Today was another reminder that winter isn't over here in Hog Heaven. It is cold and brisk, if sunny. At least it was still sunny early in the day when I went out for a 7-mile maintenance run. Again, since I'm coming off a 24-mile LSD on Thursday, I took this one slow and easy. The good news is that I seem to be completely recovered from my effort on Thursday. Tomorrow is cross training.
Time's a wastin'. I still haven't decided which (long) races to schedule for later this year. I'm registered (and training) for the May 6 Colorado Marathon. After that, who knows? The problem is that several popular races that I've been considering begin (and end) registration this month. (The Colorado Marathon is capped and usually closes early too, but I knew last fall that I wanted to run it. Good thing since it closed before Dec. 31.)
The ever-popular Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. opens registration this week: March 7. The Marathon takes place on October 28 meaning that decisions have to be made almost eight months in advance. Even though it's the fourth largest U.S. marathon and the 9th largest in the world, last year's marathon sold out in just 28 hours. So, you can see the dilemma for runners: either decide within a couple of days or miss out. Since I don't see myself deciding by Wednesday, I'll likely be left out. For those who are interested, here's the site: http://www.marinemarathon.com/
One week later, the equally popular Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon opens registration: March 15. The Pikes Peak races are on August 18 (Ascent) and 19 (Marathon). Registration is capped at 1800 for the Ascent and 800 for the Marathon and usually closes within days. I'll probably miss that deadline too. But, for those who are interested and more decisive, here's the link: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/entry.htm
Fortunately, my other alternatives--North Face Endurance Challenge in Madison, Wisc.; the Quad-Cities Marathon in my backyard; and the Amica Seattle Marathon in my son's backyard--remain options. The North Face events are capped, but registration for the Madison venue did not close last year. The other two are not capped. The North Face Endurance Challenge events can be found here: http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/ The Quad-Cities event here: http://qcmarathon.org/
I'm also waiting to see what happens with my son. Right now, he doesn't know where he'll be and what he'll be doing this fall so he can't make plans. If he's going to be out of the country over Christmas, we'll visit him for Thanksgiving. If we're going to be out in the Seattle area over Thanksgiving, we might as well run the marathon. The link for it is here: http://www.seattlemarathon.org/ I ran this race last fall and swore that I'd never run it again. But marathons are a bit like child birth. Or, so I hear. It doesn't take long to forget the bad parts and savor the good parts. The race itself is well-organized and run. The weather on race day last year was nasty: cool, rainy, and windy. (But, it was fall in Seattle.) And, there are a couple of wake-up hills in the second half.
Showing posts with label Marine Corps Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marine Corps Marathon. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A Super Sunday . . . For a Run
The mammoth winter storm that walloped Colorado and Nebraska wimped out as it crossed Hog Heaven yesterday. Des Moines got snow--about three inches--but here in eastern Iowa we had a cold rain instead. Rain is good. It adds moisture to the soil but doesn't require shoveling.
This morning dawned sunny and seasonably cold. Perfect for a Sunday morning maintenance run, and I did a nice, easy 60 minutes. I'm mostly recovered from Friday's 20 miles and ready for a new week that will include a hill workout and a first speed workout this season. Tomorrow is cross training before the week's training begins in earnest on Tuesday.
Jeff Galloway (Marathon: You Can Do It!) recommends that you stop hill workouts once you begin speed work. I base my training on Jeff's program, but over time, I've experimented with it and found that some things work better than others for me. I believe that Jeff would approve. In fact, he offers runners alternatives throughout his marathon-training book.
Last week, I mentioned qualifying for the Boston Marathon: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/after-sundays-long-run-17-miles.html It's not really a goal of mine, although I'd be happy to achieve it. I don't really want to run Boston. Or, even visit. For some reason, I've never liked the city. Just think: Boston traded away Babe Ruth and booed Ted Williams, maybe the greatest hitter in baseball history. To be fair, Boston did provide the backdrop for "Ally McBeal". So, if I should happen to qualify for Boston, I likely wouldn't go. Just meeting the standard would be reward enough.
