OK, Mooshie and I are both interested in lowering our Personal Record (PR) in the 5K (3.1 mile) run. So we're going to challenge each other.

I ran an "official" 24:55 on Memorial Day ("official" being in an actual race with independent timing) and I believe he also set a PR that weekend of 25:00 (not sure how it was timed)... so as of now we're about even in abilities (although I am better looking).

The challenge is to see who can reduce their time by the highest percentage over the next seven weeks (by the end of July). For example, if I was to run a 24:00, I would have reduced my time by 4%.

Ideally, the final run should be also "officially" timed, but if a scheduled race is not available to either of us on the weekend of July 30-31, it'll be just one person's word against the other. I'm kewl like dat.

I will be using a training plan from hal higdon.com (http://www.halhigdon.com) ... Mooshie may also be using a program from that site, or he may be doing some super-secret calculations with a slide rule based on the length of his foot and his BMI. No matter what Mooshie is 15 pounds lighter than I am, and 15 years younger than I am... but I am still going to win.

If anyone else wants to join in, please post your starting time (no sandbagging!) by the end of the week. If anyone wants to post PR's during the course of the challenge, that's great... more motivtion for the rest of us. Anything more than a 50% reduction from start to finish will be highly suspect (for example, going from 36 minutes {12 minute miles} to 21 minutes {7 minute miles} in seven weeks would be a 58% decrease and a tremendous accomplishment... but I ain't buying it).

So if Mooshie's comfortable with the parameters as stated here, we're on... post up any questions/concerns/comments by the end of the week. On your mark... get set... run!

Oh, it's on brother. And you will lose, trust me. The reason being because my super secret plan involves me actually driving the 5K in a car. :lol:

Seriously though, getting my time down to 21:00 would make me pretty happy. I'm going to use the same training program as you Philly.

I'm also still cutting fat. By the end of July I should be a good bit lighter, maybe 10 pounds or so, and naturally faster.

A drawback to my training is that I run exclusively outdoors. I live in South Carolina. In Springtime the heat and humidity weren't an issue. I could join a gym and run on a treadmill but to be honest I HATE treadmills. I don't feel like you work as hard and it's boring.

I'll try to run at night if possible. Still, it can be 85+ degrees with 90% humidity at sunset. Sometimes you feel like you're swimming instead of running.

In the end all of these obstacles will only make my victory over a more experienced opponent even more sweet. :D

...i'm tempted to join, but alas... i caught the flu. or something like the flu where i feel like i'm dying constantly.

:gl:

Oh, it's on brother. And you will lose, trust me. The reason being because my super secret plan involves me actually driving the 5K in a car. :lol:

If you are using the car, you better hope it's a fast one. My Caddy's got 300hp. And if that won't work, I could always take the Harley... it's louder and has better ventilation.

Seriously though, getting my time down to 21:00 would make me pretty happy. I'm going to use the same training program as you Philly.

Shit, 21 would rock, wouldn't it? That's a good goal if you are looking finish in second place. And remember, second place is the "#1 Loser."

I'm also still cutting fat. By the end of July I should be a good bit lighter, maybe 10 pounds or so, and naturally faster.

I've lost seven pounds already this week. I'm basically chewing on ice chips and eating baby food from the little jars every hour. And I've replaced candy with that chocolate Ex-Lax stuff.

A drawback to my training is that I run exclusively outdoors. I live in South Carolina. In Springtime the heat and humidity weren't an issue. I could join a gym and run on a treadmill but to be honest I HATE treadmills. I don't feel like you work as hard and it's boring.

I've never been on a treadmill in my life. And it's just as hot and humid here in Philly... oh yeah, we also get a fair amount of rain and wind. And the air quality... don't get started. I guess that's what I get from trying to draft behind a city bus.

I'll try to run at night if possible. Still, it can be 85+ degrees with 90% humidity at sunset. Sometimes you feel like you're swimming instead of running.

Do you run a loop or an out and back? Anyplace you can "spot" yourself a bottle of water so you can pick it up in the middle of your run? I run at 6am to avoid the heat. But swimming gives me an idea... I could run on the bottom of the pool... I bet that would also improve my VO2 max.

In the end all of these obstacles will only make my victory over a more experienced opponent even more sweet. :D

Don't forget, I'm also cycling 50-100 miles a week, and competing in duathlons or longer distance running races on the weekends. So I will be more tired than you when this is all over, and therefore it will be more dramatic when I collapse after crossing the finish line.

What did you think about actually running in a "sanctioned" 5K... any around where you live that weekend?

I will look into a sanctioned race around that time but people round these parts don't much care for things that don't involve a buffet.

