Discussion: re: your taper for Boston, ...

re: your taper for Boston, didn't you pile more stuff in there than JD has in his plan? On the one hand, at chubb i still felt the last hard workout in my legs but on the other i tend to get stale if i dont keep moving. seems like a fine line.

All the extra was on the bike which entails very short recovery for me (assuming I'm not turning big gears or going super long). In general, my volume is a bit high for marathoning, but that's because the marathon is a means to and end, not the real goal. The races I really care about are ultras and I just use the marathon cycle to motivate me to keep my fitness up and not rely solely on endurance.

But since you're all trained up for a marathon...why not consider running another just to qualify (again) for Boston 2013, when you'll be a the bottom of your new age group?

I'm already qualified for Boston 2013, but I'll still be 49. Besides, even in 50-54 I'd totally get my ass kicked. There's no amount of training that would make me competitive in that race.

Well this year the top time in 50-54 was 2:44, and 3rd was 2:50. Obviously influenced by the weather...but by how much?

The only thing shown on your race schedule is the Castlewood adventure race late next fall. Anything planned before that for which you'll be training? If not, care to come up to Chicago and play some golf with me this summer?

Wow, I haven't played golf since Yaya was born. That would be ugly. I hadn't planned beyond Boston; this is supposed to be a year when I tend to other things in life. I will be comIng up your way in a few weeks to run Kettle Moraine (June 3). Perhaps you, I, and Soup could get together for a post race meal Sunday afternoon somewhere between Milwaukee and Chicago.

I haven't spoken with Soupbone, but that sounds like a great idea.

Well, let me know. If all goes well, I'll finish before dawn. I'm sure I'll want to crash for a few hours, but I can usually only sleep for 2 or 3 after a 100. I'm not going back to STL until Monday, so really anytime after noon on Sunday works. I'll most likely be staying overnight with my cousin in St. Charles (IL), but even that is flexible. Frankly, a hotel with a whirlpool might be well worth the bill.

Are you a fan of sauna for post-race recovery? Soupbone has a fantastic wood-fired sauna in his backyard near Kenosha.

I've never tried it. The main problem after a 100 is that everything is so stiff, you can't sleep because it hurts to put weight on anything. A whirlpool is just the ticket.

I can't imagine what it must feel like to have run 100, but after a 50K I remember how uncomfortable the weight of a sheet was on my legs when I was trying to sleep.

Personally, I can't imagine a sauna being something I'd want to do after a tough effort.

ditto on no clue about 100's, 50's or whatever...but i do know if i do a hard workout, cold water on the legs within a couple of hours cuts days off my recovery

Yes, the ideal setup is to alternate the whirlpool and ice baths. Just going back and forth between the whirlpool and the regular pool also helps as long as the regular pool isn't too warm.