I started using it for the treadmill this winter, but suspect I'll leverage the cadence information to try and help with my running form at some point where I get a little more serious about improving my performance.

The cadence info has been great for my running form, yes. I've also found the footpod very helpful when running intervals. It locks in on your pace significantly faster than GPS does and is much more accurate.

Yeah, I since the 220 came out, the 210 has gone down in price significantly. I'm going for a refurbished 610. I'm usually not one for buying refurbs, but I thought I'd make this one exception. Crossing my fingers.

Yeah, I'm holding out for a 620.

38:32 5K
98th of 150 overall
44th of 54 men
15th of 19 men 30-39

12:25 min/mile pace

Not terrible, considering that's about what I was doing my 1.8 - 2 mile trains in for mile pace. At least I have a baseline time to work with now before February's 5K Color Run.

Oh, and it was cold by Vegas temperatures for the run - I'd say high 30s/early 40s this morning. It's decent now - in the high 40s/low 50s. Round about the last half-mile, rain started to hit.

Nice job out there!

Just a note, Color Runs generally are not ones that you can really run for time. Usually the amount of people and the way the run is designed to encourage people to group up makes it be a run that is more to just enjoy going out with friends and the social aspect than a "race".

great job on the race Tim! :)

FM

Congrats Izulde!

*GULP*

I got a 10K Santa Run this Saturday. It'll be a fast, flat course along the streets of Costa Mesa, CA. Expecting it to be 52-58F degrees and sunny at the start.

This'll be my first 10K race. I've run a 10K distance only once in training. As you know, my training has been sidelined due to illness, but based on the few training runs I did get in and the 5K race a couple of weeks ago, I expect to finish the 10K around 1:30:00.

1:30:00+, I'll be fortunate to have finished considering minimal training.
Under 1:30:00, I'll be happy.
Under 1:25:00, I'll be doing backflips.

I've considered deferring my registration to next year, but because I've got a 1/2 marathon scheduled in February, I felt I need to get the experience of a 10k race under my belt.

Despite a leash law, my neighborhood is bad about unleashed dogs. Any recommendations for an easy-to-use pepper spray?

I don't have any recommendations. Luckily that is something that hasn't affected me too much (I have a weird phobia about dogs). I do at times get extremely anxious when passing yards with electric fences and the dogs come running right up next to me like they want to eat me. I've managed to figure out where most of those are by now thankfully.

15k coming up Sunday. Should be a nice cold morning in St. Louis.

have fun! Any goals for the race?

FM

Water pistol filled with ammonia? I seem to remember that being what my Dad used to carry when he ran.

Luckily, I have not had any dog encounters.

Also makes my frequent runs at the track look good. :)

Well, made it official yesterday, as a Christmas gift I got my season ticket to races for next Summer!

Overall these 5 races:
1) Half Marathon on May 4th
2) 8 km trail race on May 19th
3) a downhill race of 10 km on June 1st
4) a staircase challenge of 19 km on June 15
5a) fun run under the stars on August 22
5) a full marathon on August 24

The fun run is a prelude to the marathon, ran on the Friday evening preceding the marathon which is on sunday, on a 1.5 k loop you can you 1, 2 or 3 times.

I will quite probably add a 5K on July 4th which for us is not a Holiday but the date will make it cool any way. That'd make it my first official 5K... I'd also want to do the 18K race around the lake that I did back in October but that'll be way after the marathon, in October again.

FM

Nice FM! looks like you have a full slate to work for this spring!

absolutely! Official HM training starts on February 10. Until then, I will TRY to take it easy ;)

Wanted to ask you, since I know you use training load with SportTracks but what's your TSB like at this time of year? I think it's the first time since I started running that it's pretty much staying on the positives all week long. Guess I'm doing some miles but they're just too easy miles ;)

FM

What is this, some new running undergarment? ::D

oops, edited :redface:

FM

My TSB today is -8, was -11/-12 last week though. I'm 10 weeks from my marathon though, so been ramping up my CTL slowly for the past month.

Prior to that, after my half-marathon when I was in maintenance mode, and running a few 5k races, I was bouncing between 0 and 11 mostly. I was in the positive from my Half marathon taper (about two weeks before my race since I injured my foot on that screw) until the beginning of November.

yeah, your current status is quite different than mine, as I don't have any races lined up, doing mostly treadmill running and just coming off a headcold that slowed me down for about a week.

