Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

[SarahDisney]

So ... my happy hour for today is cancelled. So all of this discussion is moot.
I should have an hour to run and then cooking time. Currently making my schedule, but it looks like I may be able to get all of my cooking done tonight. So all's well that ends well.

 

[TheHamm]

So ... my happy hour for today is cancelled. So all of this discussion is moot.
I should have an hour to run and then cooking time. Currently making my schedule, but it looks like I may be able to get all of my cooking done tonight. So all's well that ends well.

If not happy, I hope your evening can be classed as 'satisfied hour'

 

[SarahDisney]

If not happy, I hope your evening can be classed as 'satisfied hour'

I mean, I can still have my own happy hour ... I can just do it after my run (or probably after my cooking because less potential for injury that way).

 

[SarahDisney]

Okay, so, for the last like 2 hours I have not been feeling this run. So I made the executive decision to push it off to tomorrow morning. Gonna spend another 30-45 minutes at work (maybe an hour if I seem like I'm making really good progress), then do a 30-minute online barre3 class. Then cooking.

I liked the idea of post-work runs because it gives me a free morning, but I find that I'm much less motivated after work. So that's something to think about in future planning. Gonna have to figure out some other way to get myself a free morning for sleeping in and grocery shopping purposes.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm feeling very yappy today, so update #3 for the day:
I'll have a full recap of the week on Sunday or Monday, but this week has actually been a really good experiment week so far. I'm discovering a lot of things about my relationship with running (and also a little exercise in general) just because I'm taking the time to pay attention.

 

[SarahDisney]

Running Trial Week 1 Update​

I've got a day-by-day recap for y'all, but if you just want the tl;dr, I did 2 runs, 3 in-person barre3 classes, and 1 online barre3 class. Some thoughts about running at the bottom of the post.

And now the long version.

Monday:
barre3 In-Studio Class with Bond. Wasn’t feeling it in the AM and almost cancelled, but decided to force myself to go. It was the first class taught by a new instructor and while it wasn’t my favorite, that was a cool thing to experience.

Tuesday:
4 mile Run. Overall pretty decent run. Went out with a plan. It got slightly dinged by rain but I made it work. Pace was a little slower than I had hoped but also not bad for my first run in over 2 weeks.

Also found out that I was chosen for the League of Garmin. I think its more of a social media thing than a traditional ambassador program. Weird timing, but cool. Definitely an incentive to be more active on Insta.

Wednesday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Katie!! I haven’t taken her in a bit (she mentioned that when I got there), so it was nice to take her class again. Katie is one of the teachers I was meh about pre-pandemic (didn’t take her that often honestly) but fell in love with on livestream. Her class feels a little more fast paced than some other instructors but today it was actually exactly what I need.

Thursday:
barre3 online video. As I was doing this, I decided that some sort of stretching type exercise might be best for my 6th day (so 2 runs, 3 barre3, and some stretchy thing). I definitely felt like I needed a stretch focus. If only yoga didn't disagree with me.

Friday:
3.2 mile run. Was fine but not as good as Tuesday. Kinda made the route up on the fly and didn’t know how long it was gonna be until I got home.

Saturday:
Rest Day

Ended my rest day by finally watching Captain America: The First Avenger. I didn’t hate it. But at the end of the day, it’s an action movie, and I’m not a big action movie person. So there's that. I think next up is Avengers.

Sunday:
barre3 In-Studio Class with Vicky. I was kinda meh but Vicky does not-so-serious Sundays so it was fine.

Week Thoughts/Realizations:
1 - I seem to not hate running if I can do it on my terms. Meaning, don't make a plan, just go out and do it. As much as I am someone who does well with structure, that might not be the case with running.
2 - Might be more interested in running if I was going for PRs, but I think my PR days are behind me and I know working back towards being in PR shape will get me right back to being miserable about running. (This realization was inspired by Broad Street and Chicago, which I think are both known as PR courses, being on the same day)
3 - I need to do more stretching-type things
4 - I really wish they would announce the lottery for the 2022 NYC Half. I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat. They've announced some winter 2022 races but not the half. I contemplated signing up for the Manhattan 10K (which I did the first year, when it was a 7-miler and in the summer), but once I took a second to think, I realized I wasn't actually that excited about it, I just like the logo.

