Slowly but surely brother. Here's hoping you crack that 100!
I've done a few in-person races this year and it's been great! I got a hernia in February (I knew what it was the moment it happened because I'd had one before) and I've been putting the surgery off until after my last marathon of the season, which was last week. So now I'm finally getting around to fixing myself.
Yeah I joined some on Strava I just haven't been motivated much until last month. Now I'm thinking about trying to BQ in Charleston in January. Hoping to go under 1:35 at Cherokee Harvest Half in September and I got a few other smaller races planned between now and then. I'm glad things are opening back up for in person races.
1:35 - That's pretty fast! My best half is a 1:47. I did one a few weeks ago here in Austin and it was a 1:51 which felt pretty easy. I bet if I'd pushed a little harder I could have gotten into the 1:40's. But I'm not a fast runner. I actually started before that first hernia surgery 8 years ago to lose a bunch of weight before the surgery. I was already at the top end of my weight limit (Army) and figured if I was going to be laid up for a few weeks I better make sure my pre-surgery weight was low enough to stay under the max even after not working out for a period of time. So I started running to lose weight, and ever since then I've done maybe a dozen marathons and a whole lot of halfs, 10Ks, and 5Ks. I mostly do the races so I have marks on the wall to keep me motivated to keep training, which means I can keep eating. But my most recent marathon was only a 4:11, whereas my fastest marathon back in 2014 was only a 3:53, so it's not like I've gotten a lot faster (or a lot slower I guess) over 8 years of training...
Yeah my fastest Half was 1:33, I'm trying to get back to under 1:35 speed. Ran a mile at 6:46 last week and that was first sub 7 mile of the year. I haven't averaged more than 40 miles any month this year and really not since last August. I went to a plant based diet in August so I haven't had meat since then and it's greatly improved my recovery rate. Going I to my 4th week of training and I ran 10.20 miles at a easy pace yesterday morning at 8:07, my part mile was 7:40 so I had plenty left in the tank.1:35 - That's pretty fast! My best half is a 1:47. I did one a few weeks ago here in Austin and it was a 1:51 which felt pretty easy. I bet if I'd pushed a little harder I could have gotten into the 1:40's. But I'm not a fast runner. I actually started before that first hernia surgery 8 years ago to lose a bunch of weight before the surgery. I was already at the top end of my weight limit (Army) and figured if I was going to be laid up for a few weeks I better make sure my pre-surgery weight was low enough to stay under the max even after not working out for a period of time. So I started running to lose weight, and ever since then I've done maybe a dozen marathons and a whole lot of halfs, 10Ks, and 5Ks. I mostly do the races so I have marks on the wall to keep me motivated to keep training, which means I can keep eating. But my most recent marathon was only a 4:11, whereas my fastest marathon back in 2014 was only a 3:53, so it's not like I've gotten a lot faster (or a lot slower I guess) over 8 years of training...
This is why I really run (and to listen to audiobooks because I don't have time to read for pleasure right now) courtesy of The Oatmeal:
Yeah, I started biking a year or so after I started running. If I go out for an out-and-back run for an hour I'll see about 3 miles of the countryside at a leisurely 10-minute pace, but if I go for the same hour on the bike I'll see 8 or 9 miles of the countryside at a leisurely pace. I love riding, but you're right, there's plenty of times where I wake up and think "I just want to get out there without all the drama that comes with making sure my tire pressure is good, putting on my special padded shorts, lubing the chain, making sure the batteries are good, etc." so I put on my running shoes and go. Cycling is more of a hassle, sort of like riding the motorcycle instead of driving. But then once I'm out on the bike (either type) it feels SO MUCH better than running/driving.
I agree!
Before my hernia(just had my surgery yesterday). I would ride 60+ miles like nothing. But running is a different beast. The first 1 mile I’m dying. The second and third miles I want to Kill myself. After 4 I somehow find a groove and feel great. But I have bad knees and the high impact kills me. I am in awe of your performance. Congrats on the positive life change.
I ride Mountain and Gravel mostly and avoid the public roads these days. I used to ride 4-5 days a week, but now I'm lucky to get out for 1-2. My 14 year old son has shown and interest in mountain biking so we are doing some short rides every weekend to get him up to speed. I was a fairly competitive at one point in my life on the MTB (Downhill after growing up racing BMX) but now I'm truly enthusiast level. It's hard to see gains I had made turn into losses, but I'm motivated to get back to "almost in shape".
Hey anything's better than nothing. I started falling off when the Covid stuff hit and I was kicking myself for letting it happen. I was a 3:15 marathon pace runner in September of 2019 and then the race I was scheduled to run in January last year got cancelled and my motivation fell off to the point where I had to convince myself to run. I'm now more motivated than ever. I know it sucks for those i know how Qualified for Boston last year and then missed out this year on getting in. I'm going to cross my fingers I can get a 2023 spot, that's the goal.
That's some good stuff. Not everyone is cut out for running. My wife prefers biking or just walking, she hates to run. I'll never say anything bad about anyone trying to do some kind physical workout of any kind. Anything is better than just sitting idle.
Nice, here's mine. It's a older one but I got it at a good price.Okay..We need to post some bike pictures.
