A Pink Pixie Princess - Complete!

[ZellyB]

LOVE all the training talk. I'm definitely feeling in a rut and even though I've sped up a lot over the past two years, I still feel like we need to try some different things with training. So, I'm pretty fascinated with all the talk about slower training runs. I just skimmed for now, but will go back and read more closely. Chris and I have been talking about making some changes in our running plan for next year. I think a 2:15 half is pretty acheivable for me and would love to manage to get even lower than that, but not sure I can. Anyway, don't stop talking about clothes and purses either, but the training talk is good stuff!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Please don't give up your yoga. The stretching, strengthening, and core work are soooo good for us runners. It's one of the things that kept me injury free for Comrades the past two years.

I was thinking about that this morning. I think I'm going to shift to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday run schedule...that'll allow me to keep my Friday yoga class.

Of course, I went and bought a little day planner to write out the schedule so that I could keep all of the different paces straight, and I wrote it IN PEN...so the whole thing will be messed up now.

LOVE all the training talk. I'm definitely feeling in a rut and even though I've sped up a lot over the past two years, I still feel like we need to try some different things with training. So, I'm pretty fascinated with all the talk about slower training runs. I just skimmed for now, but will go back and read more closely. Chris and I have been talking about making some changes in our running plan for next year. I think a 2:15 half is pretty acheivable for me and would love to manage to get even lower than that, but not sure I can.

I was talking to Will about this yesterday...that I've been feeling in a rut with running, and maybe a change like this will sort of get me out of it? That's what I'm hoping for!

It's been sort of refreshing already to go run and not feel like I need to do things fast...running at the slow-for-me paces has been challenging in a different way, so that has been nice.

Anyway, don't stop talking about clothes and purses either, but the training talk is good stuff!!!

ummmmm OKAY! (Like I would have stopped talking about that stuff anyway!)

 

[ZellyB]

BTW, just ordered my first pair of INKnBurn tights. Got the new Steampunk design. Excited to try them out.

 

[Ariel484]

BTW, just ordered my first pair of INKnBurn tights. Got the new Steampunk design. Excited to try them out.

SQUEEEEEEE

USPS has not been my friend this week. I ordered the tights and the shirt...they were supposed to be here on Monday but they just got delivered today (per the tracking...I'm at work). I ordered them before deciding for sure that I need a size smaller in the tights, so I have a second pair of tights coming that are supposed to get here on Saturday.

And they just put out a new shirt on their website...I have definitely drunk the InB kool-aid but I'm not a fan of this one. Which is good news for my bank account. I know this picture will show up gigantically...I pretty much like everything about it, EXCEPT for the big face. So I won't be getting this one!

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

I am also loving this training talk, but I also love the purse/clothes talk! I have a question though...

If needed, then the walk break should add extra time to that single mile, but she should attempt to go back to the original prescribed pace for the remaining miles. Hence, don't try and make up for a walking break by trying to go faster than the prescribed pace for the rest of the mile.

Sometimes I find it hard to stick to the slower paces, so I was wondering if you could use walk breaks to help slow down the mile, if that makes sense. Or would it defeat the purpose?

 

[DopeyBadger]

The short answer is, no, from my understanding you can't include walk breaks and reap the same benefits from the slow workout. You can go slower than the prescribed pace, but you should attempt to not go faster than the pace prescribed.

But, as a scientist, I always like to break down the why to any of my answers:

The average person walks a 20 minute/mile (3 mph) pace. To use Shannon's plan as an example,

On 1/17/16, her training plan states she is to run 8 miles at her "Long Run" pace (11:05 min/mile). The "Long Run" pace is at the upper end of the aerobic training zone (slow easy pace). While it is a continuum where neither aerobic or anaerobic is being used exclusively, faster than the Long Run pace moves away from the Easy (slow) running and into the Hard category.

Let's say she wanted to break up every mile with 1.5 minutes of walking. At a 20 min/mile pace, she will have covered 0.075 miles in 1.5 minutes. This means she now needs to cover 0.925 miles in the remaining 9:35 minutes (to reach a 11:05 min/mie average). This means to cover 0.925 miles in 9:35 she would need to run a pace of a 10:22 min/mile. So truly, 92.5% of the mile was now at 10:22 min/mile and 7.5% of the mile was at 20 min/mile. This 10:22 min/mile is right at her marathon pace. This makes what was an "Easy" 11:05 min/mile pace at the upper threshold of aerobic (endurance) training to now into a "Hard" workout closer to a marathon tempo workout.