So I'd call week 1 a success. Planning to start week 2 with a run tomorrow (if things go well, I'm thinking maybe alternating weeks of M/W and T/Th running, but that's still just a thought. M/Th would probably be best, but I like the Thurs AM barre3 instructor. And I still need to figure out when I would do my grocery shopping - Wed or Thurs is best because I do my big cooking on Thursday night and Sunday).

 

[SarahDisney]

So ... week 2.
I have some life stuff that happened unexpectedly, so all things are on hold for a bit. I'm thinking I may run Thursday, but not sure because some stuff. If Thursday doesn't happen, it's gonna be next Monday.
Honestly, I'm fine with that. This life stuff is more important and hopefully something I won't have to deal with again for many many years.

The last 4-5 months have been a lot. But I just have to keep going. We all do. Adjust and adapt.

 

[SarahDisney]

Running Trial Week 2 Update​

It's been a few weeks, but I'm finally back to trying running again!

Short Version:
I did 2 runs, 2 in-person barre3 classes, and 2 online barre3 class.

Long Version:
Monday:
3.53 mile run. I was hoping this would be longer and more comfortable, but for my first run in over 2 weeks (this feels like a pattern), it wasn't too bad.

Tuesday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Ashley E. Nothing memorable about this one.

Wednesday:
barre3 online video. I forgot to write up notes this week and I don't remember why I decided to do a barre3 video (which I did after work) instead of running. I probably went grocery shopping or slept in or something.

Thursday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Frenchie. This was spooky-themed, which I could have done without (friendly reminder that Halloween was actually originally a religious holiday and some non-Christians don't celebrate it), but otherwise it was all good.

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
4.27 mile run. I was have GPS issues so I kinda just turned around when I felt like it instead of going for the distance I actually wanted. But it mostly felt good and I was happy with it.

Week Thoughts/Realizations:
1 - I want to try to get a 5-miler in soon. Hopefully this coming week? We'll see. But I'm getting ready to start setting goals again.
2 - Speaking of goals, I want to try to get to double digits by the end of the year. We'll see if that happens, but I want to try.
3 - I don't hate the idea of doing another race eventually.

All things considered, this week went well. I'm still struggling with a lot of life things, but I think I'm working on moving forward as best as I can. Goal for this week is 2 runs + 2 barre3s.

So I guess the running trial went well and we're continuing with the running thing.

 

[SarahDisney]

So, I'm doing this Secret Santa style thing, and we're encouraged to make wish lists to help our people pick out gifts, and apparently I just suck at wanting things.
My hope is that I get something I would enjoy but wouldn't buy for myself. But I don't know what that is since I usually just buy things for myself.

(I also need to find out what the price range is because that can impact the wish list)

 

[SarahDisney]

I probably owe y'all an update but my feet hurt from standing for 8 hours. But I really love that marathon finish line feeling, and I wish I had a marathoner in my life so that I could do more spectating. I'm still contemplating next year's volunteer plans, but one option is to do a morning shift and then buy tickets for the grand stand seating in the afternoon.

More on that when I actually update.

 

[FFigawi]

I probably owe y'all an update but my feet hurt from standing for 8 hours. But I really love that marathon finish line feeling, and I wish I had a marathoner in my life so that I could do more spectating. I'm still contemplating next year's volunteer plans, but one option is to do a morning shift and then buy tickets for the grand stand seating in the afternoon.

I’m willing to be adopted as your marathoner. I like all the support I can get.

 

[jmasgat]

I'll be there next year--I'll take all the encouragement I can get!

 

[SarahDisney]

I’m willing to be adopted as your marathoner. I like all the support I can get.

Works for me! Let me know when you've got a marathon going on, and we'll arrange some spectating (although I really have decided that travelling is too much hassle so it might be virtual spectating).

I'll be there next year--I'll take all the encouragement I can get!

Yes!!!! You will have to give me your bib number when you get it in 11 months. I will definitely be somewhere cheering for you!

 

[SarahDisney]

I have consumed two beers and I'm fuzzy (yes, after only two beers) and it makes me happy. But also, I owe y'all a recap from last week. So here we go.