I run out and back on the roads where I live. I may redesign the run so that I pass by my house at the halfway point. That way I could grab a drink from a water bottle.

I drive a 2001 Corvette Z06. 420 or so HP with the Borla racing exhaust. :d_tongue:

do this. i'd be interested.

however, rather than worrying about a special time, just beat your own PR.

i'd do this challenge, but i'm nursing a broken foot. in 2 months, i'll revisit this and put the hurt on :)

do this. i'd be interested.

however, rather than worrying about a special time, just beat your own PR.

i'd do this challenge, but i'm nursing a broken foot. in 2 months, i'll revisit this and put the hurt on :)

JT: Let your foot heal. I'm planning on running a half marathon in mid-September with a time goal of 1:45. We can start up another challenge for that distance once you are back on the run.

I will look into a sanctioned race around that time but people round these parts don't much care for things that don't involve a buffet.

I run out and back on the roads where I live. I may redesign the run so that I pass by my house at the halfway point. That way I could grab a drink from a water bottle.

I drive a 2001 Corvette Z06. 420 or so HP with the Borla racing exhaust. :d_tongue:

OK... so you have a better car than I do. I don't have a need to compensate for my "short"comings with a Corvette. :eek: My STS will do me quite nicely... I can fit the family of four and all the luggage in it and drive straight through from Philly to Florida in one day and pimp it in style once I'm there.

Actually, if I was 25 and single, I'd want the Vette. It's an amazing ride.

Mooshie, this one's a little early, but it would be good to give it a try. Believe me, at 24:00, you're going to be competitive in the middle of the field.

http://205.147.231.71/DisplayEvent.asp?RaceID=38004&MagID=RW

or if you really want to challenge yourself:

http://www.set-upinc.com/rp5/peedee/peedee.shtml

Wow, thanks for the links. I think I'll do the 5K. That gives me 21 days to get ready.

Aight... I'll do one on 4th of July weekend too, and we'll compare times.

JT: Let your foot heal. I'm planning on running a half marathon in mid-September with a time goal of 1:45. We can start up another challenge for that distance once you are back on the run.

yeah, we can :) and don't worry, this is the second time i've broken my foot. i'll just take 5 weeks off, lift really hard, and swim and bike and bulk a little bit! it'll be fun.

if you can run the 1/2 marathon in 1:45, i'll be impressed. that's quite a time! that's 8 min/mile for 13.1 miles! i got really close to 1:40 during my last run (1:41 23 seconds), which was close to where i want to be, but not close enough. i almost threw up at the end :) i really pushed it!

i can't wait to see how you guys do! to me, beating your PR by a minute or two is just fantastic!

I talked with the contact for that 5K race here in Florence. He said average finish times would be around 30:00 and I should be competitive. So, since I don't have to worry about finishing dead last now I can train to win the 25-29 age bracket.

I restructured the running route in order to make 1 mile laps that pass by my house. Now I can time each individual mile and I can grab water.

As a rule of thumb, I generally don't take in water on practice runs of 3 miles or less. In a race, I'll grab a cup and throw it at my face, hoping some goes into my mouth (it's hard to actually DRINK while you are running), more to moisten my tongue (it gets dry from hanging out while panting). Of course, this advice only applies if you are properly hydrated most of the time.

If I'm running for more than a half hour, I'll definitely want to get some water in... 4oz or so is usually enough. I'll also use a PowerGel or AccelGel (like PowerGel, but with protein). For example, in a five mile race (or even a ten mile race), I'll try and suck down the gel around the 4 mile mark, and then hit a water station right afterwards.

I finished a ten mile race at the beginning of May in 1:24:43, pacing 8:45 a mile. My fastest mile was my last at 8:02. If I recall, my slowest miles were #3 and #4. I went out too fast (all that excitement at the start, and trying to get into a spot where I wasn't tripping over anyone), then slowed up to recover a bit, then settled into a good rhythm as I came up to the midpoint (and had the psychological boost from the PowerGel), and finally burned off the rest of my energy reserves in the last mile. I finished 4074th out of 12082 runners, basically in the top third of the field... and this was my first attempt at this distance, with only three months of training. So with a little speed work and a few more miles (and races) I think the 1:45 half-marathon in Mid-September is possible in decent weather.

Mooshie, I saw the post in your journal that you are excited about this challenge, and I'm really happy about that. As you mentioned, you might actually enjoy adding the competitive aspect to your running... I know I did. It gives you another reason to train hard, it's fun to run with (and against) other people (running ten miles with 12000 other fools was one of the coolest things I've ever done), and if you enter enough races, you'll never need to buy another t-shirt.