That said, the organizers of the Marathon (Boston Athletic Association) are raising the bar on qualifying. Beginning next year, qualifying times for all age groups (both genders) will fall by five minutes. For youngsters 18-34 years-old, the new standard will be 3:05 for men and 3:35 for ladies. For the other age group standards see here: http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/02/baa_announces_new_procedures_f.html
Anyway, the marathon that I most want to run is the Marine Corps Marathon. It's open to everyone, and while it's sure to sell-out, registration is first-come, first-served. With that in mind, registration for this year's marathon opens on March 7. I was in D.C. last fall for the Army 10-Miler, another extraordinary event, and probably won't return this year. But, sometime soon . . .
I'm also intrigued by the Western States 100, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen for me. I waited too late to discover ultras. What might happen is that my son, who ran a solid 50 miles last year in the North Face Endurance Challenge series, will run Western States one year and allow me along as a pacer for part of the race. I figure that once he's run 60 miles or so and I'm rested and fresh that I'll be able to keep up with him. Of course, that requires him getting into the race, and Western States is more exclusive than Boston. Much more. First, you have to run a qualifying race and, then, you enter a lottery. All for the chance to run 100 miles in 30 hours or less over gnarly terrain and in harsh conditions. Go figure.
Just remember: This originated as a horse race. And, lots of the horses didn't make it.
This morning dawned sunny and seasonably cold. Perfect for a Sunday morning maintenance run, and I did a nice, easy 60 minutes. I'm mostly recovered from Friday's 20 miles and ready for a new week that will include a hill workout and a first speed workout this season. Tomorrow is cross training before the week's training begins in earnest on Tuesday.
Jeff Galloway (Marathon: You Can Do It!) recommends that you stop hill workouts once you begin speed work. I base my training on Jeff's program, but over time, I've experimented with it and found that some things work better than others for me. I believe that Jeff would approve. In fact, he offers runners alternatives throughout his marathon-training book.
Last week, I mentioned qualifying for the Boston Marathon: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/after-sundays-long-run-17-miles.html It's not really a goal of mine, although I'd be happy to achieve it. I don't really want to run Boston. Or, even visit. For some reason, I've never liked the city. Just think: Boston traded away Babe Ruth and booed Ted Williams, maybe the greatest hitter in baseball history. To be fair, Boston did provide the backdrop for "Ally McBeal". So, if I should happen to qualify for Boston, I likely wouldn't go. Just meeting the standard would be reward enough.
That said, the organizers of the Marathon (Boston Athletic Association) are raising the bar on qualifying. Beginning next year, qualifying times for all age groups (both genders) will fall by five minutes. For youngsters 18-34 years-old, the new standard will be 3:05 for men and 3:35 for ladies. For the other age group standards see here: http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/02/baa_announces_new_procedures_f.html
Anyway, the marathon that I most want to run is the Marine Corps Marathon. It's open to everyone, and while it's sure to sell-out, registration is first-come, first-served. With that in mind, registration for this year's marathon opens on March 7. I was in D.C. last fall for the Army 10-Miler, another extraordinary event, and probably won't return this year. But, sometime soon . . .
I'm also intrigued by the Western States 100, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen for me. I waited too late to discover ultras. What might happen is that my son, who ran a solid 50 miles last year in the North Face Endurance Challenge series, will run Western States one year and allow me along as a pacer for part of the race. I figure that once he's run 60 miles or so and I'm rested and fresh that I'll be able to keep up with him. Of course, that requires him getting into the race, and Western States is more exclusive than Boston. Much more. First, you have to run a qualifying race and, then, you enter a lottery. All for the chance to run 100 miles in 30 hours or less over gnarly terrain and in harsh conditions. Go figure.
