Keep Moving Forward: A Training Log (Comments Welcome)

[lhermiston]

When I left things off last week, I was feeling pretty blah. It had been a rough week of training and my body wasn't feeling the best. My hopes were that I would rebound this week, especially with one of my last major training runs coming up on Sunday.

Tuesday
6 miles @ EA. Actual run was 6 miles @ 9:48/mile. Just outside of the EA range. I don't recall much about this run, good or bad.

Wednesday
1 mile WU + 7 miles Tempo + 1 mile CD. Actual run was 9 miles @ 8:44/mile. I needed this run. I had a rough day at work and sometimes just going out for a run is a good way to clear my head, regain some confidence, etc. All in all, it was a good run.

Friday
6 miles @ EA. Actual run was 6 miles @ 9:15/mile. Much too fast for an EA run. Honestly, I'm getting pretty burnt out on running at night. Add in the fact that it was Friday and pretty darn cold and I just wanted to get that run over with.

Saturday
9 miles @ EB. Actual run was 9 miles @ 8:55/mile. Another that came in a little too fast. I've noticed this tendency I have to run at one past faster than the prescribed pace. For example, if I'm supposed to run at EA, I run at EB. If I'm supposed to run at EB (like on Saturday), it comes out more like an LR. I think I'm so concerned with meeting my paces that I overdo it. Anyway, the fun felt good otherwise.

Sunday
4 miles LR + 2 miles T + 2 miles LR + 1 miles T + 2 miles LR + 1 mile T + 4 miles LR. Actual run 16 miles @ 8:30/mile. This one felt like I had been looming for a couple of weeks, though I don't really know why. Saturday showed that LR pace (even when it's not prescribed) isn't much of a stretch and only a quarter of the miles were going to be at Daniels T. Still, the combination of the distance (my longest since May) and the T miles, not to mention the cold, had me a little apprehensive.

You know what, though? This run was awesome. I got up, had a little blue Powerade and a Clif bar and was out the door by about 8:30. It was probably only 15-18 degrees, but everything was frosted over and it was sunny, so it looked really pleasant. No wind either. I also carried a package of Clif chews with me that I distributed throughout the run to great success.

So, like I said, this run felt really good. I warmed up quickly to a comfortable temperature, even allowing me to take my gloves off about halfway through. I was right at or near all of my T paces. A few of the LR paces came in a little on the fast side, but I was comfortable and finished strong. Even my ankle, which was bothering me a little bit at the beginning of the run, felt good throughout most of the run.

This run was the palate cleanser I needed to get the bad taste of last week out of my mouth. It was a huge confidence booster, too. I am feeling extremely good about Dopey at the moment. Mentally, I'm there and ready to go. Physically, I know I could go out and do it next week, but I look forward to getting a few more weeks of training under my belt.

Miles This Week: 46
Year To Date: 1,370

 

[ZellyB]

Great training week and I'm glad to hear the excitement is there for Dopey. You are going to do fantastic.

 

[lhermiston]

Great training week and I'm glad to hear the excitement is there for Dopey. You are going to do fantastic.

Thanks!

 

[Bree]

You amaze me with the weather you are running in. I’m such a wimp and would have found a treadmill! It’s 43 and windy here in central FL today and I’m doing a happy dance that I only have to suffer in it for 3 miles!

 

[lhermiston]

You amaze me with the weather you are running in. I’m such a wimp and would have found a treadmill! It’s 43 and windy here in central FL today and I’m doing a happy dance that I only have to suffer in it for 3 miles!

I just walked past a bank sign showing the temp to be 40 degrees and almost did a happy dance. It’s all relative.

 

[lhermiston]

No detailed update this week. It was an "easy" week and I was able to stick to 90 percent of the plan. One EA run was cut from 6 miles to 4 due to time constraints.

My last full-blast week of training begins tomorrow, then two weeks of tapering and then it's go time. I can't believe how close it is. Three weeks from tomorrow, we'll be in Hollywood Studios, then expo, then Dopey.

Mentally, I'm ready. I have a few, small, lingering doubts about four races in four days. But, I stuck to the plan and DopeyBadger knows his stuff. Physically, I feel pretty solid. A little sluggish in my legs at times, especially in the first mile or two, but way better than a couple of weeks ago. My turning point was really the 16 mile run last Sunday. Everything fell into place. Once I get through this week, I am in good shape.

