Fall race training!

[rocksinmyhead]

Nice job, cdttmm!

Maybe one of these days I will decide to try one. Of course, it would be much easier if I had beautiful trails to run. But my biggest issue was training time. I ran into this with marathon training. I was running early mornings, during lunch, in the evenings if I had to. I found it challenging to rack in all those miles while tending to family and working fulltime.

I agree, it's the time management that's the hard part for me too. this is only my second marathon that I'm training for right now and it might be my last for quite a while... half marathons are fun and way less of a time suck! plus where I live it's really not safe to run in the dark by myself, and that's making things super hard lately...

[basd]

Big step towards my sub 6 minute mile yesterday evening.. Fastest so far (done a couple of months ago already) was 6:24,  yesterday I managed 6:16. Those pesky interval workouts are definitely paying off.

After I've achieved the sub 6 min mile (hopefully before the end of year) it's back to 10k and half marathon training. First I want to get my 10k back under 45 minutes, then it's on to the sub 1.45 half again and back to my quest of running a half marathon in every province of the Netherlands.

[cdttmm]

Nice job, cdttmm!

Maybe one of these days I will decide to try one. Of course, it would be much easier if I had beautiful trails to run. But my biggest issue was training time. I ran into this with marathon training. I was running early mornings, during lunch, in the evenings if I had to. I found it challenging to rack in all those miles while tending to family and working fulltime.

I agree, it's the time management that's the hard part for me too. this is only my second marathon that I'm training for right now and it might be my last for quite a while... half marathons are fun and way less of a time suck! plus where I live it's really not safe to run in the dark by myself, and that's making things super hard lately...

I hear you. I deal with the training time issue by just training far less than what is recommended by all the "experts". I only run 4-5 days per week. Two (maybe three) 4 milers during the week, one 7-9 miler during the week, and a weekend long run where I run for time not distance. About 6-8 weeks before my first race I start bumping up the long runs by ~1 hour per week so that I go from 2-3 hours on a weekend run to about ~7-8 hours the weekend before the first race. My weekly mileage maxs out around 50 miles. The recommendation from ultra coaches is closer to 80-100 miles per week. Sorry, but I don't have that kind of time. I've done this for 11 years with only a handful of minor injuries; it clearly works for me so I'm sticking with it. Now granted, I'm not fast and I'm not ever going to win any of these races, but I have fun doing it and that's what matters to me.

Of course, I'd probably spend more time running if I didn't also practice martial arts -- that's a much bigger time suck for me since I spend 90 minutes in training sessions 5-6 times per week plus the travel time to and from the gym.

[daymare]

Still dutifully training for my half marathon, got up to 7 miles during my long weekly run yesterday.  Damn, does it feel good to finally be getting to longer distances!  I don't even know if my description can give it justice, but that feeling when you set off for a run knowing it's a long one, and then you just get really into it and not even thinking about how you're running, just going ... It was such a sweet run, I totally felt like I could go a lot further.  We finally have lovely fall weather, though the accompanying early darkness is a bummer.  During my run, I listened to the Radical Personal Finance podcast where he interviewed a man who sailed to 25 countries in 3.5 years with his wife & kids (5 when he started, 6 when they ended).

I need to figure out how to keep the momentum going after my race end of November.  Last year, I tried running in the week or two after and my shins were killing me, then it was really cold (and I'm a wimp).  And then I found that without motivation, I was wimping out super early and felt incapable of running more than 2-3 miles, completely a mental thing.  Any advice?  Maybe I should just sign up for more races as motivation? (There's a popular 10 miler in May that's apparently pretty fun)

[horsepoor]

Sounds like you're getting in the groove!  Once I got the or right layers I learned to love running in the cold.  There might be some winter races in your area.  Maybe try for a 5 or 10k if its hard to log the miles.  Here we have Freeze out challenge in January.  Fun and a good goal to have during holiday pig out season.

I missed my two runs last week but had a good 10 miler on Saturday and 4.4 this morning.  Will try to get in a hill run while I'm out of town for work this week, then twelve on the weekend.  Sent in my Zeitgeist registration this morning so I'm committed now!

