Ironman Lake Placid

For those interested, check out the video describing the race. It was a long day in wet rain.

Check out my blog for the race report.

Jeff

Liz's Marathon Journey...What we've learned

To all who know Liz, and those who do not.... it is time we divulge some juicy details about Ms Elisabeth Skoro. This is allowed because it is now tradition. Anyone training... and I mean really training... for a marathon and making it to the starting line, is bait for the team to divulge the last six months... okay maybe year.... of (tasteful) training and racing stories about that person... so here it goes (Sorry this is not in Liz quiz format).

So, what can we all learn from Liz through all these months of training?

1. Watch for Ice
2. Don't lose your keys... or your phone... or your headlamp... or your directions.... or your watch.... or your water bottle.... or your purse..... or your coat with your car keys in it....
3. Travel and have fun. One of Liz's dreams is to travel to exotic, foreign lands and experience strange new cultures... like Arkansas.
4. Bring your own water.... because by drinking everyone elses, it will soon run out.
5. Parking lot ettiquette. It is not a coincidence that when Liz comes into the parking lot that everyone scatters to the curb.
6. Table manners. Everyone's water is Liz's unless there's a Ketchup bottle to separate and distiguish off limits.
7. Don't be late. We eventually leave you.
8. Pick a marathon and register a year early. Make sure you have friends there.
9. Runners trots, the true initiation of a "real" runner.
10. Rule WWSS: When choosing your running attire, ask yourself "What Would Scott Say"?
11. DOTS is a four letter word.
12. Sid's Run. He's just a man, not "sudden infant death syndrome".
13. Wear socks when you run.
14. Body Glide is your friend.
15. Meeting for lunch after the long run really is the best part of the run.
16. Don't go to a wedding "funeral" after running 24 miles.
17. Register for the toughest races. Make sure they're your firsts.
18. Who needs Gold's Gym, when you have running?
19. "I want to start working on speed after my marathon". She forgets that the fastest she could run 1 mile is 11:30 when she started, now she can do 8 min splits for 5K!
20. Text message your coach at 10pm to tell them you got some gladiator sandles or 3am to tell them you won't make the 5:30am run. See how much they like it. They may let "running shoes" slide though.
21. Stick to the program: Trust in your training and trust in yourself!

So this is what we've learned from Liz. We all love her and wouldn't know what to do without her there! If you know of any additions for the list, please divulge! info@teamapexrunningandwalking.com

Mike & Monica

Liz's 24-Miler, For Those of You Coming Upon Your First One

First of all, it wasn't that bad!

Second of all, you can do it! By the time you're asked to run this far, your body is ready!

But expect to sleep for the rest of the day as soon as your adrenaline runs out.

And, don't go to any weddings or funerals after you run this far; you may end up locked in the bathroom bawling your eyes out like I did. 24-mile fatigue and emotional occasions do not mix!

Love,
Liz

Happy Fourth of July!

Maybe we should organize a yearly Fourth of July run? For restless leg syndrome, sweaty palms, or some such affliction, perhaps?

Have a good weekend!

Ironman marathon training

Hey Team~

Thought I would drop a post to introduce myself to those I haven't met.

I recently moved to the area from North Carolina and Monica and Mike have been kind enough to let me tag along on a few runs. I tend not to be a regular on purpose...as a long course triathlete (Ironman distance), too much speedy training rips me up, so I drop in generally only when I'm reasonably fresh.

Monica asked me on one of the prior runs about the structure of my long runs while training for Ironman. As nothing we do at the Ironman distance is truly "fast" in a runner's sense, a lot of my training is done very aerobically (read SLOW). Speedy in ironman terms is really about endurance strength, and the ability to hold your pace after swimming for 2.4 miles and cycling for 112 miles. So in that sense, interval or speed training doesn't have a huge role until you are a pro or elite triathlete. That said, you can become very competitive in age group racing with a very solid base. My fastest runs at the 5k/10k distance in triathlons are the result of a large volume of aerobic training instead of track work. I think this applies age group athletes training for marathons as well. So, here is a typical long training session for me as I end my last build period before tapering for IM Lake Placid on July 20th.

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2 1/2 hour run session:
30 minutes done very easy
45 minutes 2-3 beats below race goal hr
45 minutes right on race goal hr
30 minutes above race goal hr

******

I consider my fitness to be in line with my race goal hr when I'm able to average the last 30 minute session with the highest avg. hr for the day WITH a concomitant increase in pace. In other words, if I'm able to raise my hr but my pace drifts down, then my goal hr is too high or I'm too fatigued to complete the session. Sometimes it is difficult to determine which is the case, but generally you have some idea based on how you feel and your training log.

******
So, for this race, my goal hr is 79% of my running max hr (184). Therefore, I would like to avg. ~145 for the entire run.
On this training session, my numbers were:
30 min 134 hr 8:05
45 min 142 hr 7:45
45 min 144 hr 7:35
30 min 145 hr 7:31

These times included my water breaks, so the averages reflect a slight decreased hr in comparison to what i was actually seeing while running. This especially holds true for the last session, where I was only under 146 during my start up after my last water break. It took nearly a mile for me to elevate my heart rate after this break, bringing down the average quite a bit. This is certainly reflective of my fatigue at that point. I'm clearly lacking the run fitness I exhibited last year before IM Canada.

*********

Hope to see you guys over the next few weeks,
Jeff
http://mdotdoc.blogspot.com

Up, Up, and Away to Marathon Paradise!

As much as I would like to boycott this forum until someone else posts, I just want to announce to the crowd that the Skoro family has officially bought their plane tickets to the San Francisco Marathon! It's exciting!