"Do or do not. There is no Try." First Half-Marathon/Dark Side Training Journal

[cavepig]

Reading along, great job so far training for Darkside! What I do with long runs, is think of them in chunks, I'm getting ready for Darkside too (but have been running for a long time) and so for my long run I did Saturday, I thought of it in 2 mile chunks versus oh gosh I'm going to be running ## miles. I would take a drink break then too. It's just easier to break it up in my mind.

Keep it up!

 

[surfde22]

This week wasn't great for running. I caught my son's cold, so wasn't feeling up to running on Wednesday, so I skipped that 30 minute run.

Friday - 30 minute run. Still didn't feel great for this run, and my phone was broken so I had no music . So for this one, I turned off my run/walk intervals and just ran until I couldn't, and then walked until I wanted to run. I slowed down a bit and did 2.1 miles in 30 minutes.

Sunday - 3 mile run. Beautiful weather for a run in Minnesota! It felt amazing out. I got this mile done in an average 13 min/mile. It felt good, but I almost slipped and fell due to people who clearly hadn't shoveled or put down salt on their sidewalk all winter So I managed to pull something in my shoulder trying to catch myself. Luckily, it's just a little sore, so no permanent damage.

I'm a little nervous already for the 9.5 miler next weekend, but just keep trying to focus on one day at a time!

The weather this weekend was amazing. I got my first run in in almost two weeks on Saturday thanks to my son sharing a cold with me. I try not to think too much about the distance when running and before I know it even the longest runs are done.

 

[DisSconnie]

It took me a while to understand this, but Jeff Galloway often talks about you cannot run the long runs slow enough. While I don't think that means you should run the long runs at a 20 minute per mile pace, he says that the main reason of the long runs is to continue to push the boundaries of your endurance. So finishing the long runs no matter how slow (relatively speaking) will accomplish the primary purpose of the long run.

And even having finished the Rebel Challenge the last 3 years, I'm still "dreading" next week's 9.5 mile run.

Thanks for this! I think there's an internal struggle to go faster, even if I know it's better to go slower. I've been reading more and more about the go slow to speed up method, and it makes sense, but I think a lot of us feel that we "should" be faster. I just need to remember that I'm doing this for fun and to enjoy myself. I've been trying to practice mindfulness while I run, so actually noticing the sights/sounds/etc. around me while I run. It definitely makes the runs more pleasant.

eading along, great job so far training for Darkside! What I do with long runs, is think of them in chunks, I'm getting ready for Darkside too (but have been running for a long time) and so for my long run I did Saturday, I thought of it in 2 mile chunks versus oh gosh I'm going to be running ## miles. I would take a drink break then too. It's just easier to break it up in my mind.

Keep it up!

Thanks! I try to do the same thing to break it up in my mind with water breaks. It definitely helps. I also make sure to run a loop, which makes it harder to turn around early or cut runs short. We have a number of lakes around our house, so I try to loop around them so the only way to get home is to keep going and finish my mileage

 

[ZellyB]

Yes to what @Sleepless Knight said regarding the long run. Get the miles in even if that means you have to slow down a lot. Over time as you get more of these longer runs in, you'll find the speed will come more easily. For now just get the miles in. A mile is still a mile - whether you run it in 7 minutes or in 15 minutes.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Thanks for this! I think there's an internal struggle to go faster, even if I know it's better to go slower. I've been reading more and more about the go slow to speed up method, and it makes sense, but I think a lot of us feel that we "should" be faster. I just need to remember that I'm doing this for fun and to enjoy myself. I've been trying to practice mindfulness while I run, so actually noticing the sights/sounds/etc. around me while I run. It definitely makes the runs more pleasant.