[cdttmm]

Still resting and recovering over here, but this weekend I have to get back at it.

For winter running, getting the right combination of clothing for layering purposes is key. Once you have that, running in the cold is so much more enjoyable. Also, I find I have to adjust my expectations in the cold. I try to get out more often, but for shorter distances as the longer distances can be really challenging once we actually have snow and ice. Winter is almost the only time I run with other people.

Look for races that can keep you on track from month to month -- even if they are just 5k or 10k races. Most places you can find  "turkey trot" around Thanksgiving and then some holiday themed run around Christmas and even New Year's Eve or New Year's Day races. I usually do a 5k in December with the other students from my Tae Kwon Do school and then a 10k on New Year's Day (helps that the starting line is 2 miles from my house). Those are the only times I really race shorter distances, but those things helps keep me on track after the battering my body receives running ultras in the fall.

And even though this is the Fall race training thread, I'm gonna put out there my plans for hitting a spring 50 miler...thinking perhaps one in May and a second one in June.

Must. Keep. Running.

[rocksinmyhead]

I don't think this has been mentioned yet... if you're new to winter running, I found my Yaktrax to be TOTALLY worth the investment. there are other similar products so it's worth shopping around, but they are great for icy/snowy sidewalks. our winters here are mild so I haven't used them in a while, but I ran through 2.5 winters in central Pennsylvania with them and they were great!!

[horsepoor]

Screw shoes are the Mustachian answer to YakTrax.  Google for a how-to.

I ran 5 or so here in Butte, MT.  Couldn't figure out why it was so hard until it finally dawned on me that I'm almost 3,000 feet higher than back in Boise.  So I took walk breaks to catch my breath the rest of the run.

[SingleMomDebt]

Sent in my Zeitgeist registration this morning so I'm committed now!

Yay!

[Libber]

Ran my first half in late august - which I was (and still am) quite stoked about. Lost ALL motivation to run afterwards and only just started running again this week (and gawd it feels good!!).
Training for another half in late march. I am a bit anxious about winter coming, since I haven't trained during this season before. Tbh I'm mostly concerned about ice on the pavement etc. Anyone with some training advice during that period?

[Primm]

I'm not training at the moment. :( After my first half last year (July) I toyed with the idea of doing a marathon. By December this had become a set in concrete plan, and in February I started seriously training. For a week...

Then I was struck down with the worst case of plantar fasciitis ever (I've had it twice before), and haven't run since. It's doing my head in, to the point where I stopped interacting with most of my running friends because it made me feel bad when I heard how they were doing.

So the marathon I was going to run has been and gone, and I'm still essentially out of action. Physio, podiatry and orthotics are helping, but it's bloody slow, and some most mornings I still hobble out of bed before I've done my stretches and put my "sensible shoes" on. Right now I just want to be pain-free enough to go for a long walk, or wear sandals.

Anyone else in the chronic injury phase of training? On a positive note my head space has obviously improved since I'm finally replying to this thread instead of just stalking you all!

[ScienceSexSavings]

My goal is to survive the Tour de Mont Royal in a few weeks (5k, I'm a beginner).

[cdttmm]

I second the use of YakTrax!

Primm, I've got several friends who suffer from plantar fasciitis. Hope you heal soon!!!

ScienceSexSavings, welcome and good luck on your upcoming race!

Libber, ice is tricky. If you can, find places where you're more likely to encounter hard-packed snow, then run in those places. YakTrax and screw shoes are helpful, but definitely not foolproof. When I'm forced to run roads in the winter, I keep my pace slow and try to be hyper-aware of the surface so that I can avoid icy patches as much as possible. Other options: indoor track and/or treadmill. Good luck!

[Bank]

Steamtown Marathon in the books and boy was it fun!  Beautiful weather, fast course, great crowds, and well organized.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  I was running with a friend who is a first timer.  We poked along at 10 minute miles the first 18 miles or so.  Then his stomach acted up and we faded to a five hour finish.  I'm already itching for the next one.  Planning to return to Steamtown next year and actually race it.  I have a half coming up in a few weeks and then was thinking of picking out a spring marathon to shoot for.

