Every Wish That We Put Into Motion.... (comments welcome!)

[Herding_Cats]

This week was severely derailed by wildfire smoke, and the horrifically low energy I have at this point in my cycle. Yaaaaaay. July training ended with a whimper, which was frustrating, but I'm not too worried about it.

Sunday: rest day post-22 miler. And honestly, I felt completely normal. Shockingly normal. No twinges or "wow my legs are tired from all those miles." It was weird. But YAY, adaptations?!

Monday: also a rest day. Look at me. I'm crushing it here.

Tuesday: 5mi easy + 4x30sec strides. I sort of did this. Since I've been generally not great about the speedwork part of this training plan, I tweaked this to 3mi easy (and then I ate dinner) plus 2mi at 6% incline on the treadmill.

Wednesday: 2mi easy + 6x (3min fast with 1min recovery) + 2mi easy I didn't do anything. Our AQI was hovering around just above and below 180, and I woke up with 2 lymph nodes in my neck (near my shoulder) so inflamed that they hurt.

Thursday: 5mi easy Same issues at Wednesday with the smoke and my body's reaction to it. I've been fine all summer, when the levels have been more like 130ish and lower. Everyone else in my house has been coughing for a couple of weeks, and while I'm not coughing, I definitely have upper respiratory congestion, and some loose mucous in my chest. This totally stinks because we got a break in the high temperatures and it was in the 50s in the morning.

Friday: rest day *sigh* but didn't manage to get myself together enough to do a "make up" run from Wed/Thur.

Saturday: 10mi with 30min moderate in the middle. I met up with my friend who is also registered for the 50k and we ran this together. We were on the trail by 6:50am, and someone else went out before us, so we didn't have to clear the cobwebs! It's the little things. It was a glorious 48 degrees on my drive to the trailhead, which meant NO MOSQUITOS and NO DEER FLIES. At least for the first 90min or so. We kinda managed the 30min of moderate, but I managed to center up a couple of tree roots on my arch during this portion and that really makes my ankle angry, so it was more like 20min of moderate. I could really feel that it had been a 3-day gap since my last run, and that I'd had an extra rest day because my legs were pretty sluggish the whole time. But also DD had the absolute worst night of sleep she's had in years and I got less than 4 hours of sleep, no more than 1 hour at a time. So I was using all of the caffeinated fuels.

While my friend has a lot of hiking experience, he has never really run a "trail-y trail" so I shared my very specific wisdom of "You have to pay attention to your feet the entire time." He fell once and nearly fell 3 other tim I'm pretty sure he also has not practiced fueling or fueling strategy/timing yet, which makes me nervous for him. He has the overall fitness to finish the race within the time limit, but if he bonks it'll get pretty ugly.


Earlier in the week I had asked Naomeri for her pacing spreadsheet she used for MW. It ended up being a "number" file (iphone/apple products app) so I exported it to excel and then opened it in google sheets so that, theoretically DH can track me as I update the sheet with mile splits. Of course when I practiced this on Saturday it wouldn’t take the entry past the first mile. So I’ll have to fiddle with it a little more.

My friend and I have tentatively scheduled our 16mi for next Saturday together, but then he realized it’s the weekend of the marathon relay and he’s on a team. One member can’t make it and he asked if I was interested in filling the spot. For this relay it’s 4 people running 5mi, and then a 5th person's final leg is a 10k. A lot of XC teams use this as a team building thing and the kids sometimes wear costumes or silly outfits...usually the boys. One year they all had the BOA "jorts" and a a yellow construction safety vest for the runner, and the non-runners had hardhats on. Another year a boys team all had tacky tropical-print "suits" that THEY RAN IN. There are usually quite a few adult teams as well. Apparently Hansens used to send a couple of teams up for it, but they haven’t done that in the 5 years I’ve been around it with my kids running in it. So not I have to decide if I want to participate in that as part of my long run, and if that works for DH as far as his schedule and having someone available to care for DD. The relay would take up most of the day, so we definitely need to make sure we have all of the things factored into it before I say yes. (Please note that I would NOT race this. It would def. be an easy-to-moderate run for me.)

 

[jmasgat]

Sunday: rest day post-22 miler. And honestly, I felt completely normal. Shockingly normal. No twinges or "wow my legs are tired from all those miles." It was weird. But YAY, adaptations?!

Fantastic! I can only imagine how that feels (Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that)

 

[avondale]

While my friend has a lot of hiking experience, he has never really run a "trail-y trail" so I shared my very specific wisdom of "You have to pay attention to your feet the entire time." He fell once and nearly fell 3 other tim I'm pretty sure he also has not practiced fueling or fueling strategy/timing yet, which makes me nervous for him. He has the overall fitness to finish the race within the time limit, but if he bonks it'll get pretty ugly.

