Countdown to CIM

Impressive training cycle.  Enjoy tapering.  Can't wait to follow you on race day!

Mark B wrote:Great job making it to taper! And congrats on the "6"  

Thanks Mark. I've never run as much or trained as hard but it's paying off. I do have one issue though... I am hungry all the time.... My wife and I did the Whole 30 month before last and I've lost 10 lbs between the diet and running so much more. Well, my wife did the Whole 30 - I did good on the food but cutting out the beer for a month just wasn't going to happen for me... I like to say: " I run so I can drink beer..."

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Nice work, Tim.  Now if you feel tired in these next two weeks, do not be afraid to take an extra day off or lessen the mileage.  When I got to where you are, I was listening hard to my body and I backed off in a couple of runs and cut back on my gym time (eliminating the weight work in the last week and a half).  Also resist the urge to run faster than your prescribed paces i.e. do not leave your race in training and run those MP miles too fast - keep them at the 8:50 or so that you need to run.  Resist, resist, resist!!!!!

Good advice, Michele.  I have had the urge to push things a bit - I even considered going out with the 3:45 pacer but I don't think that would be such a smart thing to do.  Todays run was to be 9 miles with 4 x 1.5 at MP-15.  That would be 8:30-8:35 and splits were 8:29 - 8:33 - 8:32 - 8:30.  I had to really pay attention as I started each interval too fast and had to back off slightly on each one.

nkrichards wrote:Impressive training cycle.  Enjoy tapering.  Can't wait to follow you on race day!

Thanks Nancy!  Although on this plan, there doesn't seem to be so much 'tapering'.  No more long runs but still have sorta long runs at speed and a lot of miles in general.  Wednesdays are off though so looking forward to sleeping in till 5:30 tomorrow...

So after a mile warmup I had 10 on tap at MP.  Ran even splits and averaged 8:48 so it went well. 

Yes Michele, I was thinking of you and aimed for 8:45-8:50 each mile...

Funny how slow the 9:06 cool down mile felt...

Another good week in the books, although my left knee has been acting up a bit on a couple of runs.  I've had 3 surgeries on that knee and wear a neoprene brace which seems to help, but it certainly is letting me know it's there some days.  Other days I never feel it...

Mon - 5 easy
Tue - 10 w/ 4 x 1.5 @ MP-15
Wed - off
Thu - 12 w/ 10 @ MP
Fri - 3 easy - did 3 with my wife and just didn't feel like doing the 2nd 3 mile loop so I didn't.  First run I've skipped this whole cycle but I'm way more than 3 over (like 30 over so I don't feel guilty).
Sat - 8 hills
Sun - 11 easy

49 miles this week.

Race is 2 weeks from today and I only have 1 more interval run and 1 more MP run to do this week.  Everything else will just be easy miles.

Looking good, Tim. I'll wager you may have a touch of taperitis in that knee.

Here's hoping for good weather on race day!

Mark B wrote:Looking good, Tim. I'll wager you may have a touch of taperitis in that knee.

Here's hoping for good weather on race day!

Arrrggghhh, I wish I could figure out how to insert a picture.   Just checked long range weather and it showing a high of 58, a low of 44 and no precipitation.  Does it get any better than that???

So I have followed the Hanson method religiously figuring if I'm going to follow a plan, I'm going to follow the plan.  Today was my last strength run and Thursday is my last 12 mile MP run with nothing but easy runs till race day.  But it sure seems like a lot of miles between now and next Sunday...

Here's what the plan calls for going forward:

Wed - off
Thu - 12 @ MP
Fri - 6
Sat - 6
Sun - 8
Mon - 5
Tue - 5
Wed - off
Thu - 6
Fri - 5
Sat - 3

With the miles thus far this week, I'll run 46 this week and 24 next week prior to the race.  Previously I have followed Hal's intermediate 1 which calls for 24 the 2nd to last week and only 9 the week of the race.  I'm a little concerned about all these miles - heck, the 46 I'll run this week is higher than any week I ever ran before doing the Hanson thing...

Part of me says just run the miles since I've adhered to the plan thus far.  Part of me thinks this is too many miles when I should be tapering more.

Any of you Hanson followers out then, do I just quit thinking and run the miles???

If you need the rest, take the rest.  Don't be bashful nor feel guilty about taking some rest days.  I believe the legs will appreciate it, especially since you have been faithful up to now.

ounce wrote:If you need the rest, take the rest.  Don't be bashful nor feel guilty about taking some rest days.  I believe the legs will appreciate it, especially since you have been faithful up to now.

So I don't feel like I need the rest, it just is more miles late in the game than I'm used to.  Did my last 12 @ MP yesterday and nailed it.  Ran an easy 6 today, after going just slightly overboard on the food and drink yesterday, and it was really nice.  (My 7 year old iPod died a couple of weeks ago 2 miles into a solo 18 miler and the armband was literally fall apart anyway.  Got a new armband for the iPhone, made a new playlist and it was cool and brisk today which just made for a super-pleasant run.)  It is a nice feeling knowing the last of the hard training runs are in the books and it's just easy miles from here on out.