[enigmaT120]

Then I was struck down with the worst case of plantar fasciitis ever (I've had it twice before), and haven't run since.  Anyone else in the chronic injury phase of training?

I snipped a bunch, hope I'm not mis-representing what you said.  I was able to massage away my P.F.  I used a hard knobby massager that I could hold on to tightly, lubed my foot with tiger balm, and started out rubbing the PF lengthwise, gently.  As it loosened up I later began rubbing it crossways, and pulling my toes back to put more tension on it.  Eventually I was rubbing across the tendon pretty hard, and it got to where it didn't hurt then.  Obviously walking was easy after that.  It took several episodes of this, spaced a few days apart, but it worked.

I have to tell you this hurt, really bad.  I could never stand that much pain inflicted by anybody else, like a massage therapist, but apparently I trust myself more.  The next time I try it, I may try using ice to massage it rather than the plastic thing and the tiger balm.  I've picked up my running mileage a tiny bit in the past few months and can feel the P.F. starting up again first thing in the morning, so I may get to find out. 

I have a similarly effective (and painful) method to deal with Achilles tendonitis, too.  It's better to try avoiding this stuff in the first place by increasing mileage slowly, but it sucks when my fitness outstrips my feet's ability to deal with it.  My bicycling keeps my cardio good enough that I want to run farther than I should.

[enigmaT120]

Nice job on your training runs, everyone! Taking it easy for a few days over here while my legs recover, but I'll be back out there soon!!!

I'm quoting an old post, I know, but wow, a 50 miler.  Are you at all worried that it's a slippery slope from marathons to 50K (I did two of those) to 50 miler, to?  Are you going to do a 100K? 

For me it turned out to be a slippery slope, all right, but thankfully an uphill one.

[Dr. Doom]

Finished my first half this past Sunday, at just a tad over 2 hours.  It was more manageable than I expected, and I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself. 

My next half is November 2nd.

[Bank]

Finished my first half this past Sunday, at just a tad over 2 hours.  It was more manageable than I expected, and I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself. 

My next half is November 2nd.

Doing the South Shore half?  I'm doing that one.  I read your blog so I know you live in MA too.... not a stalker.... or at least not an intentional one.

EDIT:  Congrats!  Both finishing and not getting hurt are key accomplishments, and the time is not too shabby either.

[Dr. Doom]

Bank, thanks for the encouragement.  I think I over-prepped for the half which is why I sailed through it.  Been running in one form or another for 16 years -- I'm surprised it's taken me so long to get around to running 13 in one shot.  Wish I could run a little faster, though.  I've never been particularly speedy.

Your guess is right:  the next half is Norwell.  Looks like the course is relatively flat and it should be an easy, fast race unless the weather is awful.  Last Sunday's race was quite unexpected, actually -- a friend of my wife's was registered and suddenly got a major back problem, couldn't run.  So I slapped on his bib and ran the BAA's race solo-style, and for free.  Weather was absolutely perfect, and it's always awesome to go running with a big group - everyone's just happy to be there, outside, enjoying the weather and brisk activity.

A huge congrats on the Steamtown marathon, btw!  Nice work.  Question:  About how many hours a week do you spend running to stay in marathon-ready shape?  I'm just starting to scope out the effort/training required to run the full event.

[Jon_Snow]

Having just gone through the thread all I can say is you are all inspiring! Having retired a month ago priority one has been getting lighter and fitter. Almost 40 pounds lighter (in 2.5 months) has resulted in my knees feeling better than they have in years. I really want to start doing some organized runs, eventually doing some half marathons. I have been doing a lot of treadmill work and have yet to hit the pavement - that will be the true test for my knees, I know.

Hopefully the strength training I've been doing in the gym will help too. I was seriously bummed that I had to stop running four years ago because of recurring knee pain.

