Running!

[moinab]

My best all-out mile is 7:31. I'm not a speedster, by any means. Just got a new 5K PR, this morning, in a local race - 26:47. I haven't been running much, the past 6 weeks, and it was very hot and windy, this morning, so I'm pretty happy with it.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Had a great time at the Disneyland 1/2 on Sunday.

 

I was a bit disappointed in my time (2:46) but if you take away the 15 minutes I spent at one of the medical tents I set a PR.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Should we rename this thread "Runing"?

 

http://cheezburger.com/View/5184838144

 

 

Apparently this was for the $100 a plate pasta party. They couldn't afford a proofreader?

[Insanity]

A running topic!!!! I just ran a 16:32 at The Cerritos 5k (COW run) in socal today!

and while running it I hit my 2 mile PR of 10:46 as well!

[crazydaveh]

It's finally cooling down here in Orlando! Holy cow until this week, it's been 85 degrees at 7AM with humidity! That just sucks! Funny how I easily knocked off a minute of my average pace yesterday with the weather in the 60's with no humidity!

 

Anyone running the Daytona Half coming up Georgia/Florida weekend? I think it's on Sunday, Oct 30. I'm signed up and in case you don't know, you start at the "Start Line" of the Daytona International Speedway (NASCAR) and head out to the beach and back into the raceway and finish at the raceway "finish line."

 

I'm probably running the OUC half in Orlando come December as well. It's a really flat course through the streets of the nicer parts of downtown Orlando. It doesn't go near the parks in case you're wondering.

 

Also, I'm looking for a relay partner for the full at Disney in January. I signed up for the full, but I honestly don't want to run a full. I ran 15 miles a few weeks ago in training and thought, "the last two miles really sucked, 11 more will just suck more than watching Barney all day long."

[LoneRider92]

I've got a question for those on here who are aerobic-savvy. After running next to never in high school, I started running on a daily basis last December. As of now I'm running over 5 miles a day (most I've ran is 7.22 miles) at around 8.5 mph. I'm not training to run any races, but I've been trying to push myself longer and harder. I'm up to around 36 minutes a day.

 

What I want to know is if it is worth pushing myself for longer distances or higher speed? I am 6'2" and around 170 pounds right now and I more or less want to maintain that weight (or drop slightly if I could). Is it fine to just run around 5 miles every day or is is better to go longer and faster in order to get in better shape? Is it bad to keep the same routine for a long time? The only thing holding me back are my knees; if I run too fast for too long they ache like nothing else I've felt. Any good alternatives, like running hills or an incline for a while instead of straight running? Some feedback would be appreciated. Until then I will be running like the wind.

[Coaster Cow]

Jack Daniels is the magic man for you. He has single-handedly redefined the way to train for any race. You definitely want to vary your training, especially if you plan on building up to a race anytime soon. The idea is this: most days should be a recovery run, meant to be run at a pace that feels very easy. This is to recover from the harder efforts, which generally include one run at recovery pace that is quite long (I run about 50 miles a week and so my long run is about 12 miles) and some speed work. The speed work gets tricky, because there is so much variety.

 

I recommend you do this:

-Read the article and then find what paces you should run at www.runbayou.com/jackd.htm.

 

-Try to figure out a training plan, this article should help: www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--11606-F,00.html

 

-If you need anything else or have any more questions, I know there are a lot of runners here who do longer distance races and some like me that do shorter ones. We'd all be glad to help. Also, runnersworld.com has a giant forum,too, but we're still much cooler . Good luck!

[moinab]

^^What is your main objective? If you are primarily interested in maintaining/losing a little weight, then longer, slower distances are your best bet. Speed training is the more likely to get you injured. I was working on building speed, this past summer. I thought I was being smart about it, but ended up suddenly overtrained, and lost almost 2 months of quality training.

 

My regular route is 6.1 miles. My pace is usually in the 9 minute range. I run that twice a week, and then have one longer run, each week (I'm currently at 8 miles, working back up to full marathon by February.) I'm older, so I need the extra day off, in between, for recovery. I'm trying to work up to 4 days/week. I do core work and strengthening, on my off days.

 

Hill running is supposed to be great for building leg strength. I wouldn't know, as I live on the beach, with zero elevation! I try to do one run in the sand, every week or two, for leg strength. Trail running is also a great way to mix things up, as it is easier on the joints than pavement, and helps build up stabilizer muscles.

 

I would suggest a couple of days on your regular route, at a comfortable pace, in addition to one longer, slower day. If you want, add in one speedwork day, and mix it up with trails and/or hills.

 

One thing you definitely don't want to do is run hard, every day. Most of your runs should be comfortable, with only 1-2 hard efforts (long, slow runs count as "hard") each week.

 

And consider signing up for some races - they're fun!

 

 

Dave- can you switch your registration from the full to the relay? It looks like they allow switching between the half, full, and Goofy, but they don't mention anything about the relay.

