What did you do?

[Phonedave]

Oh boy, today was a doozy. I have a 1/2 marathon in three weeks, so I figure I better do more than run a 5k or 10k on the weekends as I had been doing. It was great out tonight, so I decide to crank out 7 miles. Running was fine, no problems, great run, 1/2 marathon should be no problem.

So what happened you ask? Around mile 6.5 I run past this older (65 +/-) woman, who yells to me "hey, how many times around you go" (really, she sounded like Peggy from the Geico commericals). I stopped, answered her question, and to make a long story short, she asked me out for coffee.

Dude, I am 40. You all have seen pictures of me. Do I really look THAT bad? I have to admire her conviction, but wow. I politely declined and finished up my run in amazement.

-dave

 

[fmingo36]

Oh boy, today was a doozy. I have a 1/2 marathon in three weeks, so I figure I better do more than run a 5k or 10k on the weekends as I had been doing. It was great out tonight, so I decide to crank out 7 miles. Running was fine, no problems, great run, 1/2 marathon should be no problem.

So what happened you ask? Around mile 6.5 I run past this older (65 +/-) woman, who yells to me "hey, how many times around you go" (really, she sounded like Peggy from the Geico commericals). I stopped, answered her question, and to make a long story short, she asked me out for coffee.

Dude, I am 40. You all have seen pictures of me. Do I really look THAT bad? I have to admire her conviction, but wow. I politely declined and finished up my run in amazement.

-dave

:lol:

 

[Donald Duck]

Oh boy, today was a doozy. I have a 1/2 marathon in three weeks, so I figure I better do more than run a 5k or 10k on the weekends as I had been doing. It was great out tonight, so I decide to crank out 7 miles. Running was fine, no problems, great run, 1/2 marathon should be no problem.

So what happened you ask? Around mile 6.5 I run past this older (65 +/-) woman, who yells to me "hey, how many times around you go" (really, she sounded like Peggy from the Geico commericals). I stopped, answered her question, and to make a long story short, she asked me out for coffee.

Dude, I am 40. You all have seen pictures of me. Do I really look THAT bad? I have to admire her conviction, but wow. I politely declined and finished up my run in amazement.

-dave

Dave, The Ladies Man! :ROFLOL:
Yeah, I don't get hit on. The only thing a girl has said while I was out running (to her friend), "What a psycho..." Ok yeah, compared to all the other runners out there in just t-shirts and shorts, I look like a freakin' commando...but at least I hydrate well!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Welcome. Follow whatever PhoneDave writes, don't be intimidated by
jamxwell007's speed, and please, don't ever copy/listen/take advice from me ...unless you want to be injured. Cheers.

Like a side mirror, Joel's speed may seem faster than it appears.

But thanks Nick.

Oh boy, today was a doozy. I have a 1/2 marathon in three weeks, so I figure I better do more than run a 5k or 10k on the weekends as I had been doing. It was great out tonight, so I decide to crank out 7 miles. Running was fine, no problems, great run, 1/2 marathon should be no problem.

So what happened you ask? Around mile 6.5 I run past this older (65 +/-) woman, who yells to me "hey, how many times around you go" (really, she sounded like Peggy from the Geico commericals). I stopped, answered her question, and to make a long story short, she asked me out for coffee.

Dude, I am 40. You all have seen pictures of me. Do I really look THAT bad? I have to admire her conviction, but wow. I politely declined and finished up my run in amazement.

-dave

Now that is funny. You know what they say about those older women Dave. Well, that is of course she looks like Peggy from the Geico commercials.

 

[speck76]

I was a complete slacker this weekend - only made it half of my desired miles before feeling sick due to the heat......

this is going to be a long summer.

 

[Phonedave]

Now that is funny. You know what they say about those older women Dave. Well, that is of course she looks like Peggy from the Geico commercials.

I am a nice guy and I try not to say anything about a persons physical appearance, but she could have been 'Peggy's' sister. I know some older women who are quite attractive. This was not one of them.

It was surreal. She just flagged me down as I ran past, asked me how much I run, and then stated telling me about this party she had over the weekend, how it wore her out, where she lives, where do I live, where do I work, etc.

In the back of my mind I was going "Nah, this is not going where I think it's going, no possible way" and then, yep, "So, maybe we can go for coffee sometime together". Like I said, I give her a lot of credit. Go to the park, stop someone running by, ask them to coffee. Takes some stones.

-dave

 

[joel_maxwell]

I am a nice guy and I try not to say anything about a persons physical appearance, but she could have been 'Peggy's' sister. I know some older women who are quite attractive. This was not one of them.

It was surreal. She just flagged me down as I ran past, asked me how much I run, and then stated telling me about this party she had over the weekend, how it wore her out, where she lives, where do I live, where do I work, etc.

In the back of my mind I was going "Nah, this is not going where I think it's going, no possible way" and then, yep, "So, maybe we can go for coffee sometime together". Like I said, I give her a lot of credit. Go to the park, stop someone running by, ask them to coffee. Takes some stones.