Let's take another hypothetical example from my training,

Workout A - 7.25 miles at a pace of 9:21 min/mile
Workout B - 7.25 miles at a pace of 9:21 min/mile

From the overview these appear to be exactly the same, but this is what I did for Workout A:

I did a 6 x 800m workout. Each interval was at a 7:13 min/mile which is about my 5K pace. Adding in warm-up, cool-down, and resting intervals I covered 7.25 miles at an average pace of 9:21 min/mile. However, 3 miles of the 7.25 was done at 7:13 min/mile, and the other 4.25 miles at ~10:33 min/mile. This is considered a Hard workout.

And Workout B:

7.25 miles at a steady 9:21 min/mile. This is considered an Easy workout.

The benefits received from each of these workouts is different. Workout A works on running efficiency, breathing, turnover, and running on fatigued legs. Workout B is an easy workout meant to build all of the benefits discussed earlier about slow running.

Does this help?

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

Thanks it does help a lot!

 

[dmross]

No! You must continue to include cute things like new skirts, bags, and random pics of your dog! It's mandated.... I'm sure.... Somewhere in the rules.

 

[pxefig]

No! You must continue to include cute things like new skirts, bags, and random pics of your dog! It's mandated.... I'm sure.... Somewhere in the rules.

Agreed! And I know you don't want to be a rule breaker!

 

[Ariel484]

I am also loving this training talk, but I also love the purse/clothes talk! I have a question though...


Sometimes I find it hard to stick to the slower paces, so I was wondering if you could use walk breaks to help slow down the mile, if that makes sense. Or would it defeat the purpose?

I asked the same thing via PM!

The short answer is, no, from my understanding you can't include walk breaks and reap the same benefits from the slow workout. You can go slower than the prescribed pace, but you should attempt to not go faster than the pace prescribed.

But, as a scientist, I always like to break down the why to any of my answers:

The average person walks a 20 minute/mile (3 mph) pace. To use Shannon's plan as an example,

On 1/17/16, her training plan states she is to run 8 miles at her "Long Run" pace (11:05 min/mile). The "Long Run" pace is at the upper end of the aerobic training zone (slow easy pace). While it is a continuum where neither aerobic or anaerobic is being used exclusively, faster than the Long Run pace moves away from the Easy (slow) running and into the Hard category.

Let's say she wanted to break up every mile with 1.5 minutes of walking. At a 20 min/mile pace, she will have covered 0.075 miles in 1.5 minutes. This means she now needs to cover 0.925 miles in the remaining 9:35 minutes (to reach a 11:05 min/mie average). This means to cover 0.925 miles in 9:35 she would need to run a pace of a 10:22 min/mile. So truly, 92.5% of the mile was now at 10:22 min/mile and 7.5% of the mile was at 20 min/mile. This 10:22 min/mile is right at her marathon pace. This makes what was an "Easy" 11:05 min/mile pace at the upper threshold of aerobic (endurance) training to now into a "Hard" workout closer to a marathon tempo workout.

Let's take another hypothetical example from my training,

Workout A - 7.25 miles at a pace of 9:21 min/mile
Workout B - 7.25 miles at a pace of 9:21 min/mile

From the overview these appear to be exactly the same, but this is what I did for Workout A:

I did a 6 x 800m workout. Each interval was at a 7:13 min/mile which is about my 5K pace. Adding in warm-up, cool-down, and resting intervals I covered 7.25 miles at an average pace of 9:21 min/mile. However, 3 miles of the 7.25 was done at 7:13 min/mile, and the other 4.25 miles at ~10:33 min/mile. This is considered a Hard workout.

And Workout B:

7.25 miles at a steady 9:21 min/mile. This is considered an Easy workout.

The benefits received from each of these workouts is different. Workout A works on running efficiency, breathing, turnover, and running on fatigued legs. Workout B is an easy workout meant to build all of the benefits discussed earlier about slow running.

Does this help?

As usual, thanks for the detailed response.

