Some random pre-marathon thoughts here:
I've been on the steady downward slope this taper (yes, pun intended). It's certainly been an unorthodoxed, as Thanksgiving's gluttony and my general diet have not helped my cause. I feel I've gained a little weight now that my miles have been cut. To top it off, I still have no idea what kind of shape I'm in.
Allow me to whine like a little bitch for the moment:
In the past couple weeks, I've eaten like 3 Thanksgiving dinners, each worth at least 1500-2000 calories... eaten way too much pizza, had countless sweets, drank too much alcohol (or at least well beyond what a taper would justify). All things that should not be happening as one prepares to go to battle.
Then throw in the CHICAGO BEER MILE. Of course I couldn't pass up one of the best events of the year, but its timing couldn't be worse for me. (I can gloat that I did PR though with 11:39, in spite of multiple pukes in 5 laps). Unfortunately, all the things that come with a beer mile means binge drinking, eating like a hell, and a monster 2-day hangover. Naturally I used Jimmy Johns and pizza to try to cure the hangover, which only compounded the situation.
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BUFFALO TURKEY TROT
So speaking of fitness... I have no idea where I currently stand. That brings me to report on last week's Buffalo Turkey Trot 8K.
This was race supposed to be the guide post that tells me what to target in California. Instead, I screwed up and am left scratching my head.
The Trot is the oldest race in America and the city's main racing event. By some technicality, Buffalo's Trot even older than the Boston Marathon - though both have been running 116 years. (yeah, there was a time when Buffalo was more than just a run-down, brain-drained, bankrupt ghost town... Its truly sad to see my hometown fall apart).
So typically this race is stacked with college kids and fresh-outs rounding out their XC/racing seasons. It had a field of about 13,000, and up to 50 people generally go sub-28. All but a couple of the guys in front of me were older than mid-20's.
The course is a point to point with some rolling hills early. Temps were in the 40's, but I had to deal with a nasty head-wind the entire way. The kicker: I stupidly forgot my watch and for some dumb reason, thought that there would be clocks at the mile posts (nope, there weren't).
I supposed not having any clocks made the race more entertaining, since it became a "pure race" of me against anyone around me...? Unfortunately, I blew my pack apart at about 3 miles, and ran the last 2 miles totally solo and with out a clue of pace. The monster gusts in the last mile didn't help either.
That said - I ran 27:16. 20th place. Technically, a long overdue 8K PR and I won my age group since the 2nd overall was in my group. Unfortunately, it was about 20-30 seconds off of my target... not a small miss for a 5 mile race. It leaves me clueless as how to gauge my marathon this coming weekend.
--------------------------------
FINAL TRACK WORKOUT
1x 400 @ 71
1x 1600 @ 5:02 (75, 77, 77, 73)
2x 800 @ 2:32, 2:26
1x 400 @ 65
The mile was a disappointment, but otherwise I'm happy with the workout. Somehow I fell into a comfortable zone in the 2nd and 3rd laps...? I could've easily gone 5+ seconds faster had I not fell asleep at the wheel.
The second 800 and final 400 made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I've been on the steady downward slope this taper (yes, pun intended). It's certainly been an unorthodoxed, as Thanksgiving's gluttony and my general diet have not helped my cause. I feel I've gained a little weight now that my miles have been cut. To top it off, I still have no idea what kind of shape I'm in.
Allow me to whine like a little bitch for the moment:
In the past couple weeks, I've eaten like 3 Thanksgiving dinners, each worth at least 1500-2000 calories... eaten way too much pizza, had countless sweets, drank too much alcohol (or at least well beyond what a taper would justify). All things that should not be happening as one prepares to go to battle.
Then throw in the CHICAGO BEER MILE. Of course I couldn't pass up one of the best events of the year, but its timing couldn't be worse for me. (I can gloat that I did PR though with 11:39, in spite of multiple pukes in 5 laps). Unfortunately, all the things that come with a beer mile means binge drinking, eating like a hell, and a monster 2-day hangover. Naturally I used Jimmy Johns and pizza to try to cure the hangover, which only compounded the situation.
--------------------------------
BUFFALO TURKEY TROT
So speaking of fitness... I have no idea where I currently stand. That brings me to report on last week's Buffalo Turkey Trot 8K.
This was race supposed to be the guide post that tells me what to target in California. Instead, I screwed up and am left scratching my head.
The Trot is the oldest race in America and the city's main racing event. By some technicality, Buffalo's Trot even older than the Boston Marathon - though both have been running 116 years. (yeah, there was a time when Buffalo was more than just a run-down, brain-drained, bankrupt ghost town... Its truly sad to see my hometown fall apart).
So typically this race is stacked with college kids and fresh-outs rounding out their XC/racing seasons. It had a field of about 13,000, and up to 50 people generally go sub-28. All but a couple of the guys in front of me were older than mid-20's.
The course is a point to point with some rolling hills early. Temps were in the 40's, but I had to deal with a nasty head-wind the entire way. The kicker: I stupidly forgot my watch and for some dumb reason, thought that there would be clocks at the mile posts (nope, there weren't).
I supposed not having any clocks made the race more entertaining, since it became a "pure race" of me against anyone around me...? Unfortunately, I blew my pack apart at about 3 miles, and ran the last 2 miles totally solo and with out a clue of pace. The monster gusts in the last mile didn't help either.
That said - I ran 27:16. 20th place. Technically, a long overdue 8K PR and I won my age group since the 2nd overall was in my group. Unfortunately, it was about 20-30 seconds off of my target... not a small miss for a 5 mile race. It leaves me clueless as how to gauge my marathon this coming weekend.
--------------------------------
FINAL TRACK WORKOUT
1x 400 @ 71
1x 1600 @ 5:02 (75, 77, 77, 73)
2x 800 @ 2:32, 2:26
1x 400 @ 65
The mile was a disappointment, but otherwise I'm happy with the workout. Somehow I fell into a comfortable zone in the 2nd and 3rd laps...? I could've easily gone 5+ seconds faster had I not fell asleep at the wheel.
The second 800 and final 400 made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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