Phred

Good for you tuck, keep it up. So, my first marathon is over, and I did it!!! I started out pacing the 3:35 pace bunny, and was with him until 28 km, and then I started to get tired. I lost a minute our two by 32 km, but was still pacing 3:40... then... the wheels fell off. Over the next ten KM, I lost another 18 mins off my pace. Walking almost as much as I was running. Still 3:58!!! Under 4, which is a good first marathon for me, and now I have a time to beat. On a scarier note, the guy that I train with was running the half marathon on sunday, and collapsed less than a KM from the end (it is NOT the guy who had heart failure 200m from the end that is all over internet google searches). My friend is still in the hospital with low phosphates. We are hoping he gets out tomorrow early. I had no idea that issues like that could happen (he siad completely no warning, he just felt tired and then fell). Crazy.

Wow!! great times! 11 years old? Great time!!! I would be thrilled if my kids got into running. I am excited and nervous about this first foray into Marathon territory. I am entering into the unknown... I have no idea what I will be like after 34KM, as I have never run that far before. Looking forward, but scared.

New-ish shoes, but not far from being switched out.. Definately no time to switch em out, as the race is in 5 days... I ran 6.25KM today. No pain. No issue. I am not sure what happened, but the best way to describe the pain/issue I had for about 3-4 days, was as if I over extended my knee. That was what it felt like.

I have seen people training in those minimalist shoes, and race in 'regular' shoes. I am not sure that is a good idea, as again different muscles at play. However it speaks to the 'not really good for performance' aspect. It it possible that my issues stem from my shoes. I am not about to try anything new at this point, but after this weekend, I may consider switching up the shoe type.

Yeah - I hate to admit it, but stretching is not something I am good at doing. I do it, because I know I have to, but I am likely rushing it, and not doing it enough... Thanks Joe

Update. Five days from my marathon, and I had a pretty scary weekend (training wise). On Thursday my knee was feeling a little tender, but nothing too bad. I did a fairly short (8K), but hilly (really hilly) run on friday. I felt good during the run, but after... I got up out my desk chair and almost fell down!!! It is really hard to explain, and maybe runners know what I am talking about. It was sore, but not too bad, I could walk on it without pain, and probably run on it without pain (didn't try). However I didn't to make sure that my leg was completely straight before I put any weight on it (after getting up) or it would just buckle underneath me. I spent the whole long weekend (Victoria day in Canada) icing, and heating and RESTING. I canceled my last longish (I think 15k) run. I have a pool, so I swam a lot, and that seemed to help. Today it feels great, but I am certainly concerned about further injury. I have a few very short runs this week (topping out at 5k I think). My plan is to do one today, but if I have any (ANY) pain, I will stop and not likely do any more this week. I hate going into the Marathon under-trained, but it beats going in injured.

I use this: Garmin Forerunner 305. http://compare.ebay.com/like/270374661166?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar It has a heart monitor that goes on your chest, and bluetooth's to the watch. Also I can save mile (or KM) splits and recall them from the watch. It's bulky, but not too bad. It sometimes take a while to get a bead on a satellite, but usually it's not too bad. P.S. - Dave, I wonder if your watch actually does do split recall, and you just don't know it. I am saying that because I recently showed a buddy of mine how to do it, after he owned the watch for 2+ years and didn't know. Here is how I do it. First, you have to have your watch set to auto lap every KM (or mile, whatever). I forget how I did that, but it is somewhere in the options.: 1. Press mode (bottom left button) 2. select 'history' 3. Select 'running' (there are three types of activities) 4. Select 'By Day' 5. Choose the date of the run you want 6. You will see a summary of the run. Select the 'View Laps?' 7. You will see a split for every lap you had setup.

Sorry to hear that you were hurting at Mile 3 Joe. Good Job getting through it. Confidence is a big factor for me. I was feeling a little ego bruised for that 30k hell run a couple of weeks ago, but I have had a couple of good weeks since!!! Because I needed that confidence boost, I entered another 10k race last weekend. It wasn't on my race plan, but I wanted to do one more. I did it in 44:13 !!! Which is a PB by 2 minutes. And this weekend I did a 34K run, and although it was tough near the end, I did it. I can totally see myself finishing the marathon, and getting in the ballpark of my goal!

The puke car story reminded me of a story - not as good but funny none the less. It was after a gig and I had just loaded up my car, and got in to go home. I have an suv with tinted windows. I am sitting in the driver's seat, with the engine idling , and before I go I check my email on my phone. While I doing that I see a super drunk patron wander over to my car and begin to piss on it!! He couldn't see me, and probably thought that the car was empty (too drunk to notice that the car was running). It appeared that he was pissing on my back tire. Anyway, in one quick motion, I learn on the horn and pull away quickly. Piss flies everywhere and the guy startles backwards.

30KM this past weekend. Really tough.

Btw - Dave, I am still not good with gnarly hills. Great time for 12miles in the hills.

Dave, I hear ya. I have done most of my long runs, but I have the 30K and the 32K left. I am following a schedule from the internet, (don't remember which one) and have been doing pretty much what they want down to a tee. Including this race. The schedule wants 3 weeks of taper, and my longest run being right before the taper.

