Road Racing & Training Thread: Week Ending 10/29/2023

Got 3rd in the Marine Corps Marathon 50k today in 3:13 (~6:13 pace). Went out too hard and fell apart, but wasn’t the only one. A bit warm and humid too. Can’t complain.

Will post more tomorrow.

Congratulations. It was certainly not a day for running a fast marathon, let alone a fast 50K.

Female, 49, 5'4", 106
PRs 5:25/18:51/38:56/1:02:28/1:24:08/2:57:42
Recent best times: 5K in 21:08, 10 miles in 1:10:19, half-marathon in 1:33:20, Marathon in 3:20:29
Upcoming races: Philadelphia 8K, (November); Jingle All the Way 15K (December); Houston Marathon (January)
63 miles running, 1500 yards swimming, and 90 minutes pool-running.
M: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga
T: 10 miles, including 8 Iwo Jima hills. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
W: streaming yoga and 10 miles very easy (9:31) including some grass running and some drills
Th: upper body weights/core and 8.5 miles trail running (10:14)
F: 10 miles, including a track workout of 2x3200m, 2x400m in 14:22 (7:16/7:06), 14:03 (7:07/6:56), 1:37, 1:38. Recoveries of 5:04 and 5:13 after the 3200s and 2:32 between the 400s. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
Sa: 10 miles very easy (9:43) followed by streaming yoga.
Su: 14 miles progressive, split as the first 6 miles averaging 9:13 pace, the next 4 miles averaging 8:23 pace, and the next 4 miles averaging 7:40 pace (plus half-mile jog to car). Followed with injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming. Deep tissue massage in evening.

Easing back into marathon training, with Houston being the focus. Everything actually feels pretty good - I'm not in peak fitness by any means, but I don't feel horribly far from marathon fitness. Which tells me that my training for Houston needs to be measured rather than zealous, so that I don't fry myself or peak too soon.

Male, 26, 5’9", 128lbs
PRs: 5k 17:21 (2023), 10km 38:27, Half Marathon: 1:17:53 (2021), Marathon: 2:44:16 (2023)
Next Races: CIM
Future Goals: Sub 2:40 Marathon, Sub 1:17 HM, Sub 17:00 5k, Sub 5:00 Mile
Mileage: 91
Congrats to Sub 6:00 on the 50k !That's a huge performance!

Monday Off
Tuesday PM Run:8 Miles - 7:08
Wednesday AM Run: 7.7 Miles - 7:48, PM Workout: 12.3 Miles = 3 up - 7:37 -> 6.08 Miles - 6:08 = 8x800 (5:32, 5:35, 5:37, 5:33, 5:35, 5:35, 5:33, 5:38) @10k/200j, 4x200 (4:47, 4:52, 4:57, 4:50) fast/200j --> 3.22 Down - 7:48
Thursday AM Run: 6 Miles - 7:48, PM Run: 10 Miles - 7:14
Friday PM Run: 8.75 Miles - 7:39
Saturday AM Run: 10 Miles - 7:32, PM Run: 4 Miles - 7:42
Sunday AM Long Run: 24 Miles - 6:58 =24 Easy w/ 15 x 2 min HMP (5:54, 5:52, 5:49, 5:52, 5:49, 5:48, 5:50, 5:47, 5:50, 5:55, 5:47, 5:43, 5:49, 5:46, 5:44) / 2 min off after mile 10

Sub 6 - Super impressive MCM50k!
darkwave - Solid week, I might be racing Rothman 8k but haven't signed up yet
AverageForFun - Nice volume and workouts

Male, 30, 6'4", 150 lbs
Races: 11/5 - 10 mi, 11/17 - 8k, 12/3 - HM

Mn - 8.75 @ 7:45s + 5 Strides
Tu - 2x2mi + 4 Strides + WU/WD = 9
Wd - 8.5 @ 7:40s + 4 Strides
Th - 12x30s Hills + WU/WD = 8.25
Fr - 9 @ 7:35s + 4 Strides
Sa - 12 @ 7:35s
Su - 6.5 @ 8:00s

Total - 62

Thanks, darkwave and RunnerSam!

