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

[flav]

Congratulations on improving your 10k, your perseverance is amazing!

Thank you for the wishes, happy mother day to you. Have a great celebration trip!

 

[col1]

Congratulations on the PR , enjoy Portugal

 

[azrivest]

Recap of weeks #5 and #6 out of 7 in my DopeyBadger Half Marathon training plan...

Overall I'm starting to feel tired. I can tell I'm at the end of another training cycle. My body is started to look forward to resting for a bit. 6 days/week of running is a lot, even though I'm not working.

Week of May 13th:
1) Mon EA6 - 5.95k
2) Tue EA6 M Tempo, or 2 km WU + 4 km @ M Tempo + 1 km WU + 4 km @ M Tempo + 1 km CD
We were travelling overnight on Tuesday and I knew it was going to be difficult to fit my run on Wednesday in, so I swapped my workout a day early and ended up skipping the easy run the next day.
I was not looking forward to this run as I felt tired, but I managed to hit the paces without having to push.
3) Wed EA6 - Nothing
We arrived in Porto in the afternoon and I could have gone for a run. Instead I chose to enjoy the evening with my husband drinking port wine on our balcony. I chose balance.


4) Thu EA8 - 8.18km
I ran along the Douro river. I truly am blessed to be able to do this.

We also did a lot of walking during the next two days and Porto and Gaia are super hilly, so even though I ran on flat ground, I got that hill work in. And we did a 7 glass port wine tasting in the afternoon. I'm surprised the week went as well as it did with the amount of alcohol consumed.

5) Fri EB10 + Strides - 10.04k
It poured during my run. Like shoes were sloshed. I did my strides in the middle of my run instead of at the end since that was the area where the pavement was least slippery. it was still 10km along the south bank of the Douro river, so not bad at all.


6) Sun 12 km @ Long Run + 4 km @ M Tempo - 16.01km
I was feeling completely dead and did not know where I would get the energy to run 16k, much less 4 at M Tempo. My first two km were super slow and then my body fell into a good rhythm. It's almost like I've trained for this My avg tempo pace was 6:37/km, when my prescribed pace is 6:34, so overall I'm super pleased.

(Interesting fact: the people with backpacks in these pictures are all pilgrims walking the Caminho de Santiago. There were quite a few of them on the path. The camino must be crowded this time of year.)

For a total of 5 runs and 52.18km

Week of May 20th:
We were travelling back home on Monday and I had no energy to do my run when we got back. So I pushed all my runs back.
1) Tue EA6 - 6.05k
2) Wed EA6 - 6.27km
3) Thu HM Cut, or 1 km WU + 3k @ 6:20 w/ 4 min Rest + 3k @ 6:10 w/ 4 min Rest + 3k @ 6:00 + 1 km CD
Again did this on the half marathon course to practice finishing in tough conditions when I'm tired.
4) Fri EA8 - 8.03km
6) Sat EB10 + Strides - 10.07
6) Sun Fast Finish 6 km @ EB + 6 km @ Long Run
Went out too slow for the first 6k because my brain mistakenly thought I was aiming for EA pace and just did whatever.

For a total of 6 runs and 54.29km

In theory I should go out have 5 runs this week, rest on Saturday and race my half on Sunday. Dunno if pushing all my runs back a day was the best approach as that has me running 11 days in a row from last Tuesday to next Friday. I am tired!!

 

[azrivest]

Recap of week #7 out of 7 in my DopeyBadger Half Marathon training plan...

That taper thing seemed to work as I was feeling great all during the week. I hit my paces during my runs and I was feeling spring and full of energy, such a difference from the week before.

1) Mon EA6 - 5.77k
It was raining so I cut it a bit short.
2) Tue EA6 - 3.47km + 2.54km
It started downpouring while I was running and I had forgotten my water bottle so I cut my run short and finished on the treadmill.
3) Wed Mini Prog, or 2 km WU + 2 sets of (6 min of HM Tempo + 2 min of CV + 1 min of 5k + 2 min RI) + 1 km CD
This felt easy. Like woah, I can hit my HM pace and speed up after a few minutes. My confidence was through the roof after this workout.
4) Thu EA6 - 6.06k
Tried to do this later in the day as mornings had been great (i.e. cool) for running, but the forecast for the HM was on the warmer side.
5) Fri EB4 + Strides - 4.17km
Ditto

I was feeling pumped on Friday/Saturday thinking I was so ready for the race and I was going to smash it.

