Marathon Notes

[egg]

I know there are a few marathoners out there. Yesterday, "American" Khalid Khannouchi (he is Morroccan) broke the marathon world record in London with a time of 2:05:38 - for those calculating that is a pace of 4:48/mile or 12.5 mph - faster than I can run 1 mile.

Today, the Kenyans dominated the Boston Marathon finishing 1-4 and 6 of the top 7 on the mens side. On the women's side the Kenyans finished 1-2. The top American finished 15th in 2:13:28. Maybe someday Alan Webb can compete with them, but until then the Kenyans will continue to rule this distance.

[quentin cassidy]

When you break down these marathon times, they are really mind- boggling. As egg said, a 2:05:38 translates to 4:48/mile, but I'll break it down a little further:

- 14:58 per 5k, which we be good enough to win most high school cross country state championships. Marathoners run this distance almost 9 times.

- 72 seconds per lap around your local 400M high school track. I would guess that 90-95% of the adult population can't do a lap this fast. Khalid maintained this pace for 105 laps around the track.

- 18 seconds per 100M dash. Most couch potatoes who don't exercise regularly would have trouble with one of these, how does 422 of them sound?

Regarding Alan Webb, I hope he can one day compete with the Kenyans, and I think he has an excellent chance to do it, but I don't think the marathon will ever be his event. He has the strong upper body build of a middle-distance runnner. Most of these Kenyans weigh like 120-130 lbs. There's another college freshman who runs for Colorado (D.Hitzenheim, who nearly broke Prefontaine's high school 5k record last year), who probably will have a better shot at running with the Kenyans in the marathon some day.

[sb_jim]

Anyone else running the Rock 'n' Roll marathon in San Diego June 2? I'm planning on about 3.5 hours but will be happy under 4 hours. This is my 9th marathon but it has been over a decade since number 8.

I haven't had time to read the London and Boston results yet, I hope Boston gets on TV tonight. I'm trying to qualify for next year's Boston.

[Tri4Ben]

I did Rock and Roll last year in 3:32 to get some base in. It is a really fun course, but don't believe that it is flat. I went on to run 3:08 in February to qualify for boston 2003.

Looking at any of the world class records depresses me. Try running a 28 second 200 at mile WR pace.

I need to step up my EPO intake.

[egg]

Congrats Ben, qualifying for Boston is a great achievement. To me that is the highest accomplishment us" regular folk" can ever achieve in running.

[Tri4Ben]

When I qualify for the Ironman in Hawaii, that will make Boston seem pale in comparison. But first I need to get good.

[egg]

My goal is to just do the Ironman (Wisconsin filled up too fast this year, maybe next year). After that it will be the Eco-Challenge, that however, might be 2 decades away.

[quentin cassidy]

Congrats Ben. I'll be trying qualify in NYC this fall. I'll need to be in much better shape than I was for DC last fall (I was halfway in 1:31, but my hamstrings were cramping by 17, and I limped home in 3:40).

I can't even fathom doing an Ironman. How long does that take (if you're good enough to qualify), like 7-8 hours? I used to think XC races in college (~28 min for 5 miles) were too far.

[Tri4Ben]

Eco Challenge- OOH,
You may want to try a sprint or a Balance Bar 24 hour before you have those aspirations. Waching Eco-Challenge makes me want to kill myself repeatedly for a 4-10 day period. Most of the people who start the race have no idea what they got themselves into and that is why 75% drop out. I can barely handle 4 hour long runs with my coach hearing about the time he snuck into the Superbowl. I would be the crazy guy that ended up eating his teammates.

They should just take actuary exams if they want that kind of pain over a long period of time.

[egg]

I have done the National 24 hour challenge http://www.n24hc.org/, which is cycling not running, but it was a trial run to see if I could handle something like that. It went well enough that I haven't eliminated the possiblity of the eco challenge. I will give it another try this year - last year was to make sure I could do it, this year is for competitive purposes. [/url]

[Tri4Ben]

I could probably do an Ironman in about 12-13 hours. (It is bad form to say things like that) To qualify for Ironman, you need to do it in about 10:30 to have a shot, 10:00 to be almost guarenteed. I did a half in 5:08 while in college, and I would not have been able to do another one that day.