Here’s the full week and race report:

M39, 5’10”, low-mid 160s

Road bests | 2023
Mile 4:39.8 (2008) | 4:40.4
5k 15:20 (2006) | 16:10 (split)
10k - 31:15 (2008) | 32:21 (split)
10M - 51:52 (2009) | 52:31
Half - 1:09:01 (2009) | 1:10:36
Full - 2:25:14 (2019) | 2:40:32 (split)
50k - 3:13:35 | 3:13:35

Upcoming
3/16 - Half

Mo: 10 @ 7:14
Tu: 5 @ 7:39
We: 5 @ 7:45
Th: 5 @ 7:31
Fr: 3 @ 7:37
Sa: 3 @ 7:07 (strides)
Su: MCM 50k in 3:13:35 (6:14/mile)*

Total: ~63 miles

*Pretty trashed from this race. At the start, saw two well-known ultra marathoners. One was aiming for sub-3, the other for an age group record around 3:04. My goal was about 3:15, but very uncertain. I *planned* to go no faster than 6:10s to start.

Weather was a bit warm (67 at the start, 70 at the finish) and muggy (62 dew point), but fortunately overcast most of the race. Nice weather for an easy run, but took its toll on me. Also starting to come down with a cold, but doubt that affected me much at all.

The leader ran away with it (and finished in 2:55). By about 3 miles a pack of 4 of us had formed and we said we’d work together aiming for about 3:04. We started running pretty fast after about 5 miles on Canal Rd and one guy dropped off. I worked with the other 2 until about 12, before the turn on Rock Creek, then downshifted, since otherwise I thought I’d DNF.

Ran fairly consistent ~6:15s through 23 miles, then faded a bit to 6:25s, and the lead marathoner passed me by NGA. Saw my wife and gave my toddler a high 5 in mile 24 (by Botanic Gardens), which was a big mental boost, then caught the guy in 3rd place, who was fading hard and would finish 6th.

At that point I just wanted to do what I could to finish. Top 3 would be great, but I had chills, eating made me feel sick, and I was getting a bit delirious. Slowed further in 26 (6:43), and shifted to a jog after the marathon mark, logging my slowest mile (7:06). Drinking 3 cups of water/nuun at the remaining water spots was desperately needed. (I hadn’t thought to hold on to a cup to grab water from on the 14th St bridge.)

The last few miles back in Virginia were inconsistent but a little faster, 6:30-6:50. Focusing on the process of running with good, clean form when things were rough really helped keep me from giving up. Caught a glimpse of my nearest competitors in Crystal City: second place would finish about 3 minutes ahead of me, and 4th (the guy who dropped off our pack early on) would finish about 5 minutes behind. Held on through the lonely slog toward the final hill, which fortunately wasn’t quite as hard to climb as I’d anticipated.

Anyway, good experience, enjoyed(?!?) the race and the organization, and hit my goal, even if it was done very much the hard way. Good crowd support, although always thinner for the leaders and the 50k. Toddler is very proud to wear my finisher medal and “award winner” lanyard.

GPS measured 31.37 (which would be 6:11 pace), so add about 4s per mile on average to these splits:

5:54, 5:55, 5:57, 5:45, 5:48,
5:49, 5:49, 5:43, 5:37, 5:53,
5:42, 5:59, 6:08, 6:12, 6:08,
6:05, 6:13, 6:14, 6:12, 6:14,
6:18, 6:19, 6:15, 6:24, 6:27,
6:43, 7:06, 6:47, 6:29, 6:50,
6:31

Nice weeks out there and congratulations to sub 6:00 on your finish, that is pretty amazing. Impressed as usual with darkwave's training and Average's mileage, and high hopping's accomplishments and ability to continue the thread. Male, 5'10", 140 lbs, 47 y/o, goal race late November marathon.

Sun-16, with 6E, 5x1000 5k pace, 6E
Mon-9E
Tue-10E
Wed-12E
Thu-9E
Fri-21E
Sat-swim

Total 75

Summary is I forgot to register for Boston and am taking my anger out on this race. Also, this past year has been an experiment in cross training, where I reduce annual mileage and impact to joints and muscles, while also maintaining enough fitness to peak for a fall marathon. We'll see how that all goes. Good luck this week everyone.