No! You must continue to include cute things like new skirts, bags, and random pics of your dog! It's mandated.... I'm sure.... Somewhere in the rules.

UMMMMM OKAY!

Agreed! And I know you don't want to be a rule breaker!

I have said it before, and I will say it again...I am most definitely a rule follower!

 

[Ariel484]

Goodbye Money: INKnBURN Steampunk Kit

Let us start this post with a picture of a doggy burrito.

Another black bag arrived on my doorstep today! (INKnBURN sends their stuff in shiny black envelopes.) Yeehaw!

INKnBURN did a steampunk design a few years ago (way before I became an InB fan) and it was a popular one...and it's back!

(And they also put out another Run or Die shirt...the one I posted above. First thing they have done in awhile that I will NOT be ordering...just not my jam. )

From their website (the page for the long-sleeved tech shirt):
This long sleeve Women's Steampunk Tech Shirt is powerful, industrial strength design with a bit of retro charm, sure to help you power through your toughest workout. Or, maybe just motivate you to get up and get going... machinery doesn't have sore muscles from yesterday's workout... right? Steampunk is an art style that incorporates technology and aesthetic design inspired by 19th Century industrial steam-powered machinery. The "punk" in Steampunk comes from going against convention. Distance yourself from the crowd with an alternate view of how the future, our present, might have looked!

I ordered the kit late last week, pretty much as soon as it hit the website. It was supposed to arrive on Monday, but decided to take a side trip to Pensacola (per the USPS tracking ...related note, I wish USPS tracking would find my skirt that I ordered, which seems to be stuck in limbo somewhere in Charlotte ...ahem). Anyway...it arrived today!

The long-sleeved shirt:

And the tights, which are most likely the wrong size...after having my InB bottoms falling down during my runs I tried one size smaller last week and they actually stayed up! But I'd already ordered these tights...I have a pair in 1 size smaller on the way, due to be delivered on Saturday. Unless they decide to check out Pensacola too...

The possibly too-big tights, which will be going back once the correct size comes in:

I am...a (easy paced) running...machine!

The tech shirt will be making its debut tomorrow...we're having oddly warm weather here in NE Ohio (highs in the mid-50s!) so I can't resist running in that kind of weather.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1 of Phase 1
Monday, November 23, 2015 - Sunday, November 29, 2015
14 miles completed

Monday, November 23: 2.75-mile run
It's Thanksgiving week! Yay!

It's also the first day that the gym is closed, and I have to admit...I was SO happy to not have to lift AND run today. Happy enough that I'm thinking maybe I don't want to do both in the same day anymore. I mentioned in my post from last week that I'm re-thinking my training, so I decided to try a way slower pace for this run. I did 4:00 running (at 10:30/mile)/1:00 walking (at 18:00ish/mile) intervals. Total time for this run was 31:33, 11:28/mile pace...which is actually still faster than I need to be going, per the new plan. It was kind of nice not to worry about speed or tempo paces or whatnot, and REALLY nice to just run today with no lifting.

I wore my BigKahuna SparkleSkirt today...it's one of my favorites but it's one size too small (it's a custom I had made - SparkleSkirts messed up the sizing. I was not impressed). I can stuff myself into it, but it just doesn't feel great - today I decided I need to just sell the thing already. Wahhhhh.

Whatever. I have found that it's hard for me to actually DECIDE to sell a SparkleSkirt, but once a skirt is gone, I don't regret it. It's just a skirt.

A pretty one, though.

Random aside: anyone watching Jessica Jones on Netflix? We're 5 episodes in. It's pretty intense (we have to detox after each episode with an episode of Psych) but I really like it. I'm not a fan of the Avengers (please don't hurt me!) but I really like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Crazy that they are from the same "universe" as the Avengers!

Tuesday, November 24: 3.25-mile run @ 13:32/mile pace
This morning's run was the first one where I really paid attention to trying to stick to one of my prescribed easy paces per my new training plan. It was...different. It definitely felt easy, but I was concerned that I was changing my gait up too much in trying to keep things slow (I did feel a twinge or two in my right foot toward the end). And it took a LONG time to do this run. I guess I need to start waking up earlier!

Even with making an effort to slow down, I didn't quite get to the pace I was supposed to - total time for this run was 41:20, 13:20/mile pace. Once I took the speed down on the treadmill to walk for a bit my legs felt WEIRD. They feel better now.

