Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with marathon

Get me outta here!

The Straightener — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:16:40 -0800

Escape from New York! (By car during the New York Marathon.) What time of day would be optimal to leave Williamsburg, Brooklyn by car tomorrow to get to the Jersey Turnpike without committing suicide after hours stranded in gridlocked traffic?

Why is it / When you / Try to pass / The guy in front / Goes twice as fast?

MsMolly — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:32:24 -0800

Burma Shave jingles for marathon runners. I got such a kick out of the Burma Shave-style jingles that MeFites wrote for this question that I'd like to do something similar for a friend who's running the Chicago marathon this weekend. So help me out with your best marathon or running related couplets.

He's born to run--I'm born to shop

bookmammal — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:07:31 -0800

Help me come up with a gift for a marathon runner! A good friend/coworker will be running in the Chicago Marathon next month. I'd like to get him a small "Good Luck--Go Get 'Em!" gift or two that I could give him the day before the race--perhaps something that I could hide in his desk or around our office that he would find. He's already completed this marathon once, so it's not really a matter of bolstering his confidence--but I still think it's a huge deal for him to be doing this and want to wish him good luck!

He's running for a charity, so he already has one of their Tshirts to wear on race day, and I'm pretty sure he already has plans to get a massage after the race. Any other ideas out there? Not really looking for anything super inspirational--maybe more on the humorous side--but any ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Help me run two marathons, 42 days apart

timnyc — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:30:18 -0800

Marathoner Filter: I'm running the Oct. 11 Chicago Marathon and the Nov. 22 Philadelphia Marathon. Any tips on what I should be doing between these two races in terms of recovery and training?

Run, you crazy bastard!

MsMolly — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:32:03 -0800

Best places to cheer on friends running in the Chicago marathon? Next month I'm going to be in Chicago to cheer on a couple of friends running their first Chicago Marathon. Ideally, I'd like to see them at 3 or 4 different points on the course, preferably where the crowd and the runners might have both thinned out a bit, so they can clearly see the signs I'll be holding. I figure someone else on Metafilter must have done this, so before I start trying to plot my own route I wanted to solicit your suggestions. I don't know my friends' pace times yet, but I'll ask them before race day. We'll also have someone in our group with an iPhone, so we can track our friends' progress. Any thoughts on the locations suggested here?

Marathon training clerical error

activitystory — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:41:24 -0800

runningfilter: I just found an extra week in my marathon training schedule (because I started a week early)-- help me decide how best to use it. I'm training for the NYC marathon this year using the Hal Higdon Intermediate II training plan, at the recommendation of AskMe. This will be my third marathon, I'm a 32yo man, and when not training for something specific, I usually run about 25 miles per week.

I'm not really focusing on my time this go round (I've been keeping up with the pace workouts, but haven't been doing any speedwork), and my number one goal is to get to the finish line without any injuries. Things have been going smoothly as far as that's concerned.

I was planning out my next several weeks' runs, and I realized that I somehow started the 18-week program 19 weeks before my race. If I keep going on my current schedule, my two weeks of tapering will end a week before the race (rather than the day before). I'd like to shift things around so my training ends with the tapering at the right moment.

My question is, where is the best place to account for the extra time, and how best should I do that? I'm thinking the most conservative thing to do is repeat the workouts from one of the easier step-back weeks (like week 14) between the last two weeks that end with a 20-miler (after week 12 or week 15, I mean).

I'm currently in the middle of week 8, which ends with a 17-miler on Sunday, the longest distance so far. I'm wondering if repeating this week's (or last week's-- which ended with a 16-miler) would do me more good endurance- and performance-wise

Has anyone made this type of miscalculation before? Any other ideas about how best to spend the extra week?

Help me actually cross the finish line...

highfidelity — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:51:32 -0800

I'm running the Chicago Marathon in the start of October and feel vastly unprepared and undertrained. Looking for advice on how to approach the next two months. Background: I've been taking my running training seriously for a little under a year now. Ran a few 10k races in the winter/spring and a mini-marathon in May. All went between moderately well and better than expected, despite being my first real road races since high school cross-country.