I listened to the little voice that kept saying go faster when I started my first 1/2 marathon. Shortly after I started to run, it my body started screaming at me to stop running because it did not like the pain I was inflicting on it because if my brain didn't slow down, my body would refuse to listen. Suffice it to say, I slowed down walked that race. And I walked it roughly 10 minutes faster than what my speed during training. I've actually started working on slow speed increments recently. But I tend to stay with a speed until I've adjusted to it and don't have pain problems. Your slowest mile is already faster than I have ever run a single mile. And I've finished all 5 runDisney halfs I've registered for with 3 of them being the Rebel Challenge with the 10K the day before. I am not very fast, but I still enjoy the experience.

Yes to what @Sleepless Knight said regarding the long run. Get the miles in even if that means you have to slow down a lot. Over time as you get more of these longer runs in, you'll find the speed will come more easily. For now just get the miles in. A mile is still a mile - whether you run it in 7 minutes or in 15 minutes.

I understand that the long runs help you learn to keep moving forward even while your muscles start to get tired. Everything I've learned about distance running from training for runDisney says that you do this in order to learn what it feels like to run when your muscles are tired. It's the same principle behind why challenge event training plans have back to back runs in them. You learn how to go further without injuring yourself by incrementally building up the mileage.

 

[DisSconnie]

So I had another sWolid week of training this week! I'm starting to feel confident that I'm going to finish without getting swept , so long as the heat doesn't bother me too much.

Wednesday - 30 minute run. These have been going pretty easy for me and are pretty boring (indoor track running). So I decided to speed up to 2/1 intervals. About 2.5 miles run, at a 12 min/mile pace. It felt really good.

Friday - 30 minute run. Pretty much the exact same run/time as Wednesday. I really liked the 2/1 run intervals, especially for these shorter runs.

Sunday - 9.5 miles! I went back to 1/1 intervals for the long run. I was dreading this one (I'm pretty much dreading all of my last long runs, haha) but it ended up going pretty well. I started to feel sluggish around 5 miles, but had brought gels and pretzels with me so had one of each. They seemed to help. It seems like with each progressive long run the hardest part is the last 1.5 miles (which is how much I increase every other week) This run the last 1.5 miles ended up being uphill into a nasty wind, so I slowed way down and did a lot of walking, but hey, I finished, which is all that matters! My splits were:

Mile 1 - 13:31
Mile 2 - 13:32
Mile 3 - 13:36
Mile 4 - 13:28
Mile 5 - 14:42 (stopped for snacks/short break)
Mile 6 - 13:34
Mile 7 - 13:48
Mile 8 - 13:27
Mile 9 - 14:48
Last .5 - 7:47

I'm feeling more and more confident with each run. Especially knowing that I can slow down to a walk and still finish without getting swept. Now to see if I can finish in under 3hrs!

 

[ZellyB]

Well done on your training!! Those are some really good consistent times and seems totally normal that you would slow in the last mile or so since you are pushing past your previous boundary. That's how it works with me too.

 

[DisSconnie]

7 weeks from now I'll have finished my first half-marathon, one way or another!! I'm getting kind of nervous about the race, but feeling pretty confident that I can at least run fast enough for long enough to not get swept. That being said, this week was terrible for training which adds to my nervousness.

Wednesday - 30 minute run/22 minutes finished at 16 min/mile pace. I started getting sick on Monday after my long run, and felt terrible by Wednesday. I had a deep chest cold and zero energy. I still wanted to do SOMETHING so I tried walking on the treadmill for a little while. It did not go well. The people next to me did not appreciate my constant coughing so I called it quits early.

Friday - 30 minute run planned/rest day taken. My cold had not improved and had progressed into full blown bronchitis. I figured it was best to take an extra rest day rather than stress my body out more and get sicker.

