Need to get faster - any tips?

#21
SillyC said:
I don't know how to work hard. I really don't. Too many years bopping around the neighborhood at an 11 minute mile, for no good reason.
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I think this is a lot of people SillyC. Back when I was much faster than I am now, I pushed myself, I didn't just cruise along and then wonder why I wasn't fast. I pushed myself. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but in order to really get fast you do need to do speed training. Not every run or workout has to be fast, but you do need to have it there. I was able to run 5min miles back then. I also believe that as you get used to a certain pace your heart rate will come down and the pace will become easier. Since starting running again 2 years ago after my two back surgeries I was afraid to push myself very hard for pace and was just happy to run a 13 min mile, and then I wondered why I never got faster.... Glad to hear you are doing well with getting faster! I also do agree with Kiwi that you also need to learn to run downhill at fast paces too. It is an art and a lot of people can't figure it out and tend to run while braking trying to slow themselves down and end up hurting themselves more.
 
#23
SillyC said:
Braking on downhills is not my problem at all. Never was!

I struggle a bit with poor vision on trails, though. I don't see well, and it can make rocky descents a challenge.
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I can see that making it much more difficult. Back when I was younger and ran all the time before my back surgeries I would describe running downhill as just letting myself go and going with the flow. Now, I can't even remotely run like that downhill. Hoping when I get back in shape I will be able to get at least part of that back. I miss the way it felt, scary yet exhilarating all at the same time. Right on the very edge of being in control.
 
#24
my advice is to run at a pace where you can sit comfortably, taking into account the cutting times.
There is a particularly hard, it will affect each athlete differently, that's the point that we must control, where we know we will be more exhausted.
Knowing at what point will suffer more, we know we must save as many forces to tackle the rest of the race
 
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#25
Hey folks!

Thanks for your help. Just checking in to let you know that I ran the race on Saturday. I had an absolutely amazing time, and I finished before the cutoff! (13:48:xx).

I was dead right about 14 hours being a stiff cutoff for that course. I've never run so hard in my entire life, everything went well, and I only finished with 12 minutes to spare.

Hey, we need to get more ladies out there, too. Out of 272 finishers (about 500 started), only 33 of the finishers were female. At the start line, I was wondering if I showed up to the wrong party.
 
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#29
DNEchris said:
Nice job H! It must have been a great day for a run - dry, bright and not too warm.

Congratulations!
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Oh, it was beautiful day for a run! Not too cold at the start (46) - I was able to get away with just arm warmers so I didn't have to strip down much. We hit the only unshaded part of the course (bald rocks BALD ROCKS!! BALD ROCKS!) early enough in the morning that it wasn't hot.

Abide - no strawberries (I never saw wild strawberries there), but I ate plenty of gnats.

I won't likely get a race report up till Friday at the earliest - my grades are due on Thursday at noon. I'm a college professor.
 
#31
WTG Heather! I'm also eagerly awaiting the RR. Please include a checklist of your equipment, everything, ok? :D
 
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#32
Okay, Willie!

I have it mostly written, but hadn't included an equipment checklist, since I thought it would make the RR overly long. Also, part of my race strategy was to not fluffybunny with gear.

But I'll tell you here.

1) Shoes - Merrell Pace Gloves. I was hoping to get a shoe with a bit more cushion than this, but time ran out. It should be noted, though, that other athletes do NOT pass me on traprocks when I wear these. I've run other rocky courses and I tend to pass other people on the sharp rocks. Maybe I'm special? I think I wore Salomon socks. I had no foot trouble.

2) Clothes - Adidas shorts, Target top, Target cap, and a pair of Sugoi arm sleeves for the beginning. For the first hour, I had a Petzl Tikka Rechargeable headlamp on. I also had a handheld flashlight. The trail was busy, so there was plenty of light.

3) Pack - I picked up a discontinued (for good reason) 2L Nathan Pack at TJMaxx last summer for $15. It's definitely not the best out there, but it works. I had a 1.5 L Camelback bladder in it, which I refilled twice. I run better with a pack than a handheld, personal preference here.

All and all, nothing special about my gear. The only "special" thing was I knew my gear well and didn't mess with it.
 
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#35
SillyC said:
All and all, nothing special about my gear. The only "special" thing was I knew my gear well and didn't mess with it.
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cool!

And you relied on aid stations for grub? Ok, ok, I'll just wait for the RR lol

My cousin Steve ran 2:07 in the HM. That's says a lot about the course because he's a fast, strong runner.
 
#38
Sorry about that. I've got a bit of a potty mouth.

Anyhoo..... here's the RR!

http://heatherrunstoomuch.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-2013-north-face-endurance.html

The nutrition and hydration thing is something that comes easily to me, honestly, so I don't usually have much of a plan. I take a pack, so I had some god-awful tasting chia snack mix dog biscuit thingies. A luna bar. Some cookies. A few peppermint lifesavers. Those are in case I get hungry between the aid stations. They were handing out mini clif bars and I ate some of those. Some pretzels, some skittles, a few bananas. I can't do gels because they gross me out, and I can't do sandwiches because I can't seem to swallow the bread.

I fill my pack with water. Then when I go to the aid stations, I drink whatever electrolyte beverage they have on hand. If it tastes delicious, I drink another one. If it tastes terrible, I know I'm salted up and don't drink anymore. I take the caffeine, but try to limit it to half a dixie cup every 5 miles. At one race I drank ALL the mountain dew and I turned into a crazy person.
 
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#40
BFwillie_g said:
OMG, what a performance! Congrats, Lady, you really kicked ass. And your RR is a daunting masterpiece, as well :D

What ever happened to the Rangers?
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Thanks!

No idea if the Rangers finished or not. I didn't see them during the last 10 miles, so a bunch of stuff could have happened to them. They could have gotten it together and not been leapfrogging me anymore - and made it to the finish before me. They could have dropped. They could have spent 40 minutes in the bushes and missed the cutoff. They could have fallen victims to Al Qaeda while in the mountain laurel. I just don't know.
 
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