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2 marathons, 10 weeks in between... can I add a HM?
Question for those who have done 2 marathons in a racing season before: I am plotting out (roughly) my fall training, and I am realizing that between race recovery from Via (Sept 11) and tapering for Philly (Nov 20), that leaves me around 6 weeks of actual "training" (aka: moderate training, mostly maintenance) in between…
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From marathons to 5Ks...
Hey all! So I am in taper town for my marathon on May 1, and I am starting to contemplate post-race plans (aka: budget for race fees). I think that for a few months after this marathon (my fourth), I want to focus on 5Ks. I got my butt handed to me at a 5k this spring, so I've been thinking that to get a break from the…
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Progress... I have screencap proof!
I was browsing my Garmin Connect account to send my running buddy proof that my first marathon training cycle was a big injury-riddled, low-mileage mess (seriously; my highest mileage week was, like... 35). This then led me to compare last February to this February, and WOW!! I have made some serious progress! Last…
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Reflective/illumination gear
Hi all! It's beginning to roll into that time of year when it's darker later in the morning and earlier in the evening... I'm thinking I definitely need to get some kind of reflective vest and maybe some kind of flashlight for the places with unreliable street lights. Who has some great reflective and/or illuminating gear…
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Marathon taper... final week mileage?
Hi all! Need some quick advice. I'm starting my marathon taper this week, and I'm wondering if my final week mileage (next week, race on the 22nd) is too high. I have 29-32 miles on my schedule (Sun 10, Mon 5, Wed 6, Thurs 3-4 in am and 3 in pm, Sat 4). I've never had a taper that wasn't super low miles due to injury, so I…
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Too much iron?
Every other morning, I eat a breakfast cereal which has 90% DV iron. On these days, I often end up eating 130-140% DV iron (other days are around 60%). Is this something I should try to limit, or is exceeding "100%" fine? I'm not having any issues, I'm just curious, because I know that there can be too much of a good thing!
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Tattoos during training?
Hi all! I am thinking about getting my first tattoo (running related, of course) and I was wondering if anyone has experience getting a tattoo during race training. Did you have to take much time off? I want to get it on my upper arm, and it won't rub against my running clothes or anything, but I am concerned about sweat…
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Fitness trackers -- long distance runners' opinions?
I've got a mild curiosity about fitness trackers (specifically the Garmin vivofit because I'm a Garmin fan). Does anyone on here use one, and how useful do you find it? I'm on the fence about getting one. I'd like to know how active I am outside of running, but it seems silly to buy what would be, realistically, a $100+…
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Nausea after a long run
After the last few long runs I've gone on, though I haven't changed much about my routine, I feel sick and nauseous for hours afterward, almost always after I eat my post-run breakfast. I usually eat some bread with PB before I leave and drink a cup of coffee, then I drink about 20-24 oz of water while I'm out (it's been…
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Increasing mm-drop... still need to acclimate?
A lot of people ask about how to acclimate or adjust to a lower mm-drop shoe from something that's more 8-12+ mm heel-toe drop range to a 0-4mm drop. However, I'm transitioning from running solely in Saucony Kinvaras (4mm) to Saucony Rides (8mm) for longer runs. Because I'm increasing the drop rather than decreasing, do…
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"Off season" -- how "off" can it be?
I am thinking ahead a bit for the summer, and I am planning to take some time off between my spring marathon on May 31 and beginning training for my fall race. I'll be attending an Arabic language program in Jordan for a month, and I am pretty certain I'd look very out of place dashing about the streets of Amman in shorts…
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Do you lift?
Long distance runners! You're all some fine, fit people, and my question is: do you lift? If so, what do you do and how did you get started? Now that I'm on my second round on marathon training, I want to do some more dedicated strength training/possibly lifting to be all-around stronger, because I know that will have…
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Realizing you're too hard on yourself
A few weeks ago, I was browsing the forums and came across a celebratory post by a woman who could deadlift twice her body weight by deadlifting 265 lbs. I then did the math and thought, "Wow, she's skinny! And hella strong!" But then I realized that I weigh basically the same, but I don't ever consider myself skinny. That…
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How to get out of brain funk
Two weeks ago, I was super excited about all my runs: 3 mile easy runs, 7 mile tempo runs, 14 mile long runs... everything sounded great! And now I'm in this total mental funk. I threw in the towel at mile 10.5 of a 16 miler last weekend (mostly due to aching knees and cold, but still), and I have an 18 mile run coming up…
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Long run pacing
Does anyone else go out for their long run and discover their body has a totally different idea about pacing than it does the rest of the week? Because mine certainly does. I can go run 8 miles on a Wednesday, and pace 8:40-8:50. But on my long run, at 8 miles I'm pacing 9:15-9:30, depending on the humidity. Granted for…
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Blisters! Help!