Sunday- 3 miles with the "Magic Mile". I still wasn't feeling great for this run, but really didn't want to skip any more runs especially "long runs" if I could avoid it. So I went. Luckily, the weather was nice so I got to do this run with my husband and son (in a jogging stroller) which was a nice change of pace. Unfortunately, that pace was a pretty slow one. My bronchitis was still causing occasional coughing fits and I had a headache. Note: running does not make headaches better. My "Magic Mile" was 11:33, not nearly as fast as I was hoping for. Putting that into the Jeff Galloway calculator it says I should be training at a 17 min/mile pace and would end up running at 13:51 min/mile half marathon race pace. I think the 13:51 race pace is probably pretty close since that's what I've been averaging on my long runs, but training at a 17 min/mile seems really, really slow. I walk at about an 18 min/mile pace, so that would barely be faster than that. I think it's probably more that my magic mile was slower than it would otherwise be due to illness. I finished out the last mile and averaged a 13:03 pace for the 3 miles. I'm hoping next week will go better and I can shake this nasty cough.

 

[cavepig]

7 weeks and you can proudly wear your medal!!! You'll be fine, just take it step by step & you'll get there. As long as you don't start dead last, you have a buffer a time ahead of that 16mm pace.

That's funny on headaches, mine always get better when I run. Hope you start feeling better & your bronchitis goes away soon.

 

[DisSconnie]

This was a pretty solid week of training although I still have a lingering cough which is annoying during running.

Wednesday

30 minute run. First run where I hadn't been up hacking up a lung the night before. I went out way too fast for the first mile - 12:03 min/mile. I tried to go back to 2/1 run/walk intervals. It was a too fast for the shape I was in and made my cough pretty bad and got my first side stitch of training! Second mile was 13:33 and I finished a little under 2.5 miles in the 30 minutes. It was a terrible run, but I did it, so that's something!

Friday

30 minute run. Much better run. Went back to 1/1 intervals and averaged a little over 13 min/mile. This run was the first one that felt good after being sick and I think was more importantly mentally than anything else to get back into things.

Sunday

11 miles planned/9.7 miles completed. I'm going to be honest, I did NOT want to do this run. It was 10 degrees here and I went out fully expecting to turn around after a couple of miles, but stuck it out for most of the way. But it was COLD. I went to 30/90 run/walk intervals and for the most part the pace felt good for a long run. I allllmost made it the whole 11 miles, but decided to turn towards home early because one of my coat arms was starting to freeze and the cold weather was aggravating my cough. As it is, I'm just glad I got as long of a run in as I did and didn't turn back sooner. I slowed down, but finished feeling as though I could have gone further if the weather had been more cooperative. My splits were (the ones my watch recorded before it died) were:

Mile 1: 14:24
Mile 2: 14:28
Mile 3: 14:39
Mile 4: 14:08
Mile 5: 14:05
Mile 6: 14:44
Mile 7: 14:32
Mile 8: 14:58
Mile 9: 16:32

I really need to figure out a better ending for my long runs. I end up running the last 1.5 miles on a road with multiple hills which makes the last couple of miles sloooooow and painful. But hey,increases endurance, right?! I feel a little guilty for cutting the run short, but I have two more long runs to redeem myself.

 

[ZellyB]

Well done on your long run in tough conditions!!

 

[DisSconnie]

Well done on your long run in tough conditions!!

Thanks! I'm glad I stopped when I did. My hamstrings have been in major pain all night, I'm assuming due to the cold and tightening up. I'm hoping that resting a couple of days will help and I didn't do any long-term damage.

 

[surfde22]

The weather here yesterday was brutal. You definitely did better than me. I cut my 9 mile long run down to 3. Normally the cold doesn't bother me that much but for some reason yesterday just wasn't working for me.

 

[DisSconnie]

Another rough week of training. Maybe it's because a lot of my short runs are indoors on a track, but man, they've been hard to do lately! This week was "Spring Break" from my Master's classes, and I took a couple of days off of work so we could visit my family back in Wisconsin. It threw off my schedule a little bit, but not too badly.

After my 10 miler (9.7, but I round up ) last weekend, I took two rest days since my hamstrings were ridiculously sore afterwards. I'm not sure if it was the cold causing my muscles to tighten, but I could barely walk the next day.