After the mini, I decided to run the Chicago Marathon. Both my mileage and quality of training has felt poor the last month, with me unable to complete the long weekend run and/or the medium-long mid-week run.

Details: I'm shooting for a sub-4:00 time, which puts my per mile at just over 9 minutes. I'm doing my 3-5 mile runs at 9-9:30 minutes, my longish runs at 9:30-10:00 and my longest weekly run at 10:00-10:30. Too fast?

I've only gone over 13 miles twice so far since the mini. This obviously worries me as I'm running out of time to build up a large stamina base. I've been trying to follow a combination of the Hal Higdon training novice and intermediate plans on his website.

I'm a vegetarian who eats vegan 95% of the time. But I do eat plenty of beans, tofu, soy milk, etc in addition to semi-regularly taking a multivitamin. My sleep schedule is relatively normal, at about 8 hours a night.

I'm doing very little other cross-training. A minimal amount of daily push-ups/sit-ups and walking the dogs a few times a week. I stretch well prior to each run, but not after. Post-run I usually have a smoothie/snack and/or dinner.

I'm feeling a pretty significant lack of confidence right now. Any and all constructive criticism on how to approach the next two months would be greatly appreciated.

Boston Marathon - Best Seats?

Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:16:25 -0800

Running the Boston Marathon on Monday, and trying to figure out where the wife and kids should place themselves to give me a few much needed high fives deep into the run. Anyone have favorite places to view? Things to consider: Walking time needs to be minimized, should be kid friendly if possible. Where's the best places to meet the fam afterwards? Thanks!

Boston Marathon Saturday Night Hotel

mmascolino — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:27:00 -0800

I'm going to be in Boston later this month for the marathon and was looking for advice for a reasonable place to stay Saturday night. For Sunday night and Monday night I have reservations at the Park Plaza Hotel (near the corner of Park Plaza and Arlington and the Arlington Station on the Green Line). Since airfare was cheaper if I arrived on Saturday, I was looking for a cheaper place to stay on Saturday night.

My (flexible) requirements would be easily accessible via public transportation (both from the airport as well as getting to my other hotel on Sunday morning). Since I am not renting a car for the rest of the trip I'd rather not for just this portion of the trip. Obviously cheaper is better than more expensive but considering how crazy expensive things are downtown for this event, I'd be happy for anything sub $250.

Lastly it would be nice if there was something interesting to see or a great place to eat near the Saturday accommodations.

As a sideline question to this, my wife will be joining me to watch the race and as she is a bit of a novice in navigating new to her public transportation systems I wondering if the local paper or the MBTA or the race officials published some sort of map or guide for spectators.

Running Longer and Longer Distances

yeti — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:50:01 -0800

What do I need to know/buy/wear to run longer and longer distances? It appears I’ve caught a running bug. I’ve built up my weekly mileage to 20 miles: 4 mile short runs during the week, and an 8-miler on the weekend. I hope to keep building on this and train for a half marathon and maybe even a full one someday. The max my body can sustain at the moment is 8 miles (65 minutes), but I expect that threshold to creep up over the months. For short runs (6 miles and under), I’m fine going all amateur-hour: cotton socks, beat up shoes, coffee to rehydrate (only half-kidding here).

What do I need to know to run longer distances? Good synthetic socks? Special underwear to prevent chaffing? Bodyglide? Vaseline? Is this typically only on runs over (X) miles? Is this in lieu of band-aids over my nips? (I have a hairy chest, so I think band-aids are out of the question.) What’s this I hear about gels? Do I take one whenever I rehydrate with electrolytes? I've heard bits and pieces from websites, but nothing organized to guide me.

Is this stuff that comes standard in a book – and if so, which? There seems to be information out there for first time runners, e.g. C25K, and general information about injury prevention online, but little to guide me in the world of long distances lasting over an hour. I already bought a Garmin 305, and the Stick – both of which have been great investments. And sunscreen. I learned that one this weekend. What else is there? Running suddenly went from intuitive to complicated.

