In the home stretch-tweaking plan?
RenewedRunner
Posts: 423 Member
Made it 15 miles today. I have 5 weeks until my marathon. I have already posted and pretty much acknowledged I am just trying to survive this thing.
That being said, I have 5 weeks. Would you
A) break down the plan and skip my 20 miler so I can still have a step back week? Distance would be 11, 18, 10, 8, marathon
keep plan. So there would be no cutbacks and 3 weeks of building 18, 20, 10, 8, marathon
C) cut the week out of my taper. 11, 18, 20, 8, marathon
I know being poorly prepared isnt ide or even desirable. I have also learned I am NOT a marathoner (this will probably be my only so automatic PR LOL) but I am in for a penny, in for a pound....
That being said, I have 5 weeks. Would you
A) break down the plan and skip my 20 miler so I can still have a step back week? Distance would be 11, 18, 10, 8, marathon
keep plan. So there would be no cutbacks and 3 weeks of building 18, 20, 10, 8, marathonC) cut the week out of my taper. 11, 18, 20, 8, marathon
I know being poorly prepared isnt ide or even desirable. I have also learned I am NOT a marathoner (this will probably be my only so automatic PR LOL) but I am in for a penny, in for a pound....
0
Replies
-
I'm assuming today should have been in the 18-20 range? If so, I don't see a need for such a drastic cutback next week. I'd go with B.0
-
I'm assuming today should have been in the 18-20 range? If so, I don't see a need for such a drastic cutback next week. I'd go with B.
+1 to this.0 -
option B!0
-
Yeah today was supposed to have been 18. But by 15 it was so hot and having been up and down hill after hill, I was just worn out. Still trying to get a feel for pacing and nutrition and hydration. Today was an epic fail on all accounts there. Not enough water in the middle meant I sucked it down at the end and then felt ill with it all sloshing around. Who knew water was so hard to get used to??!! And my pace felt fine until mile 13 and then it was like the wheels fell off :frown:
Maybe I need walk breaks, I don't know. Being slow sucks. And how is this distance on people's bucket list??!! How did those people with NO training survive this??!! I am still pisses that Katie Holmes will probably have a better time with me. That is just wrong :noway:0 -
Yeah today was supposed to have been 18. But by 15 it was so hot and having been up and down hill after hill, I was just worn out. Still trying to get a feel for pacing and nutrition and hydration. Today was an epic fail on all accounts there. Not enough water in the middle meant I sucked it down at the end and then felt ill with it all sloshing around. Who knew water was so hard to get used to??!! And my pace felt fine until mile 13 and then it was like the wheels fell off :frown:
Maybe I need walk breaks, I don't know. Being slow sucks. And how is this distance on people's bucket list??!! How did those people with NO training survive this??!! I am still pisses that Katie Holmes will probably have a better time with me. That is just wrong :noway:
You should see my FB feed after the weekend. Lots of folks I know ran a 6+ hour marathon. I've read stories of puking a gallon of Gatorade, a DNF, almost DNF, etc. Personally, I'd rather wrestle an alligator than run a half trained marathon again. I ran mine on a banana as the only solid food, about 2hrs prior, and took water and tiny sip of Gatorade at every station. That's it. If you can train your body to use fat as fuel, you will know no wall.0 -
I'd go with B. This will also give you another chance to play around your race nutrition.0
-
Made it 15 miles today. I have 5 weeks until my marathon. I have already posted and pretty much acknowledged I am just trying to survive this thing.
That being said, I have 5 weeks. Would you
A) break down the plan and skip my 20 miler so I can still have a step back week? Distance would be 11, 18, 10, 8, marathon keep plan. So there would be no cutbacks and 3 weeks of building 18, 20, 10, 8, marathon
C) cut the week out of my taper. 11, 18, 20, 8, marathon
I know being poorly prepared isnt ide or even desirable. I have also learned I am NOT a marathoner (this will probably be my only so automatic PR LOL) but I am in for a penny, in for a pound....
Personally, I think you should do
16, 18, 14, 10
That being said Katie Holmes ran a 5:30 didn't she?
My brother can ran a 1:25 half (6:30 pace) but ran a 4:55 full...0 -
Yeah today was supposed to have been 18. But by 15 it was so hot and having been up and down hill after hill, I was just worn out. Still trying to get a feel for pacing and nutrition and hydration. Today was an epic fail on all accounts there. Not enough water in the middle meant I sucked it down at the end and then felt ill with it all sloshing around. Who knew water was so hard to get used to??!! And my pace felt fine until mile 13 and then it was like the wheels fell off :frown:
Maybe I need walk breaks, I don't know. Being slow sucks. And how is this distance on people's bucket list??!! How did those people with NO training survive this??!! I am still pisses that Katie Holmes will probably have a better time with me. That is just wrong :noway:
You should see my FB feed after the weekend. Lots of folks I know ran a 6+ hour marathon. I've read stories of puking a gallon of Gatorade, a DNF, almost DNF, etc. Personally, I'd rather wrestle an alligator than run a half trained marathon again. I ran mine on a banana as the only solid food, about 2hrs prior, and took water and tiny sip of Gatorade at every station. That's it. If you can train your body to use fat as fuel, you will know no wall.
