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

[Capang]

YOU GUYS MY FIRST MICKEY MONITOR CAME AND I'M OFFICIALLY AN ANNUAL PASSHOLDER OMG AHHH!!!!
Also ... four Sunday trips down to Florida so that I can check in at Epcot and get my free cutting board is a bit much, right?

You know, you could always do W&D...

 

[SarahDisney]

You know, you could always do W&D...

I am already taking Friday off, so I'd only have to take Monday for it to be a 4-day trip ...
But I'm also kind of excited about volunteering at the NYC marathon and I don't want to miss that.

 

[SarahDisney]

#SarahSpendsTooMuchMoney Update:

- Sunglasses are expected to arrive on Tuesday, but they're in Queens already, so I'm not sure if they're actually going to come tomorrow or not until Tuesday. UPDATE: Or possibly today? USPS tracking says it's in transit to destination. But it also says expected arrival Tuesday. I'm so confused...
- Treadmill lubricant is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. Which means I have to put lubricating the treadmill belt on my to-do list for Wednesday. Hopefully I bought the right stuff and it works.
- New shoes are expected to arrive next Friday. Will probably be close to 300 on the Yankees Zantes by then, but I'm still not sure if I want to start #RoseGoldEverything Zante (yes, that's what they are tentatively named, including the pound sign, because I am a severe millenial sometimes) right away (or when I hit 300) or after the Bronx 10 mile. If all goes well, these will be my WDW 5K shoes, but I can't tell if they're truly rose gold or more peach, so I'll start thinking costumes once I see them in person (if they're more peach, then the name will change too ... so maybe everyone start thinking of peach names just in case ... I feel like "literally everything I buy at bath and body works" doesn't work as a shoe name).

 

[Jules76126]

Okay I think I am finally caught up after a week off the Dis. Now hoping to stay caught up.

 

[SarahDisney]

Okay I think I am finally caught up after a week off the Dis. Now hoping to stay caught up.

Things move pretty fast around here, so ... good luck
Glad to have you caught up for now!

 

[SarahDisney]

I know nothing about interpreting elevation charts. Is this good, bad, or neutral:


ETA: Also, we need to talk playlist for this race. Because an out and back on Grand Concourse may not be the most interesting race ever. Even if in the second half I'm running towards Yankee Stadium ... it's not like the Yankees are home.

 

[SarahDisney]

Update:
Sunglasses came today. Apparently they were in Queens on Friday, but still in a sorting facility - they didn't hit my actual post office until this morning. I gotta get better at understanding tracking messages.
Not sure if I'll wear them tomorrow (and if I do, if it will be for running or baseball).

Actually not sure at all what my baseball schedule is this weekend. My dad wants to go to a game on Monday that's far away, but I think that coming home in Labor Day traffic will take us like 5 hours. I do not want to spend that much time in the car, especially because we had a long ride home last week whenre we got stuck in a lot of traffic. No idea if we're doing something tomorrow (or what). Sigh.
Also ... I'mma be up late tonight, so I'm thinking of turning off the 5am alarm and getting up at 6ish to run. But again, depends on what I'm doing tomorrow and what time I have to leave the house.

 

[SarahDisney]

I turned off my alarm for tomorrow morning! I can't remember the last time I just planned to wake up whenever I wake up. It's crazy. But much needed.
Once I do wake up, on my agenda for tomorrow (in addition to my Bronx 10 Mi Wk 4 training recap) is definitely parallel lacing my running shoes ... I'm hoping that's the answer to the foot pain I've been having. I tried like 4 different things on today's run (loose, less loose, loose on top, loose on the bottom) and nothing helped much, so I'm hoping that totally re-lacing is the solution.

Wore my new Knocks to a ballgame today. They make colors so much more vibrant. Which reminds me, I need to clean my old Knocks...

ETA: Forgot to mention a thought I had on my run this morning - you know how some people leave water along their route? I need to start doing that with coffee.
Yeah, it was that kind of run.

 

[SarahDisney]

New Balance Bronx 10 Mile: Training Week 4 Recap​

Sorry guys, this is a long one with no pictures. I've been taking a lot of pictures on my runs lately and sharing them on Strava, but I'm too lazy to go get those pictures and post them here.

