I won't give in till I reach the end... and then I'll start again (comments welcome)

[azrivest]

I'm also on track for my 1000 miles in 2021. Only 46 miles to go!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I get why @DopeyBadger is so kind to make training plans for all of us. It felt really good to help out my fellow runners on Sunday. I wish I had had people to help me in the first few years when I thought that an 8k run was going to be the death of me. I started out having trouble running 20 minutes continuously to running half-marathons, and aiming for my first marathon in 2022. Therein lies the beauty of running. It doesn't matter how fast you are, the personal accomplishments each of us can achieve are amazing.

This is exactly why I spend the hours doing what I do.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Ooo forgot to add. I got my running tank in the mail that I ordered on Etsy. I know I am 0% original bounding as Tiana for the 10k, but I'm super-psyched for the look so far.

I'm thinking of ordering the green Asics Magic Speed just to complete the look lol (I'm a bit of a running shoe nut)

Sparkle Athletic has a "lily pad" visor that would 1000% go with this. (I'm hat-hunting this morning and when I saw it I had to find this post to let you know. LOL!)

 

[azrivest]

Sparkle Athletic has a "lily pad" visor that would 1000% go with this. (I'm hat-hunting this morning and when I saw it I had to find this post to let you know. LOL!)

Thanks for the tip. The visor is nice, and also is their lime green one

I'll wait after MW to see if I can pick it up at the expo directly instead of having it mailed.

 

[azrivest]

Week 10 of 21
We are ...

... give or take a few


Summary:

• Running Distance = 22.06 miles, so less than last week when i should have done more. Hmm?
• Running Time = 4h20
• S&C time = 1h24

Monday

• EB8k : Cut this down to 3.69 miles/6k since I had run 4k extra the day before, 43:51
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 2

Tuesday

• Blind Progression run of 4.89 miles, 53:06

Wednesday

• EA5k : 3.19 miles in 40:10 with my running group
• vo2Max went up to 43, score!!!

Thursday

• 1h of yoga

Friday

• EB5.25k : 3.26 miles, 37:40
• My legs felt so heavy today. All those mornings of getting up at 4:45 to go running before life starts its day are starting to wear me down. I hit my target pace of 11:40/mile but as easy runs should feel easy, I should have run slower.
• Didn't help that we had 30 mph gusts of wind.
• I did my McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 2 while watching a movie with the kids in the evening rather

Saturday

• Rest day

Sunday

• LR11.5k: 7.04 miles, 1:25:00
• Speaking of running in winter/snow. We had about 5 inches of snow overnight. Streets were plowed but it was still pretty uneven. I put my foot through a hole without seeing it and hurt my ankle.
• -5° with a bright sun. Great weather.

So I'm now sitting drafting this weekly wrapup with a bag of ice around my ankle. Hopefully it doesn't hinder my training. I'm only 28 miles away from my 1000 mile goal with 12 days to go in 2021! I'm looking forwards to those 2 weeks off around xmas time to go running at a normal hour when the sun is up.

Happy running all!

 

[GollyGadget]

Hope you're ankle is feeling better!

Yearly distance goals are good for motivation but it's still a tremendous accomplishment to run 975 miles. If you need to take some time off to rest the ankle, give yourself permission to do that so that you're ready for race day.

 

[azrivest]

Especially since I've nearly doubled my mileage in 2 years, so that's a major accomplishment too!

 

[SheHulk]

Hope you're ankle is feeling better!

Yearly distance goals are good for motivation but it's still a tremendous accomplishment to run 975 miles. If you need to take some time off to rest the ankle, give yourself permission to do that so that you're ready for race day.

+1 on all this. I set a goal to run 2021km in 2021 (because I will never reach 2021 miles!). That would be a little over 1,255 miles. But it looks like I will get to 1200 and that's it, because I took some time off after my November marathon and am only slowly building up to my taper for January. I got a little crazy for a few days after the marathon, thinking I should just run those extra 50 miles this month to meet the goal But I quickly realized, it's a pretty arbitrary goal, and the fact that I even got close was good for my fitness in itself! Better for my fitness than running myself ragged with 2 marathons spaced 6 weeks apart. If your ankle is doing great, by all means, get that goal, but don't jeopardize anything else over it.

 

[azrivest]

Week 12 of 21
We are ...


... from the start of Princess Weekend Expo!

Hope everyone got/will get the ADRs they want. We're not really foodies in my family and are mainly planning on quick service. But when I saw 'Ohana available for Sunday night I grabbed it.

So I woke up on Monday morning with my ankle still sore. Immediately booked an appointment with my PT for Tuesday at lunch and put off all running during that time. She told me it was probably my common fibular nerve that was irritated and it wasn't a very dangerous injury. She taped my foot and sent me off running, as long as the pain level didn't go over 2/10. I stuck to easy runs for the rest of the week, just in case.