Wednesday - 30 minute run. This run was relatively uneventful. I went to 1:30/:30 minute intervals to try and push myself a little (and try new intervals!) it was an okay run, but my hamstrings were a little sore afterwards still.

Saturday - 34 minute run. 2.6 miles. I meant to do this run on Friday and then do a Sunday run instead of having two more days of rest, but we were visiting family and things just got a little crazy. I did this run with my husband which always speeds me up. It was hilly! and I stuck with the 2:00/1:00 intervals for the majority of the run. It wasn't a great run, but felt good once I was finished.

My plan is to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, with my long run on Sunday this week to make up for missing my "long run" last week. The next long run is 12.5 which makes me nervous, but hey, if I can do that I can do 13.1 no problem

 

[DisSconnie]

Solid week of training this week. I'm feeling much more confident that I'm going to finish and not feel awful afterwards.

Monday - 3 mile run w/Magic Mile. Since I missed a day of training last week, I decided to run 4 days this week and started on Monday with a 3 mile run with the "Magic Mile." I pushed myself much harder on the magic mile this time and was able to do 10:12. Putting it into the Galloway calculator it puts me at a 2:40 half finish, which is well under my sub-3 hour goal. I'm not sure I'll hit that goal at a Disney race, purely because if I have time - I'm stopping for character photos

Wednesday - 30 minute run. Another outdoor run. I love these so much more than on the track at the gym. Went to 2/1 run/walk intervals and pushed myself a little harder again. Averaged 12:40 min/mile. Solid mid-week run.

Friday - 30 minute run. Back to the gym for this one. Pretty unremarkable. did 90/30 intervals. Steady 13:00 min/mile pace.

Sunday - 12.5 miles. 12.48 miles finished. GUYS, I RAN 12.5 MILES!! I still kind of can't believe. I was procrastinating this run and put it off until the last possible minute. I also talked my husband into running a portion of it with me, with my son in the jogging stroller. Well, both my son and husband are amazing, because they made it the whole 12.5 miles. My 18 month old LOVED yelling during the running intervals and saying hello to every dog/person we passed. It made the run infinitely more enjoyable and kept me speedy.

I did however, hit the dreaded "wall" at 11 miles. (Right around the same time my husband turned to me and said, "I still have gas in the tank, I think I'm going to sprint this next interval." My response:

But I finished! Only .6 more miles to go

 

[cavepig]

Way to go on your 12.5! You'll be good to go by Darkside! Awesome magic mile too!

 

[ZellyB]

Great job and congrats on your 12.5 mile run. Having your husband and son with you sounds like was a great boost for you. Sounds like you are ready to me!

 

[DopeyBadger]

You've got this! Congrats on a solid week!

 

[DisSconnie]

Great job and congrats on your 12.5 mile run. Having your husband and son with you sounds like was a great boost for you. Sounds like you are ready to me!

Thanks! My husband felt so good after the 12.5 run that he decided to join me for Dark Side (my parents are coming with and agreed to watch our son during the race). So I'll have him for on-course entertainment rather than just some boring old podcast While the last couple of miles of the 12.5 were pretty rough, knowing I'll be running through Disney I think I'll be able to finish strong. I'll just pretend it's the old day and I have to run across the park to get a fastpass

 

[DisSconnie]

Another short training week. I'm finding it harder and harder to be motivated to complete the mid-week maintenance runs. For whatever reason, the 30 minute runs are starting to drag more than the long runs.

I only ran Wednesday and Friday last week and plan to run 4 days this week to make up for it. I really pushed myself on my Friday run with 2/1 intervals and ended up averaging under a 12 min/mile for 2.6 miles, so I was happy with that training run. I also turned 30 on Saturday, so that's partially why I didn't run on Sunday (too much fun the night before )

Still nervous for my 14 mile run next week, but feeling so much better since the 12.5 was an average 13:42 min/mile. I'm much less concerned with getting swept, unless the heat really does a number on me. But my son has been working on his jedi skills, and I have to say, the force is strong with this one