Monday

• Running: None
• Cross Training: barre3, 59:01 minutes
  • Unexceptional class. I didn't feel great at first, but I settled in eventually.
  • There was a negative part of this class, but I already mentioned it and I've let it go (I can't control other people's behavior, so when I can, I try not to let it get to me). Beyond that, this class was fairly forgettable.
• Food: Ate all the chocolate. Did not have enough coffee. Sigh.
• Life/Work: Had my global entry interview, which was fine (I got approved!), but the commute from there to work took twice as long as it should have, so I was a drop grouchy when I got to work. Work was okay ... after getting in a little later than planned, I felt bad leaving when I had to leave for barre3, but it was fine. I brought my computer home and got what I hadn't gotten done at work done at home, so I was okay. Stress level 41, definitely in part because of the commute issues.

Tuesday

• Running: 48 minutes Easy/LR - 3.33 miles, 48:21 minutes, 14:31/mi avg pace
  • This was originally scheduled as 4 miles @ EC (12:00/mi), but I woke up super tired and exhausted, and I knew within the first minute that I couldn't do EC. I set up intervals on my watch and decided that because my Easy/LR pace was slower and I didn't really want to be out for longer, I would do the same amount of time as originally planned (48 minutes), but at the Easy/LR intervals.
  • This run was a struggle from start to finish, and honestly, I think I would have been better off staying in bed.
• Cross Training: None
• Food: Meh.
• Life/Work:
  • I was very nervous about a lot of things, including a phone interview. I was just not in a good place all day. Stress level 38, which seems weirdly low for how I was feeling.
  • Good news is, I bought new running shoes for $45. I have to see how they look in person, but their tentative name is #RoseGoldEverything. If they're more peach than rose gold in person (I honestly couldn't tell from the picture), then I may have to start rifling through my collection of Bath & Body Works products for a name.

Wednesday

• Running: None
• Cross Training: barre3, 59:34 minutes
  • I was super tired/exhausted, but went to barre3 anyway. The instructor was my favorite instructor and I warned her at the beginning that I was going to be taking it super easy because I was so tired.
  • Definitely took it easy (started all my planks at the barre and didn't even try the floor, dropped my weights a lot), but still pushed myself more than I thought I would. Almost left about 40 minutes in, but decided to keep trying, and I made it through. Thanked the instructor after class for her help. Glad I made it through this ... but I probably should have had coffee before class, not after.
• Food: Chocolated a lot at work because I just was feeling a little out of place.
• Work/Life: Just a bad day at work. After work was okay, but not great. I was just ready for the day to be over. Stress level was 43. Garmin says I had very few restful moments. Sounds right.

Thursday

• Running: 4 mi EC + Strides - 3.95 miles, 48:46 minutes, 12:21 min/mi avg pace
  • Woke up tired, but not feeling super exhausted like I have the rest of the week. Debated treadmill vs. outside, but decided to easy run outside and tempo (which was what was originally on the schedule for this run) on Sunday (when the weather was supposed to be better). Stopped a few times to reset and drink, but overall run felt good. Refilled my half-full water bottle 3 times - drank a total of 2.5 cups of water for a 3.95 mile run. Heat is no joke, people.
    
  • Finally tried strides. I forgot to recheck the instructions before doing it, so I may have had the timing wrong (I did 10 secs speed up, 10 secs at speed, 10 secs slow down ... or at least that's what I tried). Just didn't feel right before and after (during was ok) and I definitely slowed down too fast, because I was back at easy pace by 6-8 seconds (I am also not great at counting seconds while running). I don't know if it was the hot weather (T+D of 155 - temp 80, dew point 75) or that strides just aren't for me. I may consider trying them again in better weather, but I'm not convinced I'll like it. Whatever. Not everything is for everyone.
• Cross Training: None
  • Realized during/after my run that I was in the mood for barre3, so I put myself on the waitlist for a class. Took myself off the waitlist (when I was #1 on the list and probably would have gotten in) because I had other stuff to do. In hindsight, that was the wrong move.
• Food: Went right at the chocolate as soon as I got to work. Completely out of control with the chocolate. Sigh. I suck.
• Life/Work: More work stuff. Whatever. Foot hurt throughout the day, but I think that's still the shoe lacing thing. Overall stress level 30.

Friday

• Running: None
• Cross Training: None
• Food: Ate all the chocolate. Again. Sigh.
• Life/Work: Work was whatever. Had a very good adulting day. Had coffee with a recent grad from my coding bootcamp and hopefully I was a little helpful to her. Found out I didn't get the job I phone interviewed for, but rather than just sit back and hope to hear from the recruiter again when another opportunity opens, I asked him if I could contact him in a few months (yay me!) - he said sure, but he'll definitely let me know when something hits his desk. Stress level 28, which seems about right.

