Thursday, September 6, 2007

Log #35: Note to Self...

Note to self: Don't eat Macaroni and Cheese the night before an LT run. You'd think that after doing this for so long, I'd know better.

I have noticed that it's been getting much easier for me to wake up at 6:00am each morning. I've been doing it for months, so I think my body is finally on board with the idea. I get really tired by 10:30, and I'm usually in bed by 11:00 or so, and then I feel half-decent once I'm up.

I decided to do my run today on the treadmill to make it easy to hit my target pace. I've been running too fast lately, and I really wanted to have a consistent pace on this run. The target was this:

1 mile @ 8:30
5 miles @ 7:44
1 mile @ 8:30


This is what actually happened:

1 mile @ 8:30
3 miles @ 7:40
1.2 miles @ 7:30 (I felt good so I picked up the pace)
Tummy Ache, Pausing of Treadmill, Sweaty Bathroom Time
1 mile @ 8:30


So, unfortunately, I was .8 miles short of my LT goal. I felt awesome, and could have finished the workout no problem if it weren't for that damned delicious Kraft Mac 'n Cheese I ate last night. Sonofabitch.

On a side note, something odd happened last night, and I'd love some opinions.

My girlfriend and I met some of her friends at this bar across the street from us. One of her friends had brought her boyfriend. He was about my height (5'6") and looked to be a little pudgy, with a round face and no definition to speak of. He probably weighed a little less than me, but I have a stocky build and most of my weight is muscle (I think, hehe..)

Anyway, this guy mentioned that he was running the Disney World Marathon in January. When two marathon runners meet for the first time, it's obligatory to exchange stories, the number of marathons run, your PR, etc... We chatted about which races we'd done and all that, and then he asked me for my PR. I told him it was 3:57 at last year's Vegas, and I was training my ass off to run a 3:30 this year. His face said, "Meeehh.... not impressed." So I asked him what his PR was.

"2:36"

Now, I have met many marathon runners in my life. My good friend Chris ran a 2:50 marathon after training his ass off, and he is one of those genetically gifted people. He's also about 3 inches taller than me and 20 pounds lighter, and ran cross country in high school.

I was immediately suspicious of this guy, because he absolutely did NOT look like a 2:36 runner. A time like that would WIN many marathons. It's a 6:00 mile for 26.2 miles, and requires something a lot of people don't have (I include myself in this category). After we left the bar, I told my girlfriend I thought this dude was full of shit, but it's been bugging me. He was built like Samwise Gangi from the Lord of the Rings movies.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Shouldn't a guy who can run a 2:36 marathon LOOK like he can?

6 comments:

Jonah said...

Agreed, chubby dude did not run a 2:36. Do you have his full name? If so, you can look the marathon up and the results.

Matteson said...

Google his ass Joey, and Google it good. Most races post results, so it shouldn't be hard to find one of his times. From what I can tell by watching the Boston Marathon Drunk, in order to run that time you need to look strikingly similar to a skinny alien.

Danny said...

i agree. very suspicious.

Amy@RunnersLounge said...

I have seen all shapes and sizes run a 3:36 and a 4:36, but there is only one shape that can run a 2:36. You should have asked him how long the disney marathon was (don't you love it when people ask you that question).

Sorry about the mac n cheese and your run. Those oldies but goodies are so hard to shake
Amy
http://blog.runnerslounge.com

Jake B said...

I have never seen a guy run a marathon that fast wearing shoes... Was he wearing shoes Joey... Was he?

SavvyFitChica said...

Oooh, I'm curious now! Did you google him? You totally should. I agree w/ what everyone else said... to me, there's no "image" of a person who can complete a marathon, but there certainly is an "image" of someone who does it in 2:36.

Keep us posted on what you find out.
Oh, and to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he meant he finished in two days not two hours?? J/K.