In other news - I did this run in my INKnBURN skirt and the shorts DID NOT RIDE UP!! Woohoo!!

Wednesday, November 25: 4-mile run @ 12:41/mile pace
Today's run went a little bit better...running at a slightly faster pace compared to yesterday did feel a little more natural. Maybe this is part of the training?? Tricking my mind and body to WANT to run faster? Sneaky.

I still didn't arrive at the gym quite early enough, just like yesterday. So just like yesterday, I was rushing around afterward to get ready to go to work.

Today’s stats: 4 miles in 51:06, 12:46/mile pace (I have a +/- 10 second window on pace for these easy runs, so at least I got closer on this one compared to yesterday).

I tried to make an effort to pay better attention to my form today, and I think that, combined with the slightly faster pace, made this run feel better than yesterday's run. I still caught myself almost trying to run faster than the treadmill belt was going a few times, but still...progress.

So it's Thanksgiving Eve - time for PIE! I love baking and putting together desserts, but I don't do it very often with just two of us in the house, because if I did...fatness. So whenever there's a family event, I bring some kind of dessert...whether I'm asked to or not. Normally it's cupcakes (I love me some cupcakes...OMG) but this year I decided to switch things up a bit. Tonight I put together pie #1(while listening to Disney Parks Loops, of course - I always listen to Disney Parks Loops while cooking/baking). I was hoping to make another pie tonight but I didn't take my pre-made crust out of the freezer in time to thaw it out, so I'll have to do that tomorrow.

Pie #1 is from Skinnytaste (a blog full of pretty solid low-calorie recipes. Personal favorites include the Pesto Chicken Bake and Cajun Chicken pasta - tonight's dinner!): Pumpkin Spice No-Bake Cheesecake (is a cheesecake technically a pie? Eh...let's say it is). I cheated and didn’t make the crust like the recipe suggests...just bought one of those pre-made Oreo ones from the store in the foil pie tin.

This was super easy to make, especially since I had the pre-made crust - just mix all of the ingredients together, spoon into the crust and put in the fridge! Dunzo.

Thursday, November 26: 4-mile run @ 12:16/mile pace
Weather: 50 degrees and overcast with wind

Today was originally going to be a rest day...but earlier in the week I checked out our weather forecast and decided I couldn’t pass this day up - high of 59 degrees (later in the day, that is)! In November!! In Ohio! Crazy!!

Feeling funky in steampunk today!

So this was my first slower-paced run. I feel like I could definitely feel my knees working in a different way (not painful, just felt the effort, if that makes sense) but it went okay. First mile was too fast but otherwise I stayed in my +/- 10 second window.

So week #1 was good! 4 days in a row of running and no walk breaks at all since Monday. I know I'm not running a ton yet, but I can see how doing these easy miles makes it easier to run more throughout the week.

Thanksgiving was at my aunt's house (it was good...low-key. No complaints!). But before that I had to put together pie #2. This one was a little more involved than last night’s, but still not too bad to put together...Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie. I forgot to take a finished picture...this was later after the pie was half gone. Not the most beautiful but you get the idea:

I was nervous for this one...I’ve made cheesecakes similar to the pumpkin one before, but this was my first time making apple pie. Peeling the apples was sort of a pain, but it was worth it. This one was GOOD - the pumpkin cheesecake was good too, but the apple pie was way better. Of the two recipes I would say that the apple pie is the one that I would definitely make again.

Friday, November 27: yoga
Very relaxed day today. Yoga was good, more crowded than usual (always happens over a holiday) but good. Namaste!

I washed my BigKahuna and posted it for sale...it sold easily in about 30 minutes for exactly what I paid for it. Bye-bye, BigKahuna (and bye-bye muffin top that the too-small BigKahuna gave me whenever I wore it! ).

Also...we finished Jessica Jones tonight. Binge-watching is a real thing!!

Saturday, November 28: rest
Off to the in-laws for Thanksgiving...

Sunday, November 29: rest
...and back home!

Busy holiday weekend! It was a good one, but tiring!