Why don't the fastest times win?

bluefly — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:15:10 -0800

Why don't competitors in marathons start the race all in one pack? Why are there different start times for elite runners? Why don't they decide the winner just on time alone? So, I was reading about the Nike Women's marathon and the Chicago marathon last year where the people who ran the fastest times didn't technically win because they weren't in the elite pack (I think they were given some sort of consolation prize/designation). The argument being that they were running essentially a different race since they didn't start with the leaders who couldn't judge how far ahead/behind they were and adjust their strategies accordingly. I get this. But why have two different start times anyway?

Running on Empty

boyinmiami — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:09:33 -0800

Running Filter: I have signed up for half a marathon coming up at the end of January. I also signed up for a running group which helps you train for the half a marathon. I have missed about 60 precent of the running sessions. With the marathon less than a month away, I need some help getting ready for it. I have a few questions about this run coming up, so I will try and break them down in an organized fashions.

Pertaining info:

I am in good shape. The running sessions that I have been able to go, I have done distances of 8 miles, 10 miles, 11 miles. So have been getting close to the goal of 13.1 miles. I have made the last four sessions (have made about 6 of the total 12). Today I had to quit at 3.5 miles for reasons coming up.

I did get fitted for shoes at the local running store.

I do lift weights on my own (3 times a week), but haven't been running on my own other than the long runs once a week with the running group. When I first signed up for it, I was doing short runs on my own during the week but haven’t been doing it in the past 6 weeks.

Due to being constantly late for my runs, I have a tendency not to stretch before the long runs, though I always stretch after.

Questions/Issues

1. My first long distance run of 10 miles, I had excruciating knee pain. I iced my knees right after the run, and the pain did go away after about a day and was back to normal. This has been the case every time I have done long distances since then. After this I have made it a point to get good leg workouts. I need help in figuring out

a. If there are other things I can do to minimize the pain and soreness?
b. Any specific leg exercises I can do to strengthen that part of my body.

2. The last three times I have done long distances, I have gotten shin splints, and swollen ankles, and pain at the bottom of my feet. This pain has started probably on the my second mile the last time I ran and persisted for the whole run. After icing the area, it did feel better but didn’t disappear for a few days.

a. Is there a reason that my ankles and shin splints would start hurting now? (Since this has been the case in my last two runs only)

b. Any exercises or precautions I can take to make sure this doesn't happen?

c. Could these be my shoes? I got fitted for the shoes, but people seem to think this could be the culprit.

3. How much can stretching and not stretching be part of the problem?

Since the marathon is only a month away, what would you recommend I do to make sure I can make this run in the least amount of pain and the most amount of comfort? Exercises, tips and tricks, food technique and running schedule help will all be appreciated :)

Thank you in advance

2009 Marathons

jazzkat11 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:48:10 -0800

Where to run to in 2009.. I'm planning out my ~~dance~~ run card for 2009 and am on the search for a marathon that is interesting, fun and / or unique. I'm looking at possibly doing the Marathon du Medoc, but would love something stateside as well.

I'm specifically interested in ones that you don't have to qualify for. I ran the LA marathon in '08, and while it was fun, it would be great to try something new.

Thx!

How to run a sub-3-hour marathon?

killdevil — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:11:17 -0800

I can run 6:30 miles for an hour, a little uncomfortably, or 7:00 miles pretty easily over the same interval. What would it take, training-wise, for me to run a sub-3-hour marathon? A little more about my current level of running fitness: I started running daily a little more than two years ago, having previously been a pretty serious cyclist. I run ~8.5 miles/day at present, and can run a mile in 5:30 (maybe more quickly, but I haven't tried it).

I'm 31, have no background in competitive running, and have never raced save for a few 5Ks. I'm planning to run a marathon in the spring, and would like to shoot for the sub-3-hour range in order to qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon with some margin for error. Given my current fitness level, I'm pretty sure this is achievable, but I don't know much about how to prepare. There are quite a few marathon training resources on the Web, of course, but I'm hoping you can help me form a rough idea of what I'd need to do between now and, say, April '09.

As a side-question: what spring race in the U.S. would make a good first marathon?

help with happy hour

divka — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:06:42 -0800

Does any have advice in regard to holding a small charity event in a bar in the DC or DC-adjacent area of Maryland? I'm trying to scrape together the minimum fundraising amount for a charity half-marathon. I'm pondering a charity night at a local bar--either a happy hour or a trivia night. I'm in the Bethesda-Rockville area, but I think somewhere in downtown DC would work nicely too.