*fingers crossed*

[SingleMomDebt]

Jon_Snow i have knee probs too. EXCEPT when running the trails. Plus most shoes give me knee problems. So i run in minimalists. Works for me so far!

Wishing you the best in your running progress!

[basd]

I ran a timed mile last Wednesday for the first time after I've been away on holiday (with very little running), managed 6'33'' without too much effort. That gives me something to work with in the months to come towards that 5'59'' mile.

Currently at 6'11''. Sub 6 is getting closer..

[cdttmm]

Nice job on your training runs, everyone! Taking it easy for a few days over here while my legs recover, but I'll be back out there soon!!!

I'm quoting an old post, I know, but wow, a 50 miler.  Are you at all worried that it's a slippery slope from marathons to 50K (I did two of those) to 50 miler, to?  Are you going to do a 100K? 

For me it turned out to be a slippery slope, all right, but thankfully an uphill one.

I'm an unusual ultra runner. I never ran a marathon. I went from half Ironman triathlons to 50Ks (one) to my first 50 miler. Then I bounced between 50Ks and 50 milers for a number of years before settling on a serious push toward the big goal: running a 100 miler. Hopefully, I'll pound that out next year. I'll run a 100K sometime in between if I can find one that appeals to me.

I know some distance runners who got to the 50K distance and knew that was it, there was no interest in going longer. I think it is a very personal thing. For me, I knew before I even ran my first 50K that I would likely run a 100 miler one day.

[cdttmm]

I ran a timed mile last Wednesday for the first time after I've been away on holiday (with very little running), managed 6'33'' without too much effort. That gives me something to work with in the months to come towards that 5'59'' mile.

Currently at 6'11''. Sub 6 is getting closer..

Great work, basd! Keep it up!!!

[basd]

Great work, basd! Keep it up!!!

Same to you with the quest for the 100 miler.. I'm looking forward to get back to longer distance running in the future, but between work and family (young child) I have a hard time getting out there for longer than an hour.

I've got a lot of time before me though, so it's all good. Making the most of the time I get to spend on my feet at the moment.

[Bank]

Hey, Dr. Doom.  Thanks for the kind words.  The answer to your question regarding prep time is that it depends.  I've run marathons after training 50-70 miles per week, and I've done it with 30 or fewer.

As you may already know, the key to long races, including the marathon, is including one long run on the weekends in your routine.  You want to have that run get steadily longer and top out at about 20 miles done at a pace which is 60-90 seconds slower per mile than your typical pace. 

For Steamtown, I think my biggest week had runs of 5-8-5-20, and but that was atypical.  I would often only run 2 or 3 times a week.  It was my first venture back into the marathon after my son was born, and I didn't want to push my body too hard and too fast.  For my next (Hyannis in February) I'm going to try to get out 4-5 times a week.  The more miles you get in the faster you will be, but to finish a marathon you just need to not skip the long runs.

Generally, I start with Hal Higdon's programs (http://www.halhigdon.com/) and modify them as I see fit, based on how I feel.  You might start there as well.  If you're already running regularly, I doubt that you will need to commit much more time to running than you already do, apart from the weekend long runs.

[horsepoor]

Knocked out 14 miles this morning.  I like to do at least one run longer than race distance; glad I did because mile 12-13 I definitely started slowing down, though I could have pushed through that in a race setting.  Now just shorter runs until race day.  I think after that I'm going to focus on 5K and 10K PRs, which are 23:40 and 48:50 right now.  I'm riding more now, so time for long runs is kind of at a premium.

[Primm]

Then I was struck down with the worst case of plantar fasciitis ever (I've had it twice before), and haven't run since.  Anyone else in the chronic injury phase of training?

I snipped a bunch, hope I'm not mis-representing what you said.  I was able to massage away my P.F.  I used a hard knobby massager that I could hold on to tightly, lubed my foot with tiger balm, and started out rubbing the PF lengthwise, gently.  As it loosened up I later began rubbing it crossways, and pulling my toes back to put more tension on it.  Eventually I was rubbing across the tendon pretty hard, and it got to where it didn't hurt then.  Obviously walking was easy after that.  It took several episodes of this, spaced a few days apart, but it worked.