My right big toe has always been a blister-magnet. The usual blister spot has callused over (thank goodness), but this week I've been struggling with a blister north of the callus that I can't seem to banish. I've popped/drained it, put Neosporin on it, covered it with a Band-Aid... anything else I can do? I have a seven…
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Any successes, victories, etc. lately?
Hi all! I know it's summer, and it's hot, and we're all in the midst of some hardcore training. I also know it's easy to get bogged down by the little things (or sometimes big things) that might go wrong in the high temps, dense humidity, etc. Anyone have some "non-scale victories" to report? Or some milestones,…
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Garmin Forerunner 220
Hi all! Has anyone picked up a Garmin Forerunner 220 in the last few months since they came out? I'm thinking of replacing my FR 405 with one of these beauties. My 405 likes to beep a lot, almost incessantly, when sweat (or rain, or much of anything really...) gets on the touch-bezel, which is unimaginably annoying during…
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The Ice Diet
And now for the silliest diet we've ever heard of... THE ICE DIET! http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/the-ice-diet/371614/ "When you eat a significant amount of ice, your body burns energy to melt it. Eating ice should, by the logic of this diet, also provide some level of satiety, if only so far as it…
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Long-run fuel of choice?
Just wondering what your long-run fuel of choice is. I've eaten enough GU packets to last me a lifetime, and I love Clif Shot Blocks when it's warmer (when it's chilly, they become super gummy and hard to chew). I tried GU Chomps this morning but couldn't even swallow one... I opted for the other half of last week's Blocks…
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Rock n' Roll races
Hi all! Just wondering: Has anyone here run one of the Rock n' Roll race series events? I'm looking at the Chicago and Philadelphia half-marathons, but $100 is a huge price tag for a half-marathon! Is it really worth the high cost?
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Running more miles... but slower pace?
Hi all! I've been upping my running mileage the last four weeks or so, from 10-12 miles per week to 15-18 miles. A month ago, I was running two or three miles at an 8:40 pace, no problem. Now I'm running at the same effort, but struggling to pace even close to 9 minute miles; my average pace on anything more than 2 miles…
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Longest pre-marathon training run?
I'm considering running a marathon this fall, and looking at a lot of training plans, it seems like most top out at 20 miles. Leaving 6.2 miles in the dark makes me nervous, but it seems like a common "great unknown" for 1st-time marathoners. What is the farthest distance you've run to prep for a marathon, and how do you…
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Seasonal birth control & lackluster workouts?
So ladies... does anyone else here take seasonal birth control and feel less than enthusiastic during workouts in the week or two leading up to "shark week"? I find that when I run in the week or two before, I'm slower even though I feel like I'm exerting the same effort, and I'm more tired when I finish my workout. Is…
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Lesser of 2 evils (GPS watch or GPS on phone)
I have a conundrum. I've been going out running with my iPhone the last year or so, but decided to break out my old Garmin Forerunner 405 watch this week. My Garmin has always been a little "slow", but I got the feeling my phone was a bit "fast" when I completed a 5 mile run about a tenth of a mile (or more) earlier than I…
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Starting a diet + susceptibility to sickness?
Hi all! I just started counting calories again about two weeks ago, and after months of idle and lazy health, I start running and eating less junk and BOOM! I'm sick! Has anyone else found that in the early days of eating less and exercising more, they've been more susceptibile to sickness?
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30DS skipping a few days?
I'm on level 1 of the 30 day shred right now, but it's really easy (I hardly break a sweat). I've done 6 out of 10 days, and I was thinking about skipping onto level 2. Not only so I can get a better workout, but also so I can be done with the program before the 4th of July when I'm going to be out of town and celebrating…