I don't have a firm strategy in mind for any of the races. I know I want to try to grab some photos and video of World Showcase during the 5K, but I'll do that while running. I think the 10K will be a standard LR and I'm planning to stop at Keels' beverage stop. For the half and the full, I'm planning on a LR pace though how I'm feeling, especially for the full, will dictate my pace. I'm not looking to set any PRs, but I'd like to beat my previous WDW marathon time (4:22ish)

If I see a character that really calls to me and the line is short, I might give it a whirl. I've never done character stops and I don't know how my body will react, so I'm hoping to have at least one during the HM to gauge if I will repeat that during the full. I'm not going to wait more than a few minutes for a character. And knowing myself, I probably won't do very many stops at all.

All of this is subject to change, but that's how I'm leaning.

Miles This Week: 37.4
Year To Date: 1,407 (!!!)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Peak Week!

 

[ZellyB]

So close! You've done a great job sticking with your training plan. Can't wait to cheer you on for Dopey and hope to get a chance to meet you.

 

[lhermiston]

So close! You've done a great job sticking with your training plan. Can't wait to cheer you on for Dopey and hope to get a chance to meet you.

Thanks! I’m looking forward to meeting you, too. Should be a great weekend.

 

[lhermiston]

Peak week.

Tuesday
6 miles @ EA. Actual run 6 miles @ 9:31/mile. I was bound and determined this week to hit every prescribed mile. I wanted to head into tapering strong and feeling as if I had put as much into this training plan as possible. This was a nice, easy run. Definitely felt like I've shaken off the aches and pains from a few weeks ago. My body feels ready to go.

Wednesday
9 miles @ Long run. Temps got up in the upper 40s/lower 50s this week, but I apparently forgot about this before my run and was dressed for the 30s. The result was a long run that, while successful, was incredibly toasty. I'm chalking it up as (unintentional) heat acclimation training. Solid run overall, though.

Friday
6 miles @ EA. Actual run was 6 miles @ 9:01. This one got a little out of hand. I got out of work early, I was ready for the long weekend and happy to be running with some daylight (temps had dropped a bit by Friday, though. Maybe in the 30s?). The result was something more like a LR. My body felt good and my pace felt nice and easy, nonetheless.

Saturday
9 miles @ EB. Actual run was 8 miles @ 8:53. A little bit more of the same. I paid for Friday's run a little bit Saturday morning. Legs felt a little achy the first mile or two, but it was fine after that. I tried to dial things back a bit, but gravity pulled me along in a few spots and the paces felt easy enough. It was chilly when I started, but I was able to ditch my hat and gloves after a couple miles.

One area of concern likely unrelated to running: I've had some intermittent pain, discomfort, mild numbness in my right shoulder/arm for a few weeks. I figured I've just been sleeping on it wrong. During Saturday's run, I had some tightness between my shoulder blades. Saturday night, the tightness and pain were enough that I had to lay down for a while. Not sure if I pulled something, but I need to keep an eye on it.

Sunday
3 mile WU + 9 miles @ M Tempo + 2 miles @ Daniels T + 1 mile @ M Tempo + 2 mile CD.

Actual run was 17 miles @ 8:41. So, I had roughly 3/4 of a really solid final peak week run. The first 12 miles went really well. Warm up was a breeze and the next 9 miles of Tempo went swimmingly, albeit just a hair on the quick side. Trouble hit at about 12.5 mile, in the middle of my first T run. After cruising along uninterrupted for a the first 11+ miles, I had to stop for traffic. Right after that was my first T split and at 12.5, going uphill, I hit the wall hard. I walked roughly 1/10th of a mile then started back up again, but it was hilly going forward. I know the T splits are meant to be run on flat stretches, but it was unavoidable. Mile 14 was a little better, but still technically a fail and mile 15 (my last tempo mile) was a fail, too. I walked another 10th of a mile and had to wait for traffic (Strava was running continuously for an accurate assessment of the run, so that impacted it).

The cooldown miles were SLOOOOW and I walked a couple of times. I was just absolutely gassed. I happened to pass my wife and kids driving on their way to my in-laws and my wife later commented that I looked pretty rough. Well, I felt rough. Not terrible. Not, I can't go on, I'll never finish, rough. Just spent. But, I finished and at a cumulative pace faster than what I plan to approach during the actual marathon.

So, not the ideal, confidence boosting, I can take on the world end to the meat and potatoes of the marathon plan I was hoping for. Certainly, not the beast mode run I had a couple of weeks ago. But ... I finished. And physically, mentally, I'm ready for Dopey. I am certain of that. I won't set any PRs, but I am absolutely going to finish and I'm going to have a ton of fun doing each race. I am undaunted and truly pumped for this experience.