I am doing the December run streak challenge although I'm taking it very easy. Still running 3-5 semi serious runs a week with a speedwork session in the middle and a somewhat long run in the weekend, but really the training will kick off more in February, so I guess it's ok to maintain the weekly mileage, yet take it a bit easier for now...

Still doing my plank challenge. Now up to week 3, 90 seconds each of 4 types of planks, done this way:
regular plank
right side plank
reverse plank
left side plank
regular plank

90 seconds really pushed me on the side planks

FM

About an hour til the gun fires. It's a brisk 45F right now. Clear skies.

Wish me luck!

good luck, have fun!

FM

Best of luck, ABC.
Jealous of your weather, as usual.

yeah, that too. It was a not so nice -13F that felt like -29F around here this morning... yeah, that meant treadmill all the way...

FM

Yeah, I had a free morning to run finally and instead I was shoveling about 6 inches of snow. Good luck ABC.

Thats one advantage of living in Florida - went for a 5 mile run around midnight last night, was a lovely 65 degrees out .... not hot, not cold, just right.

PS - Personally I'd enjoy some snow despite it being hard to exercise in, theres something kinda cool about having proper seasons to mark the passing of time imho.

Screw the seasons. I'll trade with you.

Have a good run, ABC!

I'm about to step back into the running world today. Right now, I could probably run a 5:30-5:45 mile if you put a gun to my head, but then I'd be sore for the next week. What's a good percentage of your max pace to run at as you build up a base?

Also, how much time do you guys spend stretching before/after you run? I've taken it for granted that I'm not as flexible as I was in high school, and my lack of stretching is probably the main thing that has contributed to my soreness in the past.

LOL - I 'might' be able to do a single mile at somewhere near that pace ... perhaps (I think 7-8 minutes would be more realistic) ... but when I run I normally aim for between 10-12 minute miles myself and do longer distances (3-5 miles normally) ... for me its about building stamina and keeping in some vague shape so I can continue playing soccer.

I do a bit of stretching before I set out and do a 5 minute speed walk before starting to jog. I'm definitely not as flexible as when I was younger, but a large part of that is down to knee ligament damage from various knocks playing soccer*.

I'm also getting better at 'warming down' after a run (and playing soccer) and find that helps avoid some issues.

*My kids tend to take the mick at how often I have knee issues these days, its a known fact that chances are if I play soccer for 2-3 hours then I'll be sat with a cold compress on my knee later that evening - 'tis par for the course and frankly its worth it in my eyes.

PS - Good luck with your run ABC :D

I've got a lot of holiday related activities this weekend so I wont be able to post a full race report until late Sunday or Monday. In the meantime, my run is posted on Strava.

To the first part, if you have no base, then my suggestion would be to do 0% of your runs at max or even near max pace. The most beneficial thing to do in building a base is just running more miles. To run more miles, take it easy conversational pace when you run. The speed is less relevant to how much you are running. After you are running 20-30 miles per week, speed workouts start becoming important.

For stretching, I do absolutely zero stretching before I run. The first ten minutes - twenty minutes of every run I do is taken at an easy pace to warm up before I push myself any. After a run, I will do a cool down, and some stretches, but more I'll do foam rolling to work out the build up lactic acid in the muscles.

Just passed the 100 mile mark for 2013. 48 of that since November 2nd. Pretty happy with my recent progress, considering I had pretty much given up on running in October. The starting off with shorter runs theory really seems to have made all the difference for me. Kinda funny that my running ramped up right when it became the most inconvenient to run (most of my runs are before the sun comes up and in the cold).

Anyhow, just pleased that I seem to be on track now after a series of false starts over the summer and fall.

Anyone here have advice on home treadmills? We're having some issues with the current (7 year old) one and it sounds like it is a couple of hundred dollars just to schedule a visit, let alone repair.

Biggest limiting factor we've got is that we've only got room for a 55" running base; the space where we have it won't support 60.

This one has gotten the best reviews @ treadmilldoctor.com, which is the best site I've found up to this point.
Amazon.com: Smooth Fitness 5.65 Folding Treadmill: Sports & Outdoors

But the numerous reports of Smooth being a particularly poor support organization have me a bit concerned. Any thoughts on Smooth, or 55" treadmills in general are very much appreciated.