This.0 -
Yeah today was supposed to have been 18. But by 15 it was so hot and having been up and down hill after hill, I was just worn out. Still trying to get a feel for pacing and nutrition and hydration. Today was an epic fail on all accounts there. Not enough water in the middle meant I sucked it down at the end and then felt ill with it all sloshing around. Who knew water was so hard to get used to??!! And my pace felt fine until mile 13 and then it was like the wheels fell off :frown:
Maybe I need walk breaks, I don't know. Being slow sucks. And how is this distance on people's bucket list??!! How did those people with NO training survive this??!! I am still pisses that Katie Holmes will probably have a better time with me. That is just wrong :noway:
You should see my FB feed after the weekend. Lots of folks I know ran a 6+ hour marathon. I've read stories of puking a gallon of Gatorade, a DNF, almost DNF, etc. Personally, I'd rather wrestle an alligator than run a half trained marathon again. I ran mine on a banana as the only solid food, about 2hrs prior, and took water and tiny sip of Gatorade at every station. That's it. If you can train your body to use fat as fuel, you will know no wall.
Spot on.0 -
Yeah today was supposed to have been 18. But by 15 it was so hot and having been up and down hill after hill, I was just worn out. Still trying to get a feel for pacing and nutrition and hydration. Today was an epic fail on all accounts there. Not enough water in the middle meant I sucked it down at the end and then felt ill with it all sloshing around. Who knew water was so hard to get used to??!! And my pace felt fine until mile 13 and then it was like the wheels fell off :frown:
Maybe I need walk breaks, I don't know. Being slow sucks. And how is this distance on people's bucket list??!! How did those people with NO training survive this??!! I am still pisses that Katie Holmes will probably have a better time with me. That is just wrong :noway:
You should see my FB feed after the weekend. Lots of folks I know ran a 6+ hour marathon. I've read stories of puking a gallon of Gatorade, a DNF, almost DNF, etc. Personally, I'd rather wrestle an alligator than run a half trained marathon again. I ran mine on a banana as the only solid food, about 2hrs prior, and took water and tiny sip of Gatorade at every station. That's it. If you can train your body to use fat as fuel, you will know no wall.
Hmm..maybe that is what happened to me this weekend as I pretty much ran on empty and had legs for days it felt like...
OP - I'm another vote for option B. It seems the most logical and will have you best prepared. Don't skip that 20 just because you had a bad run. And if you have to walk to get the distance do it. Some days are just about the miles.0 -
I think my anxiety is getting to me. I don't like being half trained. But between husband's R&R (who wants to go run an hour or more when that is the only time I get with that man for a year?!!) and my mandated rest for my foot back in May, I lost valuable time. So back to being poorly trained. Sigh.
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:0 -
I think my anxiety is getting to me. I don't like being half trained. But between husband's R&R (who wants to go run an hour or more when that is the only time I get with that man for a year?!!) and my mandated rest for my foot back in May, I lost valuable time. So back to being poorly trained. Sigh.
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:
If you normally do your long runs with food in your belly and switch to doing them fasted you still might bonk. Do you keep notes about what you ate and how you felt before and after runs? I did that for about a month and found out that morning runs I do better running on empty (or close to it) and afternoon runs I best have some food in me.0 -
I think my anxiety is getting to me. I don't like being half trained. But between husband's R&R (who wants to go run an hour or more when that is the only time I get with that man for a year?!!) and my mandated rest for my foot back in May, I lost valuable time. So back to being poorly trained. Sigh.
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:
If you normally do your long runs with food in your belly and switch to doing them fasted you still might bonk. Do you keep notes about what you ate and how you felt before and after runs? I did that for about a month and found out that morning runs I do better running on empty (or close to it) and afternoon runs I best have some food in me.
If you bonked at 15, no amount of nutrition or hydration is going to carry you for those additional 11 miles. The ONLY thing that will help you cover that additional distance is to slow down. At the pace you were running, you depleted your glycogen stores by mile 15. The faster you run, the higher the ratio of glycogen to fat that the body uses for energy. So, slowing down will use a higher percentage of fat than you would at a faster pace.
Bottom line is, it takes lots and lots of miles to develop marathon fitness, usually years of consistent mileage of greater than 25 to 30 miles per week. There isn't any way to accelerate it. Finding proper pacing is an art form as well. 15 seconds per mile too fast and you bonk. 15 seconds per mile too slow and you leave a few minutes out on the course.0 -
Read this guy's article. It's legit.
http://blogs.militarytimes.com/pt365/2013/10/25/ask-the-experts-dr-mark-cucuzzellas-hybrid-strategy-for-running-a-marathon/0 -
Read this guy's article. It's legit.
http://blogs.militarytimes.com/pt365/2013/10/25/ask-the-experts-dr-mark-cucuzzellas-hybrid-strategy-for-running-a-marathon/
Thanks for posting this Doug. The Prius analogy really makes it easy to understand.0 -
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:
If you normally do your long runs with food in your belly and switch to doing them fasted you still might bonk. Do you keep notes about what you ate and how you felt before and after runs? I did that for about a month and found out that morning runs I do better running on empty (or close to it) and afternoon runs I best have some food in me.