I have to tell you this hurt, really bad.  I could never stand that much pain inflicted by anybody else, like a massage therapist, but apparently I trust myself more.  The next time I try it, I may try using ice to massage it rather than the plastic thing and the tiger balm.  I've picked up my running mileage a tiny bit in the past few months and can feel the P.F. starting up again first thing in the morning, so I may get to find out. 

I have a similarly effective (and painful) method to deal with Achilles tendonitis, too.  It's better to try avoiding this stuff in the first place by increasing mileage slowly, but it sucks when my fitness outstrips my feet's ability to deal with it.  My bicycling keeps my cardio good enough that I want to run farther than I should.

Thanks for that. I've tried pretty much everything, but not heated massage, so I'll definitely give that a go.

I think the most frustrating part is that the PF started when I was on a 2 week break from running because I injured my hip (in a totally unrelated manner - ok, I pulled a muscle in a weighted squatting comp with some guys at my gym. 40+ yo women shouldn't get caught up in weight lifting competitions with 20-something guys. It never ends well...). So it's not like I was increasing mileage or anything, I just woke up one morning and literally couldn't weight bear without significant pain. Maybe it was due to favouring my left foot when my right leg was injured? Who knows.

Anyway, I'll try the massage you suggested. 2-3 times a week? And ice and strapping in between maybe? Or would that be too much of a good thing?

[ScienceSexSavings]

Oof, did my first 5k today and it did not go well! Horrible organizing, poor signage and I got knocked down by a bitch with a baby jogger within the first kilometer! My knees were sore and burning since I was sweating onto skinned knees, and I ended up switching to intervals in the third kilometer and took 40 minutes to finish. Here's hoping Mount Royal goes better! And fuck baby joggers.

[Dr. Doom]

the key to long races, including the marathon, is including one long run on the weekends in your routine. 

Yep.  Banged 14 today to keep shape for the south shore event.  Nice, cool weather, really couldn't ask for anything more.  Except for my legs to be faster.  They are the opposite of fast.

For Steamtown, I think my biggest week had runs of 5-8-5-20, and but that was atypical.  I would often only run 2 or 3 times a week. 

Yes, this is surprising to me.  I would expect longer runs.  But it makes sense since you were essentially gearing up again after a lower-intensity period in your life.  Since you'd already run full marathons, I'm sure you know your body pretty well.  I'm just starting to learn how I react physiologically to the extended running.  It's not all bad -- just stuff I haven't experienced before.  BTW, congrats on being a dad, btw, very cool.

The more miles you get in the faster you will be, but to finish a marathon you just need to not skip the long runs.

Yes, totally makes sense.  To prep for my half I had been doing one long run on the weekends (10+) one fast 4-miler (for me "fast" is an 8:30 pace -- hah!), and a couple of 6-7s. 

So it sounds like I need to concentrate on running longer milage on the stretch day, and running faster during my shorter runs.  I'll read the halhigdon content now to see how all of this syncs together.

Thanks a ton for the info, much appreciated.  And g/l training for your Feb marathon.  I'll put some thought into seeing if I can be in 26 mile shape just four short months from now.

Oh, and damn - the steamtown race is right next door to where I spent the first 7 years of my life -- Wilkes-Barre PA, home of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Co of The Office fame.  Lotta sulfer in the air growing up from the paper factories.  Good times.

[JoshuaSpodek]

I'm running the New York City Marathon two weeks from today.

Yesterday was my last hard training run -- http://joshuaspodek.com/rewards-pleasures-life-lessons-running-fast. One fast lap of Central Park, which ended up 42 minutes, or six hilly miles at just under seven minute miles. I couldn't keep that up much past six miles though.

I trained for last year's but hurt my foot the week before. The best I could do was postpone my entry a year. This year I've run a 20-mile, an 18.5-mile, an 18-mile, and many twelve to fifteen mile runs. My times are better than earlier marathon trainings. I think my twice daily burpees are helping a lot. Also the increased home-cooking with more vegetables and less pre-packaged food. I've long been thin, but my body fat is down to nearly a six-pack showing and I think that losing the dead weight must help.