[accelerate]

Cross Country ended on tuesday, and I got my PR of 14:38 (2 Miles) . For XC and Track runners, spikes actually do help you! I dropped 40 seconds my first race with them!

[HighRoller]

Registered today for the WDW half marathon in January. It'll be my first race, and I'm running it with my sister (who's not a coaster nerd but loves Disney). Anyone else going to be there, and what should I expect the morning of the race?

[Wood Dragon 1988]

Doing the Marine corps marathon in DC on Sunday....can't wait to get done with it!

[moinab]

Registered today for the WDW half marathon in January. It'll be my first race, and I'm running it with my sister (who's not a coaster nerd but loves Disney). Anyone else going to be there, and what should I expect the morning of the race?

 

Be prepared to be there VERY early in the morning! I left my hotel at 3:45AM, and promptly got stuck in a massive traffic jam that stretched from Epcot, all the way down World Drive to 192. After finally reaching the parking lot, I encountered a massive human traffic jam, heading toward the corrals. I think it was 5:25AM, by the time I made it to my corral. They ended up delaying the start of the race.

 

Of course, if you stay onsite, it's not as much of an issue, but we got a great offsite hotel for $30/night, so it was worth it, for me.

 

I left earlier the next day, for the marathon, but there are a lot less people in the marathon, so there were no problems at all.

 

I prefer to avoid the bagcheck lines. I just carry my id, keys, and phone in my iFitness belt. I also try to bring a plastic bag (which also fits easily in my belt,) to hold all of the post-race goodies (bagel, power bars, gatorade, water, soda, banana, orange, etc.) Sometimes they have bags, but when they don't, it can be a challenge to carry everything (they hand all of this stuff to you before you go through the bag claim area.)

 

They have cups of water available, before the race. They also have a concession tent, where they sell coffee, oatmeal, bagels, etc.

 

Have fun!

[osm]

Cross Country ended on tuesday, and I got my PR of 14:38 (2 Miles) . For XC and Track runners, spikes actually do help you! I dropped 40 seconds my first race with them!

Interesting, I have a set of spikes with my running shoes that I've never used. Sophomore City Championships for XC are on Saturday, maybe I'll try them for that race.

[Gmaster562]

XC ended on thursday however, I did PR and my mile time (3-miles) at 17:25

[crazydaveh]

Happy Daylight Savings day all! Hope you had sun this morning in your run!

 

Last weekend I ran the Daytona Beach Half and honestly it was a great race! I wasn't expecting too much from this race since it's only four years old and doesn't have a large field of runners, but it was a really great time!

 

There were only about 1,00 people running it so it never got crowded, even at the start. They had eight water stations throughout the course and medical personnel everywhere!

 

The cool thing about this race is that it started at the "Start Line" of the Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 track), went out to the beach, and then back to the track and you finished at the "finish line" of the raceway. It was an out and back course with one pretty big hill over the inter coastal waterway. One crazy thing happened, we were stopped by a 4 1/2 minute train! They had people there to time the train and they said they would take it off our official time, though they haven't yet. Other than that, it was flat and fast! Just about everyone in my group PR'd )except me.

 

I took a few pics with my crappy BlackBerry, sorry I didn't take more, I wish I would have, but was concentrating on the race.

 

If you're in the area next October, plan on running it! They said they're going to try and move it from the GA/Florida football game weekend, as many people complained about not being able to particiapte in the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" festivities due to the race being the next morning. I'm just glad my Georgia Bulldogs beat the Gators!

 

Anyways, here's some pics.

Before the race, people started to gather at the Daytona International Raceway on the actual track NASCAR runs on

More pre race stuff

Start Line

You don't realize how big the track is until you run it's 2.5 miles! We stayed on the bottom as the embankment is 40+ degrees!

It's early and I need a haircut

Finish Line

My Galloway running group

Yours truly looking hot with the medal! Pretty cool hardware, just about everyone who ran said it's better than the Disney medals and I agree!

[moinab]

Thanks for the report, Dave! Definitely want to run this one, but I hope they fix the whole train thing! That would totally suck, to have to stop and wait for 4 minutes in the middle of a race!

 

Are you planning on any races in Jacksonville, this season? I think I'm going to run the Subaru Distance Classic half marathon on Thanksgiving morning, as well as the 26.2 with Donna, in February, and the Gate River Run, in March (both of which are great races!)

[crazydaveh]

The train was a surprise. I don't know how they can get rid of it if they keep the same course from the raceway to the beach.

 

I am not going to head north for any races this season. I think I'm sticking to Orlando and south on I4. I'm going to do the Disney Half and probably the St. Pete Rock n Roll Half in late February. There are also several 15K events locally I'll do just for the fun of it. I did the Georgia Marathon last year, but not this time. I don't like hills! As you know, we can't train properly for hills here in Florida!

[moinab]

I was just wondering if there was any way to time the race with the train schedule, to avoid that, but I suppose they are restricted by the city, needing to open up the roads.