Re-read the taper section of the book this morning and it does makes sense - you cut back on volume and pace but not the number of days / week running.  I will only have 32 easy miles over the 7 days leading up to the race which is a far cry from the 50+ I've been running.

Going just a little nuts at this time thinking about the race itself.  Temps look like they'll be on the cool side, which is awesome.  However the 25% chance of rain and 6-18 mph winds out of the SE doesn't thrill me much.  Might not bother many of you but I live in SoCal and I could count on one hand the number of times I've run in the rain the last couple of years.  I don't opt out of running if its raining - it just never rains.  And a SE wind means nearly half of the race will be close to a headwind.  Ah well, can't control some things so we'll see what race day brings...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

So I just looked at the course map again and while a SE wind might not be so good for about 1/3 of the course, it may actually help on a fair chunk of the course. We shall see...

I'm seeing 5mph SSE winds predicted for Folsom/Sac on wunderground.  Just tuck in with a group and you should be fine.  

Taper looks heavier than what I'm used to, but hey, a plan's a plan.  Like others have said, don't hesitate to shave some mileage if you feel like you need more rest.

My last words on the course: if I remember correctly, you're looking at some steeper OR longer rollers early on.  Nothing I'd really call a hill (nothing long AND steep), but enough change to make you pay attention and be smart about not charging up them.  After the big drop/main hill between Fair Oaks and Carmichael, the rollers get more gentle.  After mile 20, there's only a bridge to go over and it's all downhill/flat.  Once you hit downtown (22.5ish), you can count down the blocks to the finish.  Remember, you turn around at 8th, about 150m from the finish.

If you're still in a good place at mile 13.5 (when you hang a left onto Manzanita/Fair Oaks), you can say to yourself, "Mike used to live 1 mile north on this road."  

Good luck!

Similar mileage to what I ran the two weeks before CBus - i questioned it too, but it worked.  Questioning in taper is fine - just means you will have a great race.

Mike MacLellan wrote:I'm seeing 5mph SSE winds predicted for Folsom/Sac on wunderground.  Just tuck in with a group and you should be fine.  

Taper looks heavier than what I'm used to, but hey, a plan's a plan.  Like others have said, don't hesitate to shave some mileage if you feel like you need more rest.

My last words on the course: if I remember correctly, you're looking at some steeper OR longer rollers early on.  Nothing I'd really call a hill (nothing long AND steep), but enough change to make you pay attention and be smart about not charging up them.  After the big drop/main hill between Fair Oaks and Carmichael, the rollers get more gentle.  After mile 20, there's only a bridge to go over and it's all downhill/flat.  Once you hit downtown (22.5ish), you can count down the blocks to the finish.  Remember, you turn around at 8th, about 150m from the finish.

If you're still in a good place at mile 13.5 (when you hang a left onto Manzanita/Fair Oaks), you can say to yourself, "Mike used to live 1 mile north on this road."  

Good luck!

Thanks Mike.  Every time I check the weather it changes slightly so I guess I'll just wait and see what the day bring.

Good info on the rollers.  I'm sure it will be a challenge to take things real easy the first few miles but I know I need to.

I sure hope I'm still in a good place at 13.5 so I'll try to remember the area you lived...

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Similar mileage to what I ran the two weeks before CBus - i questioned it too, but it worked.  Questioning in taper is fine - just means you will have a great race.

Thanks Michele.  I know people say tapering drives you nuts.  I'm still 7 days out and I'm kind of going crazy so it will be interesting to see how bad things get as I get closer to the end of the week...

I had a pretty good week, but my left knee feels swollen a bit.  No pain but a little puffy and when I do a hamstring stretch and bend it fully, there is a lot of pressure on the knee - must have a little fluid build-up going on.  Again, no pain and I'm taking ibuprofen but may very well take tomorrow off to give it a break.

Mon - 6 easy
Tue - 8 w/ 6x1 @ MP-15
Wed - off
Thu - 12 @ MP 8:45 - nailed this one
Fri - 6 easy
Sat - 7 easy trail run
Sun - 8 easy

47 for the week.  With the exception of the left knee, everything feels really good.

Ok, with the exception of the left knee AND my right calf, everything feels good. Calf has been really tight for nearly a week now. Wound up taking yesterday off for both issues and went out for an easy 5 this morning. Sluggish is the only way I can describe it. A couple of times I looked at my watch and couldn't believe how slow I was going. Sped up a bit and ran for 3-4 minutes at MP, which actually felt OK but overall it just felt like I was slogging along. First time a run has felt like this in a long time...

Tomorrow is scheduled to be off then 6 on Thursday. Sure hope that feels better.

Temp was 40 when I went out this morning, about what it should be Sunday. I have no idea what to wear for a marathon at that temp... I imagine I'll have multiple options in my bag on the bus as I'm pretty much a wimp in cold weather but I hate realizing I have too much on after a while. I'm hoping I can wear short sleeves and my $ .99 cotton gloves...