I'm just shooting to beat my current best marathon time of 3:51. I'm confident I can do it, but last year's injury has me tentative until I cross the finish line.

[SingleMomDebt]

I'm more focused on the impressive title: astrophysics PhD, @joshuaspodek

And best to you in the NYC marathon!

[Timmmy]

Got my race done yesterday.  First marathon done in 4:52.  Great experience and will almost certainly do another. 

[rocksinmyhead]

Ran 20 miles on Saturday. It fucking hurt! I sent a super whiny text to my boyfriend somewhere around 17 miles about how my legs hurt and I just wanted to stop running and drink a marg and eat lunch. He said, "I have beer, lunch, and a massage waiting for you at home. You can do it! I'm so proud of you!" he's pretty great. I think part of it is that I served beer at Tulsa Oktoberfest the night before so I was on my feet for at least 5 hours more than usual. I have one more 20 mile run in two weeks, and then it's all downhill til race day. Can't wait!!

I think after that I'm going to focus on 5K and 10K PRs, which are 23:40 and 48:50 right now.  I'm riding more now, so time for long runs is kind of at a premium.

I think that's gonna be my next goal too. It will be a fun change of pace. My 5K PR is 24-something, and that was while training for a half (not really focusing on a 5K), so it will be fun to try to get that down.

Oof, did my first 5k today and it did not go well! Horrible organizing, poor signage and I got knocked down by a bitch with a baby jogger within the first kilometer! My knees were sore and burning since I was sweating onto skinned knees, and I ended up switching to intervals in the third kilometer and took 40 minutes to finish. Here's hoping Mount Royal goes better! And fuck baby joggers.

D'oh! I hate when crap like that ruins my race. I'm sure the next one will be better!!

Got my race done yesterday.  First marathon done in 4:52.  Great experience and will almost certainly do another.

Awesome! Congrats!!

[JoshuaSpodek]

I'm more focused on the impressive title: astrophysics PhD, @joshuaspodek

And best to you in the NYC marathon!

I followed my passions then and I'm following them now. I'm more into my current work on teaching and coaching leadership.

Thanks. I'll report back how the race goes.

[Bank]

Yep.  Banged 14 today to keep shape for the south shore event.  Nice, cool weather, really couldn't ask for anything more. 
Except for my legs to be faster.  They are the opposite of fast.

Nice weekend weather for sure.  I did a "fast" 8 --- and fast for me is also 8:30's at this point.  You're already in great shape if you're knocking out 14's.  Just need to stretch the distance a little more and integrate nutrition/hydration into your runs if you're not already doing so.  I am a heavier runner (6 feet tall, 215-220 pounds) who sweats a lot, so this is particularly important for me.  Maybe less so for you.

Oh, and damn - the steamtown race is right next door to where I spent the first 7 years of my life -- Wilkes-Barre PA, home of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Co of The Office fame.  Lotta sulfer in the air growing up from the paper factories.  Good times.

If I haven't mentioned it already, it was a gorgeous race with excellent organization and fantastic crowd support.  NEPA did itself proud. 

Feel free to shoot me any additional questions you might have.  As a source, I imagine that I'm about as reliable as any other random person on the internet and I enjoy babbling about running.

[Dr. Doom]

I did a "fast" 8 --- and fast for me is also 8:30's at this point.

Compared to me, that's pretty nice.  I'm not capable of running 8 miles at that pace.  The wheels fall off after mile 5 or so.  I'll keep working at it, though. 

Feel free to shoot me any additional questions you might have.  As a source, I imagine that I'm about as reliable as any other random person on the internet and I enjoy babbling about running.

Heh!  Thanks for the offer, and I'll take you up on it, like, immediately:  Have you ever run a half-marathon or longer in the rain, and if so, what special or extra gear do you need?  I've heard of these crazy things called "ponchos" -- will that do it?  Or, to make the question more generic, what special stuff do you do to prep for running in wet weather?