But, let's finish this week on a really positive note...

Corrals were released this week and I'm in B. In 2017, my first marathon and first runDisney event, I was in D, so this is a nice improvement. I can trace this back to the CRANDIC marathon this April. Midway through, I hit a lull. I thought about what was motivating me and how I wanted to get a sub-4:00 marathon time and get a solid corral placement for the WDW marathon.

Well, here we are and I've got it. So, with that in mind, this upcoming WDW marathon is dedicated to @DopeyBadger who has provided me with guidance, inspiration, encouragement, etc. I couldn't have gotten to this point without you, dude. B (corral) is for Badger. Thank you for all of your help this year.

Miles This Week: 47 (PR)
Year To Date: 1,454 (!!!)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Enjoy the taper! You've put in the hard work and now you get to reap the benefits!

 

[lhermiston]

Enjoy the taper! You've put in the hard work and now you get to reap the benefits!

I’m mostly just excited for less running in the dark. That business gets old.

Happy holidays, coach.

 

[lhermiston]

Taper Town, population: me

Tuesday
4 miles @ EA. Actual run was 4 miles @ 9:20. I had a beautiful Christmas afternoon run. Upper 40s, lower 50s. Just an awesome afternoon for a short run.

Wednesday
9 miles @ LR. Actual run was 9 miles @ 8:57. Right on the money. Just a decent, long run.

Friday
1 mile WU + 8.5 miles @ Tempo + 1 mile CD. Actual run was ... nothing. We got hit with some freezing rain Friday afternoon. The sidewalks were an absolute ice rink. I made the call to skip this run since the risk of injury was too high and I wasn't about to go driving around in this weather to track down a treadmill. This is the only run I missed due to weather this cycle and one of the few missed runs, period, so I'm not too concerned.

Saturday
4 miles @ EA. Actual run was 4 miles @ 9:14. Sidewalks were a little patchy, but manageable. Had to cut onto the street or grass a couple of times. Cold and dreary afternoon. I'm ready for Florida.

Sunday
9 miles @ EB. Actual run was 9 miles @ 8:57. A little on the fast side, but everything felt pretty good, despite it being a bit chilly.

So, that's it for 2018. It was a great year for running. I set a new PR for the marathon and matched my previous PR for the half. I stayed healthy and got almost all of my runs in this year. Definitely set a new PR for miles run in a single year.

It's hard to believe that in two weeks the Dopey Challenge will be over. I'll continue running and I have a few races (including marathon number 5) planned for 2019, but it won't be the same not counting down the days to WDW. I think I need another destination race, ha ha. Maybe Vegas or DC?

Thanks to everyone who has followed along this year and for your support and words of encouragement.

Miles This Week: 26
Year To Date: 1,480

 

[DopeyBadger]

Almost here! Congrats on a very successful 2018!

 

[lhermiston]

Almost here! Congrats on a very successful 2018!

Thanks!

 

[lhermiston]

Stealing this from Billy...

End of Year stats:
Runs: 228
Avg. Time/Week: 6h 6m
Avg. Distance/Week: 40 miles
Time spent running this year: 221h 32m
Total distance: 1,480 miles
Elevation gain: 69,990

 

[DopeyBadger]

Stealing this from Billy...

End of Year stats:
Runs: 228
Avg. Time/Week: 6h 6m
Avg. Distance/Week: 40 miles
Time spent running this year: 221h 32m
Total distance: 1,480 miles
Elevation gain: 69,990

View attachment 372261

The start to a very successful 2019!

 

[lhermiston]

The start to a very successful 2019!

Here's hoping...

Dopey next month. Lakefront in October. Maybe a marathon relay in April. I'd like to find 2-3 more races, maybe a couple of HMs.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Wow! Great year of running and you’ll get to ice it with Dopey. You also ran enough miles to get to WDW, which is cool!
Thanks for starting and maintaining the Marathon Weekend thread this year too. I’ve really enjoyed it and the SAFD’s!

 

[lhermiston]

Wow! Great year of running and you’ll get to ice it with Dopey. You also ran enough miles to get to WDW, which is cool!
Thanks for starting and maintaining the Marathon Weekend thread this year too. I’ve really enjoyed it and the SAFD’s!

Thank you and you’re welcome! I’ve enjoyed it.