Thanks for the advice! I should have specified that I'm not looking to go full speed any time soon; I was just wondering if there was any sort of rule of thumb for exactly how much slower than max pace I'd need to go to run 4-5 miles comfortably. Did 4 miles at 8:00 yesterday and that seemed about right. A little sore today, but nothing too out of control.

Race Post: Troutman Sanders Renegade Santa 10K Run
 

Staying true to form, Southern California gave us beautiful sunny weather for our event. Specifically, I was in Irvine, CA in Orange County. It was a relatively chilly 45F to start the morning, but warmed up to about 50-55F at the gun.

The 5K and 10K races both started at the same time, so an excess of 1,500 racers were running through the starting gates. Being a 14:00 pace runner, I kept myself way in the back of the pack. I didn't cross the starting line until way past 2 minutes.

The course followed a nice bike and running trail that went along the creek and through the neighborhood. About a quarter portion of the course was packed dirt, which I wasn't expecting, but had experience with from my Stache Dash race back in November.

About 1.5 into the race, the 5k runners split from the 10k runners and 2/3rds of the field disappeared. I felt pretty lonely near the back of the pack. Thankfully, I had the Nerdist podcast with Aziz Ansari in my earbuds to keep me company.

The most difficult part of the course was began from mile 4 to 5.5 with a very slight incline (1.5-2.0% grade). Having already run 4 miles, that 1.5% could have very well been 3-4%.

With the last 1/2 mile to go, and heading back down grade, I picked up my pace and had enough gas for a nice kick at the end. A friend of mine who finished the race at half my time cheered me on through the finish line.

Official race results:

Gun Time: 1:30:58
Chip Time: 1:28:43

596th of 620 total runners
275th of 280 male runners
35th of 35 in Age Group Male 40-44

Once again, I took last in my age group. If someone has to do it, I am very proud to be that guy. There's only one way to go but up from here!

You're also ahead of the countless folks who were at home, sitting on their duffs. :thumbsup:

You did fantastically - kudos :D

Yes, great job ABC!

Great job, ABC! I love your attitude!

awesome job and great attitude ABC! Way to go! :)

FM

ABC is my hero. He's doing it, and that is all that matters.

Don't forget to sign up for our ELITE ATHLETES club on Strava:

FOFC | Strava

Kudos to last week's overall time leader, ALAN T!

Thanks for the kudos, guys. I have a good attitude about these runs because it's this attitude that gets me outside. If I felt any less about my results, I would never want to run again. I love that I keep challenging myself, if not my pace, at least my distance.

Also, I've been lucky to have fair weather here in SoCal... I've seen photos and Strava posts of some of your runs in the snow and the below-freezing temps, and I'd be damned if I had to face those conditions.

With only 7 weeks to go before my first 1/2 marathon, I'm glad to have gotten familiar with a 10K race. That distance was already mentally challenging, having only raced in 5Ks this year. My training for the half was delayed by a full month, but I think this 10K race got me back on track, at least mentally.

Nice job ABC. That time seems to be about mine right now, except I am doing that at a much shorter distance.

I'm trying to get myself going again after being sick. I think I may move back a week in my C25K program so I can get back my positive feelings about finishing. I don't have an actual race scheduled, so it's not like it is messing up a training schedule or anything.

Way to go, ABC!

I should throw out there now that I am signed up for the Surf City half-marathon on February 1. I am looking forward to it.

Real life has gotten in the way of my three half-marathons, one full marathon plan, but only in that it has slowed down the process, not stopped it from happening. I'm going to run the Surf City and then see where I am from there.

this, a thousand times. And as they say, a 6 minute mile or a 12 minute mile is still a mile. :)

FM

Surf City half is on Feb 2. That's what I'm signed up for as well. :)

My friend told me about this half marathon and how he really HATES this course. While it's beautiful and flat along the coast of Huntington Beach, 70% of the course is going up and down PCH, and all you see is the looooong stretch of the highway that seemingly never ends.

Knowing this, I'm probably going to adjust my training routes to long and straight out-&-back runs, maybe along the river or Beach Blvd or something.
I hope to overcome the mental challenges of running long, boring stretches of pavement.

Heh, heh, I wasn't sure on the date. Good to know it is the 2nd. Would have been prettly lonely running it on the 1st. :D