Maria's Running Blog

May 17, 2024

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Location:

London,UK

Member Since:

Jan 02, 2006

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Collegiate: 100m - 13.2 (1985) 200m - 27.0 (indoors, 1989) 400m - 62.3 (indoors, 1989) Post-Collegiate: 5K - 21:37 (1998) 5mi - 35:15 (1998) 10K - 45:04 (1998) 15K - 1:11:36 (2006) 20K - 1:35:34 (2006) Half - 1:42:03 (2007) Marathon - 3:37:04 (Cal International, 2000)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get my weekly mileage in the 35-40 range.

Long-Term Running Goals:

I guess at this point I just want to keep running for fitness and weight control.

Personal:

I was born in Moscow, Russia in '68, where I started running sprint events in '83. I moved to the US (NYC area) in '91 and didn't run again till '96 when I discovered road racing scene. I was hooked after my first 5K race. I had another break in running from '01-'04 and decided to seriously get back into it in August of '05. I'm married and have 16 year old daughter. I have moved to London in August '06, will probably stay here for a few years.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00
Asics Gel Nimbus 9 Lifetime Miles:						354.40
Mizuno Wave Rider 9 (3) Lifetime Miles:						350.73
Adidas Supernova Cushion (2) Lifetime Miles:						293.25
Asics DS Trainer XI Lifetime Miles:						134.68
Saucony Fastwitch Endurance Lifetime Miles:						120.98
Brooks Defyance Lifetime Miles:						13.00
Asics Gel Nimbus 10 Lifetime Miles:						0.00

Sat, Mar 03, 2007

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Trainer 1 Miles	Trainer 2 Miles	Racer Miles	Total Distance
11.00	10.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	21.00

Today was one of the hardest long runs I've had. Started with 7.7 mi. easy and the GI troubles started already from 5. So I took a bathroom break and took my first gel. Then started on MP portion. My stomach felt much better, but then Garmin lost the signal only after 0.8 miles at MP! I had no choice but to run by effort. I remembered where I started on the loop, and decided to just run 1:20 at that effort. I might have started a bit too fast, I'm not sure. The last 3 miles were tough. Energy wise I felt okay (took second gel after 6 miles at MP), but quads, calves and hip flexors were all complaining. I'd say the latter miles felt pretty close to the marathon feelings. After about 8.2 mi. Garmin caught the signal again, and I tried to time the last 1.2 mi. Well, the signal laster for less than a mile and then was in and out, so pace was not predictable. On the slight downhill it said I was running 7:40 pace, but on the uphill it went to 8:08 average. But since it was cutting in and out, I can't be sure. I think I ran 10mi. at 8:00 average, but it's an estimation. Afterwards, had to take another bathroom break. It was really hard to start running after that, that's why I never stop in the marathon, tired muscles get very stiff and I'm afraid I won't be able to start running again, if I stop. I wonder if these stops diminish training value of the run. Anyways, jogged home to make it 21 miles. Total time 3:01:35.

Comments

From Sasha Pachev on Sat, Mar 03, 2007 at 16:39:53

I don't think the stops diminish the training value of the run when you go that long. If you have to stop in the middle of a mile interval, that would make a difference, but as long as your average HR is not affected by more than 1%, I think you get the same value. I also think there is a wide range of things you can do to get good training. E.g you could run a 10 mile tempo straight, or you could do 4x2.5 with similar results.

I wonder if the run was a bit too long. My intuition tells me you (meaning you personally) are probably better off keeping your long runs down to 17 miles. After that, I think they are counterproductive. Maybe even less. But do them more frequently if you can.

Another thought - would you be able to trace your course on GMap Pedometer? I do not know what kind of support it has for your area, but it is Google Map based, and in the past I have found my house in Moscow on a Google Map.

From Sasha Pachev on Sat, Mar 03, 2007 at 16:44:47

Update - I just managed to plot a test course in London at GMap Pedometer, including the elevation data. So you should be able to plot your course if you remember where you ran. Then, you can export it to GPX, and upload to the new course tool. Then enter your actual time, and it will convert it into a flat effort adjusting for the grade.

From Maria on Sat, Mar 03, 2007 at 17:06:29

It's an interesting theory to keep long runs down to 17 miles. However, I don't have the guts to try it out and then see what happens in the marathon. I've always did 4-5 20+ mile runs before my marathons and that have worked well. At least it gives me peace of mind that I've gone long enough in training and have enough endurance to finish without a major crash (assuming I pace myself right, of course). I'll have to be on my feet for about 3:30 on marathon day, and I want to ensure I approximate it in training. So, it would be an interesting experiment, but I'm unwilling to do it now.

As for Gmap Pedometer, there is the same support for London as for US, I've seen many routes mapped by London runners on other sites (for example, runningahead.com, where you can map and share routes right from the site itself). The problem is, that my course for long runs is a loop around Regents Park (2.75mi) which I do 6 times, then I go inside the park on paths that are not available on GMap. Today I also added 0.75mi on the track, also not available on GMap. So I'm not sure how to map multiple loops and track. Let me know if you figure out the solution.

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