Course des pompiers 2024 (Fireman Race 2024, HM's version)

I had done this race previously in June 2022 with a finish time of 2:16:20 which, at the time, had been my first non-virtual official raced half marathon.

My A-goal was to go <2:15. Starting my training cycle, I knew it was going to be a difficult goal as this race is held at the beginning of June, which is often too warm for this Northerner, and the race finishes with two climbs in the last 2 miles. But the finish line is literally 800m from my house, so it'd be silly to not participate right?

But then I got that time off from work. For the first time in my life, I had all the time in the world to run and strength train. Of course that meant that I started putting way too much into the race, thinking I'd never be in better shape and those two hills would become a piece of cake. Since the end of the course is in my neighborhood, I also had many opportunities to practice the course on my workout days. See above, thinking I'd smash it.

Billy wrote to me the day before to "Have fun, stay positive and finish faster than you started". So that my approach going into the race. The finish fast part was going to be dfficult, seeing the race course. I was going to give it my all.

My wave of the race started at 9:15. I knew from the get-go that it was going to be tough. I tried to stay positive, thinking about Billy's experience from his last marathon when he knew soon into the race that it wasn't going to be his day. That's how it felt for me. I didn't have the energy. The temps at start were 66+43 which might seem low for ppl in Florida. For me who's used to running in the 45-55 range, it felt hot. And of course it got hotter as the race progressed.

I did manage to have fun, especially since a few minutes into the race I met up with a fellow DISer She was inspiring and uplifting and I'm so grateful to have crossed her path.

The last time, I had gotten out way too fast and started crashing around the halfway point. This time, I started even in the first half and started crashing around the halfway point. I called my husband at KM10 to talk to me through a rough mental point, knowing there was no way I could finish faster. I was struggling to stay positive. My splits managed to stay so-so even until KM15 when I started walking and everything went off the rails. I was feeling dizzy when walking, so it didn't feel right to start running too quickly again.

I crossed the 10 mile mark at 1:44:04. The water stations were starting to run out of water at that point Maybe I wasn't the only one finding the temps too warm?

My last three splits were 7:17 (first uphill), 6:15 (downhill), 7:09 (second uphill), when my target should have been around 6:19. I even walked in the last 500 yards of the race which I am super not proud of.

I finished in an official time of 2:18:35.

Oh, and that meant a placement of 1042 / 1363 overall, and 45 / 73 in my age group. Ouch. 2:18 doesn't seem that slow to me!!

In the end, I don't know if it's the heat, or the pre-race preparation, or picking the wrong shoes, or just nothing at all. I didn't reach my goal and that's okay. When I think about it, it was only my 3rd "raced" half marathon in an official setting. Most of my halfs have been at Disney where I run for fun. I was pretty depressed after my race yesterday. Today, I'm changing this into a "I need more experience racing half marathons" mindset. I'm looking to see if I want to try to find a HM at the end of the summer or somewhere in October when it's cooler. My only next race on the calendar is the Disney 2025 Marathon.

I'm going to take a few weeks of respite from running and try to enjoy my last 4 weeks off. My husband says I won't last two weeks before putting my running shoes on again

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on celebrating your victory lap for the training cycle!

Looks like the end of the race was a T+D of 116 or so. So a 2:18:35 is more like a 2:17:12 under ideal conditions using the T+D training adjustment. And then I've personally found that racing requires another step (minus one VDOT) in the adjustment because there's no rest breaks like in training. So 2:17:12 is more like a 2:13:45 under ideal conditions. That's all to say, that heat (especially for us northerners) can dramatically impact performance. Take my 2023 Spring HM race performances:

3/11/23 - 10k - T+D 44 - 42:42 (VDOT 48.1)
3/26/23 - HM - T+D 64 - 1:33:55 (VDOT 48.5)
4/15/23 - HM - T+D 124 - 1:36:36 (VDOT 47.0)
4/29/23 - HM - T+D 79 - 1:32:25 (VDOT 49.4)

My fitness didn't reasonably change that much between 4/29 and 3/26. Yet, I saw a 2.4 VDOT dip between two HMs separated by 2 weeks. The 1:32:25 would have been a 1:33:48 just solely with the T+D adjustment. But add in another -1 on VDOT and you get a 1:35:45 (47.6). Much closer to the 1:36:36 I ran, than just the 1:33.

