Donnie to do NY Marathon



D

Donovan Rebbechi

Guest
I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
having given him my word, I'm irreversably in. I don't really care for setting
time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
to gauge where I am.

At the end of the day, I decided that the real reason I haven't yet run a fast
10k time this year is because of poor planning -- I didn't have a good
understanding of how the New Jersey racing schedule works, so I didn't enter
the right races (there were 3 premium 10k NJ races in Spring, I entered none
of them). This resulted in both missing some good races and entering a
poorly organised race (long course, wrong times. My official time is 39:30). I
don't think botching my 10k racing schedule is a good reason to skip the
marathon. I'm still hoping for a good run, sub 37 at least, at the Joe K in
December.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
can i take a wee bit of credit for tipping the scales on this donnie? little
bit of peer pressure never hurts :)

glad you're "down". having said that, i expect nothing less than a top 200
finish out of you (hee hee)....i'm talking 180th-200th place, male runners,
2:47-2:49.

then on to Boston!
 
On 2004-10-12, Lanceandrew <[email protected]> wrote:
> can i take a wee bit of credit for tipping the scales on this donnie? little
> bit of peer pressure never hurts :)
>
> glad you're "down". having said that, i expect nothing less than a top 200
> finish out of you (hee hee)....i'm talking 180th-200th place, male runners,
> 2:47-2:49.

As you're no doubt aware, setting lofty goals for the marathon is a risky
proposition. Most of my teammates don't match the same WAVA scores in the
marathon as in shorter races. I'm more concerned about running an even (or
negative splits) race *cough* and not *cough* *cough* blowing up than I am
about going sub 2:50. Still haven't given myself a time goal, and probably
won't until after Staten.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
Umm how'd you get in so late, or were you lotteried and registered all along
:) or was it *special* connections? I know of a guy who waited 3 years to
get in. In any case have fun and good luck among those throngs, who knows
they might be helpful to draft out the wind on the VN bridge.

- Tony
 
On 2004-10-12, Tony <[email protected]> wrote:
> Umm how'd you get in so late, or were you lotteried and registered all along

I was registered all along. Anyone who runs 9 of the local races is eligible.

>:) or was it *special* connections? I know of a guy who waited 3 years to
> get in.

The "9 races" route makes it pretty easy for local runners to get in.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
Donovan Rebbechi wrote in message ...
>On 2004-10-12, Tony <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Umm how'd you get in so late, or were you lotteried and registered all
along
>
>I was registered all along. Anyone who runs 9 of the local races is
eligible.
>
>>:) or was it *special* connections? I know of a guy who waited 3 years to
>> get in.
>
>The "9 races" route makes it pretty easy for local runners to get in.
>

9 races huh, good to know. I'll remember that for the future. Now you can
put those 60-70+ weeks to work, would be a shame to waste all that on a 10k
:)

- Tony
 
Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote:

>I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
>having given him my word, I'm irreversably in.

Good :)

>I don't really care for setting
>time goals

Also good.

> since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
>have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
>to gauge where I am.

Good again.

Enjoy!
 
"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
> having given him my word, I'm irreversably in. I don't really care for
> setting
> time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need
> to
> have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten
> Half
> to gauge where I am.
>
> At the end of the day, I decided that the real reason I haven't yet run a
> fast
> 10k time this year is because of poor planning -- I didn't have a good
> understanding of how the New Jersey racing schedule works, so I didn't
> enter
> the right races (there were 3 premium 10k NJ races in Spring, I entered
> none
> of them). This resulted in both missing some good races and entering a
> poorly organised race (long course, wrong times. My official time is
> 39:30). I
> don't think botching my 10k racing schedule is a good reason to skip the
> marathon. I'm still hoping for a good run, sub 37 at least, at the Joe K
> in
> December.

Good luck, Donovan. You've been doing some serious
mileage so I know you will do well. I don't even match
your numbers if I pretend my kilometres are miles, and
that's been the case for a couple months.

Regardless of your time, the first one is always very
special. The length of the race simply makes it that way.


cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton ON)
www.absolutelyaccurate.com
www.allfalldown.org
 
Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
> having given him my word, I'm irreversably in. I don't really care for setting
> time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
> have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
> to gauge where I am.
>
> At the end of the day, I decided that the real reason I haven't yet run a fast
> 10k time this year is because of poor planning -- I didn't have a good
> understanding of how the New Jersey racing schedule works, so I didn't enter
> the right races (there were 3 premium 10k NJ races in Spring, I entered none
> of them). This resulted in both missing some good races and entering a
> poorly organised race (long course, wrong times. My official time is 39:30). I
> don't think botching my 10k racing schedule is a good reason to skip the
> marathon. I'm still hoping for a good run, sub 37 at least, at the Joe K in
> December.
>
> Cheers,

Lets face it old friend, you're just a dumbass.

DF
 
Glad you're on board. (Hey, did I call it from your training log, or
what???)

My advice, which is consistent with your goal of just getting something up
there that's respectable, is to take your favorite prediction, add a few
minutes, and go out at that pace.

If you blow up, be a mensch and finish anyway.

You'll always remember your first one. (feel free to chime in, VirginiaZ)

-- Dan
 
Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
> having given him my word, I'm irreversably in. I don't really care for setting
> time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
> have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
> to gauge where I am.

I won´t take any credit for this sea change; I know
this is what you really wanted to do all along!

