For Whom the Dogs Bark

That makes a lot more sense. So, you sort of sacrificed your half marathon race, by way of the "8 warm-up" miles, in order to simulate Heartbreak Hill? Maybe I watered that down too much. It's not the steepness, or the length, of heartbreak hill that gets ya. As they say in this video, it's all of the stuff you go through BEFORE that - the downhill start, the newton hills, etc. that make Heartbreak rough.

http://youtu.be/EjJw3fRS5xM

Even though I watched the video enough to know better, I still had no clue. You are doing far more to prepare for this than I did, and I hope it serves you well.

You are giving me way too much credit. I did those pre-miles because I thought I was going to be helping Wade run in his slow buddies from work. Then it turned out his brother could use the company and I said OK since he planned to run low 9s or high 8s, still slow enough for a long run. Then we ran middle 8s on the way out and a lot of high 7s coming back in. All of which had the unintended effect of mimicking some of the aspects of the Boston course, as well as leaving me horizontal for the remainder of the day.

Haven't watched the video you linked yet, but I was watching a detailed one over the weekend and quickly realized that the video was somehow not capturing the true up/down aspect of the course -- I guess cameras don't do that well. But I agree, most of it is going to come down to how well I prepared, though execution on race day will count for a lot.

Getting pretty excited about trying to do well in this race, to the point I am training through everything else (like last Saturday). Really hope I don't get injured or sick.

9 weeks out as of today.

That is a crazy-high bridge! I'm sure you'll take on HB better than I was able to. Both times I just ran the first half too fast and that was the real culprit, not the 80' rise. But there is something visually disrupting about running 18-20 miles at a certain speed and then having the scenery slow down a lot for mile 21. It FEELS like a bonk (mental bonk before the physical bonk?) even if your pace going up is reasonable. I guess you could say that about any race with hills though.

Joe, right! I'm not going to do better than you on HB or any other part of that course, but at least it is something worth preparing for.

Tom, just checked out the video, it is the same one I watched over the weekend. Very helpful, but doesn't tell the whole story, as you said.

Are you really doing squats? That would be the last weight exercise I would recommend you do with back problem. Who told you do do them and why? Sorry...but I've lifted a lot of weights and can't see the reasoning in that.

I'm getting excited too Flatlander! I hope I can corral the energy in the first half of the race. Everthing I've watched and read says that you need to hold back a bit in those first 6-7 miles. Easier said than done though......

IJR, yes, been doing them off and on for a couple of years now. But not free weights, just a Smith machine. My son is a good body builder and he has been helping me with form. So far no lost time due to back problems from squats. I'm certainly open to any weight routine that will build hams and glutes. Squats done right have been working for that, as well as helping my core, but I'm sure there are other options. The donkey kicks seem good as well, though opinion on those isn't unanimous.

Derunzo, I know, I haven't completely thought through that. I have complete sympathy for anyone who goes out too fast on that course. If you don't, you've got 5 or 6 slow miles in the middle anyway, and by then you are at mile 20, tired and trying to get a goal time. No matter how much you train or how slow you run the race before then, it's hard not to be tired at mile 20. At St. George, the big hill comes early enough that you have plenty of time to get your race back. Like I say, I don't think marathons should have hills.