Return to Running: 11/1/2021 - 11/7/2021​

Short Version:
2 runs, 3 in-person barre classes, 1 walk home from the marathon finish line

Long Version:
Monday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Bond. I was late for class, which stressed me out a bit, but it worked out ok. Also, apparently my brother was in the neighborhood and walked past the studio when I was in class, but I didn't see him (I do usually set up camp near the window but probably wasn't at my barre spot at that point). That was a funny realization, though (he was excited to tell me all about how he found another branch of my barre studio, but then I told him that's the one I go to, and we discovered that I was in class when he walked past).

Tuesday:
5.01 mile run. This was my traditional run to the polls + run after voting. My goal was 3.1 miles, but then I realized that schedule-wise it made more sense to do my 5-miler today so I added 2 miles on the streets of my parents' neighborhood. Overall, it worked out pretty well.

Wednesday:
barre3 In-Studio with Katie. Nothing too exciting about this one, just a good solid class.

Thursday:
3.65 mile run. Was originally planning a run down to the marathon finish line and back, but ended up running on the course a bit to see my volunteer station and then find the Israeli flag (which was far from the finish, but was at least there, which some races would not have done).

Friday:
Rest Day
Marathon Expo volunteering! I did number pickup, which was fun. The COVID protocols were meh (vaccinations required and they did eventually bring us hand sanitizer for our station, but otherwise no particular protocols), which I wasn't thrilled about, but I got a nice t-shirt and mask and a pin and hat at the end. Also, I just love this volunteer shift because it's my chance to help runners get their race weekend started off right and it's super fun to interact with all the runners.

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
barre3 In-Studio with Vicky. Good class and a nice start to my morning.
Marathon Volunteering day! I did a grand stand/ticketing shift. NYRR has paid ticketed grandstands at the finish line, and my shift involved ticketing and monitoring those grandstands. I started off giving wristbands to people after their tickets were scanned (I was putting wristbands on people's wrists and getting right up in their faces during a pandemic which was a little weird), then I moved to the entrance of the grandstand (working with security to make sure that everyone who came into the grandstands had a wristband), and then I moved into the grandstand, making sure the pathways were clear and cheering for runners for a few hours. Overall, despite the lack of COVID precautions (and unlike Friday, for this shift they didn't provide a mask, but thankfully I had one with me), it was a fun experience.
I left at about 7:20 (the party really gets started at 7:30ish but I had to pee) and walked home, which was about 1.15 miles.

Week Thoughts/Realizations:
Nothing too exciting here. Just a nice, consistent week. Glad I got the 5 miler in.
Goal for next week (or this week since I'm posting very late) is 2 runs, no specific distance. The week after that will hopefully be a 10K goal.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I've given some thought to volunteering at the SF Giant Race. I just have to balance the travel time and logistics if I'm also racing the next day. It's always so fun seeing all the little kids wearing their almost too big for their bodies medals after the kids races/family relays the day before the race. We'll see what happens next year.

 

[SarahDisney]

I've given some thought to volunteering at the SF Giant Race. I just have to balance the travel time and logistics if I'm also racing the next day. It's always so fun seeing all the little kids wearing their almost too big for their bodies medals after the kids races/family relays the day before the race. We'll see what happens next year.

It's definitely hard to volunteer if you're also running during the same weekend. But it's super fun and I hope you can figure out a way to volunteer without impacting your race too much!

 

[SarahDisney]

Someone nag me on Monday to write a recap for the last 2 weeks. This week got away from me and I didn't have time to recap.
Also, it should include a mini-review of The Avengers because I'm about to open a new (to me) beer and turn that on.

I entered the lottery for the NYC Half. I'm less than thrilled with NYRR these days but I still think I want to get in? Drawing is December 8th, so we'll find out then.
I think I'm a little bit ready to return to racing. Not doing all the races, but maybe picking out a few ones that interest me. I wanted to do Springtime Surprise but the timing is no bueno. So Princess 2023 maybe? We'll see.

 

[SarahDisney]

So, I happened to be scrolling back through this journal looking for my review of Captain America (turns out it was just one line about it being okay for an action movie), and I saw this:

Last week was supposed to be my "back to normal" week - 3 runs and 3 barre3 classes. But between some bad decisions and an unexpected "crisis" (I put that in quotations because it felt like a crisis to me but I'm sure most people would have seen it as some little nothing), things didn't go as planned.

