Comments on: Is the Fall Lost?

By: baker

baker — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:33:55 +0000

i agree with everyone too robert. even though you may not make a PR you have to stay in it for the love of the run. remember, even finishing a marathon is an accomplishment unto itself.

By: NY Wolve

NY Wolve — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:47:47 +0000

The only thing I would add is to adjust your expectations so that it remains fun and enjoyable rather than one disappointment after another. A sub-3 marathon is quite a feat, and there are more chances this winter if Philly doesn’t line up right. And with over use injuries (with which I am way too familiar), it can be frustrating and a bad week can set back weeks of patience and rehab. But it will get better!

Thanks for the comment on my blog. I found Acclerade Gel at the Vitamin Shop on 5th Ave and 35th (across from City Sports), which is the largest vitamin/supplement store I have seen in New York. I haven’t seen it anywhere else, and the only reason I saw it was because I was looking for something else (Accelerade Hydro, a relatively lower calorie recovery drink), and there it was. I didn’t even know they made a gel until I saw it.

By: Robert James Reese

Robert James Reese — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:25:15 +0000

These are all solid suggestions. It seems like the consensus is to just keep up as well as I can and see where that leaves me later on in the season. Makes sense. So, that’s the new plan. Thank you, everyone.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:13:06 +0000

Joe’s comment was clearer than my own. My “pace another runner” comment was based on the worst case scenario: you can’t train properly to PR in Philly, but would like to make good use of that bib anyway.

I didn’t want to leave the impression that I’m completely pessimistic about your chances. A lot of magic can happen in 4-6 weeks of patient recovery. And 12 weeks is more than enough time to prepare for a great run if everything else is in order.

By: JoeGarland

JoeGarland — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:24:20 +0000

To some extent I face the same dilemma, training not where it should be (although yours is injury-related), looking to a fall marathon. My thought is to train initially without regard to race day, i.e., adhere to the 10% rule and don’t overdo it. See where things stand come Labor Day. You may well feel strong and confident with your injuries a memory. You can still get good training in at that point.

If at that point you don’t think you’ll be able to race Philly, re-focus on shorter stuff finishing, perhaps, with Kleinerman in December. All along keeping your eye on the prize, i.e., Boston.

I fear that if you do Philly underprepared, you put yourself in a hole for Boston because you’ll need to recover and you’ll delay basebuilding.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:53:18 +0000

Darn — Flo said exactly what I was going to.

More thoughts: Philly may not be your best race. Given the issues you’re having, it’s a lot to expect of yourself that you a) recover completely from your physical woes to then b) get in the best shape of your life in three months (especially off of a base that’s been compromised).

I’m looking at my December race this way. I may as well go in to training with reasonable expectations so I can take pressure off myself come race day. I view every marathon as valuable learning experience, even the terrible ones (and most have been terrible).

Totally different thought: Maybe you can run Philly slower and pace a slower runner who’s trying to PR? That might broaden your experience further and take the focus off your own run a bit.

By: Flo

Flo — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Congrats on making it to 7.5, that’s progress!

Even if it takes you 6 more weeks, you’d still be able to do a 12-week plan, and that’s a solid amount of time for improvement. I’m not sure I’d play tennis though or do anything physical that might take away from fresh/healthy legs for running – you need to eek out every morsel at this point. Here’s hoping the MSM helps asap, too. Keep the faith!

By: eliz

eliz — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:50:21 +0000

I agree with laminator… Just because you won’t be able to do the training you planned to, and/or PR, I don’t think you should just give up, not yet!!! Just give it a couple of weeks and you can decide. You might still be able to race it and do a decent time if not what you had in mind.
I can only imagine how frustrating this might be for you, I’d be pulling my hairs out trying to figure out what to do or deciding if it’s worth it, or if I even want to put the effort to do something that’s not what I wanted, but just give it a couple of weeks and who knows… ;-) don’t lose the dream though!

By: The Laminator

The Laminator — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:14:43 +0000

Hey Robert, sorry to hear that your knee isn’t 100% yet, but it seems like there has been some progress, so that’s good. You just need to be a little patient with the recovery…I know it’s hard!

Concerning your fall marathon plans, you ask questions that unfortunately no one has answers for. Without that crystal ball you speak of, it is impossible to know the extent of marathon training your body is capable of at this point. The most practical approach would be to let your body recover completely and then train as diligently as you can for Philly and see what happens on race day. You might have to temper your expectations a little bit though depending on how training goes…maybe train just for a PR, instead of sub-3…

As long as you take it easy and not push yourself beyond what you think your body is capable of, you should not suffer any ill effects from training…maybe except a bruised ego.

Best of luck in your training!