In other news, Omicron has spiked cases up here, so my running group is on hiatus as a precautionary measure. So back to running by myself each and every day. I'm gonna need to sign up for some new podcasts soon.

Summary:

• Running Distance = 19.66 miles
• Running Time = 3h55
• S&C time = 0h36

Monday

• Total rest day

Tuesday

• Did my McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 2 in the morning
• After my physiotherapy appointment, decided to skip the harder Blind Progression run planned for Tuesday and did yesterday's EB6k

Wednesday

• EA4k : 2.49 miles in 30:50

Thursday

• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 2 to replace my yoga since my yoga teacher is on a 3-week holiday

Christmas Eve!

• EB6k : 3.73 miles, 44:13
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 2

Christmas Day!

• LR8k: 5.34 miles in 1:02:10
• We had a light snow fall all night so we had a clean 1-2 inches of snow on the ground. Postcard-worthy, but hard on the stabilizers. Slowed down a bit compared to my planned 11:21 pace
• My vo2Max had peaked at 43 last week, but went down to 42 soon after, and on this day went down again to 41. Doesn't my watch know that it's cold and snowy and harder to keep the same pace at the same HR?

Sunday

• Was supposed to be a rest day, but did Monday's EB8 already since we're gonna be away for a few days.
• EB8k: 4.5 miles in 53:54
• Again, slowed down compared to my planned pace and that's okay!

I now have 8.2 miles left to my 1000 mile objective. I'm pretty proud of myself I might even skip again the BP run on Tuesday and just relax.

 

[azrivest]

I also got my Xmas present from me to me delivered on Thursday. I now have two costumes to choose from for the HM, depending on the weather. A Merida dress if it's hot and a warrior Mulan costume if the temps are colder. And either one I don't wear I can reuse for a future race. What do you think?

 

[GollyGadget]

I also got my Xmas present from me to me delivered on Thursday. I now have two costumes to choose from for the HM, depending on the weather. A Merida dress if it's hot and a warrior Mulan costume if the temps are colder. And either one I don't wear I can reuse for a future race. What do you think?

I'm not sure I would recognize warrior Mulan but I love the costume and the theme!

 

[azrivest]

To quote Dora the Explorer: "We did it!"

I did my last run of 2021 this morning and hit 1,000.09 mi

 

[GollyGadget]

Congratulations! ️

 

[Naomeri]

Good job!! That’s a lot of miles!

 

[azrivest]

Week 13 of 21
We are 53 days from the start of Princess Weekend Expo!

I took a few days off at the start of the week to go to our cabin.

On Wednesday, my DS6 asked to go running with me. We used the 30/30 approach, even though she wanted to gun it. It was so fun, I hope we go again

Finally, got a pair of Asics Magic Speed as a gift for Xmas, that go with my Tiana outfit for the 10k. I'm hoping for better conditions to try them out before the race.

Summary:

• Running Distance = 16.47 miles
• Running Time = 3h15
• S&C time = 0h31

Monday & Tuesday

• Cabin day.

Wednesday

• 0.46 miles with Addie
• EA7k : 4.56 miles in 56:30
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 3

Thursday

• Rest day

New Year's Eve!

• EB5k : 3.27 miles, 38:59
• Extended my run a little bit to hit 1000 miles total in my year
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 3

New Year's Day!

• LR13k: 8.18 miles in 1:32:54
• Was a pretty hard run in the snow/slush/puddles. I should have slowed down just a wee bit more.
• Tested my nutrition strategy per Coach Billy's training plan. Still not a fan of gels, they are just so sweet. But they do help for my energy level.
  • Gu Strawberry-Banana
  • Clif Razz

Sunday

• Rest day

Happy 2020, uh 2021, uh 2022 year to everyone!

 

[azrivest]

Week 14 of 21
We are

from the start of Princess Weekend Expo!

Training this week has been harder. Temps have gone down and it's been snowing pretty much every day, so there is always a fine layer of snow on the ground. Pacing went out the window. My goal was only to do the mileage and enjoy the winter running.

We spent some time at the cabin so I went running on the lake and in the surrounding mountains.

Also, last highlight of the week: I signed up for my first marathon in October!

Summary:

• Running Distance = 25.82 miles
• Running Time = 5h22
• S&C time = 0h27

Monday

• EB8k: 4.89 miles in 59:32
• 1 mile walk around the lake, which is exactly 1 mile around

Tuesday

• Blind progression run: 5.72 miles in 1:06:29
• Cut this run a bit short as it was snowing
• According to Garmin Connect, it was 1 degree out.