Saturday

• Running: None
• Cross Training: None
• Food: Snacked too much.
• Life: Napped too little.

Sunday

• Running: 2 mi WU + 3 mi HM Tempo + 2 mi CD - 6.65 miles, 1:21:17 hours, 12:13 min/mi avg pace
  • Didnt have this run in me. Struggled throughout, especially in HM Tempo part. Tried to grit it out but wasn't always successful. Couldn't get the full 7 miles. I was just done.
  • I think having coffee pre-run would have been a game changer.
• Cross Training: None
• Food: Was very good and only ate half of the really big crispy chicken sandwich I got for dinner (we tried a new place that just opened up in January - we'd go back). I did eat all my fries, though, and snacked a little after, including having a cup of soda (that's how tired I was ... I had soda).
• Life: Went to a baseball game (Staten Island Yankees ... short season A). They played terribly, but decent game and good seats. That was game #13 of the year for me (#15 for my dad), and most likely my last. Also ... saw my first picture of the Food & Wine annual passholder tiny cutting board. I still want it. Stress level 29.

Overall Week Stats:
Running: 3 runs, 13.91 miles, 02:58:23 hours (12:49/mi avg pace)
Barre3: 2 classes, 1:58:34 minutes
Weight: Up 1.6 lb (from last Monday ...will be back to Sunday to Sunday next week). This is a big problem.

Not my best week. But I'm hoping that once the summer is over, my outside-of-work life will calm down a bit and the exhaustion will become less of a factor.
But I really need to work on my eating.
Oh, and the giveaway for the NB 5th Ave Mile this year is a hat. I'm not unhappy to be missing that giveaway. I'm hoping it's back to a shirt next year, since I like last year's shirt. Although I did get this email today:


I guess they're nowhere close to selling out...

New Balance Bronx 10 Mile: Early Thoughts
With the race less than a month away, I've been starting to think about some of my plans and my approach for the day.

• Goals: For the longest time, my goal for this race has been 1:45 - which should bump me up a corral for the marathon. A few months ago I came up with a secondary goal - continuous running (i.e. no intervals ... there will probably be at least one mid-race refuel while walking situation). Lately I've been focused more on the continuous running. I don't know if it's because I'm not someone who cares much about pace or if it's because I think that's the more attainable goal (I'm not someone who sets stretch goals), but ... it's there. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm really not sure how this will play out on race day.
• Pace Group: All these thoughts about goals brought me to another thought. What's the best way for me to ensure that I hit both goals. Is there a way for me to focus on one goal without leaving the other one behind? I decided to check if there would be a 1:45 pace group for this race. There will be. In previous races with pace groups, running with the pace group has not been an option for me because I've always planned run/walk intervals and NYRR pace groups don't do run/walk. But if I were to run with the 1:45 pace group, I'd be sure to hit my goal, and I would be forced into continuous running because they don't run/walk. That said ... I've never run with a group before, and I find that I do better with faster paces when I'm setting the pace myself rather than following someone else's pace. So I'm not sure if a pace group is the right call for me, but it's something I'm thinking about.
• Entertainment & Playlist: Now that I have Spotify Premium, it's easier to make fun race-specific playlists. This idea first occurred to me while I was at a Yankees game a few weeks ago, and since the race ends near Yankee Stadium, I thought it would be cool to make a playlist of the batting music used by some of my favorite Yankees. I have 3 songs on my playlist (and that includes pitching entrance music ... because really, what is a Yankees playlist without "Enter Sandman"?). So I either need a better idea or need to do a lot more research. This is not going to be the most entertaining course for me, I think (although I think they will have DJs along the route), so I want to make sure that my playlist keeps me entertained. Especially because the medal (which I'm apathetic about) is music themed, so a good playlist feels essential.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I love these weekly recaps!

I am excited for your 10 miler- cheering big for you!

 

[ZellyB]

You are going to do great on that 10-miler! I've never officially run with a pacer before either, but I have a few times had a pace group that's near me and I just keep them in sight without actually running with them. That has helped me before and maybe would work for you in this case.

 

[SarahDisney]

I love these weekly recaps!