Just remember: This originated as a horse race. And, lots of the horses didn't make it.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Rarin' to Go
With much-improved weather today, I managed a solid six miles with a Magic Minute thrown in for good measure. I borrowed the Magic Minute concept from Jeff Galloway. It's a mile run at close to 5k tempo. I try to run them at c. 85/90% of 5K effort. I ran today's MM in 7:38. Not bad for me since I've done no speed work since mid-November.
The big news today, of course, is the results of yesterday's Olympic Trials Marathons. In a bit of an upset Meb Keflezighi defeated favorite Ryan Hall, who finished second. The third male qualifier for the Olympic Marathon was Abdi Abdirahman. On the women's side, favorite Sharlane Flanagan took the top spot. Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher round out the women's team. Congratulations to them all. I'm counting the days until the London Games!
Yesterday's Olympic Marathon Trials have me itching to toe the starting line at the Colorado Marathon this spring. Of course, the marathon is almost four months away and there's lots of training left to be done. If I'm correct, I finished the 10th week of my 26-week train-up today. So far, so good. I've done all the scheduled workouts with no problems or ill effects. There will inevitably be challenges ahead, including bouts of awful weather, but the memory of the Marathon Trials should help to keep spirits up. If that memory begins to fade, there's always the video of the Colorado Marathon posted on the Marathon's website: http://www.ftcollinsmarathon.com/
That video is the reason I signed up for the race. Last fall, I was surfing the web checking out marathons to run in 2012, and I clicked on the Colorado Marathon site. Then, I clicked on the video icon. That was it. I love Colorado anyway and here was this incredibly scenic course. The 1000' of elevation loss from start to finish didn't hurt. And, here I am with 16 weeks to go. Safely registered. Room reserved in Ft. Collins. Training going well. Life is good.
I'm still looking for a fall event: marathon or ultra. I'm considering returning to the North Face Endurance Challenge in Madison, Wisc. to reprise last fall's 50K or perhaps try the 50-Miles. I want to do the Marine Corps Marathon some day. Maybe this year. Last year, my wife and I joined our Army officer son for the Army 10-Miler in D.C. and had a blast. I've even thought about staying close to home and doing our local marathon: the Quad-Cities Marathon. I'm open to suggestions.
The big news today, of course, is the results of yesterday's Olympic Trials Marathons. In a bit of an upset Meb Keflezighi defeated favorite Ryan Hall, who finished second. The third male qualifier for the Olympic Marathon was Abdi Abdirahman. On the women's side, favorite Sharlane Flanagan took the top spot. Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher round out the women's team. Congratulations to them all. I'm counting the days until the London Games!
Yesterday's Olympic Marathon Trials have me itching to toe the starting line at the Colorado Marathon this spring. Of course, the marathon is almost four months away and there's lots of training left to be done. If I'm correct, I finished the 10th week of my 26-week train-up today. So far, so good. I've done all the scheduled workouts with no problems or ill effects. There will inevitably be challenges ahead, including bouts of awful weather, but the memory of the Marathon Trials should help to keep spirits up. If that memory begins to fade, there's always the video of the Colorado Marathon posted on the Marathon's website: http://www.ftcollinsmarathon.com/
That video is the reason I signed up for the race. Last fall, I was surfing the web checking out marathons to run in 2012, and I clicked on the Colorado Marathon site. Then, I clicked on the video icon. That was it. I love Colorado anyway and here was this incredibly scenic course. The 1000' of elevation loss from start to finish didn't hurt. And, here I am with 16 weeks to go. Safely registered. Room reserved in Ft. Collins. Training going well. Life is good.
I'm still looking for a fall event: marathon or ultra. I'm considering returning to the North Face Endurance Challenge in Madison, Wisc. to reprise last fall's 50K or perhaps try the 50-Miles. I want to do the Marine Corps Marathon some day. Maybe this year. Last year, my wife and I joined our Army officer son for the Army 10-Miler in D.C. and had a blast. I've even thought about staying close to home and doing our local marathon: the Quad-Cities Marathon. I'm open to suggestions.
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