Training Run Times

[BlackpoolTerrier]

Here's two Boston prep podcasts with Monday's two big US contenders (one for for the marathon anoraks)

Conner Mantz

Clayton Young

Listening to each, you can see why Mantz has been the more successful of the two to date - just about more successful but there's a gap alright.

Mantz has done Boston before (and suffered) while Young has not. Mantz has one great quote in there about how "Boston is notorious for absolutely humbling athletes" - true for ya Conner, I dunno does the favourite ever win.

 

[BlackpoolTerrier]

Meanwhile, my own podcast would be a short and not too pleasant one.

Up to and including Post number 19,382 on this forum, I was improving all the way - even did some hard running on hills the week before that Sunday. But that 23 miler landed me right back in knee Purgatory - having nursed and plasma'ed the right knee back to operation with steady 8-minute miling, the left knee went bang just as we were finishing the longest runs.

So, back then I was harbouring ambitions to get under the 3:30 (LOL, still the slowest marathon I would ever have run), but now who knows? The injury needs months of rest to be healed and a few short weeks of little to no running has not really helped. All week I've been about to press the "cancel" button but the fear that you'd never get this close again has won out - so I've checked in for the flight.

On the positive side, the knee has not collapsed while running - the leg totally siezes for days afterwards because of the inefficient recruiting of the knee muscles around the damage, but the runs are OK. So, I've wangled a prescription for some thermonuclear-powered painkillers, invested in the redoubtable placebo of a knee "support" bandage and will aim to try to average 7:59 mile pace for the day. No point in getting too anxious - it will either happen or it won't and I may as well enjoy the buzz. Remembering I'm lucky to be here and that if the knee behaves, there might even be faster miles..

I'm not usually in awe of the aesthetics of the design of a marathon medal but Boston is an exception. I'm not sure why - maybe because they are so hard to get. Either way, I hauled these out of the press during the week for a good look and have been sutably humbled:



Then they've announced a new design for 2025 - the 250th anniversary of Patriots Day (the annual day on which Boston is run) and the new design is a gem




So, the golden horse lads - that's the aim for Monday - the "A", "B" and "C" goal. I'm number 12749, wave 2, corral 4 - throw-in is at 15:25 Cork time.

Thanks for all the good wishes on here - as ever, a massive tonic

 

[El Guapo]

Meanwhile, my own podcast would be a short and not too pleasant one.

Up to and including Post number 19,382 on this forum, I was improving all the way - even did some hard running on hills the week before that Sunday. But that 23 miler landed me right back in knee Purgatory - having nursed and plasma'ed the right knee back to operation with steady 8-minute miling, the left knee went bang just as we were finishing the longest runs.

So, back then I was harbouring ambitions to get under the 3:30 (LOL, still the slowest marathon I would ever have run), but now who knows? The injury needs months of rest to be healed and a few short weeks of little to no running has not really helped. All week I've been about to press the "cancel" button but the fear that you'd never get this close again has won out - so I've checked in for the flight.

On the positive side, the knee has not collapsed while running - the leg totally siezes for days afterwards because of the inefficient recruiting of the knee muscles around the damage, but the runs are OK. So, I've wangled a prescription for some thermonuclear-powered painkillers, invested in the redoubtable placebo of a knee "support" bandage and will aim to try to average 7:59 mile pace for the day. No point in getting too anxious - it will either happen or it won't and I may as well enjoy the buzz. Remembering I'm lucky to be here and that if the knee behaves, there might even be faster miles..

I'm not usually in awe of the aesthetics of the design of a marathon medal but Boston is an exception. I'm not sure why - maybe because they are so hard to get. Either way, I hauled these out of the press during the week for a good look and have been sutably humbled:

View attachment 41461

Then they've announced a new design for 2025 - the 250th anniversary of Patriots Day (the annual day on which Boston is run) and the new design is a gem


View attachment 41459

So, the golden horse lads - that's the aim for Monday - the "A", "B" and "C" goal. I'm number 12749, wave 2, corral 4 - throw-in is at 15:25 Cork time.

Thanks for all the good wishes on here - as ever, a massive tonic

Give it socks BPT.

 

[jimmym]

Best of luck BT

 

[El Guapo]

Here's two Boston prep podcasts with Monday's two big US contenders (one for for the marathon anoraks)

Conner Mantz

Clayton Young

Listening to each, you can see why Mantz has been the more successful of the two to date - just about more successful but there's a gap alright.

Mantz has done Boston before (and suffered) while Young has not. Mantz has one great quote in there about how "Boston is notorious for absolutrly humbling athletes" - true for ya Conner, I dunno does the favourite ever win.

I'll hafta give those a spin. I like Clayton Young more, but he's definitely lacking that Killer edge.

He's innovative enough, came up with a scheme for putting pre cooled hats into thermos flasks and taking them as bottle service at feeds for the last US trials when it was forecast to be 35 degrees or something crazy.

Mantz' wife took up running after they got hitched (maybe 2 years ago) and walked into the BYU womens team this year, she's a sub 35 10k runner now. Those Mormans have it sussed..No booze and Sundays off.

 

[BlackpoolTerrier]

He's innovative enough, came up with a scheme for putting pre cooled hats into thermos flasks and taking them as bottle service at feeds for the last US trials when it was forecast to be 35 degrees or something crazy.

Smurf’ll tell ya we delivered something similar for him in the heat haze in 2018 when he ran his big one in Cork

 

[Carmona]

Have a good one, T.

(Jury's out on the time predictions! Imma say 3.2x. Anyone else willing to predict)

 

[Carmona]

I was looking at BQ times for fellas as old as myself and Terrier. Fuck, if the legs hold up I might have a lash off this in the coming year or two.

 

[BlackpoolTerrier]

I was looking at BQ times for fellas as old as myself and Terrier. Fuck, if the legs hold up I might have a lash off this in the coming year or two.

At our age, 5-minute kms or 8-minute miling is considered valid for BQ

 

[Carmona]

At our age, 5-minute kms or 8-minute miling is considered valid for BQ

But I thought I saw 3hrs50, no? Jaysus I'd be able for that with the obvious caveat.