That's all to say, it's hard to say definitively, but T+D can have a large impact on performance in racing. So I wouldn't potentially over evaluate what occurred in this particular race. It's conceivable under better conditions that a 2:14-2:16 was doable.

 

[azrivest]

In other news, my DD had her end-of-year cheer gala last night, so it was an opportunity for me to celebrate.

She won "Best in Jumps" and was named "Best Overall Athlete" in her team.


She told me this morning "Mommy, I'm so proud that I don't know how to put it in words". This Cheer Mom's heart was bursting for her, to have all her hard work acknowledged.

But what's great about cheer is the friendships they create. I love this sport for her.

 

[GollyGadget]

Great job finishing your race! It wasn’t the time you wanted, but you were so close!!!! I know you could do it in better conditions.

There was a half marathon that finished about 1km from my house this weekend but I didn’t run in it because I’ve learned that it’s just too hot for me this time of year.

 

[azrivest]

If anyone's interested, I just watched this video from Greg McMillan that explains his view on low intensity HR training:

The best bit starts at around the 20 minute mark

As someone who has a tendency to fixate on HR and my watch stats, felt good to listen to this. I'm in the category of runners that needs to walk to keep my HR low (target should be 142 but I'm regularly in the 150-155 range)

 

[Herding_Cats]

If anyone's interested, I just watched this video from Greg McMillan that explains his view on low intensity HR training:

The best bit starts at around the 20 minute mark

As someone who has a tendency to fixate on HR and my watch stats, felt good to listen to this. I'm in the category of runners that needs to walk to keep my HR low (target should be 142 but I'm regularly in the 150-155 range)

Wow. This was fantastic. Thank you for sharing! I am 100% there with you on the low HR=walking pace, which is really frustrating with everything you see online about HR zone, and easy running, and ugh.

 

[azrivest]

I'm still alive... June has been a... vibe... as the younguns would say.

I took about 10 days off following my HM. DD and I took a quick trip to WDW to celebrate my bday. It was my first non-runDisney trip in 5 years and it felt soo weird not waking up at 2 am every day haha. It was SO hot. I tried to go running on June 5th for the Garmin badge around the resort and I was drenched in sweat after 10 minutes.


My mood quickly plummeted on my return. My idea was to take my last few weeks at home easy by doing puzzles, relaxing, listening to podcasts, etc. but it was like I was on PMS on steroids all the time. I was no fun to be around. My therapist suggested I start running again since the no exercise was probably affecting my mental health. But it's a bit frustrating to think that running is the only thing keeping my irritability and anxiety at bay. I don't want it to become an obligation. And I can't always keep a 5-6 runs/week schedule, life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm thinking of seeing my GP to get back on Zoloft if it keeps up.

I was just getting back into running when, in the same day, I broke my toe and DS had to get 8 baby teeth removed. yes, 8. One of the wounds wouldn't close properly so I had to spend two days (and two nights) nursing him. This was one tired momma!

I've signed up for a HM on October 6th, which would segue into marathon training in mid-October. I've restarted my McMillan Half plan, which has 4 runs with 2 additional optional easy runs. I'll stick to the 4 runs/week and only do the 5th or 6th if I'm really feeling it. Maybe @WillRunForPizza you can tell me if that's a good approach or not? I don't think I can commit to consistently running 5 days/week in the next few months...

 

[WillRunForPizza]

What a rough return to real life! Hope things are going a little more smoothly now.

I've signed up for a HM on October 6th, which would segue into marathon training in mid-October. I've restarted my McMillan Half plan, which has 4 runs with 2 additional optional easy runs. I'll stick to the 4 runs/week and only do the 5th or 6th if I'm really feeling it. Maybe @WillRunForPizza you can tell me if that's a good approach or not? I don't think I can commit to consistently running 5 days/week in the next few months...

I've trained for a half running four days a week, so I think it's enough to prepare you for the race. (Okay, I've also trained for a half running approximately 0.4 days a week, but let's stick to the ones where I was actually doing the training )

What's the breakdown for the runs? With that schedule, I definitely wouldn't do more than one day of speed work a week, and every other week might be better. IIRC, the Higdon Novice 2 plan (I think that's the 4-day one I used) had HM-pace runs every other week, and everything else was easy. You could add strides 1-2 days a week without upsetting that balance, though.

 

[azrivest]

What's the breakdown for the runs? With that schedule, I definitely wouldn't do more than one day of speed work a week, and every other week might be better. IIRC, the Higdon Novice 2 plan (I think that's the 4-day one I used) had HM-pace runs every other week, and everything else was easy. You could add strides 1-2 days a week without upsetting that balance, though.

