So I'm running *another* marathon (Chicago 2014)

TL;DR summary: running faster makes me run faster.

long version: in this thread i posted a bit of my training for the 2013 Detroit Marathon. and in this other thread i mentioned my 3-year plan to qualify for Boston. to qualify as a 50-year-old man, i will have to run 26.2 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes. last year i completed the Detroit race in 4 hours 44 minutes (10:51 per mile average), so i've got some work to do. last year i proved my body is capable of going the distance. this year is step 1 of going the distance faster. i decided that this year my finishing time will begin with a "3", which means a 26.2-mile average pace of 9:08. with this in mind, i've been training towards a goal pace of 8:45, so i'll have a little cushion toward the end if i need it.

i'm currently in week 10 of an 18-week training plan (Hanson's "advanced"), preparing for the Chicago Marathon on October 12th. this plan calls for running six days per week, alternating between easy days and hard days. on the "easy" days, i'm running between 6 and 10 miles at about a 9:45/mile pace. on "tempo" days the distance is around 7 - 8 miles (so far) at my goal marathon pace of 8:45. on "speed" days i run the prescribed intervals between a 7:25 - 7:45 pace. and on the "long" days i'm running around a 9:15 pace.

while i haven't yet run a complete six-day week, the plan is definitely paying off. 2 Saturdays ago i ran 11 miles at 9:10 per, then the next morning i ran 10 miles at 8:43 per! last Saturday i completed the first 13.1 miles of a 15-miler at 9:05 -- a sub-2hr half marathon! -- then faded a bit for the last 2 miles and finished the 15 at an overall average of 9:10. Sunday was an easy day so i only did 8 miles at a 9:31 pace.

i haven't been as good about my diet this year as i was last year, so i need to improve that aspect of my training. but overall, i have to say i'm a little surprised at the gains i've made. seeing the progress makes the 5AM alarm a little easier to deal with.

i have a physical scheduled for Sept 8th, and i'm interested to see how my cholesterol numbers look this year.

Hanson's eh- going with the local big boys!!!

Good luck, AC- after the two times I broke while training, I've given up the race. But am working back to running. It's been mentally frustrating, as I did a half marathon at 8:53, but after getting hurt that fall, I've not been close. Now I'm struggling to get back down to 10min....

I really enjoyed the results of the interval training. Our group would do them on a Tuesday, and I would see a change by the long run on Saturday. Oh, so awesome.

Ines and I are rooting for you!

You fool! You will grind your bones to paste!

I, just today, declined an offer from a woman friend to run her bib. She got pregnant and she knew I got wait listed for the Steamtown Marathon (it's sold out as it's a Boston qualifier too). I signed up for the Rock and Roll half in Philly with a 1:40 goal instead. There isn't enough time left for me to train for the whole enchilada.

Good luck. You will break into the 3s no problem.

Keep it up, that's amazing. I feel satisfied if I break 3 miles of continuous running.

Good work. It takes a lot of time and miles to train for a long race like that.

My wife has been gradually getting into half marathons (including last weekend) and the occasional full. She's not fast, but she makes it there. I've run a half with her but I'm a Clydesdale at this point. The goal is to get her faster, so we're going to start working on 5ks to push her out of her mental cruising speeds.

I was informed that, after last weekend, there will be no more half marathons with hills at 8000' elevation. Something something lungs something oxygen something I have to lie down. To put it in perspective, the first full marathon finisher came in at 3:14 and I think only three women cracked 4 hours in the full. Tough race.

I'll see you there. :)

I'm just a little slower than 3:30. I'm targeting 4:10 for my time. It's been hard to really train like I want to in central Texas in the summer so I've lowered my expectations a little bit. It's tough to get peak performance running at 4:30 in the morning.

I'll get my times when I run Louisiana in January. I just wanted to run Chicago for the experience and because I use to live there.

