Running Renaissance: Road to Paris 2024

[GollyGadget]

The question then is, do you really want to run Boston 2020 for a reason and not Boston 2019? Because the window for qualification is only one year. Which means to run in Boston 2020 you have to run a 3:30 or better between September 2018 to September 2019. So a BQ any sooner would move you to Boston 2019.

D'oh! For some reason I thought the qualifying race was good for two years. There's no reason for 2020 vs 2019. I was just trying to give myself more time. I'll revise my goal to Boston by 2020.

Spring BQ.2 Marathon - Geneva, IL
Bloop - Milwaukee, WI (1 mile loops)
Wisconsin Marathon - Kenosha, WI (near Milwaukee)
Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon - Geneva, IL
Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon - Milwaukee, WI
Chicago Marathon
Milwaukee Marathon
Madison Marathon

Thanks for the list! I'm running the half version of the Madison Marathon this year so that should give me some idea of what that course is like. I have Chicago on my race bucket list but with Disney in Jan and Boston in the nearer future, I'll likely stick to something a bit easier on the pocketbook.

 

[GollyGadget]

I think you can do a sub 3:30 in the Spring 2018 if you continue to improve at a normal rate and continue to put in good training cycles.

One more thing, what's a "normal rate?" I was trying to guess at this when setting my goal for when it'd be achievable but I couldn't find any info on the google machine.

 

[DopeyBadger]

One more thing, what's a "normal rate?" I was trying to guess at this when setting my goal for when it'd be achievable but I couldn't find any info on the google machine.

The answer is always, "it depends". Luke Humphrey discusses it here:

For me personally it has been the following:

First Hansons from 3 days per week - 16% (4:20 to 3:38) - Nov 2014 to Oct 2015
7 months more Hansons - 4.7% (3:38 to 3:28) - Oct 2015 to May 2016
5 months more Hansons - 2.3% (3:28 to 3:23) - May 2016 to Oct 2016
3 months more Hansons - 1.4% (3:23 to 3:20) - Oct 2016 to Jan 2017
Daniels + 3 months Hansons - 3.4% (3:20 to 3:14) - Jan 2017 to Oct 2017

Under the right circumstances that last jump would have been more like 8.4% if I had gotten around a 3:04.

 

[roxymama]

AWESOME GOAL!!!
And I was late in reading your 5k recap, but I loved how you went from "no plan" to trying to demolish the woman fading from the top 3.
Hope that mustard was delish!

 

[GollyGadget]

The answer is always, "it depends". Luke Humphrey discusses it here:

For me personally it has been the following:

First Hansons from 3 days per week - 16% (4:20 to 3:38) - Nov 2014 to Oct 2015
7 months more Hansons - 4.7% (3:38 to 3:28) - Oct 2015 to May 2016
5 months more Hansons - 2.3% (3:28 to 3:23) - May 2016 to Oct 2016
3 months more Hansons - 1.4% (3:23 to 3:20) - Oct 2016 to Jan 2017
Daniels + 3 months Hansons - 3.4% (3:20 to 3:14) - Jan 2017 to Oct 2017

Under the right circumstances that last jump would have been more like 8.4% if I had gotten around a 3:04.

So 2-5% isn't unreasonable. I don't expect to see something like 16% since I've already been running 5 days a week for sometime. Excited to see what a 6th day adds.
Technically, I'm hoping for a 33% improvement from my last marathon...

AWESOME GOAL!!!
And I was late in reading your 5k recap, but I loved how you went from "no plan" to trying to demolish the woman fading from the top 3.
Hope that mustard was delish!

Thanks! I'm not really super competitive usually but once I realize there's a chance, I'm going for it every single time.

I was a little hesitant about posting my goal after you all went and posted multiple goals but I'm much better at focusing on one at a time. Plus, it's so scary!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

So 2-5% isn't unreasonable. I don't expect to see something like 16% since I've already been running 5 days a week for sometime. Excited to see what a 6th day adds.
Technically, I'm hoping for a 33% improvement from my last marathon...

The way I usually measure it is I look at why I set my training paces. If it's because my HM says I can run X for the M, then on race day I'm usually expecting X. Because of tangents and such the pace might be X - 2%, but in almost all cases it ends up being X as the final time. So, I'd expect around a 3:37 in January under ideal weather conditions and fully trained. The % boost comes from the next time you run a 5k, 10k, or HM it will likely be faster and thus your projected M moves faster by 2-5%. Then you set your next M training paces for the 2-5% faster and at the end of that training cycle you improve again. Hence why Spring 2018/Fall 2018 makes it more likely to be sub-3:30.