Thanks! And thanks for reading along.

I am excited for your 10 miler- cheering big for you!

Thanks! Hopefully your big cheers will help me smash my goal!

You are going to do great on that 10-miler! I've never officially run with a pacer before either, but I have a few times had a pace group that's near me and I just keep them in sight without actually running with them. That has helped me before and maybe would work for you in this case.

Thank you!!
That's a good idea - I tried that for my half in January, but I lost the pace group on a big hill that I just wasn't prepared for. Hopefully I can try to do a better job keeping the pace group on sight for this race. That way I'll know that I'm on pace without actually getting stuck in the mob of the pace group.

 

[SarahDisney]

Oh, forgot to mention ... set a new Virtual 1-Mile Race PR today @ 12:13. Would have been faster if I hadn't had to wait like 2 seconds to cross the street. Stupid cars.
I did it as the last mile of my 4 mi EC this morning. Meant to give strides another try, but I kinda forgot. Honestly, I'm okay with that.
Weather is supposed to be a drop better on Thursday (maybe also tomorrow, I don't remember), so I may try again (you can submit as many times as you want within the race time period), but not definitely. I'm happy with 12:13 for a "training run" 1-miler.

 

[jennamfeo]

I was going to suggest what @ZellyB said. Just kind of keep the pace group near you. I usually do that anyway when I want to keep a grip on my pace without mathing.

Yay for a new 1 mile PR!

Also, totally on board with leaving coffee on a run path. Hahaha.

 

[SarahDisney]

I was going to suggest what @ZellyB said. Just kind of keep the pace group near you. I usually do that anyway when I want to keep a grip on my pace without mathing.

I think I may try that. Thanks for the input!

Yay for a new 1 mile PR!

Thanks!

Also, totally on board with leaving coffee on a run path. Hahaha.

I just need to find a good place to leave it that I don't have to worry about someone taking it.
Or I could just stop at the bagel store, which is only a few blocks off of my regular running route. But that's more expensive.

 

[SarahDisney]

Spoiler: Warning: Whiny Self-Pity

I get very annoyed at #TransformationTuesday posts sometimes. Some people are like "I started running and lost 200 lbs and it's given me so much and ... blah blah blah."

You know what running has given me? Here's a nice list of the highlights:
1 - The idea that I can eat food. Which has led me back to my high school weight, which is very close to my highest weight ever.
2 - A shopping problem. "But I need it for running" is not an excuse to buy something.
3 - Sleep deprivation. There used to be entire weeks when I slept past 5am. Sundays I used to wake up later than the rest of the week! I miss those days ... I miss sleep.
4 - A sense of community that will come crashing down when I stop running and will leave me heartbroken. I love you guys, but this happens to me a lot - I'm incapable of forming lasting relationships (I've got some theories on why, but that's not relevant), so once I'm no longer posting on here actively, I will lose touch with all of you. Same with my facebook running group. And somehow, even though I know it's coming, it'll still make me incredibly sad. Sigh.

Anyway ... that was my whining. Some days I hate running, but I also know that I've backed myself into a corner where I can't stop. So I just have to keep going and hope the next day is one where I enjoy running again.

Expect a "race suspense" post at some point over the next few weeks. I'm starting to think about my post-Staten Island Half race schedule.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Some days I hate running...

1. Some days I hate running.

2. The days I don't hate running are worth the days I do hate running.

3. There is stuff I hate worse than running.

4. Re your #4. I had some stuff to say, but it sounded too lecture-y.

 

[SarahDisney]

1. Some days I hate running.

2. The days I don't hate running are worth the days I do hate running.

I'm hoping that I eventually get to this point. Right now the days I don't hate running sometimes balance out the days I hate running, but don't always.

3. There is stuff I hate worse than running.

I'm sure if I wasn't so sleep deprived I could also think of some things I hate worse than running

4. Re your #4. I had some stuff to say, but it sounded too lecture-y.

I was a little hesitant to post that one because I thought I might get some lectures. But at the end of the day, I know me and I've learned to recognize certain trends in my life and that's just one of those things that I'm working on coming to terms with (even though it may not sound like it from what I wrote there).

 

[jennamfeo]

Whatever, Sarah. You'll have to change your number to get rid of me.

 

[SarahDisney]

Whatever, Sarah. You'll have to change your number to get rid of me.

Well I've had the same phone number since high school, so ... I guess I'm stuck with you.