Current mood:

Continued in Next Post

 

[DopeyBadger]

Great job this week! If you're continuing to find these paces a bit too slow (and messing with your gait), maybe you're more recovered from your back injury than I thought. Let's see how this week goes, but we could consider keeping the mileage the same but bumping up the paces into Phase 2 paces (11:05-12:16 for easy) where your fitness level suggests you are based on the 10K from last year.

 

[Ariel484]

Great job this week! If you're continuing to find these paces a bit too slow (and messing with your gait), maybe you're more recovered from your back injury than I thought. Let's see how this week goes, but we could consider keeping the mileage the same but bumping up the paces into Phase 2 paces (11:05-12:16 for easy) where your fitness level suggests you are based on the 10K from last year.

Okay! I'll check back in next week.

 

[SarahDisney]

Do you definitely recommend Jessica Jones?
I just started the Avengers movies and I want to get through all of them before I start on any TV shows, but I really don't know whether I'll still be interested in the shows after sitting through all of the movies (so far all I've seen is Iron Man, and it didn't impress me).

It sounds like you're starting to get a handle on the slower paces, but they may still be too slow for you. I'm interested to see what happens and if DopeyBadger will adjust your plan based on what you and he are seeing from your runs this week.

We had similar weather on Thursday - it was great for my Turkey Trot (I believe that last year they had snow for that race...). This warm weather is definitely unusual for us too, but I'm not questioning it!

You're doing great! You're now at over a month of going to yoga every week, right? I keep trying to push my sister to do yoga (she has a DVD that she can use, which is cheaper than classes), but she doesn't listen to me ... oh well.

 

[Ariel484]

Do you definitely recommend Jessica Jones?
I just started the Avengers movies and I want to get through all of them before I start on any TV shows, but I really don't know whether I'll still be interested in the shows after sitting through all of the movies (so far all I've seen is Iron Man, and it didn't impress me).

Jessica Jones is not for everyone, in my opinion. It gets pretty dark and disturbing...when I said we had to detox after each episode with a comedy, I wasn't kidding. It's definitely an *adult* show.

Daredevil was similar for me, though that one had more physical violence. Jessica Jones has the physical violence too, but it's more about psychological issues. Again...disturbing. But really good. That review may make me sound like some sort of freak.

I've only seen Iron Man and the first Avengers movie and thought they were "meh"...too goofy for me, I guess.

It sounds like you're starting to get a handle on the slower paces, but they may still be too slow for you. I'm interested to see what happens and if DopeyBadger will adjust your plan based on what you and he are seeing from your runs this week.

Yeah, I'm really not sure what to do about the pacing just yet! The runs definitely feel easy, which is good since they are supposed to...

We had similar weather on Thursday - it was great for my Turkey Trot (I believe that last year they had snow for that race...). This warm weather is definitely unusual for us too, but I'm not questioning it!

I was sort of regretting not signing up for this year's Turkey Trot with the great weather! Sounds like our weather last year (when I DID do our Turkey Trot) was similar to what you had - it was gross out. The streets were covered in slush and I remember bundling up pretty well for that one.

You're doing great! You're now at over a month of going to yoga every week, right? I keep trying to push my sister to do yoga (she has a DVD that she can use, which is cheaper than classes), but she doesn't listen to me ... oh well.

YES, 1 MONTH OF YOGA! Who would have predicted that?!

Yoga feels like 100% *me* time. It's so relaxing and it just feels so good. Get on that, Beth!![/QUOTE]

 

[Ariel484]

Princess Half Marathon Weekend - Princess 5K...The Outfit!

Let’s get away from all of that training nonsense and talk about something way more fun - race outfits!

Outfits, not costumes...I have never worn something to any race that is elaborate enough to be called a costume!

I put more effort into my outfits for Disneyland weekend (my most recent runDisney race weekend) than I have for any other Disney race. I actually sort of crafted things and bought stuff specifically for those outfits. And honestly...for me, it wasn't worth it. I didn't like spending the extra money to buy items to complete the outfits, and I didn’t really like putting in the extra time. I just don't enjoy the crafty aspect of putting together a rD costume, I guess - and I'm definitely not as good at it as others I have seen here and elsewhere!

So for Princess and Tink, I decided to just wear what I like from (for the most part) what I already own, even if it's not necessarily Disney-related or inspired. I have a good idea of what I want to wear for each race for both weekends, but I wouldn’t say I’m 100% decided yet.