-dave

Nah, you are just a stud. :king:

 

[JillC LI]

Like I said, I give her a lot of credit. Go to the park, stop someone running by, ask them to coffee. Takes some stones.
-dave

That is one of the great things about running. Sure you can compete against others for the fastest time, but you can also compete against YOURSELF - and when you win against yourself, well ..... OK, I got nothin' here, but it sure sounded good at the start. I'll have to think about this one for a while and get back to you.
-dave

Thanks for all the laughs today!!!!

 

[JillC LI]

So I know alot about how to add mileage to safely become a long distance runner, but I know next to nothing about the proper way to get faster at shorter distances. I've been doing a lot of runs lately where I try to throw in a full mile at 9min/mile or to throw in a few segments of 3 minutes at 9min/mile (which is what I did this morning during a 4 mile run) to get my body used to running that pace in prep for my 5K in the Fall where I hope to run at that pace, but this does not seem like the best way to proceed. Does anyone have recommendations on what kind of speedwork I should be doing to get myself to 9min/mile pace for a 5K? I think I'm gonna have to buy some books.

 

[lpet11984]

Wow, thanks so much to everyone for the warm-welcome! Even more encouragement- can't ever have too much!

Today was W7D1, another 25 min jog. A little harder today than Sunday, but I'm guessing that's because I didn't quite have the adrenaline of breaking that barrier this time around. Nonetheless, it felt pretty good and some of my pacings are getting faster (thanks to the RunKeeper app for my iPhone), although I'm still just trying to focus on making it through the workout and not worry quite as much about distance or speed. All in all, not bad, just required a bit more mentality to push through the run.

 

[Texas84]

Did an easy 3 miles today. I don't get hit on like the rest of you but the cute girls on the river trail do wave at me. Probably because they feel sorry for me.

 

[dreamfinder]

So I know alot about how to add mileage to safely become a long distance runner, but I know next to nothing about the proper way to get faster at shorter distances. I've been doing a lot of runs lately where I try to throw in a full mile at 9min/mile or to throw in a few segments of 3 minutes at 9min/mile (which is what I did this morning during a 4 mile run) to get my body used to running that pace in prep for my 5K in the Fall where I hope to run at that pace, but this does not seem like the best way to proceed. Does anyone have recommendations on what kind of speedwork I should be doing to get myself to 9min/mile pace for a 5K? I think I'm gonna have to buy some books.

A whole mix of speed work. I see lots of people brining up fartleks. Basically you sprint/run real fast for x distance, and then jog for 1/3 x. Lather, rinse, repeat. Kinda the same theory as the Galloway run/walk, just pushing it a bit harder/faster.
Personally I don't see a huge issue with what you are doing. Adding in speed for a bit, getting longer each time. So sticking with your 3 minutes at pace, do that for a week or two, then bump to 3:30/4, do that for a week or two, etc.
I am not a doctor or a coach by any stretch of the imagination, but that is how I train, and that is how most training plans work. Gradually increasing the speed. It obviously never hurts to throw in other stuff. 400's, 1600's, whatevers. Mixing it up helps to freak out your muscles and get them to work in new ways.

 

[Phonedave]

Wow, thanks so much to everyone for the warm-welcome! Even more encouragement- can't ever have too much!

Today was W7D1, another 25 min jog. A little harder today than Sunday, but I'm guessing that's because I didn't quite have the adrenaline of breaking that barrier this time around. Nonetheless, it felt pretty good and some of my pacings are getting faster (thanks to the RunKeeper app for my iPhone), although I'm still just trying to focus on making it through the workout and not worry quite as much about distance or speed. All in all, not bad, just required a bit more mentality to push through the run.

Good job. As many here will tell you, the mental aspect of running is just as, if not more, important than the physical.

Distnace running is not fun. It hurts. For the first few miles it may be fun, but after a while the option of just stopping seems so much nicer. At that point it is your mental conviction that keeps you going. It is all worth it at the end, when you know that you could have stopped at any time, but you didn't. You kept going and did what you started out to do.

-dave

 

[Donald Duck]

11.51 miles this morning and 11.37 miles yesterday.

Long run tomorrow, 22-26 miles.

NJ Marathon is next week so I'm getting excited for that.

Mid June, I'll be doing a "Midnight to Sunrise Ultramarathon." After that first ultra in March, I just want to do more and more.

Cheers everyone!

 

[JillC LI]

Good job. As many here will tell you, the mental aspect of running is just as, if not more, important than the physical.

Distnace running is not fun. It hurts. For the first few miles it may be fun, but after a while the option of just stopping seems so much nicer. At that point it is your mental conviction that keeps you going. It is all worth it at the end, when you know that you could have stopped at any time, but you didn't. You kept going and did what you started out to do.

-dave

Interesting that you say that. I do agree that the mind is as important as the body in long distance running. But when I was in full marathon training mode, I remember telling someone that as the runs got longer, so did my ability to handle them, and that except for the last mile or two, I was shocked that I felt the same ease at mile 16 as I did as mile 6, for example. It wasn't until that last mile or two that I felt the pain - and certainly the last 6.2 miles of the actual marathon - where the mental component was make-or-break.