Look how experienced you sound! LOL - training definitely pays off, in so many ways. Are you planning to run the race with him?

The relay would take up most of the day, so we definitely need to make sure we have all of the things factored into it before I say yes. (Please note that I would NOT race this. It would def. be an easy-to-moderate run for me.)

I've done a few team relay type races, and I have loved them. I'd vote for do it if you can. At this point, you're not really adding to your fitness with your runs because it's too close to the race. Do something that keeps your legs moving and have fun!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Look how experienced you sound! LOL - training definitely pays off, in so many ways. Are you planning to run the race with him?

I'm not planning on running with him as he's quite a bit faster than I am. During a previous run he mentioned that he thought he could probably do 10min pace as an easy pace, and slow down if needed/when he gets tired. And I'm just planning for 14-15min pace and holding on for dear life.

I've done a few team relay type races, and I have loved them. I'd vote for do it if you can. At this point, you're not really adding to your fitness with your runs because it's too close to the race. Do something that keeps your legs moving and have fun!

I've been a support car/pick up the runner when they finish their leg/drop the next runner off their exchange zone person. It's fun to be involved in that way, but as I am a bit self-conscious about my pace I tend to be pretty selective about my races since it's very not-fun (for me) to be the last person left on the course.

 

[avondale]

During a previous run he mentioned that he thought he could probably do 10min pace as an easy pace, and slow down if needed/when he gets tired.

So he estimates without having apparently done much trail running...trail running makes everyone slower. But point taken that he's probably hoping to go faster than you are. Good to know up front.

but as I am a bit self-conscious about my pace I tend to be pretty selective about my races since it's very not-fun (for me) to be the last person left on the course.

So don't do the last leg, and you won't be last. Being part of the team is good motivation to get you to pick up your pace for your leg, but it's not a huge distance all at once, so it shouldn't really waste you. Unless the team is very competitive, they're not going to care.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Team marathon day and look what’s in the parking lot!

Also I sewed 2 ice bandanas last night because it’s going to be over 80 by 9am (and humid!) I’ll report back how they work.

 

[Herding_Cats]

T+D 84+72, 70% humidity. Disgusting.


Ice bandana ran out of ice in an hour. Now it’s just cool and wet. I’ll take it for 50 cents in materials and 10min with the sewing machine.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Ok updating with some numbers. It was 84 when I started my leg or the relay. And then I walked it in (so a 10k) while my teammate ran his paces for the last leg. It was 91 when I got back to my car. There was almost no shade for these 11 miles. I ran intervals for my 5mi leg and was getting a headache feeling when I would do the run intervals, so I dialed it all the way back from 40/20 to 30/30, and finally 15/30.
Splits:

Lap one is almost threshold pace with the T+D adjustment. Everything else is between HM/M pace and ended with M pace, adjusted. Running 15/30 intervals.

HR zones (unsurprising because I was running sub-13 miles until the headache started)


And then I walked. And it sucked a lot. And my Achilles hurt on both legs.

But it appears that our team placed for an age-group award, because I had a prize in my cooler when I got back to the staging area…it’s an engraved glass. So yay?

I did walk 2 miles while our team’s first runner ran his section of the course, so I managed to get in about 13.2mi of the 16 the plan called for. And now I will cross all of my crossables for slightly below average temperatures in 2 weeks. The heat was super crappy.

Managed to chafe my belly button (I think it was the knot on my leggings drawstring rubbing…it’s the only thing I can think of.)

 

[avondale]

Wow, those were tough conditions! But you did it! Great job! Sounds like your team overall had a good outing.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Weekly wrap-up:

There's not a whole lot to wrap up. Things went sideways this week with my body, and I barely pulled it together enough to run on Saturday.

Sunday: 10mi easy. I don't really remember this, so it's a good thing that garmin at least shows me what route I ran. I didn't get out the door until nearly 7pm, and with a 2.5-ish hour run, that's getting dicey with daylight these days. (The more I type, the more I remember.) I discovered that there are audio books from an author I sometimes enjoy on Spotify [premium] so I listened to one of those for a change. This run appears to have gone surprisingly well from a HR/effort/pace standpoint. OH! And I think this is the night I saw a lot of deer in a field near our house...several large bucks, which is promising with the hunting season under 2 months away!