Having said all of that...I did come up my 5K outfit before coming to the above realization. It is Disney-inspired. I did buy a few things for it. You all think I'm a liar now...c'est la vie.

Behold, my 5K outfit inspiration:

I "dressed" as Minnie (the original Disney Princess) twice last year, so I figure it's Daisy's turn!

Like I said above, I did buy a few things for this outfit...the first was a pink sparkly visor from Sparkle Athletic (they were having a buy one, get one half off sale, so I ordered a blue version as well). I know I'll get a ton of use out of this, so I was okay with buying it. Especially with the sale:

Sparkle Athletic visors are made by HeadSweats, which is a company that specializes in "performance headgear." I like these visors a lot (I have them in 4 colors): they wick and stay on my head well. This is basically my version of Daisy's giant pink bow. Speaking of headgear...you will NOT catch me in a tiara during Princess weekend. This is as sparkly as my head will get. Sort of silly to wear the one outfit with a visor for the 5K, since I know it'll be dark for the entire race, but whatever.

Also...despite the fact that my inspiration picture is all lashes and purple eyeshadow, I will not be wearing make-up for any of these races. I SWEAT when I run, so if I did put something on it would streak and look horrible. Nothing but sunscreen for me!

Another thing I bought special for this race was a purple Nike running top (on clearance from RunningWearhouse.com). This I actually do sort of regret buying, because I have SO MANY freaking running tops already! I'll probably donate it once the race is over and it has been washed. Oh well.

This shirt is the main reason why I'll most likely wear this outfit for the 5K (not 100% decided on which outfit I'll wear for which race, but I'm PRETTY sure)...just because, like I said above, I sweat a lot. And I imagine this purple top would not hide pit stains very well. My other two shirts DO hide sweat better, so I’m most likely going to save those for the longer races.

Euuuwww! Running is gross, you guys.

And now - something I already owned! Finally!

I have had a wrist version of a RoadID for a few years now (a purple one - EVERY runner should have one!). Recently the company had a sale where their IDs were $15 + shipping ($1.99), so I figured it would be a good idea to get a second ID to have as a spare. I chose the teal wrist ID elite.

One day I was going to get my purple version out to go for a run, and the teal one caught my eye...and I realized that it actually sort of matches Daisy’s bangle in my inspiration picture! So I'll be wearing the teal RoadID for the race as well, assuming I remember to pack it.

Lastly, something else that I bought new for this outfit (seriously, so much for not spending a lot of money)...but this one I know I will use a ton. In fact, I'm planning on using it for one of my Tink weekend outfits...a WhiteLinen SparkleSkirt:

This one looks a lot prettier in person - the fabric actually has a sort of sheen to it. I really like it!

Plus whatever running shoes I happen to have in rotation at that time.

So that is my Daisy-inspired outfit. I feel like maybe it's not 100% obvious what it's supposed to be, but at least I know. The one thing that I'm sure would make it obvious would be if I were to wear yellow running tights, leggings or calf sleeves. The sleeves are definitely out - I don't normally wear calf sleeves, so I don't know if my body would like them, I most likely wouldn't use them again after the race, and they are sort of pricey. I did find a pair of seamless leggings on Amazon.com for about $5 that I thought could work...but eventually I talked myself out of it. I'll put that $5 toward a Grey Goose slushie in France instead (so that'll buy me, like, a third of a slushie).

And I will be bringing long-sleeved running tops to possibly wear under this shirt in case we get cold weather like last year. I was so glad I packed extra stuff in January and was able to layer up for the colder races. Hopefully I won't have to, though!

Voila...outfit #1!

Continued in Next Post

 

[SarahDisney]

I love the Daisy outfit!

My view on race costumes is that I want to do something Disney-related, but I know that sometimes the best I can do is very loosely inspired. I only buy things that I think I'll wear again, and I try to take my inspiration from things I already have (for example, I decided to do Dumbo because I already had a gray shirt with a yellow accent zipper).
That said ... I've gone a little crazy for marathon weekend and I'm in the process of making a skirt for my 10K outfit (and I already made one for my 5K outfit). But I regret it already and I don't think I'll do it again - next time I'm either buying a skirt or just wearing one that doesn't match.