[jbcivics]

Hey all,

Lots of awesome and inspiring stuff going on in this thread. If there are any Fitocracy users, I created a group for mustachians so we can share workouts, track progress, give encouragement, and throw down challenges. Search for the group "Mustachian Fitness".

If you aren't familiar with Fitocracy, it's a free site that lets you track your workout, then it assigns points and awards badges for various accomplishments. Fitness "gamification" if you will.

Hope to see some of you on there!

-j

[Charm14]

I've been trying to get back into running, but I've been injury prone all summer :(  I'm looking at doing a triathlon next year and I'll post when I fully commit and register :)

[pedostache]

Finally back under the 5 minute mile which was the only goal that I set for this season.  Lately I've just been working on doing as much trail/mountain running as I can.  The frequent moose encounters have gave me the occasional oh shit moment. Not sure if I'm ready for a full on trail race though.

[happyfeet]

DD and I did our first ever 5K today.  Trained for a month.  I am 55 and shes 25.  She finished 4th in her age group out of 66 and I finished 6th out of 47.  We were both pretty stinking happy.  She ran about a 9 minute mile and me an 11 minute.  It was well organized and a lot of fun.  A Halloween run with 1500 runners.

[Bank]

Heh!  Thanks for the offer, and I'll take you up on it, like, immediately:  Have you ever run a half-marathon or longer in the rain, and if so, what special or extra gear do you need?  I've heard of these crazy things called "ponchos" -- will that do it?  Or, to make the question more generic, what special stuff do you do to prep for running in wet weather?

Sorry for the delay - I was traveling and away from the fun side of the interwebs for a while.  I wear an old pair of shoes, and I make sure I apply a ton of body glide.  Other than that - not much.  I don't mind being wet and I find that water proof gear just turns into a portable sauna (although I never tried a poncho, which would probably let more air in).  I wear an older pair of shoes because truly soaked running shoes take a while to dry and can become pretty rank.  Body glide because even technical shirts get heavy and start to chafe me after 10+ miles in a steady downpour. 

5 days to South Shore!

[Dr. Doom]

I wear an old pair of shoes, and I make sure I apply a ton of body glide.  Other than that - not much.  I don't mind being wet and I find that water proof gear just turns into a portable sauna (although I never tried a poncho, which would probably let more air in).  I wear an older pair of shoes because truly soaked running shoes take a while to dry and can become pretty rank.  Body glide because even technical shirts get heavy and start to chafe me after 10+ miles in a steady downpour. 

Thanks - this is helpful.  The old-shoe idea particularly - I went out last week during a downpour for 5 miles and returned absolutely soaked... had to put my 'nice' sneaks in the oven at 150 for a couple of hours to get them wearable again.  I discovered Body Glide after an incident in August...  ran my first 11 mile run just wearing a cotton T and after a while a certain vestigially useless part of my chest was bleeding and it looked like I'd been shot or stabbed, red everywhere. I didn't even notice until I finished running, but believe me, I noticed plenty over the following 3-4 days while it healed. 

Glide fixes everything.  Best 4.99 I've spent this year probably.

Last week when I wrote that post I was worried about the half being in the rain, but it looks like that's not happening.  Rain on Saturday, just overcast on Sunday for the race. 

I'm getting stoked. 

[horsepoor]

I'm going to have to do some thinking about this.  Looks like a half inch of rain in the forecast for my half on Saturday.  Yay.

[Dr. Doom]

I'm going to have to do some thinking about this.  Looks like a half inch of rain in the forecast for my half on Saturday.  Yay.

Hope you did OK.  My own east coast south-shore 1/2 was cancelled.  50 MPH gusts predicted plus downpours.  11/16 resched date.