 

[GollyGadget]

Ahhh, that makes sense

 

[GollyGadget]

Oct 2-8 Recap (90 Days until WDW Marathon)
How did we get under 3 months already?!?! I guess it’s time we start figuring out our plans. We’re flying in Tuesday and out on Monday morning. Originally, we were only going to have a quick weekend stay so I rented DVC for Thurs-Sun. Now that we’re staying longer and it’s pretty much impossible to change the DVC rental, we have to change rooms three times. I’m not overly excited about that, but oh well, we’ll manage. Currently we’re staying at POP Tue-Thur, switching to OKW Thur-Sun, then back to POP Sun night. This has changed 3 times in the last week, so we’ll see what sticks

Our park plans are even more up in the air. Husband would like to go to a water park one day if it’s warm and Universal for something new to do, we’ve never been. Factoring those in, that gives us 2 whole days and 3 half days for Disney. I’m having trouble deciding if a half day is worth it, but also thinking if I’m there, might as well go. It’s also really hard to predict what one day might be warm enough for a water park. Maybe Santa will buy us wet suits and we can go whichever day works best

On top of all this, I’m leaving for London on Friday. I’ll spend Friday-Monday exploring on my own and then Tuesday-Thursday working before flying out Friday morning. I’ve jotted down a few things I’d like to see but of course don’t really have a plan for that either. Plus, my training really ramps up this week so I’ll have to figure out how to squeeze that in as well. Maybe airplanes should install gyms so I could workout while flying.

If anyone has any good running routes in London, I’d love to hear them!


Monday – Strength
Ha, totally did not happen. Wasn’t even really a consideration with everything going on.

Tuesday - Easy 5
Tuesday afternoon marked the first time I left my husband’s side since he returned. I invited him to come running with me, even offered to shorten it to 3 miles, but he wouldn’t. He did actually seem to consider it though which is a first in a long while.

Wednesday – Strength
I had planned to cover my standard Monday strength workout on Wednesday, but then husband wanted to go shopping and I definitely wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to spend more time with him. Maybe for running, but not for strength training.

Thursday - Easy 4
I’m really enjoy the nice weather we’re having here lately. Another enjoyable run through the neighborhood. Took Bucky on the front half and finished the back half by myself.

Here’s a photo of half of her.


Friday - Easy 6 + Strength
Ha, strength. Didn’t happen again. One of my goals this week is to get back to it. I know it might be difficult to do while I’m traveling and I don’t want to go 3 weeks without.

Unfortunately the run was moved inside to the treadmill. It was doing a weird mist/sprinkling thing when I got home and I was fully prepared to run in that but it was just the front edge of a storm. It’s probably a good thing I stuck inside, but not my favorite.

Saturday - Easy 4
Saturday I was running low on motivation. I woke up early (because I’m the worst at sleeping in) but I didn’t have much energy so I promptly placed myself on the couch to watch some tv. It quickly became too late to fit in my run before our activities so I had to postpone until the afternoon. I had to leave to volunteer at 5:15 so finally at 4 I managed to get out on the roads. There were some big wind gusts during my run but at least it wasn’t raining. I also got to see this beauty as I headed out the door.


That evening I headed to the local ultra to volunteer at an aid station. The 100 mile race started at 7am and we had our first relays pass through just after 6pm. The 50k started at 5 and we started seeing some of those runners around 8:30 as well as the first 100 miler sometime after that. It’s totally amazing to see people run that far. I was in complete awe. The race lasted well into the night and through the next day but I couldn’t stay because I had an early wake-up call the next morning for my employer 5K.

Sunday – 5K Race!
I won’t go into much detail here so look for a full recap later today or tomorrow. Since I was on the committee, I had to be there at 6a to set up. It was rather interesting to be part of the behind the scenes details that I usually take for granted. Overall, it was a great way to close out the week.

Total miles: 22.54
Total time: 3:47:35

This week’s schedule:
M – Easy 4 + Strength
Tu – 12x400 @ 7:18/7:36 (I haven’t decided yet)
W - Strength
Th – 5 @ T (8:18)
F - Easy 4 + Strength
Sa - Easy 8
Su – Easy 8

 

[DopeyBadger]

Party at OKW! We are staying there too for Marathon Weekend!

 

[ZellyB]

Great week! I know nothing about running in London since the last time I was there was like 30 years ago (gulp!) and I didn't run then. But, did want to say have a great time. I loved London.

Bucky is adorable (well, at least the half I can see).

 

[GollyGadget]

Party at OKW! We are staying there too for Marathon Weekend!