I could not figure out what crisis I was talking about. Because the last 6 months have been one thing after another. I finally kept reading and realized it was the electrical fire in my building (which we're still recovering from - they just shut off the power for a few hours the other day to do more work and there are now more wires in the stairwell). Probably the least stressful of my summer crises but not sleeping the night of the fire and not really knowing what was happening was rough on me (and then unexpected 2 days at my parents' while the apartment still didn't have power).

2021 cannot end soon enough. Duck this year.

 

[garneska]

2021 cannot end soon enough. Duck this year.

ditto!

 

[SarahDisney]

Return to Running: 11/8/2021 - 11/14/2021​

Short Version:
1 run, 3 in-person barre classes

Long Version:
Monday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Bond. I don't remember anything in particular about this class, so I guess it was good?

Tuesday:
2.22 mile run. So, Monday night I was getting ready to go to bed and I could not stop coughing and sneezing. I texted my mom, panicking that I might have caught COVID at the marathon weekend events. My mom said it was probably a cold and encouraged me to take Nyquil. Which I did after scheduling a COVID test for Tuesday (the test came back negative, so probably just a cold). This is all relevant because I was still feeling fuzzy on Tuesday morning and really struggled to run, so I cut it short.

Wednesday:
barre3 Livestream class with Katie. I did this livestream instead of in-studio because I was still feeling a little sick the night before and didn't want to bring my germs into the studio.

Thursday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Frenchie. Was feeling okay enough to be back in studio! Someone was talking to Frenchie about someone from The Bachelor (I assume, since I know Frenchie is a big Bachelor fan) who ran the marathon and said that this person had a "respectable" time and I wanted to interject that all marathon times are respectable but I didn't want to get into a fight with someone who clearly knows nothing about running.

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
Unplanned Rest Day. I was at the house and didn't have cold weather running gear on me, so I decided not to run in the 30something degree weather.

Week Thoughts/Realizations:
I'm a little bummed about skipping Sunday's run, but really I had a lot to do that morning anyway so it's all good. Family comes before running always.

Return to Running: 11/15/2021 - 11/21/2021​

Short Version:
2 runs, 3 in-person barre classes, 1 walk to barre3

Long Version:
Monday:
barre3 In-Studio class with Bond. My brother had a doctor's appointment in the area and texted me when he was outside the studio, so I went to the window and waved (this was before class).

Tuesday:
6.01 mile run. Six miles!! Woohoo! This was my longest run since July, and I'm very proud of it. Run felt pretty good throughout, although I didn't recover as well as I should have (forgot to have chocolate milk and could have stretched for longer).

Wednesday:
barre3 In-Studio with Katie.

Thursday:
3.33 mile run. Ended this one at Starbucks (well, I was still recording the walk home from Starbucks, which is about 0.2 miles) because it was reusable holiday cup giveaway day. It was chaos and I was pretty anxious waiting for my drink. And getting my cup was a hassle, but whatever. (I actually ended up going to Starbucks again later in the day and getting another cup).
I went into work after this run (because I'm trying to go into the temporary office more + my building shut off the power to do some electrical repairs) and got there at a decent time (9:30ish), so I'm thinking 5K is a pretty good pre-work distance. Once we're back in the office full-time I'm still only there 3 days a week, so I think I'll do a longer run on one of my non-office days and then a 5K on an office day. And my barre studio is about a 10-15 minute walk from the office so I can go there before or after work.

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
Walk to barre3 (~4.9 miles because I was ahead of schedule and detoured a bit) + barre3 In-Studio with Vicky. I started walking to barre3 when I started going back into the studio to minimize my subway time (and once I got more comfortable with the subway I did it for funsies), but stopped when it started getting light too late. This was my first time walking there in a bit and it was nice. It's a good way to start off my day. And class was good too.

Week Thoughts/Realizations:
This week felt very on-track, which is good coming off a week where I did skip a run. And my runs felt normal - I think I might be starting to get back into running. I still don't want to go back to heavy-duty training, but I think I'm in a good running place now.