One more note: I've been in races where 24:00 would have been enough to WIN the 20-29 age group... it all depends on how many people show up, and what their age and speed might be. I find there is usually a lot more people in my age group than in the younger ones... there's usually a fair number of under 20's (high school and college runners), fewer 20-29's (I dunno... too busy drinking and having fun?), then more 30-39's and 40-49's (fitness runners like myself). The 50+ group falls off again (too much running from 30-50 will take a toll on the knees). Feel free to holla at ya boy if you have any more questions about race prep as we get closer!

Up until now I hadn't been drinking water during a 5K run and I've never had any problems. As long as I kept hydrated throughout the day it was fine. But, now that the weather is getting so hot and the humidity is so high I feel like I need a couple of ounces maybe halfway through.

On a race like July 2nd I doubt water will be an issue because the race is at 8AM when the temps and humidity are still pretty low.

well, it's a lot harder to shave off 30 seconds from each mile time, especially when pushing it over 10 miles. but given faith, good health, good training, and the ability to go no-holds-barred, i think you can muster it with that sort of religious devotion and self appreciation!

Throwing down the first gauntlet...

2 miles, officially timed: 15:42 (average 7:51), during the Thundergust Duathlon this morning. Full results here:Race Details (http://www.lin-mark.com/restg05.htm)

I finished 48th overall in the duathlon... scroll down to page 1 of the results (the triathlon results are first on the website).

Did the final 5K in 26:33 (8:34) AFTER running the first two miles and then cycling sixteen miles. The last run was SUPPOSED to be 4.5 miles, but they shortened it due to road construction and didn't tell anybody... I probably would have run faster if I had known I didn't need to save energy for the extra 1.4 miles.

Well, I've had a minor setback in the 5K. Last week I redesigned my running route as a series of 3 laps instead of just the single out and back road course. Well, I noticed that my times immediately dropped off about 1:30. I went back and redrove my old course to make sure the distance was right and sure enough it was only 2.8 miles instead of the 3.1 i thought it was. So, I guess that accounts for the extra 1:30 on my times. :mad:

Not to worry Mooshie... it'll all work out in the end. Good luck this week. I'm running a five mile race on Friday night after work (!) and the course is rather hilly (I usually train on the flats) so I'm sure I'll blow up and post some terrible time which will throw me into a funk. C'est la vie.

Phillydude, you're hardcore! You're racing like once a month it seems. Have you ever thought about the mile or is 5K the shortest distance you're interested in? As for triathlons, is the swim your weakest leg?

Congratulations on being that hardcore by the way. I'm easing back into running after racing in high school and then staying away for ten years (i'm in that 20-29 group you mentioned where they're not interested in fitness because of beer and being single.)

Nico, I don't really swim, so I don't do TRIathlons... DUAthlons are my event (run, bike, run). I do try and do one a month... I think I'll probably do six or seven this year. I never thought about the mile though... I doubt I'd be able to get my times down far enough to even be remotely competitive. A lot of the guys I compete again in the duathlons are running six minute miles, and even that seems like SO far away. So I just slog away at longer races, with the hope of doing a marathon before the end of the year. And I'm also cycling... training for on a 200 mile weekend ride in September... 100 miles a day, back to back days. But thanks for the compliment... it's kewl to go into work on Monday morning and have your co-workers tell you about how they were drunk all weekend, and then blow them away with whatever fitness event I did. Then again, I work with a lot of 20-29 year olds :-)

It's funny that I can run 3 9:00 miles back to back to back but I can't actually run 1 mile at a time faster than 9:00. I was going to start doing 1 mile runs at a faster pace and then rest inbetween. Still, even though I was 100% sure I was running faster than my normal mile pace I still came up nearly dead even with my 5K splits.

It's really a mental thing... your running gets into a certain pace, and there it wants to stay. One of the things that I tried in training which worked for me was to think that there is somewhere you have to be at a certain time, and you need to hurry up and get there. The fastest practice 5K I ran was on a night when it was going to thunderstorm any minute... I literally dashed out of the house, skipped my stretching, and just took off down the block. When I hit the mid-point, I was like "If I speed up a little, I can probably make it home without getting drenched." And I did, in record time.

Geez, it was hot this morning. I got my three miles in, but it seemed like I was pouring out sweat for like an hour after that. It sucks to take a shower and then sweat for another twenty minutes. But hey, it can't always be April and October!

Heat index is going to be 105 today. I think I'll lift weights right after work and then wait till around 9:00 to go running. I don't want to drop dead in the middle of the street.

