my longest run ever--20 miles

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spartangator

spartangator

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
607
Location
Austin, Texas/Dublin, Ireland
I did the longest run of my life last weekend, a 20-mile race through Texas hill country to prepare for next month's marathon. Most importantly, though, I did it in my VR.com shirt a local shop made for me (with Hank's blessing, of course). I hope the logo's visible in the photo--ignore the seriously uncomfortable guy wearing it, please.
 
Good for you having a 20 miler in the bank for the marathon. Love the shirt! What marathon are you running and what is the date? Marathons are my favorites, even after replacement.
Good luck in the rest of your training and on the run.
 
Great PR for LIFE after valve replacement!:)
Good luck at the marathon!
 
Enjoy the Austin Marathon! I know New York is a long way away, but please think about joining us in October at the Wineglass Marathon...we will be running many relay teams.....

Oh, and 22 days to your marathon! Watch out for the taper....it will make you crazy!
 
I've always heard good things about Austin marathon. I've wanted to run it since it's always on my bd weekend but something always stands in the way. Like Tom mentioned watch out for the taper....and think about the fall run in NY. I haven't commited yet but most likely will and if I do it will be the full mary for me.
 
I will keep the NY one in mind. I was already considering it based upon some of the other threads, but my schedule for that time of year won't be sorted until late August when school starts.

Today was the last real run before the taper starts--the 3M half marathon. It's designed to be an easy course and sure enough, it went by in a quick 1:57 (beat December's half-marathon time by 7 minutes). Still did its exhausting job, mind you, but it was a nice set-up.

Thanks for the advice, by the way, Tom and Kodi. I was kind of wondering how this tapering business was going to play out. Guess we'll find out in a few weeks :).
 
Wow, you are doing really well. Congratulations! :)Did you run the 1/2 yesterday? It was a lot warmer than Saturday, less wind too. I've been a slug with my running lately, lots going on all around, crappy weather in between...I saw a dreadmill at Costco yesterday, gave it a thought, tossed the thought. We should be getting better weather soon. If only the cedar would blow out of here. How did you do with allergies? Cedar will be with us until the end of February. News 8 showed a cedar tree, the branches looked like they were coated with baby powder and when the pollin fell, it was a powder shower. Sorry, that's the only way I can describe how bad it is right now. :( Stay healthy!
 
A question for runners. I am pre-surgery. I am (much less now) a runner. My cardio told me to forgo races because it puts too much pressure on the heart. Does that change once you have surgery?
 
cbsmith said:
A question for runners. I am pre-surgery. I am (much less now) a runner. My cardio told me to forgo races because it puts too much pressure on the heart. Does that change once you have surgery?
Click to expand...

Depends on how you feel. My thread "I set my running baseline" details my recovery from AVR and returning to running. Use common sense, a heart rate monitor, and as long as you are not having chest pain or shortness of breath, all should be ok.

I've run several races since my surgery, longest was Army 10 Miler last October, 11 months post op. Turkey Trot this past November. I did not have any problems. Tom Price ran New York Marathon last fall, Sumorunner runs a lot of races and he is known for a finish line two step.

Search for all of the running threads to see what we are capable of in spite of our heart issues.
 
Agree...unless you are some top notch runner that is looking to win, your heart rate is your heart rate.....some cardios do not like running, so if that is the case, you may want to look at other cardios, I had to. Although I am no medical professional (disclaimer!) a race should not stress you anymore than any other hard run. Just watch your heart rate and listen to your body.
 
tprice54 said:
Agree...unless you are some top notch runner that is looking to win, your heart rate is your heart rate.....some cardios do not like running, so if that is the case, you may want to look at other cardios, I had to. Although I am no medical professional (disclaimer!) a race should not stress you anymore than any other hard run. Just watch your heart rate and listen to your body.
Click to expand...

Were you told not to race before your surgery?
 
Being a marathon runner the only restriction I had before surgery was no marathons. That was about two years pre-surgery. I did three after that because I wanted to run Boston at least once and since I like even numbers I wanted to finish on #50. Since surgery, I've had absolutely no restrictions. My times are slower than ever and I'm still having a hard time getting my head around it but I'm very happy I can run. My first post-surgery marathon was 1 year and 1 day after surgery (4:57:08). I've since ran two more, a few half marys and a couple 5ks. I'm now 2 1/3 years post surgery. Listen to your heart and your doc. Your body knows best.
 
I did not run any full marathons from April to surgery in January, but did do a half in September that year. Specifically, my problem was higher BP during extended runs, and BP meds worked too hard the other way and my BP would fall too low....my cardio left it up to me, and I erred on the side of caution...in any case, races were not ruled out, just longer distances of races.
 
Second everything here about running post-surgery. Obviously, find a cardio who will work with you on quality of life issues while of course keeping your health as the top priority. That being said, a good monitor will keep you in check so there's no reason to expect your rate to go crazy.

When it gets too high, stop, and as Tom points out, it's not like we're going for prize money so there's no need to go nuts. The goal is to make our hearts healthier, after all, not wear out our replacement parts--we've already worn down the factory ones :).

Oh, and thanks, Louise. I did do the half yesterday, and thank goodness for the better weather. I've been lucky to avoid the cedar allergies so it made for nice conditions.
 
Thanks again. Are you targeting a specific heart rate that you shouldn't go above?
 
Pre op I stayed under 150, as my usual training took me to 160-165....if you get on any drugs (BB, ace inhibitors) then it will stay even lower.
 
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