But since I thought I was going to run it in the rain, I did a bit of additional research and the big tips for running long distances in a storm are:
- Don't wear cotton.  Like, anywhere.  It retains water, makes you heavy, colder, and increases chafing.
- If you're going to wear a hat, get a very thin poly blend cap.
- Get some petroleum jelly and rub a very light coat over most of your body because wet flesh against any material over long distances = major chafing.  When your skin gets soaked, friction increases.   Make sure your feet are included in the list of areas to cover.  Get in between your toes.
- As bank mentioned, wear old shoes.
- Coolest thing I read was to, after putting your socks on, stick your feet into plastic garbage bags.  Like the garden variety ones you get from your local shopping store.  Then stick your feet into your shoes.  The layer of plastic apparently does wonders for keeping your feet dry for up to 15 miles.  If you're worried about how you look, you can trim the plastic away from the ankle area with a scissors once your feet/bag combo has been assembled.

[JoshuaSpodek]

New York City marathon in about twelve hours.

I should finish under four hours later, assuming no injuries.

Meanwhile, I'll be cheered by over one million spectators. Everyone should run this race once.

[Dr. Doom]

New York City marathon in about twelve hours.

I should finish under four hours later, assuming no injuries.

Meanwhile, I'll be cheered by over one million spectators. Everyone should run this race once.

Dude.  You're a beast.  And good luck.

[horsepoor]

New York City marathon in about twelve hours.

I should finish under four hours later, assuming no injuries.

Meanwhile, I'll be cheered by over one million spectators. Everyone should run this race once.

Wow, good luck and have a great time (both ways)!

Zeitgeist is done.  The rain was kind enough to hold off until afternoon, so we just got a sprinkle and it wasn't an issue at all.  I hope I didn't say "fuck!" too loudly when I saw the clock at the finish line.  Last year my chip time was 2:00:47, and that was with a headwind, a blistering toe, and coming off a chest cold.  I had no such excuses this year, and clock time was right at 2:03 when I crossed; still waiting on chip time, but no way is it under 2:00, which is what I was hoping for.  Should have run more wind sprints, because really, my legs had more to give but I just couldn't catch my breath in a few places.  Overall, not unhappy, but wish I'd been just a bit faster. Already signed up for the Freezeout hill climb in January as motivation to keep going over winter.  If that's not enough, DH won us a trip to Peru and we'll be hiking the Inca Trail in May, so no slacking off this winter.

Looking forward to everyone else's race results!

[ScienceSexSavings]

Ahhhhh have fun in Peru!

My 5k on Mount Royal went much, much better. It had rained all week so there was plenty of mud, and obviously it's a very slow course (6:00/km is considered elite pace), but I maintained a pretty consistent level of effort and finished about 2:00/km slower than the flat one in a park where I got mowed down lol. The volunteers were great, a bunch of runners were in costumes, some people ran with sick kids in wheelchairs, and there was even a blind man with a guide in the 10k. The courses overlapped a bit, so I finished with strong runners who were doing longer distances, and it was so, so cool to observe them. Definitely recommend.

[rocksinmyhead]

Glide fixes everything.  Best 4.99 I've spent this year probably.

oh man I would DIE without Body Glide! Cause of death: massive blood loss through thigh chafing wounds!!

Took Friday off work because we were hosting a party Saturday night (with a ton of cleaning to do beforehand) and I had 20 miles on the schedule. We get half day Fridays anyway so it only cost me 4 hours of vacation. It worked out great because I have two friends that are training for the half that's the same day as my full marathon and they were doing 12 miles that day, so I did that with them and then kept running for 21 total. It was so nice to have company, and I got to run in a different area than usual. I actually felt GREAT after the 21 miles, felt like I could have kept going, and only took a 1.25-hr nap afterwards :) Night and day from my brutal 20-miler two weeks ago. I am feeling pretty good about this race.

Ran 5 miles Saturday morning, felt sore but good (not exhausted). Today I am going to try running during my lunch hour and showering at the YMCA for the first time. Hopefully I can be time-efficient about it. With DST ending it's going to be dark when I get home, so other than the days I can get my boyfriend to run with me, it's gonna have to be running at lunch for the rest of training. Thankfully this is my last week of full-on training and then a 2-week taper!!! I am so excited for the race and REALLY excited to have my time back :)