kalalau's Group - FULL for now (Page 30)

Bachman Valley Half Marathon is this weekend too, as well as a 20 miler on the Baltimore Marathon course.  Two nice options.  I consider Bachman a given for me to do when in town, but I am headed to Savageman to watch Roger try to make it up the Westernport Wall. :-)

Just imagine, if Chrissie Wellington wants to redeem herself, maybe she comes back, and Abbie and Chrissie can hang out and talk triathlon! ;-)

Doh, sold out.  Oh well, that's what happens. 

I think Columbia is over 2000 people.  Yeah I get talked into lots of races I don't want to do.  Ask me about Dreaded Druid Hills 10k and the Annapolis Ten Miler next year too and it'll go the same way.

Best strategy for any race is consistent pacing.  Barring that, then you can try negative splits (faster second half than first).  See if you can give me a race that has each mile at the same pace.  If you wear a heart rate monitor, you can sort of do this by judging your heart rate during the whole race.

It's dangerous to start thinking "what do I need to do for a half to make sure I can do a X:XX marathon."  You can't decide to do X:XX for your half marathon based on what you want, you do X:XX because that is where your training is right now.  But, given that, I would say that I would feel good about a 3:50 marathon if you could do a 1:45 half marathon.  That's an 8 min average pace.  McMillan and other calculators would be more lenient on you but thus far I haven't seen those predictors work out for a marathon.

You really aren't that far from a 1:45 half marathon.  You might not do it this time but you are getting faster each week.

Based upon your training and your races, I would think you would end up around 1:49-1:50 if you pace yourself well.

Do you wear the metatarsal pad in races as well?  Does it move around?

I actually like the "maxing out at 20" idea.  If anything it'll be a nice experiment to see if it's better or worse for you.  I have a hard time getting a grasp of training using this site but it looks ok to me except you had some periods of no running.

I wouldn't get too tied into comparing a training run against a McMillan race predictor, except to know that you can do better than what it predicts.  I like to compare races against races.  We don't have much from you recently for running races, but I seriously doubt you are that much different than the 2:06 runner we saw at Frederick.  I bet you can do 4:30 on a good day/course, but if you want to play it conservative, 4:45 seems like a swell idea to me, especially since we have that pace group, and your training run tonight plays really well into that plan.

On race day, you will be tapered, have eaten well leading into the race, you will be running in the morning and not after a long day at work, and you will be well hydrated.  Add to that, that the weather will be cooler than most of your runs this summer.

Just rechecked the logs.  The consistency for the long runs isn't really there, and you sort of jumped from 12.67 miles, to one 18 miler in August, then one 20 miler in Sept, and now a 13.1 miler.  Is that right?  That bothers me a bit, but it still feels like you can do it.

A Baltimore update for me.  I will be a the expo 2-4 on Thurs of race week, and then again around 4:30 on Friday (I think).  After my half marathon on Sunday, I had to give in and admit to myself and the pacer boss that I should not be the leader of the 4:15 group.  I don't know what is going on with me, but I am pretty much tired 24x7.  I am staying with the 4:15 group, however.  Just not taking the lead.  It's pretty disappointing, but it needed to be done. 

Oh, I should note, I'm not sure you should stay with the pace group foot to foot for the whole marathon, in order to do your 4:45.  You can check with them at the start, but they are likely to be aiming for exact pace the whole way through.  But since Baltimore is hilly, you may be better off with "steady effort" rather than steady pace.  My thinking was I was going to head up the first hilly section at the planned pace, because with adrenaline and crowd support, that will feel easy anyway, and it's going to feel slow enough as it is with us feeling fresh.  At the downhill at mile 4, you can keep up your steady effort, and with the long downhill you should get well ahead of the pace group unless they do the same.  Around mile 9 it will level out and you can fall back into your planned race pace, but that would be ahead of the pace group since you gained some speed on them.  At mile 17-18 you hit the bad hills, you back off on the pace (keeping steady effort) and the pace group will catch back up to you.  Then once you start to crest that hill you can stay with the group for the rest of the race.

They may be doing this plan already, but they have rules and standards to go by so they cannot be speeding down that middle section.  It would look bad for the 4:45 group to have a 9 minute mile. :-)  Just the same, they will cruise up that hill at mile 18, which could lose you if you started with them.

Just a thought, you don't have to use this idea if you like the pace group to be with you the whole way.

Ok, I still like your 4:45 plan.  Now go do it! :-)

I remember being tired for months after Florida and Arizona, so that may be it.  But even with Arizona, I was able to run 6 days a week and did Disney at a decent pace.  This one is different.  I may be getting sick.  Sort of sniffly today, and sneezy.  So that would be good, because then maybe I will be well soon!

You don't have to wonder about the pace groups at Baltimore though, they will be in on time.  I think there is some crazy stat like 31 of 32 pacer groups have come in within 59 seconds of goal.  There is also a contest between groups, and the loser groups are ONLY off 10-20 seconds.  The winner last year was off by 4 seconds.

Have a good race Abbie!  Ok I adjust my guess for you to be in the 1:48s to 1:49s. :-) 

Hello,

I'm looking for the "I started out too fast" counseling forum.  Is this it?  I heard about this place, and how some of the runners here start out their half marathons at their 5k pace, and I had to join. ;-)

LOL, I crack myself up.

What were you screaming at me for?  Because I told you to drink at the aid stations?  Because you could hear me screaming at you for starting out too fast?  Or because I said you can't hope for a 3:50 marathon and force yourself to go 1:45 in a half by sheer will?  Or because I thought you would do sub 1:50 and it was falling apart?

:-)  Sorry, just throwing all the options out there.  I don't know how your foot was doing, only you know.  I know the boring terrain wasn't an issue, it only became an issue because you were suffering.

It would be interesting to see your mile splits.  It must've really fallen apart in those last few miles.  This race was a good experience for you, it gave a taste of just how bad a marathon can be if things fall apart.  Imagine adding another 13.1 miles onto that race yesterday. :-)

Without knowing your foot issue, it seems like an obvious pacing issue.  You crushed these times in training, and you were taking it easy.  I bet if you did another half marathon soon, and started out at a 8:10-8:20 pace, you would've been pretty solid.

Well you still beat my half marathon time. :-)  Your half marathons are going to get really good once you get the experience, and know what your half marathon pace feels like.  I'm glad you had a fun race.  Any day at the beach running a half marathon has to be a good day.

Oh, drinking from the cups.  The recommended way of doing it is by pinching the cup, and drinking it out of one of the sides, like this (in the racing section):

How do you drink water during a race?

I myself haven't pinched very much because I don't care if I get some on me.  In fact, in some cases I am drinking 1/2 cup and dumping the rest on my head anyway.  You are soaking your clothes in sweat anyway.  But I don't do too badly just taking a gulp here and there.  I end up gasping sometimes but at least I am not slowing down.

Some people also carry their own bottle.  Then at the aid station you can fill up your bottle while running. 

Slowing down or walking at the aid station is fine as well.  You also get the extra benefit of a lower heart rate, with not that much lost time.

Hmm, wow the Seaside Half Marathon is a CHEAP RACE.  $25!

There's a link on their website for pacers, but it does not work.  I wonder what that is all about.

I haven't seen her race pictures yet, did she wear too much?