I'm excited! I stayed at Dixie Landings two decades ago but otherwise have only stayed at values. I'm thinking that hot tub may become a great asset post race.

Great week! I know nothing about running in London since the last time I was there was like 30 years ago (gulp!) and I didn't run then. But, did want to say have a great time. I loved London.

Bucky is adorable (well, at least the half I can see).

Thanks for the kind words! I just love that photo of her. It looks like she laid on the hardwood so long that half of her has sunk into it.
Any other tips for London outside of running? I won't have a lot of free time but I want to make my flight over there worth it.

 

[GollyGadget]

John Deere 5K Fall Classic Race Review

Weather:
I had been anxiously watching the weather all week. There was rain in the forecast on Sunday when I first checked and it was making me nervous. This was my first year involved in the race committee and I really wanted it to be a success but I knew the weather would play a huge part. By a ridiculous amount of luck, we had perfect weather. There was a lot of rain and wind on Saturday, but Sunday was perfect. It was about 50 when I arrived to setup the course at 6am and it was still in the 50s when I finished the race around 8:30.

Course:
The course starts in the back of one of the parking lots heading towards the back entrance and then turns around. Although a bit boring, it’s quite nice to start on this flat stretch for the first mile. The next quarter mile is a pretty decent downhill which is enjoyable until you realize that you’re running a loop and what goes down must go up in this case.

After the quarter mile back uphill, racers are treated to another fairly flat mile in another parking lot out and back. From there it’s down another hill and back up again. That last hill is a killer, it goes around a turn and seems to go on forever. To make matters worse, the hill never really stops. It gets to a ‘flat’ section that is still inclined all the way to the finish.

Results:
My main goal for this race was to beat my 5K time (23:26) from the previous week. I knew this was a stretch goal because this course was much tougher. Secondary goal was to win my AG like I had done the previous year. Since the race is only open to employees, retirees, and family it has a very family friendly atmosphere and isn’t typically full of many competitive runners. For a lot of the registrants, this is the only 5K they participate in all year.

Due to the hilly nature of the course, I knew it was important to have a quick first mile but I was still a bit worried about going out too fast. I found a guy that I had seen on the training runs and decided to stay just behind him to help with my pace. Since I had a time goal this race, I decided to run with my phone but I was so focused on the race I completely missed my first half mile split.

I finished the first mile in 7:08 and quickly turned the corner for the first uphill. I’d run these hills multiple times in the weeks prior but being familiar with them didn’t make it any easier. I was huffing and puffing as I reached the top and wondered if I had gone out too fast. Shortly after, my phone told me I was at the halfway mark and I knew I could make it without crashing and burning.

With some re-found confidence, I kept pushing. Mile 2 was 7:38, right where I wanted it to be due to the uphill. The participants were getting pretty spread out by this time. I had a few in my sights but neither passed nor was passed by anyone rest of the race. I saw my husband about a half mile later during one of the out and back sections and, as always, he provided a big boost of energy.

After waving to my husband, I relished the last downhill of the race. Unfortunately it was quickly followed by a brutal uphill. By the time I reached the top, I felt zapped of all energy. I knew I just had to make it across the parking lot to finish, but I had doubts about breaking my time goal. Finally, about 200 meters from the finish there were some spectators cheering us on and I used their energy to propel me forward. There was a quick turn before the finish and I could see the clock…23:20…I wasn’t going to make it. I still wanted to put forth my best effort so I upped my speed and crossed the finish line near 23:40.

Although I didn’t reach my goal, I knew I had given it my all and was satisfied with the results. I headed to the car to change and cheer on the other runners. Upon returning back to the finish line, I heard the announcement that results were being posted. I knew I was the second female finisher so I felt pretty confident about that AG award but I wanted to see my official time.

Much to my surprise it was listed as 23:14. I couldn’t believe it. Were my tired eyes deceiving me at the finish? I checked my phone and it listed a time of 23:40 but that includes +/- 20 seconds from before and after the race. In fact, Nike tells me this race was my fastest 5K at 23:03. I asked one of the other volunteers and while he couldn’t provide any answers, he did say that someone else had told him that the clock and chip time were different. Based on all the data, I’m counting this as a victory.

Time: 23:14
Age Group Rank: 1/29
Gender Rank: 2/164
Overall Rank: ??/359

Random Ramblings:
Water – Since it was a cool day and a short race, I didn’t need any water on course but my husband had a valid complaint. There was only one water stop and it was along the second out and back. Roughly 1.5 & 2.5 mi marks. The problem is they were only setup on one side. When he got to it, all the fast people were on the side with the water heading back. He wanted water but didn’t want to cut in front of those going the opposite direction so he had to wait roughly another mile before he made it back to the water stop.