Half marathon 1:40:20. Thrilled. PB by about a minute. Time to pile on the mileage toward may 27th (Ottawa race weekend Marathon).

Thanks for the words and advice Dave. I have run a 1:41:26 half marathon, and think I can do it faster. The weather was perfect on that day, and the course was really flat, and the end was a long gradual downhill(just when you need it). Pretty perfect conditions, so maybe 1:40 is a tough goal, but I think I can do it.

Sorry to hear about your calf problems. I (knock on wood)so far haven't had anything major. A bit of soreness in my knees, but I have had that my whole life. I do hip flexor exercises and that seems to help a little. That 26KM run was a double edged sword in my training. 1) A bummer because it was really hard, and really slow. It felt like I worked extra hard to get less speed. 2) I feel like now, I can do anything. I know I have it in me to finish the 42.2K, I also know that I may not finish it in the time I have planned, but that's ok - there's always next time. I have a 1/2marathon race this weekend (on sunday) in which I am shooting for around 1:40, which would be a PR. We'll see. Then, no more races planned, it's building up mileage (with a 2.5 week taper) until the May 27th Marathon race day.

26 KM yesterday is some really crazy wind. It was crazy tough, and I went much slower than usual. Happy to have finished it though.

Those two stories make me feel grateful that my only issue was a little bitter cold headwind. I love all of these stories!

good for you justin!! had a 20km run on saturday where I made a rookie error. I did an out and back - 10k each way. The temp was cool, but not cold. The first 10k I felt like superman, running fast, and feeling full of energy. Experienced runners will no why, and what happened next. I turned around. I was slapped in the face with a crazy cold headwind - and now I am 10k away from home. At around 12 km, it was really getting hard, and cold. I made it, and am proud, but it sucked.

Thanks Joe. I am very happy with my time. I should do more hilly awfulness. I have a couple of hills on my regular routes, but nothing I would call aweful. Hopefully no more t-mill for me this season. It's finally B E A utiful. 26C today and was a great 9 k run at lunch. 42:50. Yesterday was a 6k recovery type of run.

Pics from my run this past weekend. I am the guy in green (#270) - not the guy in the kilt with the long sword (I think it was fake, but I am not sure). http://events.inmysights.ca/eventgallerysearch/16363/270/1/ NOTE: there was a 5k run that we joined up with at the end (that started 10 mins after we did) - which is why you see a little girl finishing just behind me - she ran the 5k...

So, i ran the 10 k race a pr of over a minute. 10k - 46:01. Super happy. I beat my last years time in this same race by over 3mins. The race was (according to my gps watch-which I was using to pace myself) 300 meters too long. According to my watch I beat 45 minute 10k. I know that doesn't count, but I am still very happy.

Will do. I am going to go out the gate pacing at (quick math) at just a HAIR faster than 4:30 /km. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks. I am going to run that 18k tonight, and was planning on doing it at conversation pace. WOW, that page is being favorited. Thanks. I will go for the PR. I was hoping that I could get my 10k under 45mins this summer, and maybe my goal should be a bit loftier, or at least earlier. I'll report back about my time for this weekend's race. I think that I am in better shape than I know I am, and fully believe that it is my brain that keeps me from goals that are within reach. Even at shorter distances (10k). during races, I am constantly fighting my own self who wants me to slow down, or take a little break ("no one will know if you pretend to tie your shoe...").

Thanks, I am happy with that speed. eventual goal is that pace for 10k, but that's a WAYS off. Speaking of 10k races... I need some advice. I am running in a 10k race this saturday (March 17th - a st. patty's day race...). I don't need to get a PR or anything, but I would like to perform well (A PR for my would be to beat 47mins). For my marathon training, I am also scheduled to run an 18 KM run this week. My question is to you experts; when at what intensity should I do that 18k? I am on a rest day today, (Ran 3 days in a row: fri-8k (inc 5k speedwork), sat-16k (tempo run about 5min/km), sun-5k(inc 3k speedwork)) so the earliest that I could do it is tomorrow(tues). Will that give my legs enough time to heal before my 10k race on saturday? If I can't do it until wednesday, will I still be good to go by saturday? Thanks for your help.

I truly enjoy reading the running stories from everyone. I get inspired by all of the great stories. My training for the may marathon is going well, despite a couple of bad weeks (last week I was on a cruise and managed to run 25K (four separate days) on the track on the boat. Round and round - the track went around the outside of the boat and was 1/3 of a mile. 5 miles at a time was all I could take... Today I had a great 5 mile run that went like this: 1 Mile - warm up - slow jog 2 minute rest 3.1 miles (5K) in 21:02 which is btw my fastest 5K ever. 1 mile cool down - very slow jog. I even sprinted at the end of my 5K when I realized that I was so close to breaking 21mins. Almost, but not quite. Sprinting when I am spent is difficult for me, and the more speedwork like this that I do, the better I get at it. I have a 16K (uh, about 10miles I think - just under) scheduled for this weekend. The whether is finally getting better and my trails are starting to clear up. A little standing water, but MUCH better than a few weeks ago.