That white skirt is really nice! I'm always impressed when people can wear white and keep it white ... most of my white stuff ends up stained after about 1-2 wearings (usually it's a coffee stain that for some reason won't come out).

 

[Ariel484]

I love the Daisy outfit!

Thanks! I am pleased with it.

My view on race costumes is that I want to do something Disney-related, but I know that sometimes the best I can do is very loosely inspired. I only buy things that I think I'll wear again, and I try to take my inspiration from things I already have (for example, I decided to do Dumbo because I already had a gray shirt with a yellow accent zipper).

Same. That's what I did with the Disneyland races...the more expensive purchases were things I knew I'd use again (2 SparkleSkirts and 1 visor) but I was annoyed with myself for spending on stuff that was only for that one weekend.

That said ... I've gone a little crazy for marathon weekend and I'm in the process of making a skirt for my 10K outfit (and I already made one for my 5K outfit). But I regret it already and I don't think I'll do it again - next time I'm either buying a skirt or just wearing one that doesn't match.

Way to go!! You're actually sewing something...I am impressed!

My craftiness wasn't even that difficult...I tried to make Minnie's 60th anniversary blue belt with the diamond buckle. I think it came out okay but I didn't enjoy making it! I also make an Ursula "attachment" for my visor I was wearing and I thought it came out looking totally stupid, so I wish I hadn't even worn that. At least it only cost $2... But yeah, I feel that I am not creative/skilled enough at crafting things to even get any satisfaction out of doing it. I can totally see how it would be rewarding and fun for someone that knows what they are doing!

That white skirt is really nice! I'm always impressed when people can wear white and keep it white ... most of my white stuff ends up stained after about 1-2 wearings (usually it's a coffee stain that for some reason won't come out).

ACK...I know. I ran in that skirt this week and am paranoid enough that I washed it on its own right afterward. I was thinking about waiting around for the 5K to start and how I know I'll be sitting...what if I sit in something wearing that skirt? Or spill something on it?! Eek!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Since you are finding the training easy so far, let's focus on some other aspects of your running during this time.

Breathing - Ultra important during shorter distance (speed) racing, but useful in all distances. The body struggles to get sufficient oxygen when racing near the ventilatory threshold (point at which breathing is no longer rhythmic). During all of your runs try to breath in a 1 in + 1 in + 2 out pattern (i.e. in on left foot, in on right foot, out on left/right foot). In addition, these breaths in should be from as deep in your lungs as you can. Relax your stomach and this will allow for deeper breathing (like you do in yoga). The most active area of the lungs is the bottom, thus the more oxygen you can get down there the better it transports throughout the body. The key is to have a nice rhythm to breathing. You may find a different pattern works best for you (1 in + 1 in + 1 in + 2 out, etc.). When I run any pace (easy or hard) at any distance I am working my lungs by intentionally breathing hard and loud, but controlled and rhythmic.

Shoulders - Try this right now. Stand up with your feet shoulder width apart. Interlock your fingers in front of your body and turn your hands so that you see the top of your hands. Lock your elbows, and slowly swing your arms in front of you until they are now above your head. Memorize how your shoulders/chest feel. Now release your interlocked fingers, but try to not move your chest or shoulders. This is your proper upper body running form. It may seem awkward now, but over time it will feel normal. Keep the chest puffed out, but relaxed. Since we're easy running right now this should be easier to maintain and makes for a good habit once we start getting harder.

Arms - Arms should stay tight to the body with your hands closed but relaxed. Try to keep the arms parallel to the ground, but without swinging across your body.

Eyesight - Keep your eyes up. Your eyes should stay at horizon or higher. As your eyesight drops to look at your feet you reduce your lung capacity by as much as 30%. Since oxygen is so important to running, this decrease in oxygen can have a large effect on finishing time.

Footstrike - Like we talked about earlier, keep the foot light and low. Taking as many steps as you can at the pace prescribed. I would guess at the current pace your steps per minute would be around 160-170. As you start to move into Phase 2 work, we want to get the steps per minute into the 180+ range. This keeps us running efficiently by keeping our feet close to the ground.

In order of importance, I would put these as Footstrike, Eyesight, Breathing, Shoulders and then Arms. However, once you start to master all of these running becomes easier.