McMillan's plans usually have the same structure more or less:
- Easy
- Recovery (Off, Cross-Train or Optional Run)
- Workout (anything from cruise intervals, hill repeats, tempo runs or goal pace runs)
- Recovery (Off, Cross-Train or Optional Run)
- Easy
- Long (which can become Fast Finish runs towards the end of the cycle)
- Off

 

[WillRunForPizza]

So if you're running four days a week, I would do either a weekday workout or a long run with a fast finish, not both. Having had issues potentially related to doing too much hard stuff in a week, I'm inclined to be cautious! If anything doesn't feel right, you should absolutely feel free to swap faster paces for an easy/recovery run. I think just getting the miles in is more important than the specific work you're doing.

 

[Herding_Cats]

My mood quickly plummeted on my return. My idea was to take my last few weeks at home easy by doing puzzles, relaxing, listening to podcasts, etc. but it was like I was on PMS on steroids all the time. I was no fun to be around. My therapist suggested I start running again since the no exercise was probably affecting my mental health. But it's a bit frustrating to think that running is the only thing keeping my irritability and anxiety at bay. I don't want it to become an obligation. And I can't always keep a 5-6 runs/week schedule, life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm thinking of seeing my GP to get back on Zoloft if it keeps up.

Here for all of this. 100%. I know exactly how this feels. And it sucks and made me a little angry at running. I will say that things leveled out a bit once my brain "got used to" not having all of the running endorphins and such but UUUUUGH. And when I DID pms, it was the WORST.

FWIW, you might just be able to call your GP about getting back on your meds and not have to deal with the office visit. Just having them in the house if you need it might help.

 

[azrivest]

Here for all of this. 100%. I know exactly how this feels.

Thank you, really.

 

[azrivest]

The plan this week was to do the following:

- Strength training
- Easy
- Off
- Progression Run
- Strength training
- Easy
- Long Run


What I actually got done:
- Strength training
- Easy
- Off
- Progression Run
- Strength training
- Easy
- Long Run

While doing my strength training, I busted up my other pinkie toe, which meant that I was hobbling on both feet. I'm usually the kind of runner who needs to check off boxes and will go running no matter what. This weekend I just decided to give up and stay off my feet to give my toes time to heal. I enjoyed my backyard and a few White Claws. I was feeling pretty good last night but my toe is still black and blue today. I might go running anyway tomorrow, I'm getting antsy...

 

[superchime]

Your poor little piggies!

 

[azrivest]

I went running this morning but it was a bad idea (and it was pouring rain, like marathon 2024 drenched). I'll continue resting up...

 

[azrivest]

I haven't updated my journal since mid-July?

I've been struggling all summer with running, and it hasn't been because of the heat. My toes have taken a while to heal (I can still feel it in my right one). A lot of parts of my anatomy have been aching - my left ankle, my right knee. I got sick with the C word at the beginning of August. And I am just struggling with the motivation to get out 4-5 times a week. Almost like I'm burnt out of running at the moment. I'll pat myself on the back by keeping up with my strength training, I still do it at least 1-2 times a week which for me is really good.

Also, summer time is so short in Quebec and I want to spend it with my family and friends, enjoying those nightly get-togethers and lazy mornings with no school bus alarm.

I had signed up for that Oct 6th half hoping it would drive me to run more, but I'm thinking at this point to DNS and concentrate on the Marathon in Jan. Heh, just writing this makes me feel lighter. I'll continue aiming for 3-4 runs per week without putting pressure on myself.

16 weeks out from January 12th has me starting marathon training on September 23rd... What should I aim to have as average weekly mileage by then? I've been in the 25-30k range in August.

 

[DopeyBadger]

16 weeks out from January 12th has me starting marathon training on September 23rd... What should I aim to have as average weekly mileage by then? I've been in the 25-30k range in August.

You want to be comfortable with around 50% of what you'd want to peak at. This gives you a place where you still leave room to ramp up, but also not so little that you're putting yourself at higher risk for injury. So if you'd like to peak at say 6 hrs per week, then be comfortable with at least 3 hrs by the time training starts. Just make sure that getting to that 1/2 peak level doesn't also take a ramp up to get there because then your body won't perceive it as a 5 week run-in + 16 week training plan, and more so like a 21 week training plan.