Stupid exams and working seriously hinder my training time. That is why I just run right now. I felt it was better to be OK at running instead of sucking at all three.

I wanted to do Ironman Wisconsin too. The flat run in the end makes it so you can just keep a rythym. Hills at the end of long races make focusing more important. When I finish with Fall exams, I will consider doing a fall Ironman.

What do you need to run to qualify for New York? I want to run the big three in the next few years: Boston, New York, and Chicago.

[egg]

New York has a lottery system. I don't know what the limit is, but it is obviously reached every year. I also don't know if a seeded time (sub 3:10) gets in automatically. I do know that if you get rejected 3 years in a row. You get in the next year.

[quentin cassidy]

A sub-2:45 (or sub-1:16 half) will guarantee your entry as an elite runner, but aside from that, there are no qualifying times to get into NYC. It's just hard to get in, since there are so many entrants. I was able to get guaranteed entry for '02, because I am an NY Road Runners Club member, and completed 9 NYRRC races during 2001. There are a bunch of other rules (e.g. if you're passed over 3 consecutive years, you will get in the 4th year, etc). You don't have to qualify for Chicago either - and that is the best course for trying to qualify for Boston from what I've heard.

I know what you mean about training, work and exams. I got my ACAS in Spring'01, and have been taking a break from exams since so that I can train a little more seriously.

[sb_jim]

You guys are serious runners/triathletes. I usually get more training in because of exams due to the discipline of scheduling and because I don't study well unless I run first that day.

Does anyone know the Boston qualifying time for a 43 year old male? (or the web site so I can look it up) I ran 2:52 when I was 19 but it has been down hill ever since. The San Diego course is flat compared to most but I can see how 6th avenue could wear on someone who hasn't ran it a number of times, especially so early in the race.

I have no interest in running New York City, LA in 1990 was as big a mob as I ever want to be in. I'll make an exception for Boston. Rock n Roll is limited to 20,000 but I don't think it will be near that big. Since it's my home town run I can see how you would want to run NYC if you are already there. The smaller track club races are more suited to my age group running and dislike of crowds.

Good luck getting those Iron Man qualilfiers.

[Ultimate Anyone?]

Question in the back here....

With regards to the Ironman Wisconsin, is the intent for that to be an annual event? I'd just heard of it for this year, and I thought it was just a one-time thing. I hope not; I'd love to try sometime (though I'm a LONG ways away from doing it right now).

[egg]

I think they plan on it being an annual event. They added because they had no representation in the midwest (they have Lake Placid out East, Florida in the Southeast, California in the west) and they also added a Utah event. This year's filled up sometime in August of 2001. According to their http://www.ironmanwisconsin.com/index01.shtml] ( [url) website [/url] They will be accepting applications for next years race on location the day after and online 2 days after. I am thinking about volunteering then taking the next day off to sign up.

[quentin cassidy]

sb_jim,

the boston qualifying standard for your age group is 3:20. (http://www.boston.com/marathon/runners/times.htm)

i've also heard from a few different sources that there is some leeway in the standard, so that if you run 3:20:xx, you'll still get in.

[sb_jim]

Thank you, QC.

I don't think I can run a 3:20 in June. My last 10K was 49:45 at the St. Pat's day run and I would have to keep that pace up for a 3:30. I should have done Boston 15 years ago when I was consistently under 3 hours but I was too poor to go. Marriage made me fat with all the home cooking.

We'll see how the La Jolla half marathon goes on April 28. I've been getting in 2 hour runs weekly now so my base is o.k. but I have no speed. I'll do hill repeats while I'm tapering off the miles before the marathon which should help a little in keeping 8 minute pace as long as possible.

[quentin cassidy]

sb_jim

i meant to resurrect this thread awhile ago - how did the SD marathon go?

[sb_jim]

Hey QC, thanks for asking. It was a rough day for me but I finished. My slowest marathon time ever. The bands were good along the way so it wasn't too bad an experience.

My training only had me ready for a half marathon but since I was already entered I ran half of it and walked and jogged the rest of the way in. Under 2 hours for the half but over 5 hours for the whole. Bad sunburn too since I hadn't planned to be out there so long.