Awesome progress! I'm training for a half marathon in mid September, and just started into some long runs this past week. After a hilly 8 miler on Thursday and a hilly 9 miler on Sunday, I'm feeling like my goal of finishing is realistic. I've been swamped at work, so I'm not training as often as I'd like, but I'm still improving each week.

Keep up the great work, and be sure your body gets some rest, as well!

Good idea picking dangerous cities to motivate you to run faster.

Wally wrote: Good idea picking dangerous cities to motivate you to run faster.

... says the guy from Brooklyn ...

This is the only Marathon I want to run:

Does St Louis have a marathon?

still training, now only 4 weeks out. on saturday i ran 18 miles with a goal pace of 9:00 per mile. I was at about 9:16 at the turn, so i knew i'd have to average 8:44s on the second half. i finished with an average pace of 8:59, including a 7:59 final mile.

:-)

7:59 for the 18th mile?? That totally rocks!!!!!

Gawd, my [right] knee hurts just thinking about that.

In any case, stop at Portillo's before you run. Will really put you in the Chicago spirit, and will help you run as fast as possible.

AngryCorvair wrote: I was at about 9:16 at the turn, so i knew i'd have to average 8:44s on the second half. i finished with an average pace of 8:59, including a 7:59 final mile. :-)

Nice work!

I usually wait until that Saturday night before and then I pull the "shoot, I was going to train for tomorrow's race - I wonder how far I will get tomorrow".

this morning before work: 10.5 miles at 8:43. i'm feeling pretty good about a sub-4 Chicago.

saturday morning: 15 miles at 8:54.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I signed up for the Rock and Roll half in Philly with a 1:40 goal instead.

Did you get finished before the sun came out and warmed things up?

saturday 10/4, a hilly (for SE MI) 12-miler at 8:38 per mile. marathon in one week. goal finish time is 3:59:59. I shall keep you posted.

and for those watching at home, here's my cholesterol update:

NOV 2012 (before I started running):
- Total Cholesterol 270
- Triglycerides 201
- LDL 160
- HDL 52

SEP 2013 (marathon training plus better dietary choices):
- Total Cholesterol 217
- Triglycerides 69
- LDL 143
- HDL 60

SEP 2014 (more miles, back to 2012 diet):
- Total Cholesterol 227
- Triglycerides 87
- LDL 151
- HDL 59

So I slipped a little in all categories this year. I ran a lot more this year (500 miles since 6/23), so I did not follow last year's template of replacing pizza and jimmy john's with salad. One week from the race, i'm within a pound of last year's race weight (162 now vs 163 last year). I'm feeling really good and am ready to go.

Not really related, but the Twin Cities marathon was held yesterday in Minneapolis and the winner was a 26 year old guy from North Carolina; it was his very first marathon and he did it in 2 hours 13 minutes. The lead group was averaging 5:15 mile splits over the first half of the course.

AngryCorvair wrote: and for those watching at home, here's my cholesterol update: NOV 2012 (before I started running): - Total Cholesterol 270 - Triglycerides 201 - LDL 160 - HDL 52 SEP 2013 (marathon training plus better dietary choices): - Total Cholesterol 217 - Triglycerides 69 - LDL 143 - HDL 60 SEP 2014 (more miles, back to 2012 diet): - Total Cholesterol 227 - Triglycerides 87 - LDL 151 - HDL 59 So I slipped a little in all categories this year. I ran a lot more this year (500 miles since 6/23), so I did not follow last year's template of replacing pizza and jimmy john's with salad. One week from the race, i'm within a pound of last year's race weight (162 now vs 163 last year). I'm feeling really good and am ready to go.

Good luck man!

Cool. My wife has another marathon on the horizon and did a half this weekend. For this one she has been following a new training program, and it seems to be working.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

What's your bib number? So we can keep track of you? I have a buddy running the Marathon and he told me about the tracker.

http://track.rtrt.me/e/BACM2014#b=na&v=ptrack