 

I'm looking forward to more of your race reviews on some of the smaller central FL races. I'd like to try Gasparilla, someday. I'd love to do the Florida 15K Challenge, but it would be tough, because Gasparilla and the Gate River Run are so close together, and fall right after the 26.2 with Donna, which I hope to run every year. I'm thinking about running Miracle Miles, next year.

 

I'm pissed at the Rock and Roll series for scheduling the inaugural St. Pete half on the same day as the 26.2 with Donna, which will certainly siphon off some runners who would otherwise be here. The new St. Augustine Marathon was also going to schedule at the same time, but agreed to switch their date to November. The Rock and Roll group wouldn't budge, though. Race director politics - with more and more races popping up, there's going to be more overlap, unfortunately.

[Sir Clinksalot]

That looks like a fun race Dave!!! Thanks for posting the pics.

 

Is anybody else planning out their races for next year yet? I'm actually planning on doubling my races and doing my first Marathon.

 

My races I'm planning on doing in 2012 (still have one more 1/2 this year): (unfortunately I didn't register for the Tink in time... )

 

Feb: Ventura 1/2 Marathon

March: LA Marathon (May skip this if I'm not ready. Going to wait until my 1/2 next month to see if I feel ready. If I don't do this, I'll be doing the one in June that's below only)

April: Camarillo 10k

April: Hollywood 1/2 Marathon

June: Ojai to Ocean Marathon

September: Disneyland 1/2 Marathon

October: Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon (and Coast to Coast!!!)

October: LA Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon

December: Santa to the Sea 1/2 Marathon

January 2012: WDW Goofy Challenge

[moinab]

November - Subaru Distance Classic Half Marathon

January - WDW Marathon Relay

February - 26.2 with Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer

March - Gate River Run 15K

 

I was hoping to run the Jetty-2-Jetty Ultra, (35 mile run on the beach, from Atlantic Beach to St. Augustine,) but they inexplicably moved it from March to May, next year, with an 8:30AM start time, which means 35 miles of full-on, hot Florida sun beating down. No thanks.

 

So, I'll have to wait and see about the Guana River 50K Trail Run, which is usually in late February or March.

 

I'd like to run the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, in May, but I don't know if I'll be able to swing it.

 

No idea what I'll be doing in the fall. Probably the Miracle Miles 15K in Orlando, in September, the Daytona Beach Half in October, and the Jacksonville Bank Marathon (my BQ goal race,) in December. I'd really like to do the One to Grow On Ultramarathon, which is a local 55-miler, in January, 2013.

[crazydaveh]

^ FYI Miracle Miles is moving to a different month. Rumor is that it will go to early March or another time when it's not 100 degrees like it always is! That race put me in the hospital this past year! It's nickname is "miserable miles" due to the heat index always being around 110 for it!

[moinab]

Bummer. Makes sense, though.

 

I'll probably have to start looking at South Carolina for an April and/or September race, to extend my race season.

[Sir Clinksalot]

That's the good thing about SoCal, we really do have a 12-month race season. I think the only months I didn't see any races were July/August.

 

I'm a little sad that I probably won't be able to do the Pendleton Mud Run again, but a trip to WDW is a nice alternative.

[LoneRider92]

Well, I'd figure I'd man up a little bit and do a 5K tomorrow. It's not nearly as impressive as running half marathons on a NASCAR track, but it's something I guess. Afterwards I can eat until I burst and (hopefully) watch a Packer win.

 

Last time I ran a 5K it was about 28 minutes. I'm hoping to drop it to around 25-26 minutes now that I know what to expect. Sound reasonable?

 

Edit: 23:47, a fourth place finish, and a Packer victory. It went about as well as I could hope. =D

[moinab]

So, I ran the Subaru Distance Classic half marathon on Thanksgiving morning. I took a few cell phone photos, before and after the race, but they're not worth posting. It's a very low-frills race. They had a balloon arch and DJ at the start and finish, bagels, bananas, bottled water, and cups of Gatorade after the race. The medal is cheesy, but the Saucony Vizi-Pro tech shirts are nice.

 

What this race does have going for it is that it is flat, (even by Florida standards,) shaded, and pretty fast. I heard a lot of people saying that they PR'd. I ran it hard, and made my goal of sub-2 hours, with 1:58:50, which is an official PR of 27 minutes. (Unofficially, I ran a 2:16 at the 2010 Wine and Dine, using my friend's registration. I also ran a 2:13 half, as part of the 2011 WDW Marathon, and a 2:07 on a 13.1 mile training run, in June.) I'm not in the best condition, right now, and I'm carrying some extra weight, after the TPR cruise, so I'm really happy that I made my goal.

 

My ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. I would need a 3:45 by September, to qualify for 2013. Not. Gonna. Happen. Fortunately, though, I bump up to the next age group, for 2014, so I'll need a 3:55. Yay for getting old! My goal time is 3:50. It won't be easy. My current PR is 4:24:31, from WDW, which I ran the day after running the half (slowly) with my friend. I think I can make it happen, within the next two years.