The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method

May 06, 2024

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Location:

Tralee,Ireland

Member Since:

Oct 01, 2011

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I've never worn compression socks.

Short-Term Running Goals:

To do a race.

Long-Term Running Goals:

1. Break the world record for the marathon in the 50+ age group, when I'm 50 in 2015.

2. Never wear compression socks.

Personal:

Married with two girls (6 and 10).

The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method is a four year experiment.

The first year (2012) was about getting back into running, staying off the smokes and booze, while sticking to a healthy eating plan and shedding mountains of lard. All boxes ticked.

Year two (2013 - age: 48) Injured Jan through March. Build back up and work on my 5k speed. Goal 15:45.

Year three (2014) will be about doing my first marathon in the spring. (Just for the experience and on a tough course - maybe Tralee; goal time, 2:30ish.) Then begins the prep work for Berlin 2015

Year four (2015) is all about breaking the world record for the marathon in the 50+ age group - it's only 2:19 :).

The above might sound nuts; it is, but then I'm nuts. Please do not copy any of the training I do: if you do, you are likely to end up running like me - not a good idea.

The idea is to have a laugh along the way. If I fail, I don't know what I'll do - my whole belief system will crumble and I suspect that this little rock might just stop spinning for a couple of seconds. Jakers, I better not fail for all our sakes. That's some burden, even for SuperBam.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Wed, Sep 12, 2012

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
13.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	13.00

9:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Cold, wet, and windy. Winter's on its way.

7:00 p.m. 5 miles easy. Half a mile jog up to the pub and then ran 3.5 miles with Tom - a chap I met at the race on Friday - and then jogged another mile. Tom was a handy enough 800m in his day and he's getting back into the old running. We're going out again on Friday.

That's the first time I've run with anybody since starting back a year ago. It's more interesting having a conversation with a real person than having internal monologues.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 131.00

Comments

From allie on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 14:39:59 from 97.117.90.93

it's amazing how a run changes when you are with someone else. sometimes i enjoy the internal monologues, but it's always refreshing to talk to someone else...cuts the perceived time in half.

From Jake K on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 14:55:29 from 155.100.226.191

mt problem with the internal monologues is that sometimes they get pretty exciting and i actually start talking outloud to myself... luckily its dark in the mornings again now so less people see me acting crazy

From Bam on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 15:07:32 from 89.204.246.101

Now I'm confused, are Jake and allie real or have I created them? Are they characters from the mad world I inhabit? Characters from Bam's running monologues.

I bet allie's partner's initial begins with a 'J' and Jake's partner's initial begins with an 'A'. I bet I have them all running together and they call their run the JAJA.

I need to see a doctor. Next I'll have allie as some sort of Japanese master of syllabic poetry and Jake will be a fat guy who bangs out 5 min miles (now that's gotts be made up - no fat guy can run 5 min miles).:)

From Kam on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 15:13:11 from 68.66.163.179

These two are the real deal, Bam. Once Jake bought me breakfast. In turn, I fed him breakfast weeks later. And allie is real. I've only seen her from afar, running effortlessly, like an apparition.

From Bam on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 15:23:34 from 89.204.246.101

Hold on, who's this chap Kam? Did I create him? His name sounds a tad like mine.

"Breakfast At Kam's" A tale about a fat guy (Jake the taperist)who's always rolling in to Kams Place for breakfast, while an apparition zips along, effortlessly, quoting alliekus.

The only way Kam, the breakfast chef who chokes on smarties, can remove Jake the fat guy, is by telling him that there's snow on them there hills and off he goes to bang out 15 miles in his snowshoes.

I know they're real Kam, I'm just messing. I need to train harder so that I have less energy to mess about.

From allie on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 16:03:11 from 97.117.90.93

another existential crisis set in motion...

From Jason D on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 16:43:50 from 24.1.80.94

It's funny, for a long time, Bam, I was convinced you weren't real. My suspicions were that you were Jake's alter ego or something Allie created because she seems like she has a great sense of humor. Come on! A guy named "Bam" from Ireland with no photo who disappears for a time off the blog?. Heck, even now I am less sure that you are real, but that's okay because you're okay in my book whoever or whatever you are. And even after a bad day, who could fail to keep a straight face after this one:

"'Breakfast At Kam's' A tale about a fat guy (Jake the taperist)who's always rolling in to Kams Place for breakfast, while an apparition zips along, effortlessly, quoting alliekus."

From allie on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 16:58:19 from 97.117.90.93

i am convinced BAM is real because he once mentioned a dual carriageway. that's all the proof i need. an american imposter would have slipped up there with some kind of ridiculous "highway" or "freeway" rubbish.

From NatalieK on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 17:25:17 from 24.2.101.184

Best comments ever.

From Bam on Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 02:35:14 from 89.204.171.200

To be called, Jake's alter ego is a compliment. Not sure Jake'll be over the moon about having Bam as his alter ego.

Dual carrigeway reminds me, I must get stuck into the driving thing.

Now, I am real. Philosophy 101, Descartes (correct me it I'm wrong Jason). Cogito ergo sum: when I think, I think therefore I am, I am. I exist.

That said, you guys have me that paranoid now, I'm not sure if I'm dreaming all this and in reality I am in fact, merely a mooecule in a vat in a lab being stimulate by crazy scientists who have a bizarre penchant for running. Did you see what I did there, Jason?

On the picture front, I've tried to upload a picture but I keep getting told that the image is too big - I don't know how to fix this; I'm a Luddite. I'll happily email a photo of myself to somebody, along with my password, so that they can upload it to my profile.

I actually entered the race on Friday as Bam Starrett. I hope the results will be published on line and you'll see. I'm thinking about changing my name from John to Bam, but my wife and daughters are having none of it, they think I'm nuts as it is. But of course, you're all nuts, because I don't exist...

From Jake K on Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 09:46:45 from 155.100.226.191

I can't wait to get my mileage back up so I'm not being called a "taperist" anymore :-)

I would take AT skis instead of snowshoes, but otherwise the plot for "Breakfast at Kam's" seems like a winner!

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