If you bonked at 15, no amount of nutrition or hydration is going to carry you for those additional 11 miles. The ONLY thing that will help you cover that additional distance is to slow down. At the pace you were running, you depleted your glycogen stores by mile 15. The faster you run, the higher the ratio of glycogen to fat that the body uses for energy. So, slowing down will use a higher percentage of fat than you would at a faster pace.
Bottom line is, it takes lots and lots of miles to develop marathon fitness, usually years of consistent mileage of greater than 25 to 30 miles per week. There isn't any way to accelerate it. Finding proper pacing is an art form as well. 15 seconds per mile too fast and you bonk. 15 seconds per mile too slow and you leave a few minutes out on the course.
eeps! I didn't mean it to sound like nutrition is a magic bullet, and for the record I voted B up above. Just that diving into running fasted is not really going to help things, and that taking notes about nutrition can help.0 -
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:
I once listened to a podcast of an ultra marathoner who was 3% body fat. He said he had enough fat to sustain him for running across the entire United States. More fat is definitely not more efficient.
Also, it's completely common for runners to feel like you are "hitting a wall" on those first few marathon training long runs. I remember feeling completely wiped after anything over 2 hours. It is partly because I was going too fast & partly because running for 2+ hours is a feeling unlike any other type of running workout (in my opinion). There is really no other running workout that prepares your body for that achey joint, dead leg feeling you get during the long run. Just don't let it freak you out or scare you. It WILL get better. Do your long runs. You will be fine!
However, If you feel like you are undertrained and are afraid to complete the long runs maybe try switching to the half? There is no reason to make yourself run a race that you truly don't want to do0 -
I have plenty of fat for the energy to suction off. The bonk on the run this week was scary. if that had been the race, I would still have had 10 MORE FREAKING MILES TO GO :noway:
If you normally do your long runs with food in your belly and switch to doing them fasted you still might bonk. Do you keep notes about what you ate and how you felt before and after runs? I did that for about a month and found out that morning runs I do better running on empty (or close to it) and afternoon runs I best have some food in me.
If you bonked at 15, no amount of nutrition or hydration is going to carry you for those additional 11 miles. The ONLY thing that will help you cover that additional distance is to slow down. At the pace you were running, you depleted your glycogen stores by mile 15. The faster you run, the higher the ratio of glycogen to fat that the body uses for energy. So, slowing down will use a higher percentage of fat than you would at a faster pace.
Bottom line is, it takes lots and lots of miles to develop marathon fitness, usually years of consistent mileage of greater than 25 to 30 miles per week. There isn't any way to accelerate it. Finding proper pacing is an art form as well. 15 seconds per mile too fast and you bonk. 15 seconds per mile too slow and you leave a few minutes out on the course.
eeps! I didn't mean it to sound like nutrition is a magic bullet, and for the record I voted B up above. Just that diving into running fasted is not really going to help things, and that taking notes about nutrition can help.
Sorry. I quoted you, but the gist of the comments were for the OPs benefit. No worries.
0 -
Great topic Renewed runner, am same as you first marathon end of october, well if I ever sign up for it
Please don't be discouraged after your recent run, my long run two weeks ago was supposed to be 20 miles...I limped home at 13 miles utterly discouraged. It really made me rethink my plans to do the marathon, I did the normal training but was kind of scared of going out again doing a long run.
So what I did was change it about a bit, I went with a ( really experienced) friend, she set a really slow steady pace we chatted gossiped and *****ed and it was fine! We went our separate ways at mile 18, I ran home the last two miles at the same really slow pace ( 10.26 was about the average) with a huge big smile on my face everyone I passed was smiling back at me, I was chuffed ( but knackered).
Please please don't let that one discourage you, thats all it was, one run and definitely take the best advice I was given, it was on here, run the mile you are in. So when we are in mile 12 we are in mile 12 and not worrying about whats in front.
best of luck, talk soon!
valentine0 -
Read this guy's article. It's legit.
http://blogs.militarytimes.com/pt365/2013/10/25/ask-the-experts-dr-mark-cucuzzellas-hybrid-strategy-for-running-a-marathon/
This guys owns a store in the next town over from me and I am running the half marathon put on by that store in two weeks.0 -
Thanks everyone,
As for the poster who asked, MCM doesn't have a half option, I have a friend I had sign up to run it with me so I feel "peer pressure" to keep going, and I deferred from last year so I either run it now or I lose my fees. Not necessarily the best reasons but they are enough that I am sucking it up and going.
My first foray into marathon training has definitely smacked me in the face with the reality of the seriousness of this experience. I definitely learned that should I EVER want to do this again (ahahhaahhah not likely) I definitely can't half *kitten* it.
ANd thanks for the article, it was helpful!!!0