Next race is the Scripps Ranch 10K on July 4. I'm a little more suited to the shorter distances now with the extra weight I'm still carrying. I hope everyone gets out there and finds a July 4 event because it's a great way to earn your holiday weekend beer.

[quentin cassidy]

My 4th of July weekend race is the Bronx half-marathon - not sure if there's beer at the finish, but I'll surely have a couple of my own if they don't. :)

If isn't too warm, hopefully I'll be able to run in about the same time as I ran the 1st half of the MCM last fall.

[egg]

I am sure there are some events on July 4th weekend, but the big event is the Chicago Distance Classic (20K) the weekend following July 4th Weekend.

[TwinsFan1987]

I (my XC team) am doing a water station at the Des Moines Marathon in a couple weeks. Does anyone have any advice on doing a good water station? FYI, we placed 2nd in the water station competition last year, so we know what we are doing, I just want it to be as good as possible.

[tommie frazier]

have plenty of people habding the stuff out. stretch out pretty far down the road. have a ton of cups pre-poured at all times. have people handing it out on both sides of the road if possible. make it very clear which side/person has water and which has sportsdrink.

thanks (I'm not running it, but I appreciate the volunteers).

[egg]

Don't fill the cups too full. when people grab them, they will lose some of the water anyway. Half full should do the trick (or half empty, whatever).

[2pac Shakur]

I'm going for Chicago on October 10.
Hoping to complete my first marathon.

[tommie frazier]

gl in chicago.

[Hummer]

I'm going for Chicago on October 10.
Hoping to complete my first marathon.
How did it go?

I tried to look up 2pac, but no ones name appeared. :D

[Professor Donald Trump]

I'm going for Chicago on October 10.
Hoping to complete my first marathon.
How did it go?

I tried to look up 2pac, but no ones name appeared. :D

I finished, which was great.
Not as good a time as I was hoping (4:47), but not bad for my first one.

Notes/Observations:

1. Chicago is a GREAT city, and they really go all out for that marathon. I strongly recommend it to anyone.
2. I should've done more 20+ milers leading up to the race. I kind of died at about mile 18.
3. I should've flown into Chicago Friday, instead of Saturday. I was still getting used to the new time when I ran Sunday morning. Plus, I had to go pick up my race packet et cetera on Saturday, which was a little too stressful for the day before the race.
4. I still haven't figured out what is the best source of nutrition during a long run. I don't like any of the power bars.
5. My dad ran the marathon, too. Age 65, and he finished. It was a really special day for old 2pac.
6. I'm already preparing for another destination marathon next Octoberish. Right now, we're leaning towards the Marine Corps Marathon (Washington DC).

[TwinsFan1987]

6. I'm already preparing for another destination marathon next Octoberish. Right now, we're leaning towards the Marine Corps Marathon (Washington DC).
I'm running Des Moines next October. I've done water stations there, and I think that it is great. (I haven't seen any other marathons, though.) I doubt that it is in the same class as Chicago and such, but there is a lot of variety - river, big park w/ lots of trees, and city.

[Hummer]

Congrats on finishing 2pac.

The 20+ training runs are probably the single most important piece of your training.

I have a banana and gatorade pre-race (1-2 hours). Then I fuel on gatorade and Gu during the race. Gu about every 30-45 minutes, depending on how I am feeling.

I've heard great things about Chicago, and the Marine Corps marathon, for that matter. I have trouble planning for fall marathons because I attend college football games nearly every Saturday. Makes it tough to train for and travel to a marathon. However, I have both of those and NYC on my list of fall marathons to do in the next few years.

I've done a few of the West coast marathons, so I can attest to the different ones. I'm thinking of running the Arizona RnR, but January is coming up pretty quickly.

Here's a cool link I found the other day:
http://www.marathonguide.com/#Results

[tommie frazier]

race day, I had toast w jelly and a power bar and a banana, all about 3-4 hours before the race. yes, that means being awake at lik 4AM. then lots of water. and more. I stopped when it was coming out of me still cold.

during the race, I alternated water and sports drink. I took some drink at every station. and definietly do one of those gels if they offer it. but practice it before the race to make sure it doesn't send you straight to the port-o-let.

good luck at the next one.