FWIW Í´ve just read about a slightly different kind
of prediction formula (or, actually, a set of formulae)
which you might find of some interest and, possibly,
of some use:

http://users.erols.com/jimsue/running/marathoning/lessons_from_the_past.htm

(The guy who gave the pointer ran a 2:53:17 or 61s slower
than the average of the eight predictions. Which is to
say it worked for him or that it was a lucky coincidence...)


Anders
 
<< prediction formula (or, actually, a set of formulae)
which you might find of some interest and, possibly,
of some use:

http://users.erols.com/jimsue/running/marathoning/lessons_from_the_past.htm >>

This makes no sense to me.
What am I missing?
Thanks for your insight.

_______
Blog, or dog? Who knows. But if you see my lost pup, please ping me!
<A
HREF="http://journals.aol.com/virginiaz/DreamingofLeonardo">http://journal
s.aol.com/virginiaz/DreamingofLeonardo</A>
 
Good luck for the marathon. Your training should see you run a strong race.

Holding back in the 1st half of the race can be tough - you feel it's
too easy, but it
pays off at the end of the race.

Anthony.
 
Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote:

>I don't really care for setting
>time goals
> since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
>have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
>to gauge where I am.


A fellow club member, Matt, who was a good 10K runner in college
(scholarship to Western Kentucky), decided he'd run his first marathon
after he turned 40 two years ago.

Unfortunately he set a rather unrealistic time goal (BQ time) and
spent the last two years dropping out of every marathon he entered
because he wasn't happy with his pace. Once he dropped out in the
first mile!

Nothing we said could convince him that he just needed to back off,
finish one, and then worry about PR's and BQ. He was going to run
3:20, period.

Finally, last week he completed one, running with a friend who only
wanted to run about a 4 hour race. Matt ran with him most of the way,
then picked up the pace, finishing in 3:42.

Hopefully the monkey is off his back and he can focus on what he needs
to do to actually reach his goal.

I hope you stick with your approach.

Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"
 
On 2004-10-13, Mike Tennent <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I don't really care for setting
>>time goals
>> since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
>>have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
>>to gauge where I am.
>
>
> A fellow club member, Matt, who was a good 10K runner in college
> (scholarship to Western Kentucky), decided he'd run his first marathon
> after he turned 40 two years ago.
>
> Unfortunately he set a rather unrealistic time goal (BQ time) and
> spent the last two years dropping out of every marathon he entered
> because he wasn't happy with his pace. Once he dropped out in the
> first mile!
>
> Nothing we said could convince him that he just needed to back off,
> finish one, and then worry about PR's and BQ. He was going to run
> 3:20, period.
>
> Finally, last week he completed one, running with a friend who only
> wanted to run about a 4 hour race. Matt ran with him most of the way,
> then picked up the pace, finishing in 3:42.
>
> Hopefully the monkey is off his back and he can focus on what he needs
> to do to actually reach his goal.
>
> I hope you stick with your approach.

I've had teammates who started on pace for 3hrs or so and slugged out the
last 6 at a 9:00 pace. That really takes guts. The resulting time wasn't that
great, but not terrible either, and it's a target for next time. Yes, I'm
going to finish it as long as I'm not injured or (literally) dying.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
Donovan Rebbechi <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon, so
> having given him my word, I'm irreversably in. I don't really care for setting
> time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll need to
> have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming Staten Half
> to gauge where I am.
>

I think all of us (who were paying attention) believed this would
happen sooner rather than later. Congratulations. I look forward to
your time prediction (goal?) which I assume you will post after your
half.

I think you are going to be very happy with your results. You are not
afraid to pay the price, and that is, more than anything else I know
of, a great predictor of success. Donovan, though I have run 2
marathons, you are in a different league than I, so take my advice
with all kinds of salt. Set your goal where you really believe you
will/can run. Don't worry about anybody else's expectations. You are
running this race for your own reasons, and, knowing what I know of
you, they have nothing to do with the rest of us. So set your goal
and meet it (or not). In any event, except for a couple of hours
(maybe less) on race day, I don't think you will ever regret your
decision.

On an almost unrelated note, I have to say how much I appreciate your
advice to get Glover's book and use it for training. I don't know
that a person would need any other book for training for those
distances at whatever pace.

Good luck.

Brian Jones
 
"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've sent email to Bob Glover and told him I'm doing the NY marathon,
> so
> having given him my word, I'm irreversably in.

My heart be still. I think you have been quietly planning this all
along. :)

I don't really care for setting
> time goals since I just want to get a result on the board -- but I'll
> need to
> have some idea in order to pace myself. I'll be using the upcoming
> Staten Half
> to gauge where I am.

A friend shooting for his first marathon ran a 1:22 half marathon about
6 week before race day and hit a resounding 3:11 at Steamtown. Take thre
first half extra easy(that's not 5 sec/mile slower) and work the second
half and finish strong. The next one you can shoot your apendage off.

-Doug


>
> At the end of the day, I decided that the real reason I haven't yet
> run a fast
> 10k time this year is because of poor planning -- I didn't have a good
> understanding of how the New Jersey racing schedule works, so I didn't
> enter
> the right races (there were 3 premium 10k NJ races in Spring, I
> entered none
> of them). This resulted in both missing some good races and entering a
> poorly organised race (long course, wrong times. My official time is
> 39:30). I
> don't think botching my 10k racing schedule is a good reason to skip
> the
> marathon. I'm still hoping for a good run, sub 37 at least, at the
> Joe K in
> December.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Donovan Rebbechi
> http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
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