I didn't run yesterday since I had been 3 days in a row.

I posted the results of last night's interval "speed" work in my journal... in a sick kind of way, I actually enjoyed it.

27:08 on the 5K tonite. I'm making progress.

Great job Mooshie!

I ran 42.56 in a five mile race last night. First mile was an 8:52 due to the crowds at the starting line. Subtract that and average the last four and I ran 8.30's the whole way (no mile markers either... couldn't even use my own stopwatch to gauge pace/distances). Two steep hills and several smaller ones... and we did them all TWICE since it was a double loop course. So all in all not bad.

Did you do the interval work this week? Or was this week a timed run for you (I'm not sure where you are on the training plan)?

I think I've been doing what he calls Tempo work where I push myself past the comfortable level for awhile and the back off a bit. I'm trying to condition myself to run outside of my comfort zone.

Sunday night was nice and cool after a hard rain so I decided I was going to break that 27:08 record I had just set on the last run. I set a good pace for the first 2 miles just like the last time and then kicked it into high gear on the final mile.

It wasn't nearly as hot, I was better rested, and still I missed the previous time by 10 seconds. :mad:

Oh well, still posted my 2 best times back to back so that's something to be happy about. I think the high today is only going to be 80. Another opportunity to break the 27:00 mark.

Here's something to try... when you come into sight of the one mile and two mile markers, sprint to them... try for about 30 seconds of sprinting at the end of each mile. That should shave 15-20 seconds off your time without sending your HR through the roof.

Well... this weekend is the first challenge "test". Mooshie is running his first 5K race, and I'm running another 5m race (ran one two weeks ago). So we should have some good fun comparing results next week.

Well... this weekend is the first challenge "test". Mooshie is running his first 5K race, and I'm running another 5m race (ran one two weeks ago). So we should have some good fun comparing results next week.

Will they give me some sort of official scorecard that I can post. Is that something you normally have to ask for?

good look you two. remember do your best and limits are for people who have them.

mooshie loving the avatar.

fosse :gl:

Just got back from running. Went the full 5k distance. Ran it as if I were running competition. Took your advice Philly and gave it some extra juice as I entered the final leg of each mile and still only managed 28:00. Granted, I hadn't had any carbs in 8 hours and I didn't get as much sleep as I should have last night.

If the temp and humidity aren't terrible and if I get plenty of sleep and eat well I think I can beat that time by at least a minute come Saturday. I won't worry too much about how fast I run considering back in December I couldn't even walk to my car without getting winded. :tu:

Will they give me some sort of official scorecard that I can post. Is that something you normally have to ask for?

They generally don't give out a scorecard or anything for smaller races... when I ran the 10 miler with 12,000 other people they DID send out postcards, probably because it's almost impossible to post results onsite.

MOST races, however, post the results of all the finishers somewhere on the internet. Ask about that... you can also keep a sharpie in your sock and write your time and the date on your running shoes (insert Terrell Owens joke here).

Intervals tonight... should be fun. Looks like rain here in Philly. No matter... I get wet every day when I take a shower... rain's not an issue for me.

OK Mooshie... where are ya man?

I cut a minute and ten seconds off my five mile time from two weeks ago to today. Still not down to that eight minute mile pace though.

I overslept for the race on Saturday. Stayed out till 4:00am and would have been too hung over to run anyway. Not sure why I went out anyway, I just didn't give a shit about anything else but being with friends and getting plastered.

I didn't run or lift all weekend. I ate terrible. I drank alot. Now I pay for it with remorse, and a bigger gut.

I feel bad that I didn't hold up my end of the bargain if it means anything to you.

Hey man... I'm not gonna beat you up about it. I'm sure you feel terrible enough as it is... and there are ALWAYS days when we don't feel like doing things we know are the right things to do... and sometimes we just want to go out all night and get plastered with our friends. Don't forget, I'm almost twice your age... I remember what it was like to be young and invincible... hell, I felt that way six months ago. Lace your shoes a little tighter this week and get your miles in. It'll be OK.

OK Mooshie, I'm throwing down the gauntlet again.

I broke 24 minutes in the 5K this morning.

Take that! Now what are you going to do?

I overslept for the race on Saturday. Stayed out till 4:00am and would have been too hung over to run anyway. Not sure why I went out anyway, I just didn't give a shit about anything else but being with friends and getting plastered.

I didn't run or lift all weekend. I ate terrible. I drank alot. Now I pay for it with remorse, and a bigger gut.

I feel bad that I didn't hold up my end of the bargain if it means anything to you.I'm sure there's a 5K every month in your area. No big deal.