Before I start with cold calls, I was wondering if anyone had any experience in setting this sort of thing up? Do you know of any bars in the area that are friendly to this sort of thing? What will they be expecting from me on my end of the deal (minimum head counts, purchases)?

Getting back to training after mid-plan overtraining symptoms?

activitystory — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:45:42 -0800

Marathon training filter: How long has it taken you to recover from the symptoms of overuse and get back to your training plan? I'm currently using Hal Higdon's Intermediate II training plan to prepare for the 2008 NYC Marathon (my 3rd). It's been a big step up in mileage for me (I'd only been running 2 or 3 days a week for previous marathons, but I'm running 5 days on this). I took it slow and increased miles no more than 10% to get to where I am now. I am an avid stretcher and practice yoga several times a week, and am very cautious about injuries. My shoes were purchased near the beginning of training and seem to be just fine. This is week 8 (half way) for me, and I've had absolutely no problems, until...

I accidentally ran 18 miles when I should have run 16 on Sunday, at the end of a week where I had to rearrange a couple of runs because of travel. Nothing strange happened, but I was totally spent during the last few miles. Afterward, I stretched and took an ice bath. Then, I took Monday off, and went out for a short how-do-I-feel jog last night... My outer-calves felt very week, and the outside back of my left knee was a little... pinchy? Not excruciating, but definitely a sign I should take it easy. It feels a little like the time several years ago where I had IT Band problems, but nowhere near as painful. On the way home from my run, I stopped by the gym and stretched out a little: rolled out my quads and IT band, rolled out my shins and calves, and stretched the front of my legs. Iced when I got home.

Has anyone had a similar problems during training for a specific race? How many days/weeks did it take you to get back on track? Did you feel like your base miles reset or diminished? What worked for you? How did you decide to get back into the training plan?

Based on all I've ever read, this is a pretty common problem (I've been fearful and cautious about it for some time), and I understand that rest, ice, and stretching are usually the remedy; what I'm looking for is actual stories from actual runners about what impact this has had on their training. Did you bounce back in time to train for the race without further incident?

Spira shoes: fact or crap?

middleclasstool — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:06:34 -0800

Spira running shoes: horseshit? I'm looking for personal experiences running with them, particularly running marathon distance, but I'll take any solid data on them. Are they snake oil, or good shoes for running?

There's a freeze up comin' (maybe)

activitystory — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:29:45 -0800

Post-marathon advice: I'm running my second marathon this weekend; I was very sore after my first and am convinced that an ice bath is probably my best bet post-race to combat soreness. Problem is, I'm more scared about the bath than the race. Does any one have any practical insights into how to make the ice bath a positive experience? Advice on how not to make a big mess, when/how much ice, what it takes to get in and out of the bath would be appreciated. I'd also love to hear some "my first ice bath" stories, even if they end in heartbreak.

no bumbag zone

peachfuzz — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:22:53 -0800

Runners of MeFi: What do you carry when you race, and what do you carry it in? Does anyone have any experience with this thing? I ran my first half marathon yesterday, and while it was a blast, I definitely could have planned better...I felt kind of dumb clutching at my sweaty, jingling Ziploc full of jellybeans. I did most of my long runs where it was cool enough to wear a jacket, and shoved all my stuff in the pockets - but this left me with no plan for warm race days.

I'm particularly interested in non-waistpack and non-fuelbelt solutions; they just don't work with my specific anatomy and always end up flopping around my waist. I'd like to carry a couple keys, a little cash, dry socks, bandaids, a handful of candy, maybe half a bagel for really long runs and my fall marathon. Does the holster linked above have room for all that? Does it flop around at all? Any other ideas for holsters or bandoliers or leg sacks or whatever?

Or am I just plain carrying too much stuff, and could pare it down to a couple things that would fit in a shoewallet or running shorts pouch?

I'm okay on water - I carry one of those bottles with a handstrap when I think I'll need it.

Thanks, AskMe!