Wednesday

• EA5k : 2.9 miles in 39:00
• This was done by running 3 times around the lake
  
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 3
• 1.33 mile hike up the mountain

Thursday

• Rest day

Friday

• EB6k : 3.73 miles, 46:43
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 3

Saturday

• LR11k: 5.9 miles in 1:13:59
• Feels like of -5F
• The week of snow/cold running started to hit me. My pace slowed down so I cut the run short.

Sunday

• Today was suppoed to be a rest day but just got back from a short run
• My running group organised a New Year's fun run
• Did a real easy 2.67 mile run
• My legs felt like lead. Didn't help that I was wearing my Salomon SpeedCross considering the nasty road conditions.

What's up for next week? Temps are supposed to go down even more this week. They're forecasting a feels like of -37C/-34F on Tuesday night, so even I have my limits. I'll have to move indoors, at least for Tuesday and Wednesday's runs.

With Omicron, everything has been shut down in Quebec, including gyms, restaurants and all stores on Sundays. We even have a curfew from 10pm to 5am. My plan of going to the gym to use the treadmill has gone out the window. Luckily, I was able to find a friend who isn't using her treadmill so I'm going to pick it up later today. I'll also use the treadmill to try out my new race-day shoes, since road conditions are less than ideal.

Did not realize when I signed up for Princess that peak mileage would be done in the coldest month of the year...

 

[HangWithMerida]

Your weather is crazy cold! I’m in southern TX wishing on a star for cold weather, and by cold I mean dropping into the 30’s F! It’s been so warm this winter down here I’ve had some mornings that were just a few degrees cooler than the same time in the summer. I did W&D HM a couple of times and training for a Nov HM is brutal for me, probably pretty nice for you! It’s impressive to see people get out in those conditions.

 

[azrivest]

Your weather is crazy cold! I’m in southern TX wishing on a star for cold weather, and by cold I mean dropping into the 30’s F! It’s been so warm this winter down here I’ve had some mornings that were just a few degrees cooler than the same time in the summer. I did W&D HM a couple of times and training for a Nov HM is brutal for me, probably pretty nice for you! It’s impressive to see people get out in those conditions.

On the bright side, you won't need to do any heat acclimation?

I'm flying in on the Wednesday night, so I'll have ~30 hours to get used to the Florida humidity

 

[HangWithMerida]

On the bright side, you won't need to do any heat acclimation?

I'm flying in on the Wednesday night, so I'll have ~30 hours to get used to the Florida humidity

That would be such a shock to the system! Houston is very similar to Orlando so even though it will feel super hot and humid to y’all, for me it is likely to still be pretty “nice” weather In Feb.

 

[azrivest]

Week 15 of 21
It's crazy to think there are less than 6 weeks before the start of the races!



What's that saying? When life hands you lemons, drink tequila? Maybe I should change my journal title

This week was a mix of emotions. Days that weren't freakin' cold were snowy. Training was hard. I am really proud of myself actually. By looking at it one day at a time, I was able to mostly get through all my planned runs.

I got a used treadmill from a friend. Have no idea how to calibrate it. I run at a pace of 6:30 according to my watch, and 8:00 according to the treadmill. Anyone know which one I should rely on more? I've been going by time because of this.

I also had to deal with my kids at home and distance-learning.

Summary:

• Running Distance = 27.22 miles
• Running Time = 5h27
• S&C time = 0h12, eep!

Monday

• EB8.25k: 7.72k in 58:51
• My first run on a treadmill. I felt really tired at the end, so I think the treadmill indicated pace is faster than what the treadmill screen shows.

Tuesday

• HM tempo: 8.78k in 1:05:41
• Outside temps were in the -10Fs so also used the treadmill.
• At least I got to try out my Magic Speed yay!

Wednesday

• EA7.75k : 6.08k in 39:00
• I forgot that my running group was only running 5k today. Did an extra 1k loop afterwards. Eh, what you gonna do?

Thursday

• Rest day

Friday

• EB6.25k : 6.96k in 53:09
• I tried to catch up a bit for my shortened run on Wednesday
• McMillan Core Stage 2 Level 3

Saturday

• LR14.25k: 10k in 1:12:35 +4.25?? in 28 minutes
• Outside temp was -13F, excluding wind chill. Got dressed like an inuit (you might see the pic on the PW thread) and decided to go out for as long as it felt comfortable. Finally ended up doing 10k. I could have done more if I hadn't run out of Kleenex and my water bottles hadn't frozen shut.
• Tried two more GU packets. They're starting to grow on me! Easier than chewing frozen Honey Stingers at least
• Finished the last 30 minutes on the treadmill

Sunday

• Rest day

I am so happy I have my treadmill. Tomorrow's supposed to bring ~12 inches of snow. And the rest of the week is back to freakin cold. I'll get to catch up on so many Disney movies I haven't watched in years on my treadmill!

So, who's up for tequila?