 

[JillC LI]

A whole mix of speed work. I see lots of people brining up fartleks. Basically you sprint/run real fast for x distance, and then jog for 1/3 x. Lather, rinse, repeat. Kinda the same theory as the Galloway run/walk, just pushing it a bit harder/faster.
Personally I don't see a huge issue with what you are doing. Adding in speed for a bit, getting longer each time. So sticking with your 3 minutes at pace, do that for a week or two, then bump to 3:30/4, do that for a week or two, etc.
I am not a doctor or a coach by any stretch of the imagination, but that is how I train, and that is how most training plans work. Gradually increasing the speed. It obviously never hurts to throw in other stuff. 400's, 1600's, whatevers. Mixing it up helps to freak out your muscles and get them to work in new ways.

Thanks for your thoughts. For now I will stick with what I'm doing, and I like the idea of fartlekking as well because I can determine my speed based on how it feels, but I'm still at a loss with respect to 400s, 800s, 1600s because I just don't know what pace I'm supposed to be running them to ultimately get to a 9m/m pace for a 5K. I know that 400s are run faster than 1600s which are run faster than 5K pace, I think, but I don't know what numbers to use to prepare my body. I'm gonna pick up some books. I appreciate your input! :wave:

 

[lpet11984]

Distnace running is not fun. It hurts. For the first few miles it may be fun, but after a while the option of just stopping seems so much nicer. At that point it is your mental conviction that keeps you going. It is all worth it at the end, when you know that you could have stopped at any time, but you didn't. You kept going and did what you started out to do.

Interesting that you say that. I do agree that the mind is as important as the body in long distance running. But when I was in full marathon training mode, I remember telling someone that as the runs got longer, so did my ability to handle them, and that except for the last mile or two, I was shocked that I felt the same ease at mile 16 as I did as mile 6, for example. It wasn't until that last mile or two that I felt the pain - and certainly the last 6.2 miles of the actual marathon - where the mental component was make-or-break.

Thanks again for the encouragement!

I've noticed (at least in my limited experiences thus far) that it's a little bit of both, and it depends on the mentality going in to the run. One run might be a mental struggle right after the first few minutes and I really have to keep myself distracted and my mind moving in order to keep my legs moving, and another, I might feel so good that it's very easy to keep going. Bottom line is what you do when your mentality recognizes the temptation to stop, whether early on or later on- you just have to decide "ain't nothin' gonna break my stride, no body gonna slow me down". (Sorry for those who aren't a fan of the song- it's one of my favorites to help keep me moving ).

Today I've noticed I'm a little more sore than usual after yesterday's run...anyone have any tips for minimizing soreness? I do stretch a bit before and after a run, as well as spend some time walking before and after. The soreness isn't so bad, my legs (particularly my calves) just feel tight, especially when I get up after sitting for a bit.

 

[lpet11984]

11.51 miles this morning and 11.37 miles yesterday.

Long run tomorrow, 22-26 miles.

NJ Marathon is next week so I'm getting excited for that.

Mid June, I'll be doing a "Midnight to Sunrise Ultramarathon." After that first ultra in March, I just want to do more and more.

Cheers everyone!

Good luck with the upcoming run and marathon! An "ultramarathon" sounds pretty intense...

 

[JillC LI]

Bottom line is what you do when your mentality recognizes the temptation to stop, whether early on or later on- you just have to decide "ain't nothin' gonna break my stride, no body gonna slow me down". (Sorry for those who aren't a fan of the song- it's one of my favorites to help keep me moving ).

Today I've noticed I'm a little more sore than usual after yesterday's run...anyone have any tips for minimizing soreness? I do stretch a bit before and after a run, as well as spend some time walking before and after. The soreness isn't so bad, my legs (particularly my calves) just feel tight, especially when I get up after sitting for a bit.

OMG, the first two songs that I ever put on the first iPod I ever bought were "Far From Over" (as Joel knows) and "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder! I love that song. It definitely has kept me moving on many a run!

As for the soreness, perhaps try icing the sore spots for 20 minutes after a run. It helped my knees on the longer runs. If it's more muscular than joint related, it'll probably work itself out the more you stick with it as the muscles get stronger - unless it's a pull or an overuse injury which it doesn't sound like it is.

 

[Donald Duck]

Good luck with the upcoming run and marathon! An "ultramarathon" sounds pretty intense...

Thanks. Go back through the thread and you can read about my training for the 100 mile ultramarathon I did in March. All the regulars know, but my leg finally crapped out at just over 50 miles, and I had to pull out early. I still received all my SWAG though!
Anyway, just to bring you up to speed: I'm a long distance guy; 75, 80 sometimes 100 miles / week. Some Saturday runs are 30 milers. Welcome to the thread if I haven't posted that before. Good luck with all of your running goals, and remember to never compare yourself to anyone else except yourself...and always listen to Phonedave's advice! Seriously, he knows what he's talking about, and I should probably listen to him more, but I'm stubborn and love adding up miles.

Enjoying an Stone AB bomber right now, so cheers!