Give me feet of steel.

middleclasstool — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:42:23 -0800

Resources for exercises for my feet, arches, ankles, and lower legs? I'm a distance runner -- or, more accurately, was one until after my first marathon, when IT Band Syndrome finally caught up with me. I've done physical therapy but will have to go back to the doc's for more treatment. Right now I can't do more than three miles for fear of making things worse.

I'm told the ITBS is likely a result of my overpronation, which I'd like to correct. Inspired by this post, I ran a mile barefoot on the treadmill last night, then spent the rest of the evening walking around barefoot and paying careful attention to feedback from my feet, and learned more about my gait from that than six months of running prior. I found myself working muscles in my feet and lower legs that I didn't even know I had. It was, in short, awesome, and has encouraged me that maybe I can build up muscles to help at least partially correct my gait so maybe I can ultimately transition to a lighter-weight shoe.

Thing is, I'm not finding many resources for strengthening exercises that target ankles, shin muscles and feet for overpronaters, so I turn to you for help. Resources need not be online. Books are good too, though I'd prefer not to kill trees. Give me feet of steel, people.

And yes, I will check with the doctor, but it'll be a bit before I can get in to see her.

How many Boston Marathon runners qualified and how many ran for charity?

csimpkins — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:07:36 -0800

Is there any way to find out the percentage of Boston Marathon runners that qualified for the race vs. the percentage that gained entry through other means (charities and such)?

Does the Home Team always win?

brent — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:04:07 -0800

Where can I find out if the Boston Red Sox won/lost on Marathon Monday on the years the game was played? Wikipedia, Baseball Almanac, Reference season long results but the 3rd Monday in April varies year by year.

Vancouver Marathon team name suggestions

Slarty Bartfast — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:13:48 -0800

Help me come up with a team name and/or logo for the Vancouver Marathon. So we actually registered 6 months ago with the name Team Brawndo (the sports drink from Idiocracy -- "It's got Electrolytes!"). Since then, Brawndo has become an actual product. So we aren't going to run 26.2 miles with some lame product splashed across our chest.

About us: We are four guys and one gal, all pushing 40 rapidly. We will be coming up from Seattle. We were all generally non-runners when we decided to register for this thing 6 months ago. Our friendship is largely based on beer drinking and two of us quit smoking 6 months ago to train for this. 3 people have dropped out of the group in the course of training. Our goal is to just finish this thing, running or walking if necessary. We'd like to design shirts or tanks with some kind of team logo (one of us is a graphic designer). We have been wracking our brains for weeks and coming up surprisingly blank.

What's traffic like the morning of the San Francisco Marathon?

sugarfish — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:27:57 -0800

What's travel like on the morning of the San Francisco Marathon? I'm going to a conference in San Francisco and will be traveling back home on August 3rd, which is the morning of the Marathon. One flight I have my eye on leaves SF at 1.30p, meaning I'll need to be at the airport at 11.30a. I am going to take the BART back and forth between my hotel and the airport. My hotel is on 4th Street, if it matters, and according to google maps the nearest BART stop is Powell Street. Am I going to be able to make this schedule with the marathon traffic, or should I look for another flight?

And for a small bonus question: am I looking for a flight too early? I haven't been on a plane for years and I kind of want to get all of this planning out of the way, but if it behooves me to wait a few weeks for a better price I will.

Thanks!

Marathon training in SF?

whir — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:41:37 -0800

Can someone recommend a good beginner's marathon training group in San Francisco? So I've dabbled with running for a while now (starting and stopping the couch-to-5K program a few times), but I keep vaguely trailing off. I've decided that running a marathon would be a good concrete goal to have in mind. I also think doing it in a group would be fun; I could meet some folks and I think having an external training regimen / schedule would help me stay focused. I don't have a particular marathon in mind.

I've seen a few running groups on craigslist and various bulletin boards, so I'm basically looking for recommendations here. I'm OK with paying some money for the training, though I'd prefer free or cheap options. I was on the cusp of signing up the the AIDS marathon training, but they seem to have a requirement that you raise $1800 for the marathon, and I'd rather not do that.

Besides that, I'm mostly looking for something that's 1) beginner friendly, 2) located in San Francisco somewhere I can take the bus (or bike) to, and 3) with a fun group of folks.