Just work on holding it together a few more days!

TAPER MADNESS will pass.

Yup. Taperitis. No doubt about it.

You are primed for this race. Try to not freak out.

ounce wrote:Just work on holding it together a few more days!

TAPER MADNESS will pass.

Mark B wrote:Yup. Taperitis. No doubt about it.

You are primed for this race. Try to not freak out.

This is one fever (or shall I say 'fevah') where more cowbell will not do diddly squat.  To correctly treat Taperitis, the runner must do a Taperectomy.  The procedure is quite easy with no repercussions.  It requires the host of the TAPER MADNESS to step over the timing mat (or start line, if not timed).  It doesn't require anything else. 

Most people are so deliriously happy that they continue to run and run and run until they cross the finish line or get hurt.

Mark B wrote:Yup. Taperitis. No doubt about it.

You are primed for this race. Try to not freak out.

Thanks Mark.  I'm awfully busy at work this week, too busy to freak out just yet, which is a good thing I guess...

ounce wrote:

ounce wrote:Just work on holding it together a few more days!

TAPER MADNESS will pass.

Mark B wrote:Yup. Taperitis. No doubt about it.

You are primed for this race. Try to not freak out.

This is one fever (or shall I say 'fevah') where more cowbell will not do diddly squat.  To correctly treat Taperitis, the runner must do a Taperectomy.  The procedure is quite easy with no repercussions.  It requires the host of the TAPER MADNESS to step over the timing mat (or start line, if not timed).  It doesn't require anything else. 

Most people are so deliriously happy that they continue to run and run and run until they cross the finish line or get hurt.

Funny stuff!

your taper is going fine.  to get rid of your sluggishness do 3-4 20 sec strides at MP -15 seconds at the end of your 6 tomorrow.  If you want to run a few 1 min surges MP +10 sec on Friday go for it.   This will keep the turnover in your legs without any residual fatigue.  Max 20-30 min shake out on Saturday.  Both of those will keep your legs fast, but don't surprised if you still feel a little sluggish.  That's normal. Also normal is feeling every niggle in your body.  

At this point the weather looks perfect.  low 40s at the start to 50 +/- at the finish, wind <5mph, low dewpoint.  Maybe a bit of drizzle which is good too.  Cloud cover of 65% so no sun beating down on you.  Everything is pointing to a "GO"!!

Relax as best you can and I'll see you in Sacramento!!

Just wear what you would normally "race" in whether that be short sleeves or singlet and shorts and just bring a throw away shirt and/or clear garbage bag to start with.  Once you get in the groove, you can toss the shirt.  Shoot, I wore my throw away shirt for 14 miles at Columbus and never regretted having it or tossing it.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Just wear what you would normally "race" in whether that be short sleeves or singlet and shorts and just bring a throw away shirt and/or clear garbage bag to start with.  Once you get in the groove, you can toss the shirt.  Shoot, I wore my throw away shirt for 14 miles at Columbus and never regretted having it or tossing it.

+1 on the throwaway suggestion. Dress so you'll be chilled standing around and then put on a light second layer like a cheap-o zippered hoodie that you can get at Target. After a few miles in the rolling hills, you'll be warmed up enough to ditch it without a second thought. Also, carrying a bottle of water or gatorade in the first couple of miles will help you top off the tank and avoid the inevitable crowds at the first aid station. Just make sure to toss the bottle near a trash can when you're done with it.

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Just wear what you would normally "race" in whether that be short sleeves or singlet and shorts and just bring a throw away shirt and/or clear garbage bag to start with.  Once you get in the groove, you can toss the shirt.  Shoot, I wore my throw away shirt for 14 miles at Columbus and never regretted having it or tossing it.

+1 on the throwaway suggestion. Dress so you'll be chilled standing around and then put on a light second layer like a cheap-o zippered hoodie that you can get at Target. After a few miles in the rolling hills, you'll be warmed up enough to ditch it without a second thought. Also, carrying a bottle of water or gatorade in the first couple of miles will help you top off the tank and avoid the inevitable crowds at the first aid station. Just make sure to toss the bottle near a trash can when you're done with it.

Thank you both.  Went out this morning and it was high 40's so I put on a singlet and an old crappy sweatshirt.  After 3 miles I took off the sweatshirt and it was fine - cool but comfortable.

And I always start a race with a bottle to avoid the crowds.  My wife is coming with me and may try to meet me at a couple of points on the course with additional bottles.  If that works out, I may not need to stop at stations at all...

Do most of you run a couple of miles the day before a race?  I have the last couple but don't know if it makes much difference one way or the other.

I took today (Thursday) off.  Will run 5 miles with three 2-minute MP surges with 2-minute jog in between, during the second half of the run on Friday after getting to Sacramento and then will run for 30 minutes (3.5 miles or so) on Saturday morning @ very easy pace.

Have a good run, Tim - and Micheal and Nick!