do you all think? Any merit to the run 4 min/walk 1 min approach? Would it make it easier on your joints/muscles?

I did my last long run 7 days before the race.  I think if you run another long run (10 or higher) in four days it might be cause for injury.  I would recommend against it.  I would do some biking (less impact) but still get that cardio and I would taper, maybe do a 6 or 8 miler then a 4 or 5 miler.  A few days before race do an easy 3 miler.  You can look at my logs to see what I did a week before the race, not that I am a guru or anything!...just to get some ideas.  Good luck!

That is quite the thread going on there!! I have read the Galloway site also (since it is free, comprehensive and online) but I wasn't a fan of the walking/running method.  When I was training for my marathon I tried walking in the early stages but realized if I did this I would lose a lot of time.  One person stated on that thread it is good for people who want to run 8 min/mile or slower, that makes sense.  I think you could justify it there.  I think if you do your weekly long runs and build up that base, you wouldn't have to walk unless you really want to, but if it takes walking through the aid stations for someone to finish the race then absolutely do it.

I don't have time right now to look at that whole thread, but I think I read that strategy a while ago and tabled thinking about it for a while.  Didn't he claim to use it run a sub 3 hour marathon?  I thought it was interesting since I've since read that most people walk a fair amount during the marathon portion of an IM.

And when he talks about walking, it's not strolling to catch your breath.  It sounds like still a pretty serious pace, right?  Do I have the right guy?

Chris Leito walked on several occasions during the World Championships in Kona this year and he finished 2nd.  I'm petty sure his walks weren't "planned", but rather just because he was fried.  My goal is to run the entire half mary with an occasional walk through an aid station to make sure I stay totally hydrated. 

I am guessing I'll be asleep on the couch at about 8:30 tonight.  GOOD NIGHT!

My opinion and I'm not a coach nor do I play one on TV. I quite often run with my father-in-law's run/walk group. He's 68 and he does 4/1's or 5/1's. My kids go with me and we do 5/1 or 6/1 sometimes if we're going longer than they can go just running straight. I think it helps with two things. 1.) it helps the runner build up tolerance for being out there longer.  This is about wind (that's what I call it...can't get enough oxygen) and walking lets you recover some wind to keep going. 2.) it helps the muscles take a break as outlined in the thread...let's call that stress

So if you're constrained by wind or stress, it's worth a shot ...possibly a great way to build up to being able to run consistently for longer by training your wind and reducing stress.

I personally would rather just run straight as I don't think I'm constrained by wind or stress...more by, let's call it, endurance. I can get a comfortable pace where I feel I can go forever...not too much stress, not too difficult to get air...I just eventually get tired. When I run/walk, I actually seem to get tired faster because I never get into that 'zone' where I'm comfortable...or when I do it's just about time to walk again. My legs are more tired/sore and I cramp up on the walk portion.

The other thing to consider is the amount of time involved. I went out for 12 training run by myself and wrapped it up in just under two hours...I went out with the R/W group for 12 it took us over 3 hours. Maybe that's part of it...just getting used to being out there for 3.5 hours but I was way more tired and sore (and sun burnt (have to rub the SoCal part in a bit)) after the R/W version.

Of course, he's running the LA marathon and I'm not so maybe I just don't understand the secret.

Wow, that is impressive!  Didn't know that...I think I am going to start walking.

I'm with you Bob, when I walk I lose my momentum and start "feeling" the effects of the running.  It is really a personal preference.  Walking through the aid stations just enough to get hydrated make sense.  When I depended on aid stations (I carry my hydration with me now), I use to slowly jog through and I would spill the drink on me and get a portion of it into my system.

I agree, that is an interesting concept to use in IM marathon or HIM.  I read about the run/walk/run method when I was training for my marathon last year, but since I continued to be able to run the increasing distances in my long runs, I never considered that you could go faster doing that method. 

Ditto... I only walk when I "HAVE" to walk.  It's also a mental thing... If i'm running a race, I want to RUN the race.  That's part of the challenge of doing endurance sports.  But that's just one back-of-the-packer's humble opinion.

This is all great feedback...thank you! I agree that for me (and I'm not passing judgement on anyone) if I "said" it was okay to walk, I would "allow" myself to walk more...and it's a slippery slope. Also, I don't feel like it would be necessarily helping my overall fitness - I want to be able to find a good steady pace and feel like I could keep going.

What is compelling to me has everything to do with my long run from last weekend...first time I have run 12 miles and it is the first time I didn't have fun during training since I started this...it was a slog. Would it have been less of a slog if I had walked part of it? Would I have felt less beat up at the end? Who knows...I do know I ran the whole thing, which makes me happy. I can't decide if the mental aspect of running/walking would be impactful (I know - not a word, but I'm still drinking my first coffee) enough to make it worth my while.