Monday: rest day....except all of the kids had dental appointments. The thing I love about their office is that I can schedule them all at the same time so the total time commitment in-office is usually under 35min.

Tuesday: 5mi easy. Pretty sure I was supposed to do strides too. Both achilles bothered me after about 2 miles, so I ended up walking the rest of it.

Wednesday: 2mi easy + 3 hills (3min hard, 3-4min recovery) + 2mi moderate nothing says fun like 2 annual checkups, back-to-school shopping, and then a stop at the dentist for one kiddo to get a filling. By the time I did all of that and go home I was d.o.n.e. with being productive for the day. I swear these youngest 2 just pick at eachother so they can have an excuse to fight and argue. It's exhausting. Also, my stomach started bothering me.

Thursday: 5mi easy 4mi treadmill incline walk. I started this out doing 0.5mi jogging, and then 0.5mi walk at 4%. After total miles of that, I switched to *just* incline walking at 6%. My achilles were still cranky, and my stomach was still not normal, and I didn't want to eat, and yeah. At least I did something.

Friday: I intended to do a couple of easy miles but I just felt like garbage still. I picked up a couple of $0.50 clearance bandanas to sew ice bandanas to test out on Saturday.

Side shoot explanation about these: Andrew Glaze, the ultra runner, has started popping up in my social media feed and one of them was a video about "what I'm wearing for the _____" where he mentioned his ice bandana and how much he loved it, along with a maker-plug for it. So I looked up the company and they're on etsy. And then I looked at the product and thought I can totally make that. So I did. And I really liked it.

I also dug out every single sparkle skirt I own for the boys XC team to wear in the marathon relay (I nearly had to sew another one because it took me about 10min to find the purple one!), and [over]packed my stuff for my long run/relay leg. And then I didn't feel good again, and slept like trash. Woooo!

Saturday: 16mi 13.2mi long run....sort of. It was 80 degrees by 9am. I got up at 6am to get ready for the day, and was out the door just after 7am so I could help hand out skirts and give advice for pinning or adjusting the skirt during the run. Met up with the team I was running with (I only knew 1 person) and we figured out whose vehicle we would be using to get around the course, and who was running which leg, and so on. A few minutes after our first runner started I went and briskly walked 2mi, and got back about 10min before he finished his leg. Then we piled into the car to stop and cheer part way, and then on to the next exchange zone to wait for runner #2. While we waited at the exchange zone, I put my calf sleeves on and started getting my vest packed (I had kept everything in the cooler on ice so it would be cold when I put it on) and changed into the shoes I would run in. After the exchange from runner #2 to #3, we waited a few minutes for #2 to cool down, and then drove toward the next exchange zone, stopping at a township park with a porta. I put ice in my bandana, got my vest on, and then we waited at the exchange zone where I planned to run my 5mi section with my friend (who is also running the 50k and who was running the final leg of the relay, so we would both get a long run in.) I ate a huma and a pack of nerds gummies about 10min before I started running because at this point we were over 4hrs since I had eaten breakfast. And it was so freaking hot out. (I tried the watermelon-lime tailwind, and while I diluted it more than I "should" have, it was a nice change from unflavored and I'll probably buy a couple of packs to use during my race.)

Mile 1 was sub-12. Somehow. A little bit of adrenaline? IDK. But I knew I would probably blow up around mile 4 as a result. I was right. I started off with 40/20 intervals (because I didn't want to be too slow for the team to have a chance to place in an AG) but then started stretching them into more like 30/30. When I realized that my HR was sticking in the high 160s/mid 170s I switched to 30/30 and walked a few of the run intervals. And then I started having a headache feeling during the run intervals, so I switched to 15/30. My average pace was sub-13, which was my goal, but it cost me a lot. I ended up walking in the entire 10k leg; my friend took off and ran his own easy pace (around 10min pace) and then he made sure my cooler and shoes were put in the pavilion at the park where the race started. My achilles were SO ANGRY with me. My ankles were angry. I ran out of liquids in my vest with 2.5 miles to go. But one really cool thing about this race is that people who live along the course voluntarily set up water stations and gleefully spray runners down with garden hoses as they run past (unless you ask them to not spray you.) One man I passed said he's been doing it for 19 years! Small towns. I tell ya. They're great. We apparently did win an age-group award for our team, so I have a shirt AND a glass from this race now.

Sunday: I'm supposed to do 6mi today. But my achilles are still grumpy. And it's still really hot. And my stomach still isn't 100%. So TBD if I get anything in today.

