Hey, Mr. Tree, you mentioned that you do 10-to-12-mile runs as part of your weekly routine. For marathon preparation, do you amp that up a lot, or do you just run a lot further for the race than you do during training? I'm used to thinking of races as runs where you run as fast as you can, not ones where you run further than you have before, so this is all kind of new to me conceptually.
This explains exactly how I feel, I just couldn't put it into words....well done Lee
Yah, seems bizarre not to have run the same distance or more before you race it, but then if you're just racing to finish, it would be a bit anti-climatic if you've already run a marathon distance in training several times already. And if you're doing a 20-mile training run, wouldn't there be a temptation to run another 6.2 miles to see if you can do it? Oh well, nothing I have to worry about until next year, at the earliest. I'm still building up to the 10-mile at 10mm pace milestone--hopefully I get there sometime soon.
Lee- First, after my last effort, I don't do Marathons anymore. I just don't have the time nor do I feel the need. Besides, they hurt! (but that might be an artifact of not having the time to prep properly.)
Thanks for the feedback. We'll see how it goes, but if I find I don't have the time, will, or ability to run a marathon in the next year or two, I like your approach of sticking to races that don't involve any modification of one's fitness regimen. I would imagine a three-hour training run would pretty much knock me out for the rest of the day. I'm about to head out for my first 10-miler now. Once I can do that, then yes, a half, or a 10-miler, become tangible possibilities I could potentially run anytime I want to, with little or no thought to prep or training protocol . . .
I'm wondering if maintaining good posture is harder while stair climbing vs. on a stairmaster. I lucked out and found a 10 yr old club model for cheap on Craiglist. Cleaned it up, and love it for those rainy days! I usually wear socks, and try not to use the handles, and have a little TV set up at eye level. However, I can see how real stairs would definitely be more challenging.
It would be very rare to find anyone that has completed a marathon training run prior to their first marathon. I came close with a couple of 24 mile runs, but there was no need to add another 2 miles to those runs. You kind of want your first marathon to be your first marathon. Shooting for my first barefoot marathon is like doing my first marathon all over again. I hope to complete a 22 mile long training run before this marathon. Now, the shorter distance races I would recommend running that distance prior to running the race, especially barefoot, although I failed to do that also.
Yah, we're definitely living parallel BFR lives! From injuries, to motivations, to training changes . . .
Topics are just an excuse to continue the conversation . . .
Sorry, kind of in a pissy mood today with the running lay-off. So I changed my photo to when I had hookworm in 2007. I think I almost prefer that to minor running injuries.
Well, my left foot has been achy since last week's runs. So I'm beginning to suspect that the ITBS was somehow an effect of that, since the knee only felt strained while running, not while walking or at rest, while the foot continues to ache a bit. I think perhaps in my mileage build-up I provoked another stress reaction in my foot. But maybe the ITBS issue has been caused by both my left foot making the leg a bit off kilter and the ITB having to deal with increased mileage. I dunno. Won't know how the ITB is doing until I run again, but before that I'm going to rest the foot until it stops aching. Then it'll be the old one-step-back, two-steps-forward routine, reducing mileage and then building it back up again, this time even more slowly than before. It's pretty frustrating, things were going so well, and I was beginning to recover my pathetic jock pride. It's going to be hard to go back to 30-to-40-minute runs. I did get a foam roller and a compression band, and I've been looking into some warm-up and prevention stuff, like you. I hate being so meticulous about something as simple as running, but I guess if you want to do the longer distances, a little more prep and planning are in order.
