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

[Naomeri]

I do all of my strength training (and yoga, Pilates, and barre) in front of the tv in the evenings. But I have my own tv, so I don’t have to worry about blocking anyone else’s view.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

If I were making up my own strength routines, I'd be really tempted to stop after only a little, but I do Fitness Blender videos which 99.9% of the time keep me going through the end of the workout. As for starting, I think that's just habit at this point. Plus I've written strength training and core work into my plan, so I have to do it. It says so right there

 

[azrivest]

Just saw this meme on Instagram and thought Hey that's me!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Can anybody from Team Not-So-Fast tell me what's the most training hours you've done in preparation for Dopey?

This was my peak week in my plan and I was at 7 1/2 hours. My longest run was just under 3 hours. I’m “only” doing the marathon but the plan was designed for Dopey. I say do it!

 

[azrivest]

Just finished my run and it's a feels like of 3F right now. my thighs froze, my cheeks froze and my stretch marks froze (iykyk)

I don't think I have it in me for another BP run in this cold weather. @DopeyBadger do you know what I could do instead? I could try the treadmill but I would have no clue how to run by feel...

 

[GollyGadget]

You are a superstar! The coldest I've had to run in this season was 20. Single digits is when I start considering the treadmill as well.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I don't think I have it in me for another BP run in this cold weather. @DopeyBadger do you know what I could do instead? I could try the treadmill but I would have no clue how to run by feel...

So is it a:

1) No more hard runs outside including blind progressions.

Or

2) I'll run hard outside in the cold, just not a blind progression.

If #2, what is particularly bad about blind progressions in the cold?

 

[azrivest]

So is it a:

1) No more hard runs outside including blind progressions.

Or

2) I'll run hard outside in the cold, just not a blind progression.

If #2, what is particularly bad about blind progressions in the cold?

I felt okay doing my run this morning. The main thing is: I don't think I could have picked it up enough for long+faster intervals. My thighs really felt frozen. Maybe it would help if I went when the sun was out, but it will be difficult to go out in the middle of the day because of work. (Caveat, I wasn't the best dressed for the weather. I have warmer running tights that I could also wear but they were in the wash.)

I compared last year's same workout and it was done around 0C/32F temps. I don't seem to have run any harder runs in December when it was really cold out. December 2021 seemed to have been milder.

 

[azrivest]

Looking outside, I see a bright blue sky and full sun. Looks so much nicer and appealing than my 5am run today. So I might just try to extend my lunch hour to fit in that BP run.

I'll go with what you feel is best

 

[DopeyBadger]

You could break the progression into three even intervals instead. So instead of getting progressively faster from start to finish, you do get faster, then slow, then repeat again.

Like 6 min steady, 3 min faster, 1 min fast. With a 3-4 min rest period between intervals.

Sometimes people have the opposite problem with shorter intervals in the cold that the body gets cold during RI and is hard to get back in the groove.

Either way it’s a single run and won’t have a huge impact on the big picture.

 

[azrivest]

I'll quote The Expert and say I went out for my run at lunch and "Did NOT die!". Thank you to winter sunshine, Vaseline and fleece-lined tights for getting the job done.

Last week:

• My splits were 2.28k in 15min, 1.64k in 10min, 0.84k in 5 min

This week:

• My splits were 3.17k in 20min, 1.66k in 10min, 0.83k in 5 min

I probably went out too fast, but seeing as it's a BP run, that's what happens!

I'm far from my 6 min/km pace if I want to run a 10k in under 60 minutes... What do you think @DopeyBadger? Should I soldier on with the plan?

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'll quote The Expert and say I went out for my run at lunch and "Did NOT die!". Thank you to winter sunshine, Vaseline and fleece-lined tights for getting the job done.

Last week:

• My splits were 2.28k in 15min, 1.64k in 10min, 0.84k in 5 min

This week:

• My splits were 3.17k in 20min, 1.66k in 10min, 0.83k in 5 min

I probably went out too fast, but seeing as it's a BP run, that's what happens!

I'm far from my 6 min/km pace if I want to run a 10k in under 60 minutes... What do you think @DopeyBadger? Should I soldier on with the plan?

A 60 min 10k is 6 min/km or 9:38 min/mile. According to Strava, you ran the last 16 min at about 9:41 pace. That's a solid effort when you've got several months to go before race day. Just keep putting in the work, and see what race day has in store for you.

 

[azrivest]

Not in a good headspace and don't feel like doing a full weekly report right now. Just finished my long run after 10 inches of snow fell in the last 36 hours. My vo2Max went down, again. I know it's just one statistic, but I'm so sick of working hard and not seeing any improvement. Oh and I went running with my group on Wednesday night and slightly sprained my ankle. It's sensitive but not enough to feel pain when running. Really feel like not running at all this week and just saying screw it.

Sorry for all the readers, my training journal has probably been depressing in the last few weeks.

Only bright spot in my running week is my bro found a super shoe sale at Dick's and got me a pair of Endorphin Pro 3 for 75$.

 

[azrivest]

 

[SheHulk]

It sure looks pretty even if it’s no fun to run through!
And I know it’s hard not to get emotionally tied to the numbers. One day does t mean anything for real though.

 

[GollyGadget]

Don't stress over the vo2max! Garmin vo2max is based on your heart rate vs pace. This can be impacted by all sorts of things... stress, illness, lack of sleep, weather, course, etc.

 

[azrivest]

Don't stress over the vo2max! Garmin vo2max is based on your heart rate vs pace. This can be impacted by all sorts of things... stress, illness, lack of sleep, weather, course, etc.

Rationally I know. It's just hard when that's the first thing that pops up on your watch when you finish your run. And I've never figured out how to deactivate that feature. I've tried.

 

[The Expert]

Can anybody from Team Not-So-Fast tell me what's the most training hours you've done in preparation for Dopey?

This is my peak week, and I'm at 28 miles. My longest LR was just under 3 hours. I did a bit more last year for my first Dopey plan, but I have had to adjust this year due to missed runs.

 

[DopeyBadger]

It's not race day. If you were in peak fitness/great shape today, we'd be worried about whether you peaked too early. Keep putting in the work, and let what happens happen.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Not in a good headspace and don't feel like doing a full weekly report right now. Just finished my long run after 10 inches of snow fell in the last 36 hours. My vo2Max went down, again. I know it's just one statistic, but I'm so sick of working hard and not seeing any improvement. Oh and I went running with my group on Wednesday night and slightly sprained my ankle. It's sensitive but not enough to feel pain when running. Really feel like not running at all this week and just saying screw it.

Ugh, that sounds like a crappy kind of week. If you need to skip a few runs to get your body and mind back into a good space, don't sweat it! (Literally or figuratively )