Awards – The order of events on the day is 5K run/walk, 50 yd dash, 400 m dash, then one mile fun run. For the most part, this is fine, and it’s fun to watch the little ones racing. The problem with it though is that the awards aren’t announced until the very end. It was nearly two hours later and many had gone home. Since I was volunteering, I had to stick around anyway, but otherwise I probably would have left as well and that would have been a shame. Turns out, I got an award for first overall female employee! The race is only open to employees or family and the lady in the lead must have fallen into the latter category. Now I have this shiny beauty sitting on my mantle.

Honestly, I feel a bit odd getting a 1st award when I know I was second, but the trophy also comes with a $50 donation to a charity of my choice and I'll gladly accept that!

Post-Race Refreshments – There was a good selection of food and drinks at the finish. From what I remember there were bananas, apples, yogurt, cookies, bagels, hot chocolate, water, and juice boxes. While it was a nice variety, and I understand why there wasn’t any beer, I really would have liked that post-race beer. Plus, more people would stick around for the awards if there was beer.

Overall Impression:
I really enjoy this race. It’s a challenging but fun course. There aren’t a lot of spectators but it’s fun to see my coworkers out there on the course. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s really well priced and I’ve had good results the two times I’ve participated.

 

[ZellyB]

I'm excited! I stayed at Dixie Landings two decades ago but otherwise have only stayed at values. I'm thinking that hot tub may become a great asset post race.


Thanks for the kind words! I just love that photo of her. It looks like she laid on the hardwood so long that half of her has sunk into it.
Any other tips for London outside of running? I won't have a lot of free time but I want to make my flight over there worth it.

Well, it was 30 years ago so my memory is spotty, but I do remember my favorite thing was going to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.

 

[GollyGadget]

Well, it was 30 years ago so my memory is spotty, but I do remember my favorite thing was going to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.

30 years ago is still more firsthand knowledge than I have! One of my co-workers also mentioned seeing the crown jewels as one of his highlights. Must be worth seeing

 

[xjillianpaige]

Congrats on a race well run! I lived in London for 4 months in 2010 - so I'd be happy to talk about London with you! It's my favorite place in the world. I'd second the crown jewels (you can find them at the Tower of London - very cool spot to visit and be sure to take a tour with a beefeater/Yeomen Warder!

 

[GollyGadget]

Congrats on a race well run! I lived in London for 4 months in 2010 - so I'd be happy to talk about London with you! It's my favorite place in the world. I'd second the crown jewels (you can find them at the Tower of London - very cool spot to visit and be sure to take a tour with a beefeater/Yeomen Warder!

Thanks! I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions you have for a first timer. I won't have a ton of free time but will have a couple of days to accomplish the must dos.

I need to fit in a couple of 8mi runs and planning on either circling some parks or running along the Thames.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Thanks! I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions you have for a first timer. I won't have a ton of free time but will have a couple of days to accomplish the must dos.

I need to fit in a couple of 8mi runs and planning on either circling some parks or running along the Thames.

I LOVE talking about my time in London! I lived in South Kensington, about a 10 minute walk to Harrods, Hyde Park & a handful of museums! That's definitely a beautiful area and perfect to run in! It's safe and beautiful. Hyde Park is a tourist must-see + bonus beautiful running location! That's where you'll see the Princess Di Memorial Fountain, The Albert Memorial, the Peter Pan Statue and so much more! Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are split by a road, but are more or less one in the same. You can get some nice milage out of them + they're just so gorgeous. The Serpentine is the pond that runs through them both + Kensington Palace is also a museum.

Running along the Thames will also be beautiful. You can stop to take photos of Parliament & Big Ben. Westminster Abbey is just behind those. The Eye is on the other side of the river. Also along the Thames is Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the Tate Modern (all museums in London are free if they're owned by the government - including the Tate Modern, V&A, and Natural History Museum).

Buckingham Palace is situated between two parks: Green Park and St. James's Park! You can tour Buckingham! It's not far from Hyde Park, either.

Keep going down the Thames and you'll be at the Tower of London & Tower Bridge! Gorgeousssss & so interesting to tour!

 

[sourire]

Congratulations on your 5k, and have a great trip!!
Also, your dog is so adorable! Bucky looks very lovable!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Congrats on your 5K!!

 

[roxymama]

Catching up and awesome recap!! You should rock that statue at your desk (or wherever you work.)