I feel like I'm crashing and burning and I'm only 14 days out from the race. This isn't taper madness. Every run feels like garbage. I'm sooooo unmotivated to do the runs. My stress level just keeps ratcheting up with the end-of-summer schedule. Everything is just UGH right now.

 

[Herding_Cats]

OH. And I got to listen to one guy on my team talk about how SLOW he is. And how SLOW his marathon time is. Oh woe is me, a slow person who has only been running for 2 years with a 4:38 marathon. And I just kept saying, "That is NOT slow. Who are these people who are telling you that's a slow time?" *sigh*

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Ugh, that sounds like a stressful week. Even the fun part (the relay) would be tough on your body in those conditions. Maybe just take a few days off from running and see if that helps? You're close enough to race day that recovery matters more than additional training now.

 

[nancipants]

I’m sorry you’ve been having a rough go. Your runs have been really inspiring, though, and I can’t wait to hear about the race.

Side note: I see a LOT of ultra runners use those ice bandanas now! I really should try one, because Florida.

 

[The Expert]

I know you always have a lot going on, but maybe that on top of peak race prep is just too much? Give yourself a break and let your body rest and heal for a few days (or more).

 

[Herding_Cats]

Ugh, that sounds like a stressful week. Even the fun part (the relay) would be tough on your body in those conditions. Maybe just take a few days off from running and see if that helps? You're close enough to race day that recovery matters more than additional training now.

Yeah. I didn't end up running yesterday, and I'm spending a lot of time on my calf-stretching blocks (because that helped the most earlier this summer when they got like this.)

I know you always have a lot going on, but maybe that on top of peak race prep is just too much? Give yourself a break and let your body rest and heal for a few days (or more).

This is the most miles I've run in a training plan, and I haven't even been sticking to what the plan prescribes. And it's entirely possible that I'm just reaching what the limit is for my body at this point in time.

I’m sorry you’ve been having a rough go. Your runs have been really inspiring, though, and I can’t wait to hear about the race.

I felt so good after my 22mi run (which is kind of an insane thing to say) and since then it's just been....a slog. Like the only thing left to conquer is the race itself. And maybe it's that whole "I have to go bigger and longer, and what's the next thing I can do that's MORE" but idk. Maybe I'm just having a crappy hormones week.

I'm also VERY MUCH tired of it being mid-80s with 70%+ humidity. I like the heat, but I'm absolutely tired of running in it.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Side note: I see a LOT of ultra runners use those ice bandanas now! I really should try one, because Florida.

Completely separate post about ice bandanas.

You need 2 things: a bandana (mine is a 22in square and 100% cotton but you could probably use poly too) and a microfiber towel.

We have a big pack of the yellow mf towels from costco for cleaning stuff, so I just used that.

-Cut your mf towel into quarters. They'll be close to a square. I didn't measure, I just folded it, creased it, and then cut along the crease. Sew a very narrow basting "hem" onto the raw edge, serge the raw edge, whatever. You could probably just leave it if you didn't want to mess with it.

-Place your mf square on the center of your bandana like so, and pin it if you want to



-Sew 3 sides of the mf onto the bandana. Optionally sew some of the 4th side to the opening is smaller. That's it.


-Stuff the pocket with ice, but leave enough space you can fold the bandana so the mf is between your skin and the ice. Roll it up and tie it around your neck, your sports bra, your vest, whatever works for you.

If you have very basic sewing skills, you can make 4 of these for less than $10. (I already had the mf towels, and found clearance bandanas for $0.50 each, so I could make 4 of these for $2, which honestly, is a pretty unbeatable price.)

 

[WillRunForPizza]

I'm also VERY MUCH tired of it being mid-80s with 70%+ humidity. I like the heat, but I'm absolutely tired of running in it.

I have noticed that it is SO MUCH HARDER to recover when the temperature and particularly the humidity is high. Yeah, you adapt to the heat to a certain extent, but it also compounds: it takes three days instead of one to recover from a workout/long run, so then your easy/recovery runs are also harder, and it just stacks up until you feel exhausted all the time. We've had a couple of weeks of lower humidity here now, and I feel SO much better. Fingers crossed for better weather up there soon!

 

[Herding_Cats]

I have noticed that it is SO MUCH HARDER to recover when the temperature and particularly the humidity is high. Yeah, you adapt to the heat to a certain extent, but it also compounds: it takes three days instead of one to recover from a workout/long run, so then your easy/recovery runs are also harder, and it just stacks up until you feel exhausted all the time. We've had a couple of weeks of lower humidity here now, and I feel SO much better. Fingers crossed for better weather up there soon!

I've started looking at the extended forecast and I'm not excited.